Profile for Michael Shilliday
Latest posts from Michael Shilliday (see all)
Michael Shilliday has posted 309 times (0 in the last month).
UUP leadership election – the final triumph of civic Unionism?
UPDATE 2 So, I royally called this wrong with magical timing. However I stand by the analysis as reasons why Kennedy isn’t the front runner he is touted as, and why McCallister might now be tempted to cut a deal with Nesbitt. Why is Kennedy weakened? What HAS changed in the last 18 months – [...] more »
New Tories, old Tories, what’s the difference?
Everyone seems to be talking about the headline of Lord Feldman’s press release today, and no one is talking about what he actually said. Let’s be clear, there is to be no “new party” in Northern Ireland. They are not farming off their existing branch, they are attempting to tart it up a bit. And [...] more »
Can we get some things straight?
I’m getting a bit sick of reading nonsense about Loughgall. Firstly, all that is new in the Belfast Telegraph is that the HET report is due out soon. If that report states that the IRA fired the first shot, that will simply be a regurgitation of the facts as detailed in the European Court of [...] more »
Opposition or bust
A couple of weeks ago a few of us put on a fringe event at the Ulster Unionist Party conference, where the prospect of going into opposition was discussed. On the same day, the coverage of Tom Elliot’s speech mostly focused on the same issue. Since then the matter has gained traction and comment, with [...] more »
The rubber stamp gets smaller?
Mark McGregor is of course right. At the very least the disclosure of the d’Hondt private run by the Executive Twitter account was a violation of the Assembly’s right to be first to know. It was like that in 2007, and is now. However there probably is some justification for it, given that such an [...] more »
At least now, the UUP’s blinkers will probably come off
The last time a major Unionist party was lead by anyone from west of Portadown it was Harry West in in 1970′s. That was not a happy period of the UUP’s history. The sense of ‘otherness’ that exists amongst border Unionists is well known, researched and documented. It is not a fictional notion dreamed up [...] more »
Should unionists be entitled to vote?
That is the logical question arising from what the UUP candidate claims SF have said in their literature in West Belfast. Mr Manwaring said; “Gerry Adams says that moves to secure a Unionist Assembly seat “represents the old unionist agenda of resisting equality and denying nationalists’ representation.” The message in this is that “old unionism” [...] more »
Is David Ford safe this time?
I don’t think we’ve had an open thread on South Antrim yet, but here’s a thought. A lot of the talk in 2003 and 2007 in South Antrim was over David Ford’s safety, at both elections he was the most vulnerable Alliance sitting MLA. Indeed a couple of weeks out from 2007 when asked I [...] more »
A thought on the Alliance Party Manifesto
The Alliance Manifesto is certainly the longest of any produced. In the summary on page five they commit to: Introduce transparency around political donations What interests me is, has anyone gotten around to asking Alliance if any part of their manifesto is brought to us courtesy of money changing hands? Seems a fair question in [...] more »
Nominations published
The Electoral Office have published the list of those seeking office at the Assembly elections. Having a quick scan two things stick out. The TUV are standing two candidates in North Antrim. Given that their ability to pick up transfers from anyone but eachother is going to be reasonably low, I don’t see why they [...] more »
Latest comments from Michael Shilliday (see all)
Michael Shilliday has commented 405 times (2 in the last month).
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Books
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John Laird for Christmas?
John Laird (Lord Laird of Artigarvan) is unionism’s jester. His memoir A Struggle To Be Heard ” by a True Ulster Liberal” (from Slugger’s shop on Amazon here) might serve more as a heavy stocking filler than anybody’s idea of a main present. In it he wears the masks of comedy and tragedy to turn the [...] read our review »
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Graphic portrayals: Northern Ireland, graphic novels and the peace process
Dr Gordon Gillespie, a researcher at the Institute of Irish Studies at Queen’s University Belfast, gave a presentation on “Graphic Portrayals: Northern Ireland, Graphic Novels and the Peace Process”, at the Linen Hall Library. Gordon started with a clarification that he was going to talk about graphic novels/comic books, not cartoons, and material that was [...] read our review »
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…if University education were universally available and availed of, the country would collapse in one generation
The words of Brian O’Nolan, variously Brian Ó Nualláin, Myles na gCopaleen, Myles na Gopaleen and, of course, Flann O’Brien. That O’Nolan was referencing his own dissolute student days at UCD only mildly distracts from the prophetic undertone of his words: I paid no attention whatsoever to books or study and regarded lectures as a [...] read our review »
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Comment on Ian Junior claimed £10,000 in postage in his six last months in office…
on 14 May 2012 at 10:16 am
That, by the way, is not one per household per year, it’s one per voter per year. Every year. And he is only replying to half of them. Apparently.
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Comment on Ian Junior claimed £10,000 in postage in his six last months in office…
on 14 May 2012 at 10:11 am
There are roughly 250 working days in a year. If he gets 220 letters per day that is 55 thousand per year.
That would mean Ian paisley Jnr is getting one letter from three quarters of the North Antrim electorate each year. Which seems unlikely.
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Comment on For Unionists Only: What would you relish in a United Ireland?
on 18 April 2012 at 11:15 pm
British Government interference in internal unified Irish affairs would indeed be an interesting development. One would imagine that the British Government would be expected to become a persuader for repartition in the same was as the Government of the Republic is a persuader for Irish unity.
And I wouldn’t expect Government funding for Unionist statues in Dublin, as there has been no rebalancing of the Stormont estate as yet.
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Comment on For Unionists Only: What would you relish in a United Ireland?
on 18 April 2012 at 9:27 am
The anthem played at the rugby wouldn’t be so gratuitously offensive. It might also be nice to have Unionists and FG permanently in coalition together.
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Comment on 16 Nationalist MLAs in the top 20 of free ink claimants…
on 5 April 2012 at 6:38 pm
As far as I’m aware there is a list of stationary items that was drawn up in 1999 that MLAs would be able to take without charge including such essentials as floppy discs. Toner will be on there. In some ways its fair enough, they need stationary to function, but perhaps some are taking it a little far……
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Comment on 16 Nationalist MLAs in the top 20 of free ink claimants…
on 5 April 2012 at 12:43 pm
Did McGill claim anything at all?
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Comment on The Attorney General of Northern Ireland “accordingly considers it appropriate that the author and publisher of ‘Outside In’ should be punished for contempt of court”
on 28 March 2012 at 12:34 am
Erm, tried for, surely. Is the Attorney General the tribunal of fact in Contempt cases in Northern Ireland?
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Comment on John McCallister joins the UUP leadership race
on 13 March 2012 at 6:55 pm
“it was the SDLP which opposed the move away from election of FM and DFM by cross-community vote; yet it is the SDLP which now complains about the same system being used to elect the Justice Minister – instead advocating an 11th d’Hondt Minister in direct contravention of the 1998 Agreement it claimed to support 100%.”
Err, that’s nonsense. The Belfast Agreement had OFMdFM ministers elected by the Assembly, everyone else by d’Hondt. The SDLP and UUP want that system restored from the bastardisation we have now. The Alliance want to keep it because it suits their pockets and egos.
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Comment on UUP leadership election – the final triumph of civic Unionism?
on 12 March 2012 at 10:07 pm
McCallister isn’t in the Orange. It isn’t a consideration anymore.
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Comment on UUP leadership election – the final triumph of civic Unionism?
on 12 March 2012 at 8:55 pm
Good analysis emanonon. Except that you misspelt every name in your post. And you claim something to be obvious that in not only not obvious, but isn’t going to happen.
Otherwise spot on.
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