Listening to the quiet voices of The Somme

As a child I was forever fascinated by a random collection of oul ‘things’ in a rarely-approached cupboard at home. It was the sort of place where unflattering school reports and old medical cards lay alongside broken spectacles and stringless yoyos, the theory being that they might some day be read, repaired or resurrected. There were a few medals – the full relevance of which I never discovered – but what especially caught my imagination was a bloodstained Nazi armband, …

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Cartoon – Spencer on Monday

Last week Rodney Edwards hit upon a scoop at a Sinn Fein meeting in Enniskillen. Their leader let it slip that equality was “the trojan horse” that would “break these bastards” [Sinn Fein’s partners in government]. Here’s this week’s cartoon with that in mind. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Cartoon – Loyal to whom?

Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Fiscal Cliff Averted

So the fiscal cliff saga between the Republicans and President Obama had all the drama of the West Wing and even ended with resolution like an actual West Wing episode. The only fear is that this drama is set to re-appear in the future with both sides already highlighting the need for more debate around taxes and spending. So this cliff hanger was left with the famous words… To be continued. The last minute discussions around this issue highlights a …

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‘the Irish republican version of the Imperial War Museum’

There’s an interesting article and audio slideshow by Henry McDonald in today’s Guardian about the republican museum in north Armagh. In a garden in a quiet cul-de-sac in north Armagh, a nondescript brown shed contains the Irish republican version of the Imperial War Museum. The private collection contains the toilet-roll holder from the room where IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands died in May 1981, letters from supporters to Sands, an original rebel uniform from the 1916 Easter rising, secret communications …

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Catching up with éirígí’s John McCusker – starting “a community fight back”

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éirígí won’t be everyone’s cup of tea on Slugger – but then name one political party that is. And in the spirit of exploring the smaller parties standing in the Assembly and local government elections, éirígí replied to the email that a number of other parties received but ignored. I spoke to John McCusker at length a week or so ago. He’s éirígí’s West Belfast chairman and standing as the party’s candidate in Lower Falls for Belfast City Council in …

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Justice Minister is ‘cross’ community when it comes to republican prisoners

A SF delegation recently visited Magheraberry to investigate complaints from Republican Prisoners which have resulted in growing protests on the streets. SF MLA Raymond McCartney reported a very positive engagement: “A range of issues were raised by the prisoners. They included complaints about a number of punitive actions such as the use of strip searching as harassment of both prisoners and their visitors and a range of other conditions-related issues that were very familiar to the former prisoners on the …

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Sleepwalking into the past? Liam Hannaway’s hunger strike.

With the ongoing protests against conditions in Maghaberry, a dead hunger striker is not in anyone’s interests but that seems a growing risk in the much overlooked case of Liam Hannaway. Hannaway is two years into a 10-year sentence for possession of explosives and ammunition and is on Hunger Strike. His situation seems complex and I have no personal insight but the Andersonstown News initially reported on it while the IFC have a more recent article: Liam was sentenced ten …

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“..things are what they are and will be what they will be”

The number of people protesting over the conditions republican prisoners face in Magheraberry is growing. Newry Republican has a blog that gives an impression of the crowds that attended Sunday’s rally at the prison. The Pensive Quill covers the speech made by Harry Fitzsimmons‘ sister Maureen at that protest (also on YouTube). More photographs demonstrating the size of the protest appear on the Friends of Colin Duffy website. Sinn Féin previously announced a visit to the prison but as yet …

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A picture worth a thousand words

As the Belfast marathon made its way through the streets of West Belfast it negotiated a white line picket of hundreds protesting over conditions faced by Republican prisoners  in British gaols. At Sevastapol Street there was this striking shot of a PSNI armoured jeep acting barrier between the iconic image of Bobby Sands, at a closed SF HQ, and those that would take to streets on behalf of current Republican prisoners. Blank