Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) – Page 26 – Slugger O'Toole

“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and this time the cards were stacked against me …”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 24, 2015, 9:45 am

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This weekend, political anoraks will take a break from their revision for the Great Big Politics Pub Quiz (Thursday 12 March in the Black Box – get your tickets now) to watch Season Three of the US remake of House of Cards. Political ambition, a ruthless drive to power, staying one step ahead of everyone … sound familiar? While addicts await the next (or final?) thirteen episodes of political chicanery, Sesame Street have released a marvellous (child-safe) parody that captures …

NI Science Festival (19 Feb-1 Mar): enough STEM to shake a stick at …

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 17, 2015, 5:30 pm

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The inaugural NI Science Festival starts this week and over 11 days it will explode 100 events in venues across Belfast, Derry, Armagh, Glengormley and beyond. Festival Director Chris McCreery jumped from a career in lobbying and public affairs to set up and run the science festival. He told me that being able to programme so many events in its first year “reflects the vibrancy of Northern Ireland’s tech sector, universities and the real interest amongst the general public as …

Preview: Stitched Up (by Rosemary Jenkinson): a play asking how difficult is it to be moral in contemporary society?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 12, 2015, 11:35 pm

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With NHS cuts, closures and scandals never out of the news, health minister Jim Wells may need to cross his fingers that a piece of theatre by Rosemary Jenkinson stays on the Lyric Theatre’s stage and doesn’t end up on his desk in weeks to come. Directed by C21 Theatre Company’s Stephen Kelly, Stitched Up is a one act play starring Richard Clements as an NHS surgeon Aidan who has turned whistleblower in order to try to clear his name …

Preview of The Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics (9-15 March) #ImagineBelfast15

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 11, 2015, 11:01 pm

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Belfast’s newest festival launched this morning in the Lord Mayor’s parlour in the City Hall. Nichola Mallon described the city of Belfast as “young, edgy, colourful and creative” as she introduced The Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics. Organiser Peter O’Neill [Ed – no, not that P O’Neill!] explains that the festival’s mission is “to stimulate people’s minds and passions [with] an annual programme of discussion and debate”. None of the invited keynote speakers are politicians. listen to ‘Peter O’Neill …

Review: Salome (NI Opera) – no soap opera with its intense & macabre scenes of incarceration, lust, abuse & death

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 7, 2015, 3:06 pm

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Opera is a form of slow-motion storytelling, with larger than life characters and their huge voices and big gestures injected into an over-the-top plot that inhabits an enormous stage. Richard Strauss’ Salome – based on Oscar Wilde’s play – adds horror into the mix, re-working and twisting the original twelve verse Bible story of the death of John the Baptist into something much more gruesome and depraved. The character of John – Jokanaan in the opera – is probably the …

Bring me the head of John the Baptist! NI Opera’s Salome: a collision of religion and sex … in Belfast

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 30, 2015, 7:41 pm

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Oliver Mears rejects the notion that opera has to seen as elitist, incomprehensible and alienating. NI Opera’s artistic director explained to me that the four-year old company choose “the most dramatic” works to perform to challenge people’s preconceptions and prejudices, and always sing in English. listen to ‘Oliver Mears from @NIOpera talking about #SalomeBelfast coming to @GrandOperaHouse in February’ on audioBoom Their next performance opens in the Grand Opera House on Friday 6 February. [Update – review posted.] Salome is …

Exploring the impact of conflict on everyone through film #ConvoCinema at the QFT

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 30, 2015, 9:00 am

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Rather than telling stories about wars, we’re also interested in exploring how conflict has impacted on displaced people, refugees, women, those who are left behind and the soldiers as well … We’re trying to broaden it out from a purely historical perspective into something that is a little bit more about the actual people and feelings and how it has impacted on people’s real lives. That’s how Queens Film Theatre‘s head Susan Picken described the new Conversations about Cinema: Impact …

The Flag Dispute – Anatomy of a Protest seminar – what, who, where, how and why? +audio +video

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 29, 2015, 7:07 pm

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The researchers from QUB’s Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice behind The Flag Dispute: Anatomy of a Protest report [PDF] held a seminar in Queen’s University this morning. [Gladys Ganiel blogged in detail about the report when it was published in December.] Two of the six researchers behind the report introduced the main findings. Paul Nolan quickly revisited the background to the protest (the “archaeology”). The PSNI gave researchers open access to operational logs from the …

Bercow’s #DigitalDemocracy report – how does it challenge NI Assembly?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 26, 2015, 11:58 pm

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The Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy issued their report Open Up! on Monday. The brain child of the House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, the commission has no powers and no teeth other than the persuasiveness of their recommendations. The report is centred around five targets: By 2020, the House of Commons should ensure that everyone can understand what it does. By 2020, Parliament should be fully interactive and digital. The 2015 newly elected House of Commons should create immediately …

Living and Dying Well – three reflections on assisted dying

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 24, 2015, 8:58 pm

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There is increasing debate in legislatures and civil society around end-of-life issues, terminal illness and euthanasia. While Northern Ireland is behind the curve in discussing the issues, moves in Edinburgh and Westminster are likely to eventually stimulate local debate. Union Theological College, in co-operation with The Church and Society Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland along with Union Theological College hosted the third of their series of Church in the Public Square conferences. On Thursday 22 January the topic …

#FreeRaif

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 22, 2015, 8:03 pm

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Around 30-40 people attended this evening’s silent vigil outside Belfast City Hall organised by Amnesty to mark the treatment of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi who was recently “sentenced to 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes [50 a week], a fine of 1 million Saudi Riyal (over a quarter of a million US dollars), and prevented from using any kind of media or travelling until 2034”. Amnesty explain: Raif’s sentence stems from his creation of the website ‘Saudi Arabian Liberials’, which …

Ed Miliband: I’m not sure [120 PMQs have] made much difference to the sum of human knowledge!

