Brian O'Neill

Ah Pivitol, the organisation tasked with occasionally reminding us all that the Stormont Emperor has no clothes, not even a cheap tracksuit from Primark. Their latest report, entitled ‘18 Months of the Northern Ireland Executive: A Review’ (PDF), is available for you all to read it and weep. I need to go and prepare junior’s French toast with a side of mango yoghurt and fruit, so forgive me that I have not read all 60 pages yet and have cheated …

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Although it is from 2012, Sherry Turkle’s TED talk ‘Connected, but alone?’ is still the best summary of what tech is doing to us and our relationships. If you have some time this fine Sunday, give it a watch. You see it everywhere now, people are glued to their devices. Even when we are together, we are alone. When I am out in restaurants or bars, I see endless couples or families all sitting silently, each person on their device. …

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Tom Kelly’s letter to the FT has ruffled some feathers. Tom was the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman from 2001-2007, not to be confused with the Irish News columnist of the same name. From the letter: The Good Friday Agreement finally removed the shadow of the gunman from Irish politics and put fairness and justice at the heart of government in Northern Ireland — no mean feat. What it did not do was bring reconciliation about the past; agreement about the …

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Some of you will know that away from the grind of current affairs, I’m also a parkrun run director. For those who haven’t come across it, parkrun is a free, weekly 5k held all over the UK and Ireland. It helps people get fitter, but just as importantly it builds a sense of community and routine – a proper win-win. So it gladdens the heart to see the story of Grace Chambers. From the BBC: Grace Chambers, aged 97, has …

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Janan Ganesh in the FT writes about the downsides of our democratic system, and why it’s so hard to get anything done: In their poetic style, economists refer to this problem as one of “concentrated benefits and diffuse costs”. In a contest between a small group with lots at stake and a wider society in which everyone has a little at stake, the former tends to win, at least in a liberal democracy. Because liberal democracies allow so much room …

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Féile an Phobail is Ireland’s Biggest Community Arts Festival. This year, it is back with umpteen events from music to debates. I enjoy the debates and talks at St Mary’s. Yes, they do tend to have a certain green tinge to them all, but they are free, so attend the ones that float your boat. Here are some highlights from the debates, but there are over 90. You can find a complete list of them here. Genocide in Gaza: Israel’s …

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When I was in a bookshop with my son at the weekend, he asked for several books. I explained that no, he could only get one, but when he read it, he could get more. “Buying books and reading books are two entirely different hobbies,” I told him. Not that I’m one to talk. My own to-read pile is starting to look like a literary game of Jenga. This same pattern haunts my work life. I’m always hunting for the …

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On Saturday, I brought Junior down to the Pride parade in Belfast. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it. It’s quite the sight. It’s often said that nothing ever changes in Northern Ireland. But Pride tells a different story. The crowds were enormous, so big that it took nearly an hour to pass. It really is the alternative Twelfth. I suspect it might even be bigger than the Twelfth itself. Considering this is the same city that birthed the …

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I was chatting with someone a while back whose daughter is a GP. She told me that her daughter and the other GP partners were on the verge of closing their practice due to an utterly unsustainable workload. She was burned out and couldn’t take any more. As a last-ditch effort, they decided to try implementing the BMA’s safe guidelines on patient contact. The British Medical Association recommends that GPs should have no more than 25 patient contacts per day …

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I have some sympathy for Australian golfer Jason Day. After battling the conditions at The Open in Portrush, he remarked: The weather here … it’s the craziest weather pattern I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Day told reporters after walking off the 18th hole as the heavens began to open. There’s no consistency to it whatsoever. I mean, I’d love to be a weatherman here. You just get it wrong all the time. Definitely not (the weatherman doesn’t get it …

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The Twelfth is a big deal around these parts, as you know. But it hit me the other day, I actually know very little about the actual Battle of the Boyne. In moments like this, I turn to a higher power: ChatGPT. Yes, that AI thing everyone’s arguing about. Personally, I find it teaches me more than school ever did, but that’s a rant for another day. Let’s be honest, 99% of people heading to a bonfire or a march …

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As regular readers might know, I’m on an online news and social media break over the summer. I’ve found that reading a paper newspaper is a good compromise—it keeps me informed without the internet’s relentless firehose of misery and information. My main issue is information gathering. I love it. Like a squirrel that’s discovered a half-full can of Red Bull, I go into hyperdrive when I sense a new rabbit hole to dive down. My brain has been finding sneaky …

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The Central Statistics Office (CSO) and NISRA has published a joint census publication showing that the population of the island of Ireland has exceeded 7 million people for the first time since 1851. You can read the report here. Key findings In 2022, the population of the island of Ireland stood at 7.1 million people, an increase of 26%, or 1.5 million people, over the 20 years since 2002. Between 2002 and 2022, the population in Ireland increased by 31% …

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As Wimbledon is on, it’s fitting that it’s also report tennis time again! We haven’t had a good reunification cost report in a while, but fear not, the latest volley is here. A brand new analysis from Dublin City University and Ulster University has just landed, guaranteed to brighten the day for Nationalists and get Unionists defensive. You can read the full thing, it’s 36 pages long, and no, I haven’t read it yet either. But I know some of …

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Sir Keir Starmer has thrown his full support behind Rachel Reeves, saying she will remain Chancellor “into the next election and for many years after,” following an emotional moment during Prime Minister’s Questions. Reeves was reportedly seen in tears, prompting speculation online. Her spokesperson later clarified she had been dealing with a “personal matter,” while Starmer was quick to stress that her tears had “nothing to do with politics.” But come on—if she was crying about politics, who could blame …

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The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not …

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In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any …

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From John Campbell at the BBC: A £100 increase in the average household rates bill could largely solve Northern Ireland’s water infrastructure crisis, a new report has suggested. The study was commissioned by the bodies representing the construction industry, housing associations and the NI Chamber of Commerce. The increased rates payments would be accompanied by borrowing by NI Water. I always get a bit suspicious when claims come wrapped in nice, round numbers, it usually screams back of the envelope …

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From the BBC: The 33-year-old socialist declared victory in the city’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, defeating his main rival and political veteran Andrew Cuomo who previously served as state governor. “Tonight we made history,” Mamdani said in his victory speech. If elected, he would be the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the nation’s largest city. Cuomo, 67, was attempting to pull off a comeback after resigning from office in 2021 over a sexual harassment scandal. He congratulated his …

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Arsing around on YouTube this morning, a Mark Manson quote slapped me square in the bake: “Learning more is a smart person’s favourite way to procrastinate.” Guilty. Learning has always been my preferred form of avoidance. Information is my drug of choice. When the internet arrived, I basically found myself in a 24/7 all-you-can-eat information buffet with no closing time and no bouncer to kick me out. I still remember my first time seeing the internet. It was 1993. I …

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