Slugger O'Toole Two witnesses for the prosecution, defectors from the rebel FARC group, failed to turn up at the trial in Bogota yesterday. The timing of the trial has been re-arranged for next February. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
A bit late and perhaps a bit out of time, but this speech from the Rev Ian Paisley is an extraordinary piece of Old Testament rhetoric; hugely impressive in it’s dramatic scope, but not entirely squaring with the newer image of the Robinson/Dodds DUP: “For us there is no discharge in this war. It is a battle to the death. Until the blood soaked murderous beast of Republican terrorism and all other terrorists is put forever in the cage of …
My work schedule is a little tight over the next few days so that I won’t be able to post everything I’d like to. If you think I have missed anything important, e-mail me with the link and I will post when I get the time. Otherwise, keep watching the excellent Newshound for the daily roundup. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
John Laird is interesting and engaging, if a tad eccentric. In this feature piece for the Belfast Telegraph he puts together an interesting series of ideas in support of the growing Ulster Scots movement in Northern Ireland; not least its relation to the rapid globalisation process: “The politics of European integration, globalisation and, in the more distant past, imperialism have resulted in the revival and reassertion of other, older loyalties and identities.” This makes good sense. Globalisation has set a …
Here’s the third in a series of articles reporting from Derry on the Godfather system left behind after the cessation of the armed struggle. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
A contemporary of another troublesome genius from Belfast, Alex Higgins, George Best is to be awarded a lifetime achievement award from the BBC sports personality of the year award. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Peter Robinson has used parliamentary privilege to publicly name a member the IRA’s ruling Army Council. The DUP has used such rights several times in the past, here and here. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Interesting spin from Anne Applebaum at the Washington Post on the recent history of the current process, with quite deliberate parallels with the Middle East: “British politicians resigned in protest against the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which wound up becoming the kernel of the current Irish peace settlement. Fifteen years after Thatcher’s brave and surprising decision, the IRA has been outflanked, and Ireland, while not wholly cured, is on the mend. Far from being the decision of a weak leader, sometimes it …
In the subscription only Irish News, Barry McCaffery states that according to the latest figures from the PSNI, Loyalist paramilitaries are responsible for three times the number of the attacks on security forces as their Republican counterparts. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Thanks to Stephen at Carisenda, for syndicating stories from the Letter to Slugger O’Toole to his own blog. It was through Carisenda also that I came across this search engine. It uses a similar format as Amazon to produce web search and traffic ranking. As you’ll see Letter to Slugger O’Toole remains well down the ranking at number 1,809,488. But we thought readers might like to use the review facility there to tell us what you really think of the …
The Colombian trial continues, amid allegations from the prosecution that explosives manuals found in Colombian rebel hands may be linked to the IRA. The BBC’s Dennis Murray, who it seems has managed to wangle the budget to get out of NI for a short while, describes the court room procedures. However David Sharrock in Saturday’s Times of London (registration required), suggested that there would prove to be insufficient evidence to do anything other than deport the three men for travelling …
A book worth considering for Christmas, if you really want to get into the murky and often petty politics of Belfast’s City Hall, is Mairtin O’Muilleoir’s Belfast’s Dome of Delight. It’s a very readable chronicle of Sinn Fein’s democratic march into what had been a bastion of exclusively Unionist civic virtue. That journey was marked by lock outs of Sinn Fein councillors, and walkouts by Unionists. Though looking at the latest debacle in City Hall, it looks as though some …
After some fierce speculation last weekend, the story of a sudden and complete disarmament by the IRA has all but disappeared. And from nowhere else as completely as the The Guardian, who’s cheif political correspondent lent his byline to the story. Malachi O’Doherty asks whodunnit? Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Gerry Adams told a public meeting in Belfast yesterday that there would not be any progress in the inter party talks: “…until the British and Irish Governments come forward with time-framed programmatic implementation plans for those aspects of the Agreement which are their responsibility.” It leaves the impression more than ever that the real dealing at this stage is to be done between the British Government and the IRA. Especially in view of allegations that moves similar to this have …
Trimble brings some insight into the struggle between the state and it’s oppositional forces: “If you take a person out, what will result is that a new person will come in to replace him. You’re more successful by leaving people in position, monitoring them and disrupting their activities. It also helps if their activities are centralized. The centralization of the IRA helped us.” Thanks to Emily for the link. Update: Trimble keeps up the pressure on Sinn Fein in the …
Apparently two soldiers drafted into Belfast to provide support during the Firefighter’s strike, are being held on suspicion of actually setting a fire in an inner city hotel. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
To two blogs, new to us, for including Letter to Slugger O’Toole in their blogrolls – Harry’s Place and Two Tears in a Bucket. Update: make it three, the other is Conservative Commentary, blogging from the right in Britain. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
The Sunday Herald comments on Kevin McNamara’s failed attempt to have a 301 year rule banning Catholics from marrying into the British royal family ended. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
It’s clear that whenever it happens that we will soon be witnessing a NI that will contain few of the political certainties we have come to rely on in the past. The Sunday Life speculates that the four Sinn Fein MPs will take up their seats in Westminster. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
In the subscription only Irish News, Roy Garland welcomes the first offical forays of the DUP south of the border. “The DUP has devoted too much time trying to upstage its UUP rivals. However, the fact that Gregory Campbell has so enthusiastically engaged with people in the Republic is a positive development. Few will expect him to change his spots, but honest dialogue can make people better able to appreciate other views while representing their own positions more effectively.” Slugger …