Robbo and Marty last on Obama’s invite list for St Paddy’s, or just snubbed..?

PRESIDENT Obama has (finally) issued an invitation to Taoiseach Brian Cowen for the annual White House bash on St Patrick’s Day. But will any leaders north of the border be attending the jolly? Only one other foreign leader seems to be in Obama’s White House diary for March, and there’s no information on OFMDFM’s website at the time of writing. McGuinness and Donaldson were in Washington last year, but will the Assembly be represented in the new president’s first year? …

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The Twitter effect on tragedy

Amid the universal approval for cancelling Prime Minister’s Questions over the sad death of Ivan Cameron, the odd dissident. Notably, Times columnist and former Tory MP Matthew Parris was worried about setting a precedent and contrasting the tributes for Ivan with the short formula for week’s tally of soldiers killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. Times Comment editor Danny Finkelstein demurred. But Terence Blacker in the Independent works on the theme of the new public “chumminess” encouraged by “the twitterati” and …

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‘Lunatic’ blogger annoys rude Ryanair, media s***s itself…

WHEN Irish blogger Jason Roe was booking his Ryanair flight to Cork for the Irish Blog Awards the other day, little did he realise that his messing about on the airline’s website would generate so much media interest. Roe initially thought he’d found a way to get free flights, but later realised it was just a software glitch that made it appear as though he hadn’t paid for his flight. But when he blogged the bug and mentioned it on …

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Dark threats to liberty listed

To balance the ecclesiastical with the secular, Philip Pullman that scourge of Christianity in his wonderful allegories The Dark Materials has written a scorcher to mark the Convention on Modern Liberty on Saturday ( locally at Queen’s). The irony is that the freedom agenda looks like working well for the Tories. Pullman writes: We are so fast asleep that we don’t know who we are any more. Are we English? Scottish? Welsh? British? More than one of them? ( Ed …

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Scarlet and ermine to add to the cardinal’s hat

The likelihood that, after his imminent retirement, Cardinal Murphy O’Connor will be given a seat in the House of Lords marks a big step in the UK’s eccentric constitutional arrangements and in the Church’s attitude to the State. It would remove one of the last stigmas against Roman Catholics as heretics and potential traitors. . It’s good to see the constitution catching up with Ian Paisley senior. Yes, I know, there’s still the Act of Settlement but we’ll have to …

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You know it’s bad when…

The associate editor of a major Scottish Sunday newspaper gets the job of Head of Communications with North Lanarkshire Council… Doctor Vee points us to this little apocalyptical gem… Sour Alba indeed… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

New Ulster Tory Logos…

Here’s the banner of the Joint Committee’s existing site. But that hasn’t/shouldn’t stop the more creative of you… Here’s Keith’s… Paul thinks they should go simple and more straightforward: And Plastic Paddy has less a logo and more a graphic concept document: Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: …

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UCU – NF logo competition…

There’s a nice blog piece over on Redemption’s Son on the choice of Ulster as the governing regional principle over at Redemption’s Son… It struck me that we might offer to design them a logo… Haven’t thought of a prize yet; other than we could do with a permanent purveyor of Caption competitions… if you’re game?!? Send us your entries or load them on Flickr and we’ll put the best up on Slugger!! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. …

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Of all the talents?

With the issue of future efficiencies and past mis-accountancies still unresolved, Fionnuala O’Connor provides a useful reminder that Northern Ireland’s government administration “of all the talents” has had it easy, so far. [What about those experts? – Ed] Indeed. Pete Baker

Name changed passed unanimously…

Michael’s laconic report from the UUP’s party Executive… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Stories for free, no attribution required

I recently blogged on some ‘citizen journalism’ that was contributed to the irishrepublican.net discussion forum, photographs from that forum entry subsequently appeared on an ATN article by Ciaran Barnes without attribution to the original source or any contact with the person that took them. Recently Belfast Gonzo and I attended the protest over the Israeli violence in Gaza and I uploaded video taken by Belfast Gonzo and some photographs as part of my blog. The video later appeared on a …

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“We’re fighting for our economic lives.”

Mick flagged this up in advance. It is somewhat of an ambush, and Irish Junior Finance Minister Martin Mansergh does have a valid point about being questioned about a specific case without knowing all the relevant facts. But his reaction.. Anyway, listen out for his comments about funding of projects in Northern Ireland. There’s also a priceless moment when he reaches for an example of North/South co-operation and plucks his borrowing of an expert from the NI Department of Finance …

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Mansergh gets rattled on Hearts and Minds tonight…

Hearts and Minds should be worth watching tonight… Self styled ‘Socialist’ Fianna Fail TD Martin Mansergh gets pretty vexed during a debate with journalist Margaret Ward. In Margaret’s own words: …he stormed out claiming I was a populist and he couldn’t believe someone with views like mine worked for the Irish Times! Basically, I asked him some hard questions, challenged his views and he did not like it. I guess he is not used to people standing up to him. …

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Caption competition…

Try to keep it light, witty and clean… To start you off: Martin – “I can’t believe we’re still here.” Gerry – “I can’t believe they’re still here!” Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

“Given half a chance Sinn Féin will piggyback and colonise Labour”…

In the Irish Times today David Adams warns the Labour party from contemplating acceptance of Gerry Adams supplication for a grand alliance of the left… He argues that doing it duty and moving in alongside Sinn Fein and into power will cost it its political soul… …it remains debatable whether the SDLP was sacrificed to the peace process or to John Hume’s ego, what is not in question is the nature of the sacrifice itself. The SDLP got too close …

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“there is no placing of blame on any individual..”

In the Irish Times Gerry Moriarty reports Denis Bradley’s response to the criticisms of their proposals by Peter Smith QC – as noted yesterday. Mr Bradley also said he respected but disagreed with Belfast lawyer, Peter Smith QC, who in yesterday’s Irish Times said the Eames-Bradley proposals relating to truth recovery could threaten an individual’s “basic courtroom rights to face his or her accuser, and to challenge them by means of questioning their lawyer” and “would give rise to grave …

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Failgate: the weblaunch/seminar…

If you were wondering what all the fuss was about on that weirdly expanding Twitter driven thread last night; Green Inkpen explains it all in one easy (ahem, uneasey if you’re Fianna Fail) lesson… They tried to do a Man City and transfer in the big boys from the States with ready cash rather than work it from bottom up and got flashmobbed by a bunch of irate Irish bloggers for their troubles… There’s lessons here for other parties contemplating …

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P&J – “a mafia offer”

A Commons row broke out yesterday over the Government’s decision to rush the Bill transferring Police and Justice powers to the Assembly in a single day next Wednesday. The Bill I mean, not the transfer. Why the rush? As MPs on all sides regardless of their views on P&J pointed out, the Assembly hadn’t asked for a transfer timetable, as we well know. This is the British Government up to its old tricks of bouncing NI business through both Houses …

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Ulster Conservatives and Unionists

So Ulster it is… It looks like there is finally approval to end the 104 year history of the Ulster Unionist Party (which until recent rule changes wasn’t an actual party) to something that, er, isn’t an actual party… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Solar eclipse – lunar view

I’ve previously noted the Japanese lunar probe Selene/Kaguya’s HD footage of an Earthrise from lunar orbit, but here’s some equally stunning footage of a solar eclipse by the Earth – as viewed from lunar orbit. Nasa press release and original Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) notice. Original footage here. The view is unveiled as the probe emerges from behind the Moon, as illustrated below the fold. Adds Archived links don’t seem to be working for the Earthrise footage, try this …

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