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Books
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Kevin Myers’ ‘Watching the Door’: Book Review
This reads as if a mad picaresque tale. Myers as first a reporter for RTÉ and then as a freelance journalist with no real experience, finds himself wandering into savagery as he hastens north as the Troubles explode. A soldier dies next to him; he witnesses an IRA ambush; he sees children shot to death [...] read our review »
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Ulsters Last Stand?: Can Unionism Move Beyond Insurance Policy Politics?
How has Ulster unionism arrived at where it is today – fractured and uncertain, yet dominated electorally by the DUP, a party that tells us it offers unionists sure footing in uncertain times? In his latest book, Ulster’s Last Stand? Reconstructing Unionism after the Peace Process (Irish Academic Press, 2010), Prof. James McAuley from the [...] read our review »
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Legion of the Rearguard – Dissident Irish Republicanism by Martyn Frampton, Book Review
Are you confused about ‘dissident’ Irish Republicanism? Anxious about its existence and its seemingly increasingly deadly capabilities? Martyn Frampton’s new book, Legion of the Rearguard: Dissident Irish Republicanism (Irish Academic Press, 2011) serves both as a primer on active dissident groups and a timely analysis of their historic significance and contemporary capabilities. This book clears [...] read our review »
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Comment on “Time for the beginning of a calm debate” on Northern Ireland’s Demographics
on 4 January 2012 at 7:36 pm
I think one likely development that was not mentioned in the article will be the re-birth of the partitionists. Even in the absence of a Border Poll, (let alone one that is likely to be successful), the putative catholic majority will rankle with many on the unionist right. Politically, even a catholic majority that could drive a nationalist majority at Stormont, will have no more power than the protestant/unionist one today. However, psychologically and optically it will discomfort enough unionists to dream of homogenous East Ulster that would restore their rightful place. The spectre of Rome Rule may be long gone but it has been replaced by a very distinctive ethnic characterization that in many ways is even more divisive. I am doubtful that the partitionists would win the day but I do see them entering the debate.
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Comment on #aras11: He doesn’t know it’s a damn show. He thinks it’s a damn fight!
on 17 September 2011 at 7:06 pm
I think a lot of folks in the South will be challenged to put a number next to Martin McGuinness’ name. “What would the protestants think of us after all the things he has done” will be a common refrain. However, there will be a sizable portion of disillusioned Labour supporters and ex-FF’ers that will have no such qualms. I think a food result for SF will be to be there or there abouts at the last count. Builds on their profile in the south, removes more of the taboo for the next election. Also, the impact on those middle-class SDLP voting Catholics in the North will be interesting. Especially when McGuinness switches to Foyle instead of Glenshane at the next Westminster election. You heard it here first
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Comment on Healy-Rae: “…it should make decent Irish people – however innocent – cringe with refracted embarrassment.”
on 2 July 2011 at 7:24 pm
Nice one Mick! I believe there are also some great simian caricature over at Punch.
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Comment on Nationalism’s ‘crise de foie’: most Catholics prefer the United Kingdom…
on 19 June 2011 at 5:07 am
I fully suspect that if 95 years ago the Life and Times had performed a similar survey and their findings were published on Easter Sunday, April 23 1916, the results and reaction would probably been similar. The chattering classes (that’s us – they didn’t have blogs) would have nodded and shaken their heads accordingly. Yet within two weeks things had changed utterly. The moral of story, “its events dear boy, events” that change opinion and history.
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Comment on “The Stormont system appears unsustainable in the long term…”
on 30 May 2011 at 6:23 pm
Brian, I couldn’t agree more. After the trauma of the last forty years, I think the electorate and indeed the political class can be forgiven for not altering the status quo with reckless abandon. Lest we forget, we still have the history, the distrust, the perceived grievances, and a host of all the right ingredients in abundance for the project to go pear shaped once more.
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Comment on #AE11 Open Thread: Strangford (#str11)…
on 9 April 2011 at 8:19 pm
There were five and a half unionist quotas at last year’s Westminster elections, with one and half spread across the Alliance, Nats, and Greens. By my estimation approximately a quarter to a third of a quota was picked up by the UUP (as a result of their candidate choice) by voters who would normally plump for the Alliance or SDLP. Based on this, it is difficult to see both the Alliance and SDLP crossing the finishing line. I would have to go with 3 certs for the DUP and 1 for the UUP. Of the other two, 1 will go unionist (probably UUP) and the other Alliance or SDLP (probably Alliance). So having lost by 291 votes in 2003 and only 31 in 2007, look for another heart-breaker for the SDLP in Strangford.
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Comment on The one thing worse than being talked about?
on 15 November 2010 at 7:07 am
It could viewed from a SF perspective that they have mopped up all the concessions they can from the British during the formative years of the peace process and through milking deommissioning and the cupboard is now well and trully bare. In NI they are in a mutual veto death-grip with the DUP and the only real opportunity for progress will be through the long game; gradually building representation in election upon election while the SDLP’s demise continues and demographics remain favorable. So the only real forum for progress is the South where if the wind blows the right way, SF could gain just enough electoral leverage to deliver a prize such as say speaking rights in the Dail for NI MPs or maybe even a Green Paper on reunification. The Republic’s electorate are a fickle bunch and electoral fortunes can vanish overnight but strategically perhaps this is not such as bad move for SF.
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Comment on “the task of the forensic historical psephologist is not an easy one”
on 18 October 2010 at 5:01 am
It seems a stretch to conclude the likely defeat of a United Ireland Referendum on the basis of the 1973 Border Poll and some opinion polls. Especially given, as the article concedes, the continued erosion of the big ‘U’ unionism. I think the likely loss of the ‘Culturally British’ majority in Northern Ireland will be a highly significant milestone. The debate, at least for the new majority, starts to lose its epic, clash of the titans, life or death conotations, and becomes much more centred on the simple economics of the outcome. If and when the big day comes, big ‘U’ unionism would need to play its hand very carefully indeed. The actions they take to rally their own troops would almost certainly have an opposite effect on the very constituency who could swing the day. In fact, it will be very interesting to see what concessions big ‘U’ unionism is willing to offer the ‘Culturally Irish’ majority to support the union.
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Comment on Election 1970 rerunning on BBC Parliament this Saturday
on 7 October 2010 at 7:40 am
I didn’t realise you could go all the way back to the 1950′s on the ARK site. Interesting stuff. I did manage to find the one page summary for 1970.
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Comment on If Basil wins will the last one to leave the UUP please turn out the lights
on 12 September 2010 at 7:53 am
“The more sensible approach is proceed from where you are (ethnic unionism) to where you want to be (civic unionism) in an organised manner, bringing the bulk of your supporters with you.”
I don’t disagree with the approach at all but it would seem that the desire to get from A to B would be fundamental to achieving it. Tom Elliott is not the man to make that journey. If you are saying he is a safer pair of hands until someone is found who can make that journey well fair enough but I am not sure the UUP can play the long game.
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