Brian O'Neill
on January 16, 2019, 12:11 pm33 Comments | Readers 2429Brian O'NeillI help keep the good ship Slugger afloat by managing the business and techy stuff. My day job is creating websites and software. My personal site is: Freshideas.ie http://freshideas.ie
on December 20, 2018, 12:20 pm6 Comments | Readers 512
Many people like to give to charity at Christmas time but it is important to look at how you can maximise your donations. Until the end of February, the UK Government will match your contribution to select charities. So if you donate £10 the charity gets £20. It is a successful scheme that has been running for the past few years and is a bit of a no-brainer for your donations. The eligible Charities in the current round are: · AfriKids … Read more
on December 16, 2018, 12:40 pm19 Comments | Readers 829
Interesting story from Reuters about South Koreans who pay to stay in a mock prison to get a break from the stress of their lives. From the post: Since 2013, the “Prison Inside Me” facility in northeast Hongcheon has hosted more than 2,000 inmates, many of them stressed office workers and students seeking relief from South Korea’s demanding work and academic culture. “I was too busy,” said Park as she sat in a 5-sq-m (54-sq-foot) cell. “I shouldn’t be here right … Read more
on November 15, 2018, 10:18 am254 Comments | Readers 3717
About 8am this morning Shailesh Vara a NI Junior Minister quit over the Brexit deal (I never heard of him either). At 9am this morning the Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab quit. At 10am, Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey also quit. It seems the Ministers unhappy with the Brexit deal are spacing out their resignations for maximin impact. Who will go at 11am? Get your popcorn ready and enjoy the show. You can follow the BBC live feed to keep up to date… Brian … Read more
on November 12, 2018, 4:32 pm27 Comments | Readers 901
Good report by Seanín Graham in today’s Irish News on the surreal situation of patients going abroad for surgery. Essentially a patient can pay to get treated in another European country and the health service will reimburse them the cost when they come home. With waiting lists up to 4 or 5 years for operations like hip replacements many patients are taking this approach, and who could blame them. From the article: A SPIKE in the number of patients travelling across Europe for … Read more
on November 12, 2018, 11:09 amLeave a comment | Readers 566
Now firmly established as a Christmas Tradition, join us as we look back on the year in politics with the Cinderella and widow Twankey of local commentators Allison Morris and Alex Kane. Our good friend, comedian Tim McGarry will get everyone into the mood – when it comes to our politics if you don’t laugh you will cry. Your host for the evening will be the best thing to come out of Lisburn since Coca-Cola, Alan Meban. The event is sponsored by MCE … Read more
on October 24, 2018, 11:49 am131 Comments | Readers 2378
I don’t know about you, but I am getting fed up with negativity. The news the past while is just a constant diet of despair. I know the news has never exactly been a cheery affair, but it’s getting even harder to escape the unrelenting doom that permeates everything. But the thing for most people life is not that bad. Globally people have never lived longer, or been richer. Despite what the news tells us the world has never been … Read more
on October 22, 2018, 11:46 am141 Comments | Readers 1428
The recent fire at Primark has caused a reported 30% fall in shoppers in Belfast City Centre. Many people are asking how do we revitalise our city centre? Where is the place for smaller retailers? How do you encourage people to live in the city centre? What about services like schools, doctors, parks etc? How do you make a city centre that is livable and attractive to visit? To discuss these and other questions we will have a panel of … Read more
on October 17, 2018, 12:28 pm45 Comments | Readers 5047
Yesterday Deloitte launched their State of the State 2018-2019 Northern Ireland Report. Sir Malcolm McKibbin, former head of the civil service who has found a new home in the warm embrace of the private sector was on hand at the event to answer awkward questions from the assorted hacks and bloggers. The key buzzwords at the launch were Strong leadership and innovation, digital transformation and impending cliff edges in public sector services. From the Press release: Northern Ireland must rethink how … Read more
on October 3, 2018, 1:04 pm345 Comments | Readers 4206
The Irish Times is reporting that the number of Nationalists joining the PSNI is continuing to decline, and they may need to reinstate the 50/50 recruitment policy. Four out of five recruits to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are from the Protestant community compared to just one from the Catholic community, the PSNI has disclosed. If this trend continues then politicians will have to consider reinstituting the 50:50 Catholic:Protestant system of recruitment, the PSNI deputy chief constable Stephen Martin indicated on Monday. Under … Read more
on September 27, 2018, 7:19 pm99 Comments | Readers 2122
