Slugger O'Toole

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1. 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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2. 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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3. 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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4. 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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5. 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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6. 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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7. 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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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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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11. Comment on Yes Taoiseach, but if we’re going to have a Referendum why not have a meaningful one?
    on 30 January 2012 at 10:03 pm

    Sounds to me that Martin wants one referendum that hands over all the power to the EU now rather than some voting on some piecemeal one in 2012 full in the knowledge that the bitterer pill to swallow will come in a couple of years.

    We only need a referendum whenever more sovereignty is handed over so why the big hurry to hand it over in advance Michéal?

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12. Comment on Irish emigration – most to go Britain
    on 17 January 2012 at 8:59 pm

    sliabhluachra
    “Barnshee: James Connolly said if the Dutch ruled Ireland, they would feed Europe and if the irish ruled Holland, they would all drown.”

    I believe that was Bismarck not Connolly.

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13. Comment on Newt hears echoes of Lawrence in PSNI probe of sectarian attack; UUP mixed messages exposed
    on 15 January 2012 at 3:03 am

    Truth be told Decimus does have a point, he does look remarkably well. After all he is alive unlike so many others before him.

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14. Comment on Quote of the Day…
    on 8 September 2011 at 8:32 pm

    I’m certainly not going ot get a gold-plated pension

    If you’re a civil servant your pension payment is guaranteed regardless of circumstance, the rest of us live with the vagaries of the market, meaning it could be worth a fraction of what was contributed. In that sense all civil service pensions are gold plated.

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15. Comment on Northern Ireland’s sport neuralgia continues…
    on 13 August 2011 at 6:12 pm

    PeterBrown,
    Hardly even handed as you are not comparing like with like. There weren’t any Rangers players on show so it would be rather odd for people to don Rangers tops. There weren’t any Celtic tops in Croke Park either for the same reason.

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16. Comment on GAA lacks sincerity…
    on 12 August 2011 at 9:29 am

    Blood Thunder,

    Lest we forget Darren Graham. The young Protestant who was not only forced out of his GAA club in Fermanagh but had to flee the country after attacks on his home by local GAA enthusiasts.

    Darren Graham said that he would not play again unless he received an apology and was convinced that the Gaelic Athletic Association was serious about stamping out sectarianism.

    As you don’t want to forget him and seem truly concerned, you probably should know that Graham received his apology and is back in the GAA.

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17. Comment on GAA lacks sincerity…
    on 11 August 2011 at 9:10 pm

    I hope the purpose of this post is positive criticism so what would make the GAA acceptable to you Quincey Dougan?

    Please list clearly what has to go.

    I assume it’s the removal of the Irish language requirements, taking down of the Irish tricolour over the grounds, cessation of the playing of the Irish national anthem before matches, the renaming of all clubs, stadiums, competitions, trophies etc to your satisfaction.

    When all that is done, you’ll be down to your local club with your Azzurri jersey and shorts on, or will the rule on Irish made products also have to go?

    Have I missed something?

    What do you want the Gaelic Athletic Association to mean to you in your life?

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18. Comment on GAA lacks sincerity…
    on 11 August 2011 at 8:27 pm

    I’m confused, do unionists not play tug-of-war or is it the name of the person?

    If it’s the name, surely this has been discussed a thousand times already?

    Then It’s just another version of the never-ending flags/anthems/cultural symbols/dead we remember debate and really not worth the bother.

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19. Comment on If Robinson pitches for Catholic votes, where does that leave nationalism?
    on 25 June 2011 at 1:02 am

    Where does this leave nationalism?

    Where it always has been – the voice of northern Catholics. This type of talk gets wheeled out all the time and I take it with the exact same pinch of salt as I would an “outreach” from a certain Gerry Adams towards unionism.

    Words are cheap. There are no Catholic Unionist MLAs, and I am also unaware of any Catholic unionist councillors so unless Mr Robinson is going to put his money where his mouth is and produce a raft of Catholic candidates in winnable unionist seats at the next election, it will just have be chalked off as hot air.

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20. Comment on Nationalism’s ‘crise de foie’: most Catholics prefer the United Kingdom…
    on 17 June 2011 at 11:42 pm

    If there are so many Catholics in favour of the union why is there not a single Catholic unionist MLA? How many Catholic unionist councillors are there?

    Most Catholics prefer the United Kingdom but Catholics can’t be elected on a unionist ticket?

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