Frankenstein: fictionalisation of conflict
Carrie Twomey highlights the literary and political seriousness underlying a seemingly humorous remark. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
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Policing drama: branch changes
A new set of changes are being proposed for the intelligence branch of the PSNI. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Demoralised prods: a response
In the subscription-only Irish News, Brian Feeney picks out Chris McGimpsey’s assertions over the electoral politics in North Belfast in Richard Kelly’s article in Prospect magazine for a detailed rebuttal: “The most depressing aspect of McGimpseys tendentious contribution is this: Commentators criticise middle-class unionists for opting out of the political process and leaving it to the yahoos. Yet, when a middle-class unionist like McGimpsey, admittedly one who masquerades for political purposes as a mawn of the peepull, does engage in …
RIRA moving into the North
Sharon O’Neill in the subscription only Irish News reports: “The successful crackdown on Real IRA activity in the Republic has led the organisation to shift its power base to Northern Ireland, the latest security assessments have revealed. Evidence from Derry city points to it being the only area of the north where the Real IRA seems to have established a base from which to launch regular attacks. Suspicions that the Real IRA was now being led by members based in …
Slan, slan go foill
Thainig deireadh tobann Dé Máirt le ré Mhick McCarthy… níos mó Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Irish soccer civil war
The recent resignation of Mick McCarthy has presaged a minor civil war in the Republic over who was to blame: Keane, the FAI or McCarthy himself. Henry McDonald discusses the little talked about tension between two of the biggest teams in Belfast, which broadly splits the city east and west. Found via Newshound. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Mallon on the Process
Seamus Mallon in interview in Pittsburgh. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Unionist silence over crucifixion
The Examiner slates Unionists over their silence over the horrific beating of Henry McCartan at the weekend. The Belfast Telegraph adds its voice to condemn this incident. David Ford calls for the introduction of an offence of ‘hate crime’. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
No decommissioning; no devolution
Trimble, speaking in Liverpool yesterday, warned that the restoration of devolution was not certain. More on UTV. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
NI and the Euro
There’s a discussion coming up on the BBC. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Richard Perle attacks Sinn Fein
Looks like Eammon McCann’s reading of Sinn Fein as an organisation moving to the right may have been somewhat flawed. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
McCarthy quits
Finally the strain of the World Cup spat with Roy Keane has taken its toll on the Republic’s manager, and he’s gone. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
McCann on the IRA: summary
Eammon McCann seems to have been around since the troubles first kicked off for real back in 1968. He has finally produced what is probably the best review so far what is probably the most celebrated books on Northern Ireland of recent times, The Secret History of the IRA. IN fact this is more than a review, it is an essay by an acute observer who is intimate with the many intricate and subtle theologies of the Irish Republican movement. …
McCann on the IRA: right not left
McCann finally suggests that the substantial change in the political character of the northern Republican movement is demonstrated in Adams’ pragmatism: “…when he veered off the path of armed struggle he veered to the right and not to the left. Having ditched the ideas that underpinned armed struggle, discarding any notion of wanting to turn the world, or even the constitutional status quo, upside down, Adams and the group around him set out to recruit the most powerful allies potentially …
Loyalist feud to end?
It looks like things are beginning to wind down. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
UDA brothel burns down
Another contender for the bizarre headline of the month award, but it seems to be only the tip of the iceberg. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Demoralised prods: summary
Richard Kelly visited NI recently to speak to a number of largely pro-agreement figures in NI. He begins by suggesting that David Trimble did not capitalise on the advantages of the Belfast Agreement from the beginning, instead what began as a victory has come to be seen by many Unionists as a defeat. Ervine suggests that long term promises don’t satisfy people under various short term pressures, particularly in interface areas. Again with Ervine he identifies education as a key …
Ervine: alternative is more for Dublin
In the Irish Post, David Ervine talks to Paul Green: The people of Northern Ireland have to be made aware that there are two types of government on offer. One is that the British and Irish governments will administer power here and the other is that the people of Northern Ireland themselves will. They need to be aware of that choice because when we abandon our capacity to work together, then we are handing over our authority to Dublin and …
McCann on the IRA: defenders
Echoing Jack Holland’s interview with Moloney in the summer, McCann makes a robust distinction between the nature of Republicanism in Belfast and Derry and that of the more classic type: “Moloney rightly identifies Adams’s 1983 election to Westminster from West Belfast as one of the most significant plot points in his narrative. He might with advantage have directly quoted the new MP’s exultant first words to cheering crowds on the Falls Road: ‘Even De Valera couldn’t win the Falls.’ De …
Paul Murphy: a last welcome
Danny Morrison gives a broad welcome to the new secretary of state, but finishes with typical lyricism: “If the British government allows the political process to become mired on the single issue of the IRA, then Paul Murphy is going nowhere except back to Wales to listen to classical music and cook, which is how, he says, he relaxes.” Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.