Brian O'Neill

From RTÉ News: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has told an audience in Dublin that Brexit was the single stupidest thing any country has ever done, adding that “it’s hard to believe how they did it.” Mr Bloomberg was addressing a conference entitled ‘The Bloomberg Advantage: Future of Finance in Ireland’ which was held in Bloomberg’s Dublin offices. “Ireland has benefited from Brexit,” Mr Bloomberg said. He also made reference to the economic relationship between Ireland and the US. “Ireland is now …

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From the Irish News: A Freedom of Information request obtained by The Irish News shows that Catholics made up 26.8% of new recruits in 2021 and 21.8% of recruits in 2022. This was followed by an increase in 2023 to 25.6% of new recruits. However, the figure dipped by 8.5 percentage points in 2024 with Catholics making up just 17.1% of new hires. Sometimes we think nothing ever changes in this place, but that’s not true. Sometimes things get worse. …

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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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More madness from across the water. From the New York Times: The Trump administration plans to reconsider a ban on the last type of asbestos still used in the United States, according to a court filing on Monday. The move, which could halt enforcement of the ban for several years during the reconsideration, is a major blow to a decades-long battle by health advocates to prohibit the carcinogenic mineral in all its forms. Known as “white” asbestos, chrysotile asbestos is …

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Kneecap have successfully parlayed their ‘terrorism charge’ into a PR coup. In advance of their court appearance today, they have been putting up billboards in London. We've plastered London with a few messages ahead of this witch-hunt. British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with "terrorism" for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win. GRMA to our pals at @TenthManHello for sorting. pic.twitter.com/DbVQ6fTwda — KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) June 17, 2025 RTÉ news also has …

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From Suzanne Breen in the BelTel: Reform UK is exploring the possibility of organising in Northern Ireland, where it has more than 1,000 members. The party told the Belfast Telegraph it was “gauging interest” in setting up branches and contesting elections here. Any such move could cause problems for the TUV, which would be competing for the same right-wing unionist vote. The two parties entered a formal partnership last March for the Westminster election, but the relationship deteriorated three months …

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From today’s Irish News: ‌Professor Peter Shirlow, the Director at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies told The Irish News that the one form of hate is now being replaced with another. Sophisticated social media campaigns are causing an upsurge in race hate incidents as sectarianism is being ‘displaced’, an academic has said. The latest police figures show racist incidents and incidents of hate against religious minorities have reached record highs. At the same time, sectarian crimes in …

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In today’s BelTel, Suzanne Breen has an exclusive that DUP local councillors are not happy campers. From the article: DUP councillors are at loggerheads with the leadership whom they accuse of “disrespecting them” and denying them their “democratic voice” in the party. Sources said the recent defeat of Communities Minister Gordon Lyons for the position of party secretary at its annual general meeting may be “only the start” of a “grassroots uprising” if the upper echelons don’t pay heed to …

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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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Monday the 30th of June 2025 – The Black Box Belfast. Doors open 6:45pm, show starts 7:30pm sharp. As Stormont heads into its summer break, join us for an evening of sharp political insight, lively debate, and a few laughs as we reflect on the highs, lows, and head-scratchers of the year so far. Our special guests are three of Northern Ireland’s sharpest political minds: Sam McBride, Northern Ireland Editor of the Belfast Telegraph, Professor Deirdre Heenan of Ulster University …

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Brian Wilson, the visionary genius behind The Beach Boys, has passed away at the age of 82, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy of harmony, heartbreak, and sun-soaked Americana that reshaped the very fabric of popular music. Born in 1942 in California, Wilson seemed almost cosmically destined to capture the spirit of the California dream. Alongside his brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, Wilson co-founded The Beach Boys and became the sonic architect of a sound …

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From the BBC: In Larne, masked youths attacked a leisure centre and set it on fire. The centre had been providing emergency shelter for families following the clashes earlier this week, the council said. Officials have described the violence as racially-motivated, with Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson calling it “racist thuggery targeted at ethnic minorities and police officers”. At the leisure centre in Larne – about 20 miles (30km) from Ballymena – police left the area after masked young people …

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A brief interlude from our local madness. Nothing to see here 👇 Just the new Reform Chairman saying how he once drove through a wood at night with a ghost in his boot – only to then bump into a medium at a pub who channelled his grandmother, herself alas suddenly hijacked by an evil spirit which tried to strangle him🤡 pic.twitter.com/kX9lphMhcq — Alex Taylor (@AlexTaylorNews) June 11, 2025 Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger …

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From the Beltel: Six people have been arrested and 17 officers injured during a second night of what the PSNI Chief Constable has described as “mindless violence”. Calm was restored to the Ballymena area after 1am this morning. The violence had broken out shortly before 8pm and continued for several hours with masonry and petrol bombs thrown at police officers and police vehicles. A number of homes and businesses were also attacked. These things are always a Northern Ireland Rorschach …

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Riots broke out in Ballymena last night following allegations of a serious sexual assault on a local teenage girl over the weekend. Two 14-year-old Romanian boys have since appeared in court in connection with the incident. That the police has arrested and charged the alleged perpetrators does not seem to be enough for the locals. The fallout has been swift and violent. At least four homes were set alight and completely destroyed, with the flames spreading to adjacent properties. In …

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There have been riots the past few days in LA. Kicked off by people understandably being upset by masked men coming into their areas and taking away their neighbours to a limbo prison. Following the autocrat playbook of fermenting a ‘crisis’ and then using it to justify giving yourself more powers, Trump has tried to inflame tensions by first sending in the National Guard and now the marines. Because, as the good people of Ballymurphy and the Bogside will tell …

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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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