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Latest posts from George (see all)
George has posted 228 times (0 in the last month).
Northern Ireland to miss out on another 2012 Olympics opportunity?
Not satisfied with ensuring that Northern Ireland doesn’t have a stadium in place to host football matches or any other sporting discipline during the 2012 Olympics, it seems Belfast is now also out of the running as a potential venue for training camps ahead of the world’s largest sporting event after the city’s bid arrived [...] more »
Darling needs to be less out of whack in Budget 2009
When Alistair Darling presented his first budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer in March 2008, the US mortgage markets were in meltdown and the credit markets barely functioning. But Darling remained confident that the United Kingdom was well-placed to “maintain stability” through the world economic slowdown. He bullishly predicted that the British economy would “continue [...] more »
150 years of Irish Times available
For those interested in doing a spot of research or simply some historical browsing, the entire 150-year archive of the Irish Times is freely available at the moment. The offer ends April 6th, so enjoy it while you can. Feel free to post any gems you find. more »
Lisbon or Nice – the choice facing Irish voters
One point in José Manuel Barroso’s interview with RTÉ that has so far failed to receive much coverage is the EU Commission president’s admission that, even if there is a second no vote to the Lisbon Treaty, the world won’t fall in and the European Union will continue pretty much as before. If the Lisbon [...] more »
Sterling in crisis – will it end in tears?
While some northerners see opportunity in the form of southern shoppers from sterling’s precipitous fall in recent months, others in Great Britain are less sanguine about the benefits accruing from the weakness of the British currency, not least because of Gordon Brown’s budget profligacy to try and encourage consumer spending in the UK as a [...] more »
Mixed messages over success of British Army Irish recruitment drive
Last month, the Times reported how 16 per cent of the new recruits to the British Army in Northern Ireland since April were from south of the border, more than double the figure for 2006. Slugger dealt with it here. However, today the Irish Independent reported that an “expensive” recruitment drive by the British Army [...] more »
Robinson and Adams continue blame game
It seems DUP leader Peter Robinson is now fully aware of the chill economic winds blowing through Northern Ireland and like any decent politician worth his salt, has embarked on a policy of blaming someone else for the upcoming woes. While others blame, for example, the banks, Robinson preferred instead to focus on Sinn Féin [...] more »
Last chance saloon or flogging a dead horse?
The Sunday Times has published Platinum One’s report on how to transform the fortunes of domestic football on this island and, not surprisingly, it involves the creation of an All-Ireland Premier League. The plan would see the league run along the lines of the English and Scottish Premier Leagues which would have a prize money [...] more »
Could Northern Ireland’s public sector pension liability really be this bad?
The recently released Varney Review discussed here once again highlighted how hugely bloated Northern Ireland’s public sector is, pointing out that an incredible 28% of Northern Ireland’s workforce are in the public sector as opposed to 20% in the UK and that public spending accounts for 67% of GVA, the highest in the developed world. [...] more »
Give a dog a bad name?
A picture is worth a thousand words in the media, especially if it’s one that can reinforce a popular stereotype. In this case, it’s Linfield fans as a horde of troublemakers. The incident in Dublin involving Linfield fans at the Setanta Cup clash against St Patrick’s Athletic comes hot on the heels of media reports [...] more »
Latest comments from George (see all)
George has commented 281 times (1 in the last month).
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Books
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Lessons in Cute Hoorism: “Graft was accepted, for you were taking from the British…”
I’ve been catching up on some reading, recently. Most pleasantly surprised by John Drennan’s latest opus from Gill and Macmillan, Cute Hoors and Pious Protestors… It’s early days yet, but I was struck by this paragraph, part of a dissection of Fianna Fail near the beginning: One of the more fatal consequences of our colonial [...] 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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Is Fianna Fail the new Woolworths of Irish politics?
It’s not published until 3rd March, but one book I recommend you place an advance order for from Slugger’s Bookstore is James Harkin’s Niche. Belfast émigré Harkin examines a number of stories from business, culture and politics and comes to a single insight: everywhere the broad middle is collapsing. He offers Woolworths as an iconic exemplar [...] read our review »
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Comment on Last week at Smithwick: nothing to see here
on 29 April 2012 at 4:28 pm
As you have pointed out, Ingram does have a credibility problem. These revelations are from the same man who made says that British Intelligence was involved in the attempted assassination of a certain Gerry Adams. That would be quite a scandal in your average Western democracy too.
I suppose the first question is do we believe him? And if we do, the next question is where do we draw the line on moral ambiguity to mention?
