Dave
While Slugger had it Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Slugger O'Toole
Doing the homework for Leeds…
William Graham in yesterday’s Irish News reports activity on all fronts heading into the Leeds Castle negotiations. Sound and fury, or serious minded preparations? Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
In gratitude
Seamus Heaney writes on the life and work of his fellow poet Czeslaw Milosz, from last Saturday Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Join the Tories online…
The British Conservative Party has just speculated Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Leeds is a waste of taxpayer's money…
David Burnside is one of the few senior political players that remains sceptical about the talks in Kent. In fact he reckons it’s a giant waste of taxpayer’s money. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Leeds: t
F Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Money's too tight to mention….
We’ve had a rough summer of it, but it seems that things are getting back to normal on Slugger. What I think it has highlighted is the difficulty of keeping up a site that at least aspires towards professional values on a zero budget. The move from the UK to the US server means that the technological costs have plummeted. Even low level clicks on the Google ads should now work in tandem with these substantially lower costs. The real …
Peace process: critical questions
Eric Waugh is in top form this evening. A long term critic of the practical working of the Belfast Agreement, he outlines what the opening gambit of unionist negotiators should be: – The first principle is that more of the same will not do. – Not a scintilla of a goody should be bestowed on tick. Cash on delivery must be the rule. – The overblown machine should be shorn of its fat and the Assembly of 108 cut by …
Policing and security are the crux
Reuters man Alex Richardson with a brief outline of one of the most contentious issues facing the parties: policing and security. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Sinn F
Sinn Fein has called for the British government to call off survellence operations after a bug was founding a meeting room in Connelly House. Gerry Adams has asked for a line to be drawn under the conduct of all future such operations. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
The loneliness of a long distance politician…
David Trimble is upbeat, and given the nature of past events, verging on the statesman-like going into the Leeds Castle negotiations, saying that he hopes this will be the last lap of talks before a final and stable agreement. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Ulster pool closure goes to court…
It looks like the campaign to save the University pool at Jordanstown is making progress. As I type the case is being heard in the High Court in Belfast. Yesterday there was even an early motion in the House of Commons by Kate Hoey and so far supported by seventeen signatories, from UUP, DUP and the SDLP. SF MPs don’t participate in the Westminster parliament. From Sam Bride The fight to keep the Swimming pool at the University of Ulster …
Barrett's guilt is not enough…
Rosie Cowan returns briefly to matters Northern Ireland with words from Pat Finucane’s son Michael, who suggests Ken Barrett’s admission that he killed his father is less his concern than discovering the nature of the command and control mechanism behind the murder. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Consultation on hate crime continues…
The Northern Ireland Affairs committee in Westminster continues its formal hearing of evidence from the office of the first and deputy first minister, NIACRO, NICVA and the Community Relations Council in Belfast yesterday. But they are also taking evidence online at tellparliament.net. Responses to hate crime “Many gay people do not report ‘low level’ homophobic attacks because they think nothing will be done, for fear of incurring more prejudice from the police and authorities, and for fear of attracting more …
Rebel columns…
Danny Morrison‘s latest book Rebel Columns is a compendium of his journalism, written for a range of newspapers, including the Guardian, the Irish Examiner, and the Andersonstown News. It’s reminiscent of other press gleanings like those of David McKittrick and Eammon Maillie, except that Morrison makes no pretense that his work is objective. He is unabashed in his role of political columnist. It provides a useful insight into the last six or seven years, as seen from a mainstream Republican …
Decommissioning and history…
A slightly shaky but interesting parallel is drawn on this morning’s The Long View (sound file). Amongst others Paul Bew and Danny Morrison do battle against a background of the Scottish Jacobite rebellion of the 18th century and in the foreground, Leeds Castle Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
DUP attends in numbers…
The DUP has not stinted on sending manpower, which one of their number suggests is because they feel that Sinn Fein is recognising the Unionist bottom line. Given the need to bring along the party’s wide coalition of interests, it makes sense for them to have as many individuals in close as possible to any potential deal. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Living further apart…
The SDLP‘s former Finance Minister, Sean Farren considers one of the problems that remains outside the remit of political negotiations and has been largely left for civil society to consider and worry away at – the polarisation of the two communities in Northern Ireland in both rural and urban areas. Here he draws on his experience of his own North Antrim constituency. By Sean Farren From a community viewpoint most of our towns, villages and townlands are ghettoes, or consist …
Presidential opponents struggle for nomination…
It seems that the current incumbent of the office of President Mary McAleese may be returned unopposed next month. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has decided to back her and not put up a candidate for his own party. The decision is not binding on all members of his party, but has help create difficulty for two potential opponents to gain either the required 20 members of the Oireachtas or support of four local authorities. Slugger O'TooleA general account used …
Slugger coming back to health…
Finally we are coming back to something approaching normality. As someone put it just before the London server went down Slugger was as unsettled as Wayne Rooney just before he joined Man U. Well Wayne has made his move and so has Slugger. We are now hosted on a nice new Unix server somewhere in New York. You’ll notice that we are currently without our archives. This was a first casulty in the crash. We do have records of them, …