Slugger O'Toole

Eric Waugh, now a columnist for the Belfast Telegraph, was a BBC correspondent for most of the troubles. He recalls two gruesome episodes from the early stages of the ‘war’ with great (and disturbing) clarity, the IRA’s firebombing of the La Mon House Hotel in which twelve people were incinerated. And one of the earliest atrocities, the UVF bombing of McGurk’s Bar in which 15 perished in the run up to Christmas 1971. He wonders whether in decommissioning military materiel …

Read more…

David Adams, writing in the Irish Times (subs needed), believes it is time for unionism to “jettison the self-pity” and “accept the heavy responsibilities that come with public office” or suspicions will remain that “supremacy within unionism matters a lot more to many unionist politicians than trying to establish a peaceful and settled Northern Ireland”. Adams begins by noting how former Ulster Unionist Party leader James Molyneaux remarked in 1994 that a prolonged IRA ceasefire could be the “most destabilising …

Read more…

The Economist, calls this week’s developments the only way you can. Not by reading into the clarity (or rather the lack thereof) around the act itself, but into the political frame around the act (subs needed). In particular the DUP: …after recent rioting by Protestant paramilitaries who have killed scores in the past ten years, Mr Paisley’s scepticism sounded like a substitute for political engagement. The armies in whose weaponry Mr Paisley has shown least interest are the illegal Ulster …

Read more…

An interesting documentary and re-enactment of the battle of Saintfield will be screened later this year. It follows the battle between largely Presbyterian United Irishmen of County Down and the York Fencible Regiment who had founded their own Orange Lodge in 1796. It also delves into the complexity of the era showing brothers, fathers and sons on opposing sides of the battle. The cast for the re-enactment was comprised of various re-enactment groups, cross-community living history groups, the North Irish …

Read more…

Alex Kane ruminates on the innate challenges of the next four months in the interrim before the two IMC reorts delegated to adjudicate on the integrity of the IRA ceasefire are published. The DUP has to seriously consider the political choices that face it: namely an imperfect situation with devolution; or ongoing powerlessness under direct rule. The UUP must invest the time in re-connecting with the party’s grass roots. By Alex Kane Being an atheist I tend to the view …

Read more…

Davy Adams with an important corrective to the view that Northern Ireland in any way represents the intractable harshness of reality. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

More scepticism on Sinn Fein’s intentions for the future from William Sjostrum, who sees a (presumably unintended) significance in a flag he saw in Dublin last weekend. Although, personally, I’ve never heard of the two striped flag he’s refering to. Update: Ah, William, you may just have gotten it wrong after all – thanks Henry! Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Jude Collins believes the IRA has turned the tables on the DUP. It now puts demands on the DUP to find new more nuanced responses in dealing with Sinn Fein in the run up to the second IMC report in January. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Third post today on the Media Conference in Derry, but we now have the names of the media panel on next Friday night. If you can’t get along, you have a chance to put your questions to: Pat McArt, editor of the Derry Journal, Paul McFadden from the BBC, Malachi O Doherty, former editor of Fortnight, and Poilin Ni Chiarian, Northern correspondent of Foinse. A selection of your questions will be asked from the floor of the event in Derry. …

Read more…

The Social Study Conference at the Tower Hotel in Derry next week. They’ll be putting the media under the microscope and asking several pertinent questions, including: are politicians and governments at the mercy of journalists?; are journalists at the mercy of the demands of media moguls?; who exactly is running the country? It’s a varied The programme including inputs from Eammon McCann and Malachi O’Doherty. A “Have I got views for you” session rounds it off on Saturday. The organisers …

Read more…

It’s not often that Perry over at Samizdata weighs a political situation and finds himself being equivocal. But in considering the announcement of the IRA’s decommissioning, he can’t make up his mind what it actually means. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

I noted Van Morrison’s 60th Birthday at the end of August, now this.. from M Ellis Conroy. The young 22 year-old Van’s most reluctant session. Personal favourite – The Big Royalty Check[mp3 file]. As WFMU Station Manager Ken describes it – “In order to fulfill his obligation to his early solo label Bang Records,Van Morrison sat down in 1967 or so and cranked out 31 songs on the spot, on topics ranging from ringworm to wanting a danish, to hating …

Read more…

Martin has gone off to America to persuade Irish Americans to be “elated” (according to todays IN) at the IRAs recent surrender. I understand that Gerry will be off to the European Parliament next Wedensday for an “informal question and answer” session with MEPs. Alas, rumour has it, the President and Vice President of the Commission have refused a meeting. As have the leaders of the EPP-ED, the Socalist and Liberal groups! This leaves the extreme left (which includes the …

Read more…

FOR those with access to the Belfast Telegraph archive (…because I forgot to write this while it was still free – oops), David Gordon recently took an in depth look at the extent of spending within the Ulster Scots Agency. Wining, dining, taxis to Dublin – yet the good Lord Laird appears remarkably unperturbed about how he throws your money around. Let’s not forget, this was the same man who rather conveniently resigned as Chairman of the Agency last year, …

Read more…

Harry Browne is an ex pat American journalist who lectures in media studies at DIT. His views are often interesting because they are from outside that of the media establishment. In Counterpunch he has an interesting take on the changes in Adams’s strategy in the US, and detects an allignment with Hillary Clinton’s expected bid for the US presidency in 2008. Adams, who was briefly the IRA chief of staff in the 1970s, is now a bearded visage for the …

Read more…

A sharp but not entirely complementary analysis of the leadership qualities of Gerry Adams from Malachi O’Doherty on Hearts and Minds last night. The programme contains a good analysis session with Noel Doran, Martina Purdy and David McKitterick. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Paul Arthur in yesterday’s Irish Times notes that most analysis of recent political developments is largely overly focused on the short term (Subs needed) choreography of the two main parties. But looked at in the light of longer term trends, he argues, Unionism still lacks a proactive leadership, and Republicans are still in denial. The current political and media pressure on the DUP masks the success of that party on a number of fronts: Despite Ian Paisley’s posturing, the word …

Read more…

On 10th May 1998 just after the Belfast Agreement, Gerry Adams told his party’s Ard Fheis that “The IRA has made it clear that it will not surrender its weapons”. And Danny Morrison as recently as 2001 felt confident enough to state “…there will never, ever, be IRA decommissioning, an IRA surrender.” Throughout however, one consistent voice of dissent has been Anthony McIntyre, who now reflects on the significance decommissioning in the wake of Monday’s press conference. Slugger O'TooleA general …

Read more…

Officers of the Garda Síochána will be serving in Northern Ireland within weeks in non-operational posts and PSNI Officers will be serving in the Republic with an aim to bestow full police powers and operational roles on both next year. Considering both the Garda Síochána and PSNI are currently engaged in recruitment drives with the former recently having an advert in the Belfast Telegraph stating “serve your community and make a difference.” is it not time to address the Irish …

Read more…

IN the last issue of Fortnight (though this article isn’t online), there was an eye-witness report of the Ardoyne riots on July 12. The anonymous author wrote that a group of Italian Fascists turned up on the nationalist side for a while. Strange one. Anyone know anything about this – or is it just further evidence of Paisley’s global Catholic conspiracy?! ;o) The eye witness wrote: Among the crowd of residents, journalists and observers, a group of Italian Fascists wearing …

Read more…