Slugger O'Toole Phew. At last it has begun. Gemma Murray reports on the courtship we have all been waiting for; close talks between the DUP and Sinn Fein, according to the UUP that is: “A so-called courtship dance between the DUP and Sinn Fein has begun, according to Deputy Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey. Speaking at Stormont Buildings on the Secretary of State John Reids suspension of the Assembly, Sir Reg Empey lashed out at the ‘significant change, shift and transformation …
Last month, we reported David Ervine’s concerns of the gulf between the Protestant middle classes and the working class: “…the Catholic middle class put back into the communities they came from, whilst the protestant middle classes have concentrated on draining the bucket dry.” However, Mairtin O’Muillieor looks at his own Catholic community and similar concerns are beginning to arise: “The gap between our college-going achievers and fair play to them and the forgotten working class of areas like …
Dennis Murray, the BBC’s senior Northern Ireland correspondent: “Street disturbances and the hugely divisive marching season combined to turn up the temperature on the sectarian front – those tensions being much more evident after the worst of the troubles had gone. There is also a core assumption in the agreement that once in government, trust would build between old political enemies. Not only did that not happen, it got gradually worse.” Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads …
As the new team of junior minsters fly in to take up their new posts, the Belfast Telegraph have kindly provided a series of short reports on what happens next under the some of the briefs the new team will assume: Finance and Personnel; First and Deputy First Minister; Health; Environment; Agriculture; Education; Social Development. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Suzanne Breen at her pithy best. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
To Andrew of Dodgeblog for adding the Letter to his list of recommended reading. And to writer Ed Driscoll. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Interesting discussion following the football story in this comments box. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
Number 10 Downing Street has re-stated its determination that the original Agreement of 1998 is to remain the template for political progress. That should keep most people on board. Including those we have come to understand as anti the Agreement. A careful examination of the DUP’s 2001 manifesto, for instance, shows that amendment rather than abolition of the Agreement was what they campaigned for at the time. As we suggested before, the terms pro- and anti- are no longer adequate …
To Doc Searl’s weblog, what I believe is a Dutch site called HEFTKLAMMERN and BaristaLog Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
It may become more effective at reaching young wealthy audiences than traditional paper media, but as primary activity blogging doesn’t pay. One of the leading lights of the form, Andrew Sullivan: “…we may have, I think, what one Internet writer recently called an air and gold problem. Air is much more vital to human beings than gold; but because there’s so much air out there and all of it is readily available, it’s free. Gold, on the other hand, is …
Lots of interesting background on the crisis and the Loyalist feud. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
An eloquant and politically literate case for getting on with it, from Tom Kelly of DCL Media in the subscription only Irish News: “…each political party seems to be obsessed with the role they think they should have either in a society that is yet to come or a society set in the good old days. The difficulty for those of us in business is that we need them to be playing their roles here and now. “For many Republicans, …
The Secretary of State believes is possible to bring about an agreement fairly swiftly. There is a revealing interview with David Trimble’s election agent, George Savage: “. many of his constituents recognised that they were part of a time of historic change. ‘Farmers have long recognised this change. They have to compete directly with farmers from other European Union countries. The assembly has given them a voice that they would not necessarily have. Milk quotas is a major concern for …
Dissident Republican Anthony McIntyre, in the wake of charges against four Sinn Fein members, writes in the last week for Fortnight magazine : “…the real difficulty faced by the party is not one that can be deferred by seeking refuge in sub judice. It is not that in the court of public opinion Donaldson may already unfairly be deemed guilty – legally it is not for the public to decide – but that republicanism is. And unlike lengthy judicial proceedings …
“No surrender to the IRA” continues to be a popular chant at English football matches. According to the Daily Telegraph, the English FA doesn’t like it. “Any political or racial chanting, including the well-known ‘No Surrender’, has no place around the England team,” their spokesman, Adrian Bevington, commented. “The FA and pro-active individuals in supporters’ groups have spent the last four years working tirelessly to eradicate this problem.” More opinion at FOOTBALL365. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily …
Thanks to Irish in Britain for the kind mention. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
And suddenly, it was all quiet up at Stomont, despite the front page headline from last night’s Belfast Telegraph. Gerry Moriarty believes that Blair and Ahern are jointly flagging the necessity of the IRA to disarm before the Assembly can re-commence it’s business. There are signs that the broad inconsistency in Unionist condemnation of paramilitaries, has not gone unnoticed in the US. This from yesterday’s Irish News; thanks to Paul Dunne and Newshound. At home, both sides continue to blame …
Excellent piece in the FT on the likely effects on business. For however long it lasts, NI will return to ‘anomaly’ status. Nigel Smith, economist with Confederation of British Industry, “A month or two is all right. It’s not critical in the short term. But our concern is direct rule ministers will not want to take the difficult decisions.” Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.
The blogger at British Spin is in a bit of a spin over the easy treatment he believes the British media has given Sinn Fein. He starts: “I’ve always resisted talking about Northern Ireland. It’s too complex, to tough, too mired in historical hatred. It’s also a topic an Englishman ought to avoid if possible. We’re not neutral, and our comments must look like the idiotic commentary of an ill informed landlord. I’ve generally felt that unless you had special …
But can Big Bird handle Northern Ireland’s four year olds? Sesame Street is doing its homework before producing a local version of the Award winning children’s programme. “In a recent study, conducted by the University of Ulster, children were shown pictures and objects relating to different communities and asked what they thought of them. Almost two-thirds of three-year-old Catholics preferred the Irish flag, while 59% of Protestants preferred the Union Jack. One four-year-old Catholic girl said: ‘I like the people …