Brian O'Neill 
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 …
One of Sluggers’ strengths is the comments. On average, we can have around 15k comments on the site each month – which is a lot. Comments can be a pain to manage, which is why many sites have taken the easy way out and just turned them off. Don’t panic. We would never do anything so radical, but we need to take steps to improve the quality of the comments. Personally, I find the volume of comments overwhelming. Many posts …
Over at the BBC, John Campbell does his best to depress us on this fine spring day: New figures from the NI Statistics and Research Agency, external (Nisra) suggest there will be more pensioners than schoolchildren in Northern Ireland by 2030. The Nisra figures show that between 2022 and 2030 the pensioner population will have grown from 315,000 to 356,000. The number of children, aged 15 and under, will have fallen from 389,000 to 349,000. The reduction is driven by …
If you fancy a career change, have you considered applying for the new post of Ulster Scots commissioner? Don’t worry as the Irish News reports you don’t even need to be able to speak it: The head of the Ulster-Scots Agency has said that the lack of requirement for the new commissioner to speak the language ‘reflects the reality’ of where it’s currently at. Ian Crozier, who is the statutory body’s chief executive, defended the lack of a proficiency assessment …
From the Guardian: Mark Carney, the former central banker who oversaw the response to financial crises in North America and the UK, will become the next prime minister of Canada after winning the race to lead the country’s federal Liberal party. Carney, 59, takes on the role as Canada is locked in a potentially catastrophic trade war with the US, long its closest ally and largest trading partner. Last week Donald Trump announced a 25% tax on all Canadian goods, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
About six months ago I was at a business event. Tesla had a stall there, and being a geek, I wandered over to look at the cars. The salesguy glided over to me and asked if I was interested in buying one. I explained that I already had an electric car ( a VW ID3) and more importantly I would never buy one because I thought that Elon Musk is a dick. Yeah, we get that a lot, he replied. …
I’m just back from another visit to the lads at Modern Tyres—another puncture! This is my third in less than six months, everyone of them a screw or nail. I was wondering if I am particularly unlucky or if electric cars are more susceptible to punctures, but the tyre fitter said it’s not just me. Punctures are at an all-time high—he did 20 alone yesterday. What’s going on? Two main theories: Careless workmen not cleaning up after themselves. If you …
Ah, Brexit, the biggest act of self-sabotage in UK history, continues to have its ripples. The FT reports that Irish passport applications from Britain are at their highest peak ever as people look for backdoor access into the EU. From the article: The increase comes as the UK faces a weakening economic outlook and the prospect of tax rises, while European countries tighten property market access for British investors. British applications to the Foreign Births Register, a citizenship route for …
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 …
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 …
Martin Dillon’s new book is ‘The Sorrow and the Loss—The Tragic Shadow Cast by the Troubles on the Lives of Women,’ and today’s papers are full of choice extracts. Here is a roundup: MI5 ‘tampered with’ the Enniskillen bomb. an MI5 whistle blower claimed the device had been interfered with before it went off. “He claimed that MI5 tampered with the bomb’s timing mechanism, determined that the explosion would devastate the IRA’s public image.” Murdered mother-of-three was having an affair …
Today, the Irish News reports that the world’s largest celebration of Irish music, the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, is coming to Belfast for the first time next year. The Fleadh is a big deal. When it took place last year in Wexford, it drew over half a million visitors to the county town and contributed an estimated €60 million to the economy. Belfast has been doing well on the traditional music front over the past few years. The annual Tradfest …
Will Donald Trump bring peace or will be just give the Russians what they want? Either way, European leaders and, most importantly, Ukraine are unhappy about being sidelined by the talks process. Playing devil’s advocate, European leaders could not solve this problem in the last 3 years, but they must live with whatever ‘deal’ Donald does. 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. …
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 …
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 …
I confess to being a big fan of the Netherlands. Their pragmatic nature appeals to me—things just seem to work there. You arrive at Schiphol airport, and there is a train station in the actual airport that whizzes you off to whoever you want to go. Whatever your destination, you are sure to find a nice, safe, liveable place that prioritises the needs of its citizens. Beautiful, quiet, clean, tidy streets, low traffic, many walking and cycling routes, and lovely …