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 22, 2015, 7:40 pm

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Amongst the questions about education, mental health support and apprenticeships at this morning’s Heenan-Anderson Commission session with Ed Miliband, the Labour leader kept back one question to answer to the end. Youth and political engagement … listen to ‘#heenananderson Clip of @Ed_Miliband questioning PMQs which don’t make “much difference to sum of human knowledge”’ on audioBoom If people think politics matters they’ll get engaged in it and vote for it. Now watching me and David Cameron shout at each other …

Ed Miliband in Belfast – no gaffs, little charisma, but a definite listening ear at the Heenan-Anderson Commission

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 22, 2015, 5:01 pm

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When it comes to visiting English political party leaders, the people of Northern Ireland are unexcited. The hand of history is wobbling over the shoulder of Labour’s Ed Miliband and few really expect the DUP to hold the balance of power after the May 2015 election. However, it has been many years since Ed Miliband called in on this side of the Irish Sea, and the Labour party leader was over to sit in on the Heenan-Anderson Independent Commission’s listening …

Proposals for reshaping NI Executive departments (12->9), but no word yet of any OFMdFM reform

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 21, 2015, 9:46 pm

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The Stormont House Agreement included the commitment: A reduction in the number of departments from twelve to nine should be made in time for the 2016 Assembly election, with the new allocation of departmental functions to be agreed by the parties. The BBC’s Gareth Gordon reports tonight on some early suggestions drawn up by the head of the NI Civil Service Malcolm McKibbin. Mr Robinson revealed to the assembly on Monday that a paper was presented to executive ministers last …

Shall we dialogue, I mean, dance? Is it time to reinvigorate the concept of The 5th Province?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 19, 2015, 9:05 am

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This may be Slugger’s first ever post about contemporary dance! In a very small yet significant way, my boundaries are being stretched early in 2015. As a long-time sportophobe, I ended up at a Belfast Giant’s match (which inspired a 16-point newbie guide posted elsewhere) and now it’s un grand jeté into the world of contemporary dance! Dylan Quinn Dance Theatre are premièring their new production The 5th Province at the end of January. The eponymous director/choreographer explained to me …

Sammy Wilson … Reason 254 why local politicians need Atlantic Philanthropies’ money & initiatives like PoliticsPlus

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 16, 2015, 2:34 pm

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A little over an hour ago and about half way through a response to the rhetorical question “What has new or social media ever done for the peace process?” I suggested to the Critical Approaches to the Northern Ireland Peace Process symposium in Liverpool’s Edge Hill University that it has made it harder for politicians to recover their balance when they slip on banana skins. You can follow conference updates on the #CritAppEH hashtag. And then I spotted a Facebook …

Join Ed Miliband and address a public meeting of Heenan-Anderson Commission on Thursday 22

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 15, 2015, 8:49 pm

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Members of the Heenan-Anderson commission will have their listening ears on as Labour leader Ed Miliband joins them to hear from local individuals and groups in a public meeting on Thursday 22 January in the Ulster University Belfast campus from 10am to 12.30pm. The Labour leader will also deliver a keynote address. [Ed – bet he doesn’t mention One Nation!] The commission – launched by the Shadow Secretary of State Ivan Lewis back in November – are keen to views …

Testament of Youth (QFT 16-29 January) – powerful on-screen adaptation of Vera Brittain’s extraordinary WW1 memoir

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 14, 2015, 9:05 am

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Most war films focus on the lives of those who join up, concentrating on the action at the front. Yet many more people are left behind at home than enter the military. Testament Of Youth quite brilliantly captures the life of Vera Brittain (played by Alicia Vikander), an intelligent and boundary-pushing young woman who in 1914 dreamt of becoming a writer and fought with her father (Dominic West) in their rural middle-class Buxton home to be allowed to sit the …

Is the TUV a major party? Consultations from Ofcom & BBC Trust open on which parties should be offered Election Broadcasts

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 8, 2015, 4:30 pm

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Ofcom has launched a consultation around this year’s list of “major parties” that will be offered at least two Party Election Broadcasts on non-BBC TV and radio channels (ITV, STV, UTV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Classic FM, Talksport and Absolute Radio) ahead of May’s General Election (and the English local government elections the same day). The current major party list includes: In Great Britain, the Conservative Party; the Labour Party; and the Liberal Democrats. In Scotland and Wales respectively, the …

North Belfast Parading – could the DUP/UUP find a positive way out of their current rabbit hole?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 5, 2015, 8:52 pm

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As always in Northern Ireland, a row of dominoes have found themselves in a row and are now wobbling. 1. Getting a wide range of people to agree to be appointed to make a credible panel on North Belfast parading and related protests was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Secretary of State. Given the announcement in October with no names, and not a single name – not even a chair – being publicly mooted since them …