Profile for wild turkey
foreigner resident in norn ironlad since 1979
"There is only way to look at a politician. Down."
am a single parent and single minded.
influences? mark twain, hl mencken, gore vidal, arethea franklin, james brown
likes? italian food, tennessee sippin whiskey, opera, loud rock n roll
dislikes? nayce people, senior civil servants and their zipper lickers, provincial chickenshits on an ego trip
Latest comments from wild turkey (see all)
wild turkey has commented 345 times (14 in the last month).
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Books
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Hearing the Other Voice from the Grave: Why Should we Listen to David Ervine’s Stories?
Ed Moloney’s Voices from the Grave: Two Men’s War in Ireland has received considerable attention in the press and in the public realm since its publication earlier this year. Although the book relates the experiences of the Provisional IRA’s Brendan Hughes and the PUP/UVF’s David Ervine, much of the discussion has focused on Hughes’ stories [...] read our review » -
Help me with the West Wing: Essential viewing or Party Political Broadcast?
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 my [...] read our review »
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Of the Old North and other Vanished Kingdoms..
I’m currently trawling through Norman Davies’s fabulous new tome – “Vanished Kingdoms” – Five stars in the (London) Telegraph’s review from Ben Wilson: All the nations that have ever lived have left their footsteps in the sand,” writes Norman Davies. “The traces fade with every tide, the echoes grow faint, the images are fractured, the human [...] read our review »
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Comment on Unemployment in Ireland: a tale of two countries…
on 18 May 2012 at 8:13 am
“they are of no productive value whatsoever”
BluesJazz. Maybe yes. maybe no …..
but Definitely good entertainment value. ever follow the Public Accounts Committee? puts CSI to shame. my favourite episode was the NI Water saga, especially the compelling Paul Priestly.
i used to work, sorry wrong word, i used to be employed in quangoland. i left after refusing to go to a meeting about a meeting which in turn was about a, um, meeting.
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Comment on Unemployment in Ireland: a tale of two countries…
on 17 May 2012 at 8:23 pm
“Is it not curious that NI has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the UK [Table 20] and Ireland yet it is one of the most economically inactive regions [link from here to XLS tables]? Is there an official explanation for this?”
Nevin, the unemployment rate is calculated as the percentage of the economically active who are not in paid employment. usually it is claimant based.
the economically inactive, ie those not in work or seeking employment, those who are retired, not working due to a long term disability/illness, literally don’t count when calculating unemployment rates.
i seem to recall that one of the tory scams in the late 80s/early 90s was the movement of people off the unemployment register and onto some disability benefit. as a result they disappear from the unemployment and the economically active and hey presto! the unemployment will, cet par, tend to be lower.
for example, in a labour force of 1000, 100 are unemployed. the unemployment rate is 10%. now if 50 of those unemployed then are in defined as long-term sick/disabled, there are now only 50 unemployed and the unemployment rate is 50/950, which is a lot closer to 5%.
hope this makes some kinda sense
WT
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Comment on Not everything you hear about Greece is true…
on 17 May 2012 at 3:31 pm
DR
“But did not warm to the people, the attitude, the modern architecture (ie. a complete lack of any) the everyday neglect, sloppyness and inefficencies. I think it is a country that lives in ancient history”
funnily enuf, (and this is not a wind up) some of my friends from the states who have over the years visited me and the family in Belfast have had reactions similar to yours.
my usual reaction would be to point out that their view while legit was fairly superficial based on a few days, maybe a week.
then, again in a way we are all just passing tourists
mahalo
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Comment on Not everything you hear about Greece is true…
on 17 May 2012 at 12:20 pm
“the number of public sector employees in Greece is about one in five of the total labour force”….hmm
and whats the comparable ratio in nornironland?
around two in five
“an intelligence and vision that transcends borders” agree. although the neo-liberals will retort that that intelligence already exists…. and resides in the global financial system, a system which plays governments and working taxpayers as suckers.
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Comment on Seanin Graham named CIPR NI Journalist of the year; Belfast Telegraph wins Newspaper of the year
on 12 May 2012 at 7:43 pm
Alan
The ‘Coca-Cola Chartered Institute of Public Relations Media Awards 2012 in association with SPAR ‘ … says it all really. theres nothing one can possibly add.
well maybe bill hicks would have said something along the lines of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo
anyway, congrats to all the various winners
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Comment on Norman Mailer, the hipsters of 1969 and a new breed of “pyschic outlaws”…
on 11 May 2012 at 10:10 pm
“But I do think we have ended up with more than a few ‘psychic outlaws’”
mick had to a double take. at first i read ‘psychotic outlaws’ pardon my mistake
yeah, anyway what we have ended up with may also be termed devolved regional administration. in view of the mailer/breslin campaign, government would be far to virile a word to apply to current local circumstance
“…this new breed of “psychic outlaw” could be equally a candidate for the most reactionary or the most radical of political movements. “… or the new PONI indigenous breed could be the most, ah, convienent and MOR position to take.
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Comment on Without a new approach to Education, the Minister is condemned to micromanaging micro outcomes…
on 11 May 2012 at 6:50 pm
“Paul sits next to Peter who has an apple, Peter sits opposite Jane who has a pear. Jane has two people to her left, one of which is Paul. Is Paul on Peter’s left or right hand side and should he compare his orange to Paul’s apple?”
Mac, an outstanding question for transfer2012 with the following caveat
“terms and conditions apply due to parallel universe considerations. correct answers may differ between AQE and GL tests. answers may also differ between english and irish language exam papers. “
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Comment on Norman Mailer, the hipsters of 1969 and a new breed of “pyschic outlaws”…
on 11 May 2012 at 6:34 pm
mick
not surprised by the lack of comment.
but thanks for this and the resulting trip down memory lane. being a member of the class of 69, some buddies and i got the train down from connecticut to join in the campaign…. actually more of a happening. while having an inate simpatico with mailer, the main draw for us was Jimmy Breslin who was a very high profile columnist/investigative journalist with, of all things, the New York Daily News. check out his article on the guy who dug JFKs grave.
dumb question 217: was there ever an irish/NI equivalent of the hipsters? well put it this way,.in 1983 when a buddy from new york visited me in belfast his takeaway line was…’shit, so this is where the banjo players in deliverence come from’
again thanks for the post and the vid link
mahalo
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Comment on Cardinal Brady should go – in charity
on 4 May 2012 at 7:37 pm
addendum
sorry guys
above should read “any expectation”
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Comment on Cardinal Brady should go – in charity
on 4 May 2012 at 7:29 pm
“We will soon learn if either the Pope or the cardinal finally rate public opinion or will try to rely on their own authority.”
ah, c’mon Brian.
to turn things on their head a bit, an expectation that the roman church hierarchy will ‘rate’ or consider public opinion would elicit a response similar to that Pierre Laval received when he requested to Stalin to intercede on behalf of Russian catholics and therefore gain the grace and favour of the pope
“The Pope! How many divisions has he got? ”
Throughout this ongoing global saga of child abuse, cover-up, denial, twisting the language like a fresh pretzel, the perspective and arising actions of the roman hierarchy is mephitic as that of Stalin.
further discussions on obvious similarities as required, but for now
celah
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