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Books
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A poem for the day – Launching the Whaler Juan Peron
A Belfast epic, and one of my oldest poems, the opener of my first collection, Grub. The gist of the story was found in Moss & Hume’s Shipbuilders to the World: 125 Years of Harland and Wolff, Belfast, 1861-1986, which tells how Eva Peron was due to launch a huge whaling vessel in Belfast, built [...] read our review » -
Do Words Matter?: Book Review of Political Discourse and Conflict Resolution – Debating Peace in Northern Ireland
I share many of the concerns of Andy Pollak, whose recent post ‘My Response to the Slugger Begrudgers’ zeroed in on the ‘relentless flow of negativity’ of some Slugger commentators. Pollak’s post was largely concerned with the medium of the blog. Indeed, I think the anonymity of the online world encourages extreme discourse and allows [...] read our review »
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“You can see Newton’s mind at work…”
To add to the open access treasure trove at the Royal Society, Cambridge University Library is putting online some of its collection of books, maps, manuscripts and journals. We have called the first phase of our work on the Cambridge Digital Library the Foundations Project, which runs from mid-2010 to mid-2013 and has been made possible [...] read our review »
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Comment on The Queen’s Speech in Dublin Castle, 2011…
on 19 May 2011 at 12:01 am
I just really liked the part where she says, “I like these clinky glasses.”
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Comment on The annual flag row, mostly involving loyalists looking pathetic…
on 9 July 2009 at 7:06 am
Re: banning flags altogether: brings to mind Jean Paulhan and the Flowers of Tarbes. A girl enters the garden with flowers and is stopped by the guard who tells her she can’t pick flowers from the garden. “But monsieur,” she tells him, “these are my own flowers.” Henceforth, a sign at the entrance to the garden reads: “It is forbidden to enter the garden carrying flowers.”
Now Paulhan wrote the allegory about literature, to be sure, but I think there’s a parallel somewhere in there. This may be reminiscent of “tribal Bronze age stuff” and violent escalation would be a serious devastation, but as Greenflag said, better burn flags than people… Can’t condone this sectarian symbolic clash, but it seems a better outlet for frustration and mischief than “real” violence. And really, some troublemakers on Bebo? I think (hope) we can all sleep easy, maybe even amused, if slightly irritated.
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Comment on “this will be the case for as long as the new dispensation lasts”
on 29 June 2009 at 7:34 am
First, on the issue of opposition, I think theoretically there can be good governance and democracy that does not necessarily demand opposition. More important, I think, is accountability and transparency.
On the rest of it: I wonder – and I’m really asking here, I don’t know – how invested is the average person in the ongoing ethnic entrepreneurship at Stormont? Shouldn’t effective and efficient government take precedence over the old tribal lines? The nationalists and unionists in government find the need to politicize everything from language to sports to policing and justice. But does it really need to be a winner-loser scenario? I understand that I sound astoundingly naive right now, but I honestly don’t see why someone learning Irish is devastating to another learning Ulster Scots. Give them both equal funding and cultural protection and be done with it. What’s the difficulty? (Again, actually asking here.)
The point of consociationalism was to reduce ethnic violence. It was never going to be the most efficient or ‘democratic’ form of government. Peace was the pressing issue, and I think on that front power-sharing has generally been a success. But I’ve always seen consociationalism as a stepping stone, not a permanent solution. With consociationalism, it is impossible to have any other identity but the old tribal lines, and in the long-term that is obviously detrimental to any nation. Grassroots linkages, cross-community support…all old news, but really crucial things for the future. Maybe someday, generations down the line, the nationalists will get their 50%+1 and the unionists will indeed wave a tricolour along with the rest of them. Maybe not. But as Pete Baker has rightly said, waiting on a demographic flip is absolutely no solution. The dreamers and idealists can look to the future, and perhaps make it happen. In the present however, what seems much more important is the organic, peaceful, gradual construction of a new Northern Irish identity that doesn’t allow for the ineffective sectarian bullshit in government. Parades and painted kerbstones are not going to create jobs or bring down crime. Politics and life has too-long been framed in terms of ethnicity and religion; it’s really time for a new frame of mind.
It shouldn’t be enough that nationalism or unionism leads to a ticket to government. Parties should be required to draw cross-community and multi-district support as advocated by some political scientist that I can’t remember (sorry, I’ll try to look it up). This means running on platforms that don’t rely on flags. As for democracy – well, once you leave power-sharing I suppose you will always have a tyranny of the majority. But if the majority isn’t based on ascriptive characteristics, then the opposition can generate healthy, constructive debate instead of old, useless divisions. And maybe we can work from there.
And then we can all get together and sing kumbayaa. I know, I know how I sound but I think it needs to be said once in a while.
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Comment on Barack Obama’s new point woman on Northern Ireland?
on 10 November 2008 at 12:11 am
This has been one of my favourite comment threads. Hilarious.
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Comment on US Election Live Blogging…
on 5 November 2008 at 7:36 pm
“As the old saying goes: tús maith leath na hoibre!”
Indeed! We’ll see…
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Comment on US Election Live Blogging…
on 5 November 2008 at 11:57 am
Biden is on record as having read and admired Wolfe Tone…
Been a bit heavy on the libations here myself but will try to get through this…RI/my campus, at least, are RIDICULOUSLY happy. Notice how I went missing around the time CNN projected for Obama. Literally the entire room FREAKED OUT really loudly. Feeling is really high and excited here.
I really, really hope he lives up to it.
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Comment on US Election Live Blogging…
on 5 November 2008 at 9:06 am
Well there’s that!
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Comment on US Election Live Blogging…
on 5 November 2008 at 8:51 am
The holograms are cracking me up. Florida: yeah, I think it’s a past experience thing. They would have called it much earlier 8 years ago, but see: 8 years ago.
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Comment on US Election Live Blogging…
on 5 November 2008 at 8:42 am
CNN is talking about whether or not Dems are going to let Lieberman stay in the caucus and whether he should count as part of the 60, given his recent views.
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Comment on US Election Live Blogging…
on 5 November 2008 at 8:37 am
I think the CA ballot questions are going to be the real issues. Missouri: I think there’s a slight lean towards McCain. This would make this another historical election (as if it weren’t historical already): I think what, the 2nd time in history that MO doesn’t predict the outcome?
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