Slugger O'Toole

To those of you puzzled as to why so much political focus is being put on the religious make-up, this study conducted by three academics and funded by the Community Relations Council in July, might throuw some light on its relevance: “By the ages of five and six large differences were also found among Catholic and Protestant children regarding their preferences for certain first names, colours and football shirts.” “Overall, just over half (51%) of all three years olds were …

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Interesting poll in the Guardian suggests that while British is an increasingly unpopular term, the group that most closely relates to the term are the ethnic minorities in Britain. Alison Walker, the principle researcher: “…the biggest divergence from the national trend was among people from the ethnic minorities, with 57% of this group asserting their British identity, 37% claiming “other” nationality and the rest choosing English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish.” Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and …

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Though Brian Cowan and Paul Murphy are expected to issue a joint communique agreeing that the recent legislation in the Dail, is only a temporary arrangement, this may not be enough to steady the nerves of many unionists, who view the move as an infringement of UK sovereignty in NI. Such scepticism has it’s roots in the private assurances that David Trimble received at the signing of the Belfast Agreement that Sinn Fein would be excluded if the IRA failed …

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After David Trimble’s recent overtures to the British Conservatives, this letter from David Wylie to the Belfast Telegraph that seems to speak a major dilemma within the Ulster Unionist party, and indeed most of the NI political parties: “…the UUP, like most other political parties in Northern Ireland, remains a single issue organisation; more a lobbying group at Westminster than a Party able to make a valuable contribution on a wide variety of social, economic and political issues affecting all …

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The UUP MLA Robert Coulter has called on the Republican movement demonstrate its committment to peace, but it’s clear that the simply taking their seats on the Policing body will not be sufficient to prove good will to mainstream unionists. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

According to Bimpe Fatogun, Mark Durkan has tried to allay Unionist fears of being pulled into a United Ireland by suggesting that getting local institutions into a functioning and agreed state is more important that questions of sovereignty: “The SDLP has made it clear in the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation that we want to develop a clear understanding that the agreement, with all the arrangements, assurances and accommodations that it offers, will endure whatever the outcome of any future …

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Roy Garland questions the motives of the DUP in bringing in Andrew Hunter, and suggests his candidature in Jeffrey Donaldson’s Assembly constituency demostrates that the DUP will targeting the ‘anti-agreement’ wing of the UUP as much as what is left of the ‘Trimblistas’. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Rosie Cowan has a piece on the forthcoming census. It seems to be beginning to concentrate minds. As if in answer to Mitchell McLaughlin yesterday, Jeffrey Donaldson replies that forcing protestants into a united Ireland would be counter productive and went on to suggest that: “…because the suspended Stormont assembly requires separate majorities of both unionists and nationalists to pass legislation, the dual consent principle should apply to any vote on a united Ireland.” Slugger O'TooleA general account used for …

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I am not sure what has prompted this sudden outbreak of civil and intelligent discussion at Debate Central, but here’s a thread worth following for a while on what Thursday’s census results might give rise to. And this one. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

We’re into something approximating a winter silly season, were most commentators are kicking around one or two favourite footballs in the absence of much action actually on the pitch. We are reduced to reading what runes there are to be seen. Something seems to be moving even if it is impossible to hear much outside of the locked negotiation rooms. Leading UUP dissident Jeffrey Donaldson has proposed the cancellation of next month’s adjourned UUC meeting because: “It’s clear the government …

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Though it’s best not put too much store by such figures, the Alexa site keeps tabs on a range of commercial and non-commercial websites. This week it has raised the Letter to Slugger O’Toole’s ranking from 1,809,488th to 1,491,385th; up 318,103 places. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Apparently the result of a ‘guerilla’ style voting campaign, an old Irish rebel song A Nation Once Again to the top of a worldwide poll to find the most popular song at the BBC. An email campaign and some online discussion sites may have been instrumental in working up the numbers required to make the song a top contender to make it into The World’s Top Ten. Voting has now ended, but the final chart will be published on 21 …

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Rumours reported in yesterday’s Sunday Life suggest that Johnny Adair’s West Belfast C Company may be seeking to replace with his former second-in-command. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

If you feel you are never likely to get around to reading this weighty tome on the in workings of one Europe’s oldest and most effective guerilla armies, The Blanket has a compendium of reviews, that are worth flicking through, including Eammon McCann’s epic for the Nation magazine, which the Letter blogged a few months back. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

The Blanket takes a distinctly eastern slant on politics this week. Henry McDonald suggests that with the proliferation of Israeli and Palestinian flags, both sides in Belfast are glossing over a very uneven and at times nasty reality in the Middle East: “At the heart of the apologias for Palestinian terror or Israeli oppression is a denial of the facts. A large section of the Palestinian populace back movements that are murderously anti-Semitic. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are dedicated to …

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Things have been relatively quiet all week at the re-negotiations. In what may be designed to be helpful for a DUP entry into discussions, the Alliance leader David Ford calls for a wider review of the workings of the Agreement. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Interesting musings from the Andersonstown News on the state of NI economic state of affairs after the announcement of a £2billion investment in Northern Ireland’s infrastructure. This short paper from the CBI in Northern Ireland is worth a read for another view on what’s needed for the floatation of the economy. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Unionist politicians of all shades seem united in their objections to the legislation in the Irish parliament to keep the six crossborder bodies operating despite the suspension of the assembly. All that is except the DUP in the shape of Nigel Dodds who is asking whether the UUP leader actually knew about the arrangements beforehand. Though some Unionists believe this move is indicative of bad faith on the part of the southern Government, it’s apparent from this exchange in Seanad …

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Mitchell McLaughin has re-iterated Sinn Fein’s insistence that there will be no disarmament without the restitution of local democracy. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Aha! Our previous report that the Ireland Scotland bid for the 2008 European Football championship has to be amended with the latest development from UEFA. According to UTV and the Republic’s government, the bid, far from getting through, has actually failed! Clearly the last minute guarantees from Ahern were not enough to hold together a bid that has been in trouble since the early summer. Lots of updates from the Examiner Breaking News service. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for …

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