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Books
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Help me with the West Wing: Essential viewing or Party Political Broadcast?
Tweet Having somehow managed to avoid watching a single episode of the widely praised West Wing TV series I was delighted to discover the entire Box set in my Christmas stocking – and with enough spare time over the holidays to give it a good lash. But with 10 episodes of the first series under [...] read our review »
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Stay out of Libya: counterinsurgency doesn’t work
Tweet A moment of some significance in journalism perhaps, as the New York Times reviews the current talked about book, The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan by Bing West. The author is no bleeding heart but a former assistant Defense Secretary from the Reagan era who stomped his way round the [...] read our review »
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The First Shades of God (Jamie Bryson): unremarkable theology, but an insight into the mind of the protest-organiser
Tweet Jamie Bryson has come to prominence recently as one of the leaders of the flag protests across Northern Ireland. As Chris Donnelly pointed out in his post (and was echoed later in the Belfast Telegraph), Jamie Bryson is a well known loyalist in North Down where he unsuccessfully stood at the council elections under [...] read our review »
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Comment on UTV Insight: Collusion and some of its innocent victims…
on 11 May 2013 at 6:55 pm
Ever go to a nightclub with a ratio problem and see a “ladies drink for free” poster stuck on the wall? It’s usually put there by some canny landlord who knows it’s good for business to ensure a decent mix of punters on his premises.
I’d assume that Mick is running his establishment in a similar way. His going concern is top-heavy with nationalists. Apparently he hopes to redress the balance is by granting by-ball after by-ball in the hope that it coaxes more unionists in.
The net result is that folks like FDM are carded for the slightest infraction, while the more emotionally disturbed amongst us (hi SoS) are given free reign.
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Comment on #Thatcher: Ten Children Dead
on 13 April 2013 at 3:27 pm
DC,
Why the need to add a dose of whataboutery into a thread about dead children?
Are you content to be lumped into the same category as the Bluesjazz scumbag?
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Comment on John McCallister: Our politics has collapsed and retreated behind old barriers
on 6 April 2013 at 4:29 pm
“I am sorry, DC, but I do have to echo the sentiments of 6crealist. This fleg business is becoming tiresome. Do give it a rest. It’s gone and it ain’t coming back until and unless you can swallow parity-of- esteem.”
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Hear hear. How many tedious variants of the “it’s their fault for making us riot” excuse has DC churned out at this stage?
Meanwhile John McCallister is 100% correct. He’s put his political necks on the line in the pursuit of a bit of political level-headedness, but it will come to nothing if a little bit of reciprocation isn’t forthcoming from the Stoops.
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Comment on The tricolour and its multiple meanings: Open thread
on 4 April 2013 at 12:15 am
“And OK, maybe it’s odious to you, but it’s what i think”
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Of course it is, DC. Sure anyone who disagrees with the mob is basically asking to have their property torched. I mean it’s obvious, isn’t it?
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Comment on The tricolour and its multiple meanings: Open thread
on 3 April 2013 at 11:59 pm
“maybe it’s a case of cause and effect.
do exclusive deals with extreme irish nationalists such as jim mcveigh and you end up getting extreme british nationalists at your constituency door.
cause and effect.”
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Have a glass of wine too many and proceed to spout odious nonsense on the internet. Cause and effect.
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Comment on The tricolour and its multiple meanings: Open thread
on 3 April 2013 at 10:02 pm
“The “orange” third means diddly squat in the ROI because they are making no real practical compromises for it remaining there;”
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As a southerner, can I ask what kind of compromises you feel should be forthcoming? Is there any substance to this vague sense of displeasure with us? Genuinely curious.
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Comment on Reforming Northern Ireland: learning from past failures?
on 3 April 2013 at 6:13 pm
“Indeed the situation was so bad that you just have to consider that every catholic was a potential PIRA member”
“Yabba Dabba Do, Any Taig Will Do”
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Comment on The tricolour and its multiple meanings: Open thread
on 3 April 2013 at 6:07 pm
“Previous plans to do so have been obstructed and treatened,.”
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DR,
And this is someone complaining about the standard of other people’s contributions….
You’re not being truthful. There is nothing preventing the Orange Order from marching in Dublin. Nothing whatsoever. Their previous foray south was cancelled several years ago on account of no Protestant church in Dublin city centre being willing to facilitate them.
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Comment on The tricolour and its multiple meanings: Open thread
on 3 April 2013 at 5:04 pm
Have the Orange Order been denied permission to march in Dublin, DR?
I seem to recall them having to cancel their previous plans to march down south, on account of the southern Protestants not wanting to be associated with them.
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Comment on What does the Irish flag mean to you?
on 3 April 2013 at 2:08 pm
Name me a national flag have that doesn’t have such ‘damage’, Barnshee? If you’re able to get over the negative connotations that invariably follow the union flag, then why not the tricolour?
Is the selectivity not rather telling?
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