Slugger O'Toole

I linked back to a great idea on Phil Murphy’s site some time ago. All manner of politicians and institutions can be grouped into one of two categories – Shaken or Stirred? As a starter, he produces his own list: Stirred…………………………………………..Shaken Tony Blair…………………………………………Neil KinnockRonald Reagan……………………………………Lyndon JohnsonMartin Luther King……………………………..Jesse JacksonMalcolm X………………………………………….Louis FarrakanJudaism…………………………………………….IslamVirgin Atlantic……………………………………..SwissairThomas the Tank Engine……………………….TeletubbiesRolling Stones…………………………………….BeatlesLinux………………………………………………..WindowsBritain……………………………………………….EuropeThe Jackson 5…………………………………….Michael JacksonLesley Gore……………………………………….Gore VidalThe Blogesphere…………………………………The Guardian It would be interesting to hear how you might see this within a Northern Ireland context. For …

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Some of this could also be said about Belfast, but as the author hails from Armagh originally, I guess he had his reasons for heading for the southern metropolis instead of the big smoke of the North. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Unionists continue with the mutual bashing contest. Trimble gets suport from nationalists – here and here. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

David Trimble made use of his visit to the Earth Summit to hold consultation talks with the Colombian Foreign Minister. On weblogs try Terry McMenamin, who commented on this issue last week. To whom, thanks for the plug. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Belfast votes to join local partnership board. Orde sets out his policies. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

The Prince of Orange is not just a principle character of Irish history, he’s also champion of water at the Summit in Jo’burg. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

There may be enough of a break in the interface areas of Belfast to restore claim. Holy Cross went back today without any trouble arising. Loyalists have been calling for claim all round, with Archbishop Eames lending his support. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

An attempt by Ian Paisley to dissolve the Assembly today end in failure whn the UUP refused to co-sign the motion. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

He stresses economic development over sustainable development today at the Jo’burg summit. However the continuing wrangling over the Assembly can have done little to help Northern Ireland to adequately prepare for any of the given issues being tackled at the Summit – particularly compared to the much contributions from Scotland and which appears to have brought much more to the ‘party’ than Northern Ireland. Check out the Scotsman’s site for serious local coverage of this global event. Update: He plugs …

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You might be forgiven for thinking that the author of this ‘letter’ was entirely obsessed with Unionist politics. It is simply that this is where all the interesting stories are happening. The nationalists have made most of their basic decisions on the agreement, and consequently there is rarely anything of substance to comment upon. What does remain of the Nationalist agenda to be completed, eg the decommissioning of the IRA, or coming on to the Policng Board, seems unlikely to …

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Is there, or isn’t there? Tempers are reportedly getting thin inside the UDA. Meanwhile Johnny Adair has called off the planned protest at Holy Cross planned for this week. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

No doubt we will become very familiar with the face voice and name of the new Chief Constable, Hugh Orde. He is now installed at the head of the PSNI, and the papers are full of it, here, here, here, and here (registration needed). I heard him on BBC Radio 4 this morning, and his line that ‘Paramilitaries are no different to gangsters, seemed reminiscent of the hard line taken by Roy Mason, and subsequently taken up by Tories in …

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After the news of another seminary closure, Nicola Byrne’s well researched article highlights a serious crisis on the ground with country parishes in particular having to fight to keep churches open. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

For the ninth time since going into government, the Unionist Party will debate whether they should stay in with Sinn Fein. Trimble appears bullish. Some of Trimble’s people are treating the debate as a leadership challenge, but he told UTV that: “One of the things I was thinking of doing was actually calling a council meeting myself. Others have charged in. There is a danger they may turn what was meant to be a consultation into a confrontation – that`s …

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Ruth Dudley Edwards suggests that the whole Republican movement is caught within an intractable dilemma. “You can’t expect the Provos’ spokesmen to say: ‘Sorry, we can’t ask people to help get those RIRA bastards because they might rat on us in turn.’ But that’s what’s really stopping them helping to turn in people they hate. There is a struggle going on for the soul of republicanism in Ireland.” She also recommends the excellent Blanket online magazine (previously reviewed here), which, …

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One fifth of households in Nothern Ireland experienced crime last year, according to an official government report. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

The Irish Times reports (subscription needed) on the talks in Fermanagh conclude, the Ulster Unionists hope they have an agreement for the Unionist Council meeting on the 21st September. Clearly they will be keeping the detail under wraps until the meeting itself: “‘We are determined as an officer team to make sure that the meeting is constructive, that it is on a positive note, and I feel that we can have a successful meeting and reach a consensus that will …

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Even though there is still a high attendence level at Catholic churches in Ireland, there is certainly a serious crisis looming in terms of recruiting preists with many serving through illness and extreme old age. There are only two seminaries left in Ireland – in Maynooth and St Malachy’s in Belfast with a handful of novices beginning at the Irish College in Rome. Slugger O'TooleA general account used for the daily threads and other things.

Now we know the DUP election campaign’s begun in earnest! Courtesy of a previous article written by Steven King (reported here), Peter Robinson finally breaks cover and reveals some of the internal thinking of the DUP. He finishes by asking: “The question for others – pro-Agreement unionists and nationalists – is whether they are going to cling to a failed process that offers nothing but continued instability and a bleak future or whether they can respond positively to a new …

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Newton Emerson freshens up the debate, on the agreement with a vigourous moral defence of the Belfast agreement against the purist line take by both Republicans and Unionists. The dreaded 2001 census figures are expected come in a month behind schedule. Some believe the proportion of Catholics will have risen to 46/47%. However, as mentioned before, it is unlikely to translate directly into a similar level vote for a united Ireland in any future border poll . As one Catholic …

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