Special Relationship – Health Check
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Every UK Prime Minister feels obliged to talk up the ‘Special Relationship’ between the UK and USA. From Tony Blair to Boris Johnston and then Keir Starmer we see our Prime Ministers desperately seeking recognition from the USA President. Tony …
Open Easter Sunday – discuss what you like…
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The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing.
Open Easter Sunday – politics free zone…
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In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics.
Storytime with Houdi – Marathon Man…
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‘That was born to run the boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. If that doesn’t motivate you to enter our 10k fun run in two weeks time, you’re already dead’ said Declan Meehan the presenter on Radio Nova. The station was the …
The Civilised Chaos of Iberian Fiestas…
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I recently received a message from a Slugger regular on holiday in Torrevieja on Spain’s western Costa Blanca asking about ‘Spanish’ fiestas. The first thing to say is that fiesta culture is Iberian rather than purely Spanish. It stretches across …
The Mystery of Magherafelt…
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I was in Magherafelt today (well, a week last Saturday), for the first time in quite a while. What struck me was how unlike other Northern Irish towns it is in terms of being relatively free from vacant stores and …
Linda Ervine and Colin Harvey Appointed to Council of State by President Connolly
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Irish President Catherine Connolly this week made her appointments to the Irish Council of State. According to its page on the Presidential website, the Council is described as follows… The Constitution provides for a Council of State to aid and …
Nuns on the Run, But Maybe Not For Much Longer
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A very Good Friday indeed for Sisters Bernadette, Regina and Rita of the Scholoss Goldenstein convent outside Salzburg as they maybe about to secure the right to remain in their long-time home. From the Guardian report on the topic… Three …
Northern Ireland is quietly winning — so why do our politicians keep talking like we’re losing?
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Wages are up 8% and child poverty is among the lowest in the UK. So why is Northern Ireland’s political culture still fluent only in failure? Three uncomfortable questions for Stormont — filtered through Klein, Thompson, Lonergan, Blyth, and Lanier.
The British identity of Northern unionists must be respected and protected in a new Ireland…
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I’m going to return this month to the theme of my last blog on Northern Ireland’s continued existence in a new or united Ireland, as outlined by SDLP leader Clare Hanna in her essay in the recent publication What Northern Ireland Means …