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Comment on Meanwhile in Cork, there was this elephant…
on 28 March 2012 at 8:32 pm
Yet another addition to Blackrock folk-lore, which will doubtless grow in the telling
That’s Blackpool, the only place I know where they put the bypass through the town.
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Comment on Sinn Fein and new media
on 24 March 2012 at 9:18 pm
Link to event:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NXy78Fecjl0
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Comment on O’Snodaigh’s Prints Dont Stack Up
on 4 March 2012 at 6:53 pm
cynic2
“Take the reply to me from George above. His last post on any topic was in 2009 yet now he pops back up to defend O’Snodaigh. Indeed he’s backing up the line of Politico68 (last heard from on here a year ago). Just how many dummy accounts do you reckon SF keeps on here for use at times of crisis?
I’ve been posting on Slugger for years and have posted a couple of hundred threads and thousands of posts over that time. I don’t know why you think I haven’t posted since 2009 but I can assure you I’m not a sock puppet.
Also, I wasn’t defending O’Snodaigh, I have no time for the man. I was explaining to you why the Gardaí weren’t investigating the matter. To repeat, the Gardaí aren’t investigating the matter because he didn’t do anything illegal.
PS: I think you need to lay off the conspiracy tablets.
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Comment on O’Snodaigh’s Prints Dont Stack Up
on 4 March 2012 at 1:01 am
cynic2,
“Why is there no Garda investigation into this?
Because he hasn’t done anything illegal.
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Comment on Many Catholics are questioning whether they necessarily have to be nationalist…
on 23 February 2012 at 4:39 pm
Barnshee,
A load of old cock- the balance of trade between NI and ROI is heavily in favour of the ROI –Guinness and Irish distiller products along with the rest of the booze transfesr alone swamp the piddling transfers from NI to ROI
I cannot think of any material product transfer ( other than H Oilsl for smuggling back or laundering) from NI to ROI.
The facts seems to indicate otherwise. The Republic of Ireland is the destination for around a quarter of NI’s exports. By contrast, NI is the destination for just over 1% of the Republic’s exports.
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Comment on Time for Ireland to align with London rather than Boston or Berlin?
on 14 February 2012 at 12:10 am
Ah the incredibly lazy the Commonwealth is good for you argument trotted out yet again by someone who obviously hasn’t a clue what the Commonwealth has to offer because, surprise surprise, they don’t offer a single fact to back up the premise of their belief.
We’ve had this time and again on Slugger, in fact it’s almost as popular as the football eligibility discussion.
But, heh let’s ask the questions again in the hope of getting an answer from perhaps even Paul Allen, if he’s bothered reading this thread, or other fans of the Commonwealth.
After all, surely at least he could back this belief of his up by showing how it has benefited others?
To start, perhaps someone could show how we are lagging behind in our trade to India (or insert Commonwealth country of choice) in comparison to other Commonwealth members?
Maybe someone could show how Commonwealth membership has boosted trade between members?
Or it could be shown how Ireland’s absence from the Commonwealth for 60 years has restricted its own international dimension?
In doing so, maybe it could be explained why the businessmen and women of Northern Ireland haven’t been going on Commonwealth trade delegations to India in recent years but instead have been forced to tag along on the ones the Irish Republic has organised and sent out.
I also wouldn’t mind an answer as to why the business people of Northern Ireland looked to the Irish Republic when they wanted to forge better business links with Canada.
Perhaps I could be told how many times NI businessmen and women have gone to Africa in a Commonwealth capacity and explain why this has achieved more than the delegations that went from the Republic?
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Comment on Football eligibility row illustrates unionism’s inability to respect ‘The Other’ tradition
on 10 February 2012 at 12:41 am
Ian even.
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Comment on Football eligibility row illustrates unionism’s inability to respect ‘The Other’ tradition
on 10 February 2012 at 12:30 am
“It’s absolutely none of his business. He should keep his nose out of it and concentrate on affairs within his own jurisdiction. And he should know better than to try and involve politics with sport.”
That was the position of the DUP and its then leader Iain Paisley in 2006 when then Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern got involved in the issue of players from Northern Ireland being forced by FIFA to carry British passports rather than being able to use Irish passports.
Why the change? Why is it now alright to involve politics with sport?
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Comment on Is Northern Ireland less innovative than the Republic?
on 7 February 2012 at 10:14 pm
I assume being globalised is considered innovative and Ireland (Republic of) has now moved ahead of Singapore to be the second-most globalised economy in the world behind Hong Kong, according to Ernst and Young.
So this means it must be a world leader in the areas of trade, capital movements, technology exchange, labour and openness towards economic migrants. Is that innovative or just a capitalist lackey?
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