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Books
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Douglas Murray – Bloody Sunday: Truth, Lies and the Saville Inquiry, Book Review
The aftermath of the Saville Inquiry into the events around Bloody Sunday has left me, and I suspect many others, with one enduring image: Prime Minister David Cameron’s apology in the House of Commons, where he says that the actions of the British Army were ‘unjustified and unjustifiable.’ But there’s a lot more to the [...] read our review » -
The Creative Class and Northern Ireland
As part of NICVA’s series of masterclasses from its Centre for Economic Empowerment project, there was a morning seminar on the topic of the “creative class” (as popularised by Richard Florida) and its applicability to Northern Ireland. The agenda was to: Explain Richard Florida’s idea of the “creative class” and the link between economic outcomes [...] read our review »
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A New Vision for the Catholic Church – Book Review
The oft-quoted verse from the book of Proverbs, ‘where there is no vision, the people perish,’ (chapter 29, verse 18) opens a new book by Gerry O’Hanlon, A New Vision for the Catholic Church: A View from Ireland (Columba Press, 2011). That verse could be considered an apt summary of the current state of the [...] read our review »
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Comment on Margaret’s watch not chiming with backbenchers?
on 20 April 2010 at 2:22 am
And yes, Fearghal Mc Kinney was terrible, Gerry Kelly demolished him with ease.
It’s amazing that the comments are so similar in this blog, and completely at odds with the reality that Fearghal McKinney, a new inexperienced face, like Nick Clegg, got the better of Gerry Kelly, an old stager and nearly pensioner of the republican movement.
Do these people have any understanding of the consequences of the failure of the SDLP path? There simply is no Sinn Fein path, as Sinn Fein know only too well as they follow in the footsteps of the SDLP. What happens when good faith is dismissed as weakness is that we go back to the ways of man made failure and away from idealism.
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Comment on Margaret’s watch not chiming with backbenchers?
on 20 April 2010 at 1:18 am
As a republican voter I believe SDLP will continue to become even more irrelevant in the coming years.
I think we’re heading inevitably towards a Bosnia situation. Young people simply can’t remember the bad faith arguments of the Troubles that gave rise to the SDLP. They’re taking peace for granted, whereas it was hard won, and they’re accepting the new bad faith vacuous (sectarian) arguments of Sinn Fein much too readily. But the sensible ones are still voting SDLP, thank God.
What is a Sinn Fein voter, but someone who hates something or other in the British, the unionists, the southern parties or the SDLP. Is it a positive vote for anything? Bosnia is more likely than a united Ireland of their making.
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Comment on Margaret’s watch not chiming with backbenchers?
on 20 April 2010 at 12:24 am
Lamb duly slaughtered.
There’s always a resurrection, Nick. I thought McKinney did well on reflection. Better than expected. I suppose it depends on yor expectations, but Kelly was like the old geezer in the film starring Kirk Douglas. He was tough as he was just out of prison but he was too old for any one to take seriously. Kelly looks increasingly like an old man who’s had surgery but still lacks the charm to win over the audience. McGuinness and Adams are in the same camp.
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Comment on Margaret’s watch not chiming with backbenchers?
on 19 April 2010 at 11:28 pm
Neil
I don’t hate any party. Give me your evidence for such a position. I’m only saying these things because they are true. On the other hand you seem to be a bitter Sinn Fein supporter.
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Comment on Margaret’s watch not chiming with backbenchers?
on 19 April 2010 at 9:43 pm
Have to agree with the cosensus on McKinney. No substantive answers, just naive optimism.
A bit like Clegg in Britain and I wonder how much of his charm will rub off on the electorate. On first sight I thought that McKinney was beaten by Kelly but looking at the debate last night on BBC, I thought that McKinney actually won the thing clearly over an old hack with no answers only cynicism. Idealism has a power. Clegg showed that.
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Comment on ‘Sinn Féin has no influence’
on 5 April 2010 at 10:13 pm
The dissidents are going to provoke a form of civil war eventually if they continue on this path. Bosnia is undoubtedly part of their plan to achieve reunification, and then it is going to be a reunification so volatile it won’t be worth having. Why use violence when you can use peace? Is empathy too much to ask? Does Christianity serve any purpose in their minds?
There are those in the loyalist community who will never compromise too? Why don’t they fight them instead of following a campaign that, like the Provos, entails sneaking up on unsuspecting targets. Stop intimidating the same kind of cronies into supporting you and thinking you have support. Stop the killing!
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Comment on “What kind of eejits do [these] people take us for?”
on 3 April 2010 at 12:38 am
Good man, Joe. On Good Friday too.
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Comment on “What kind of eejits do [these] people take us for?”
on 2 April 2010 at 10:15 pm
The reason Adams defies all logic to deny that he is in the IRA is because he knows that he has a label hanging over him and by admitting that he is in the IRA that label becomes effective. Denying it gives him a chance in his own mind at least.
You see, part of Adams sees himself as the Messiah, freeing his people of British rule and to be a Messiah, you need to be clean, untouched by the ravages of violence.
And, on the contrary, if you’re not clean and free of violence, you might be defined as the Antichrist. He wouldn’t want that, would he?
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Comment on “Some time I hope to get the space to reflect on my life with Brendan…”
on 2 April 2010 at 2:15 am
Henry
It wasn’t just the unionists who brought down Sunningdale. The IRA contributed also by justifying the Paisleyite paranoia.
I wouldn’t compare Gerry Adams to John Hume. Hume was in a different league. In any case the press are baying for Gerry Adams blood because he deserves it. Hume got the wrath of a few commentators because he knew that Gerry Adams was about to stop the IRA campaign. How did he know?
I might suggest that it was because he knew that Adams was in trouble and the Christian thing was to help stop the killing.
No such Christianity from Adams. Still denying he was in the IRA. Still lying and occasionally using violence at places like Massereene and Paul Quinn and so on.
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Comment on “Some time I hope to get the space to reflect on my life with Brendan…”
on 2 April 2010 at 1:03 am
Henry94
You can pontificate all you like but it was a bad faith exercise to engage in the tactical use of human suffering (armed struggle) when the only outcome was going to be carnage without victory or any chance of victory. You can blame the British but personally I will never forgive the IRA/Sinn Fein for destroying the SDLP’s chance to do what Sinn Fein are trying to do now.
I don’t agree with you on Gerry Adams. I think the sooner he goes the better because the Truth surrounding him is so bad he could bring everything down on his own. He’s a time bomb waiting to explode.
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