Open Sunday – discuss what you like…

open sunday sign, signage, open

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 …

Read more…

Open sunday – politics free zone…

Street vendor with a suitcase

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 …

Read more…

Time for an Ad break…

a television sitting on top of a step ladder

A bit of nostalgia for you all. What about the famous ‘key holders’ police messages You can watch more clips on the kaleidoscope YouTube channel  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 stuck in front of a screen, …

Read more…

Mixed reaction to UK / USA trade deal…

bird's photo of cityscape

The UK has secured its first trade agreement with the United States since the Trump-era tariffs shook up global commerce. While the deal brings some relief—particularly in the form of reduced tariffs on British car and steel exports—it stops well short of restoring pre-tariff trading conditions. A flat 10% levy on most goods remains firmly in place. The agreement was formally announced in Washington, with President Trump speaking from the Oval Office and Prime Minister Keir Starmer joining remotely. Both …

Read more…

American Cardinal Robert Prevost becomes the first American Pope. To be known as Pope Leo XIV…

Today, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as Pope Leo XIV, succeeding Pope Francis. This election marks a significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church, as Prevost becomes the first North American pope. Born in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Order of Saint Augustine. He spent much of his pastoral career in Peru, beginning in 1985, where he held various roles including chancellor of the Territorial Prelature of Chulucanas and later Bishop …

Read more…

Free Presbyterian minister calls Pope Francis “an antichrist”…

a statue of a person with a cross on it

The Irish News reports that a Free Presbyterian minister recently came out and said that Pope Francis is “most certainly an antichrist.” Yep, not just suspicious or wrong on a few theological points—an antichrist. It sounds dramatic, even medieval, but this line of thinking has deep roots in a particular branch of Protestant theology. From the article: A Free Presbyterian minister in Co Down has said that he makes no apology for stating that Pope Francis “was most certainly an …

Read more…

Open Sunday – discuss what you like…

open sunday sign, signage, open

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 …

Read more…

Open sunday – politics free zone…

Street vendor with a suitcase

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 …

Read more…

Kneecap and manufactured outrage…

crowd facing lighted stage

I was hoping someone else would write about it, but it seems I get the short straw. The f*cks I give about the Kneecap story are vanishingly few, but I suppose some of you want to talk about it. Eijits say something stupid. Other eijits pretend to be offended. Elected eijits clutch their pearls in horror. It’s like a pantomime with fewer laughs and more sanctimony. Everyone’s playing their part like it matters, like the stakes are anything more than …

Read more…

Power restored to Spain and Portugal…

black electric pylon under orange clouds during daytime

There were extraordinary scenes yesterday as most of Spain and Portugal lost power. What is most worrying is that they are not exactly sure what caused it, or they don’t want to say. It does not look like foul play or a cyber attack, but questions will still be asked about the resilience of these networks that we rely on. Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as …

Read more…

Canada’s Election: Mark Carney’s Liberal Party wins thanks to Trump…

In the 2025 Canadian federal election, former Bank of England Governor and Irish citizen Mark Carney led the Liberal Party to a solid victory. His campaign, largely framed as a defence of liberal democracy and an explicit rejection of Trump-style politics, resonated strongly with Canadian voters. Carney, seen as a steady and internationally respected figure, managed to re-energise a Liberal Party that had been flagging after Justin Trudeau’s departure. Carney’s win wasn’t just about domestic issues like healthcare, the cost …

Read more…

Open Sunday – discuss what you like…

open sunday sign, signage, open

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 …

Read more…

Open sunday – politics free zone…

Street vendor with a suitcase

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 …

Read more…

Open Easter Sunday – discuss what you like…

yellow bird plush toy on brown wood

The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. 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 stuck in front of a screen, I am …

Read more…

Open Easter Sunday – politics free zone…

white heart shaped paper cut out

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. 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 stuck in front of …

Read more…

The Supreme Court ruling on the ‘biological’ definition of a woman…

woman in gold dress holding sword figurine

In the Kate Bush song Experiment IV, she describes a secret military experiment designed to create a sound so horrifying it could kill. From the painful cry of mothers To the terrifying scream We recorded it and put it into our machine They told us all they wanted Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance Honestly, it’s hard not to think of the trans debate when I hear that. A conversation so relentlessly toxic, it feels like …

Read more…

The rain in Spain, falls mainly on the people…

A woman walking in the rain with an umbrella

If you were one of the thousands who packed your bags for Spain this Easter hoping for sun, sea and sangria, you probably ended up stuck in your hotel rather than sunning yourself on the beach. Spain’s normally reliable spring sunshine was nowhere to be seen. Instead, parts of the country were battered by torrential rain, snow in the north, and even red weather alerts. Traditional processions were cancelled, tourists were soaked, and beach holidays turned into soggy city breaks. …

Read more…

The simple power of asking obvious questions…

black note a meeting sign on wall

I love this story about Steve Jobs from Adam Lashinsky in Fortune: Apple doesn’t often fail, and when it does, it isn’t a pretty sight at 1 Infinite Loop. In the summer of 2008, when Apple (AAPL) launched the first version of its iPhone that worked on third-generation mobile networks, it also debuted MobileMe, an e-mail system that was supposed to provide the seamless synchronization features that corporate users love about their BlackBerry smartphones. MobileMe was a dud. Users complained …

Read more…

New ESRI analysis of the economies of Ireland and Northern Ireland…

5 banknote

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) recently released an interesting comparison of the economies of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and there’s some pretty striking stuff in the report. According to their figures, disposable household income per capita in Ireland is around €25,334, way above Northern Ireland’s €19,603. Productivity levels are miles apart too—Ireland’s productivity per worker clocks in at €99,600 per year, compared to just €55,900 in Northern Ireland. On the face of it, these numbers show a clear …

Read more…

Open Sunday – discuss what you like…

open sunday sign, signage, open

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 …

Read more…