There are six candidates contesting the Irish Presidential Election, which by my reckoning is about five too many. Michael D is expected to get about 2/3 of the votes which leaves the rest of them fighting a pointless race of irrelevance. To run for President takes several hundred thousand euro and despite it being a ceremonial role it tends to be a very vicious campaign. As the old joke goes, it is vicious because the stakes are so low. Now some … Read more
on August 24, 2018, 9:59 am160 Comments | Readers 2672
The Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said Northern Ireland businesses trading across the Irish border should contact the Irish government for advice in the event of a ‘no-deal‘. My translation – ‘We have enough problems of our own, you Paddies sort yourselves out.’ Is it reading too much into it that the Government would happily throw NI under the bus if needed? So much for the DUP/Conservative bromance. That’s in the context of the Ashcroft Poll from June which revealed that ‘Six out … Read more
on August 23, 2018, 12:14 pm179 Comments | Readers 3778
Interesting idea from Newton Emerson in today’s Irish News. The UUP is extraordinary ripe for an entryist takeover. The UUP has perhaps as few as 600 active members, every one of whom has an equal vote in leadership contests. A well-organised rugby club could swamp our 3rd largest political party in time for its next annual conference. It is an interesting idea that political parties could be so easily taken over. I assume it would be a similar case for the … Read more
on August 21, 2018, 11:26 am243 Comments | Readers 3181
In 7 days we will overtake Belguim for the record of longest time without a government. Now putting aside the whole debate of do we have a government or regional assembly the big issue is no one seems to care. People are not exactly taking to the streets demanding the restoration of Stormont, so it is fair to conclude the general population could not give a monkies if it ever comes back. There is the wedeservebetter campaign but really what is … Read more
on August 20, 2018, 11:27 am282 Comments | Readers 2970
A survey by AIB bank shows that half of NI firms postponed or cancelled investment plans due to Brexit. As a business person myself I know in uncertain times you keep your money in your pocket to see how the future will pan out. You put off taking on new staff, you hold off on opening new premises, you don’t buy new equipment etc. But really caution does not just apply to business people but to any sensible consumer which is why we … Read more
on August 16, 2018, 12:12 pm3 Comments | Readers 872
The theme of this years summer school is “50 Years On – The Civil Rights Challenges in Ireland Today – Tackling Poverty, Sectarianism, Racism and Inequality”. Here is the agenda 10am Welcome by Chair Professor Paul Arthur 10.30am Tribute to Dr Conn and Patricia McCluskey by civil rights activist Michael McLoughlin Reflections on civil rights and honouring the role of Con and Patricia McCluskey and the Campaign for Social justice 11am Keynote address by Les Allamby Chair of Human Rights … Read more
on July 16, 2018, 3:57 pm1 Comment | Readers 2848
After the success of our sold-out event in Belfast, we have been invited to run our New Ireland? event again in Castlewellan as part of The Soma Festival. The event is at 7pm this Wednesday the 18th in Maginns Bar, Castlewellan. Best of all, it is a free event 🙂 Is a New Ireland achievable or even desirable? Since 2016 there has been renewed interest in the debate about Northern Ireland’s constitutional future. As a community is our future better within … Read more
on July 9, 2018, 3:09 pm132 Comments | Readers 3452
Boris is the latest to jump due to the burning platform that is Brexit. Who will be next? Will there be a leadership contest? Popcorn at the ready… Johnson quits amid Brexit row https://t.co/STjaliDISs — BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) July 9, 2018 Brian O'NeillI help keep the good ship Slugger afloat by managing the business and techy stuff. My day job is creating websites and software. My personal site is: Freshideas.ie http://freshideas.ie
on June 19, 2018, 10:50 am385 Comments | Readers 3408
As America continues its depressing slow drift into Fascism this quote caught my eye: “In my work with the defendants (at the Nuremberg Trails 1945-1949) I was searching for the nature of evil and I now think I have come close to defining it. A lack of empathy. It’s the one characteristic that connects all the defendants, a genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow men. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.” Quotation: Captain G. M. Gilbert, the Army psychologist … Read more
on June 12, 2018, 5:11 pm48 Comments | Readers 873
Professor Rafael Bengoa the health reform specialist and the author of the Bengoa Report is back in town today to deliver a lecture at Queens. To mark his visit he has written the following article. I’m delighted to be back in Northern Ireland today, catching up with old friends and finding out at first-hand about the latest developments in health and social care. It is always an inspiration to see for myself the commitment and expertise of staff – and the … Read more