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Books
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Round up of Tuesday’s Political Studies Association conference
Tweet If you want to get a flavour of the proceedings at the Political Studies Association conference on its opening day, then the Storify collation below will bring you some of the images, tweets and sounds of the day. Particular highlights included: the Opening Plenary with David Blunkett, Peter Riddell and Matthew Flinders; and the [...] read our review »
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“Unionism Decayed 1997-2007″ by David Vance: book review
Tweet I initially wrote this when the book was first published three years ago; whilst certain elements of it now sound dated, its basic premise that the period of 1997-2007 was a period of irreversible decay for Northern Irish Unionism can still be argued as a valid opinion. My own feeling is that it did [...] read our review » -
Learning from 1798?: Northern Ireland’s Upcoming Decade of Commemorations
Tweet Last year, the Lilliput Press released a new extended edition of Tom Dunne’s Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize winning book, Rebellions: Memoir, Memory and 1798. First published in 2004, Dunne’s book provoked considerable controversy with its critique of the ‘commemorationist’ history that Dunne believed dominated the 1998 commemorations of the 1798 Rebellion. The book blasted the [...] read our review »
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Comment on Ann Travers: “If had joined the IRA or a loyalist paramilitary and killed someone, I would be being listened to…”
on 21 May 2013 at 8:34 pm
Has every victim elected Ann Travers as their spokesperson now?
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Comment on “Republicans should remember that the third colour in the Irish flag is Orange…”
on 20 May 2013 at 3:10 pm
The most tedious aspect of this interminable debate is how the OO and bands, ably supported by some commentators, continue to portray themselves as somehow oppressed. 5 minutes observance of the upcoming Tour of the North political rally will quickly disavow the neutral of any such fallacy.
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Comment on PSNI: “if the NCA is unable to operate fully in Northern Ireland, this will have a detrimental impact on our ability to keep people safe”
on 16 May 2013 at 8:24 am
From the BBC report:
Jim Gamble, a former head of the RUC’s Special Branch, said accountability was “critical”.
“It is a key issue if you are going to have public confidence. We cannot afford to have the Policing Board sidelined or blindsided to what is going on,” he said.
Mr Gamble, who is also the former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection agency, said: “You cannot create two-tier policing.
“You cannot have one set of rules for the PSNI and one set of rules for the NCA. That doesn’t make sense operationally or politically.”
He added: “People are either badly informed or being mischievious because we are scaremongering and we’re exploiting people’s fears.”
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Comment on UTV Insight: Collusion and some of its innocent victims…
on 9 May 2013 at 9:06 am
‘They did what they had to in preserving the rule of law. Even if that meant straining the law to it’s outer limits, as in Finucane. All for the greater good.’
So long as it’s not you or someone you love being shot repeatedly in the face.
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Comment on Sinn Fein undermining the sanctity of marriage
on 30 April 2013 at 1:55 pm
‘you might not be aware of it but there are probably more Muslims in Britain than gay people’
Can’t argue with statistical evidence like that.
‘unable to answer why a Muslim polygamous marriage (you might not be aware of it but there are probably more Muslims in Britain than gay people) shouldn’t have their loving partnerships recognised in precisely the same way you feel the tiny minority of gay couples who want their relationships upgraded to marriage.’
For a start, bigamy is illegal in the uk, for gays and heterosexuals alike. But feel free to expand why you’re equating gay marriage with illegality.
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Comment on Sinn Fein undermining the sanctity of marriage
on 30 April 2013 at 12:55 pm
‘For what matters if you gain the world if you lose your soul.’
Yeah that or you could mind your own business, you know?
How come all you sanctity of marriage merchants aren’t chaining yourselves to railings outside divorce courts and screaming blue murder?
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Comment on “they have failed to adopt the responsibility and transparency which goes with power”
on 23 April 2013 at 3:37 pm
“Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.”
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Comment on Northern Irish politicians now commercially indemnified against libelling members of the public…
on 18 April 2013 at 1:27 pm
‘And, when MLA’s already have parliamentary previlege and qualified privilege, why does the taxpayer have to fork out for this kind of extra protection?’
MLAs can employ the usual robust rebuttal Royalists roll out when the rest of us query why we have to fund palaces and towers for others to live in when we’re struggling to pay our own mortgages: it only works out at around £1 a year so shut up.
Sorted.
(Though all these £1s soon start to add up)
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Comment on Sir Stirling Moss: Cretin
on 16 April 2013 at 1:23 pm
Aging racing driver in mysoginy row – who da thunk it?
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Comment on Commons Debate on Margaret Thatcher: Glenda Jackson goes and spoils the party by, erm, having a debate….
on 11 April 2013 at 8:56 am
‘I’m getting the term “ghost-writer”.
Anyone shed any light on why I have this strange feeling?’
Because you’re a judgemental oaf?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/russellbrand
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