Brian O'Neill 
Stop what you are doing and take 1 minute 25 seconds to listen to Trump’s speech involving boats, batteries and sharks. Trump: So I said, let me ask you a question and he said, nobody ever asked this question and it must be because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. Very smart. He goes, I say, what would happen if the boat sank from its weight? And you're in the boat and you have this tremendously… pic.twitter.com/dJsyNCRoeX — Biden-Harris HQ …
To say it is a bit nippy for June is an understatement. The past week or two, it has been feckin’ freezing at times, with a wind that would cut you. I noticed on the Beltel weather report it said: It will be a chilly night with a touch of frost possible in sheltered glens, along with a minimum temperature of 4C. Frost in June? WTF?? There are various predictions that this summer could be as wet or even worse …
It was a bit of an embarrassment for the DUP, as their buddies in the Reform Party decided to form an alliance with their rival Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV). But now Nigel Farage has told the Press Association he would throw his weight behind Sammy Wilson and Ian Paisley. From Gareth Gordon at the BBC: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he will be personally endorsing two DUP candidates in the general election – despite his party’s alliance with …
From RTÉ News: More than 86% of the seats have been filled as the counting continues across the country in local elections, with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leading the way. They remain the dominant parties in local government as both received around 23% of first preference votes. At 5am, with more than 820 seats filled nationwide, Fine Gael was in the lead with 214 councillors, just ahead of 204 for Fianna Fáil. Ballina is the only local electoral area …
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 …
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 …
A big politics day in the south. From RTÉ: Voting will take place in three electoral contests – the local elections, the European elections and the contest to elect a mayor for Limerick. These are the first nationwide elections in more than four years. More than 3.7 million people are registered to vote in the local elections They will choose 949 councillors in 166 local electoral areas. Nearly 3.6 million people are registered for the European elections. They will choose …
From Garrett Hargan in the Beltel: Unionist critics of the Windsor Framework agreement have railed against an EU ban on smoke flavourings which could create a “smoky bacon border” with Britain, asking “is nothing safe from EU madness?” Northern Irish crisp makers will be subject to an EU ban on smoke flavourings because of post-Brexit trading arrangements. It has been reported that the EU’s food safety authority said toxicity concerns about some eight smoke flavourings, including those used for smoky …
Brian Feeney, in today’s Irish News, was keen to put the boot into his old party of the SDLP for running candidates in all constituencies. From the article: The SDLP tiresomely accuses Sinn Féin of sectarian politics for standing aside in places like Lagan Valley and East Belfast. Listen, get real. Politics in the north is sectarian because the place’s origin was designed by a sectarian headcount. The exchanges in the last week between the DUP and UUP make no …
I wonder if anyone else running in the general election in NI shares a name with a road in their constituency https://t.co/X2qazuIVyh — Peter Donaghy (@peterdonaghy) June 1, 2024 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 …
All is not well in the rainbow nation of South Africa. Riven by scandal, allegations of corruption, stasis, and a general lack of delivery on the day to day issues, the ANC vote share fell to below 50%. From Alexis Akwagyiram in The Guardian: The results are in, and the message is stark: the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been humbled in the country’s general election. South Africa is going through the biggest shift in its political landscape since …
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 …
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 …
From the BBC: Donald Trump has hit out after being convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his historic criminal trial in New York Trump’s called the verdict a “disgrace” and attacked Judge Merchan, who presided over the case It is the first time a former or serving US president has been convicted of a crime He is due to be sentenced on 11 July – the ex-president could face prison, but legal experts say a fine …
You may have noticed there is an election, and it is quite an important one. After 14 years of Conservative rule, the Labour Party looks likely to get back into power. Locally, there are several seats to watch. Will Naomi take East Belast? Will Colum lose in Derry? Will the DUP lose Lagan Valley? It is all lining up to be an exciting election. Just 2 days before the election, join us for our live event, where we look at …
The Unionist parties have recently been scrutinised over calls for a Unionist election pact. On the Nationalist and Alliance side, there are no public pacts, but Sinn Féin just happened to have decided not to run in East Belfast, North Down, South Belfast and Lagan Valley. Sinn Féin will not contest the East Belfast, North Down, South Belfast and Lagan Valley constituencies in the Westminster election, MLA Conor Murphy has confirmed. #GE24 — Brendan Hughes (@brendanhughes64) May 30, 2024 My …
Hugh asked in the comments the other week if we had changed the policy requiring real names on posts. I explained a few months ago, but I thought it would be helpful to have a post on the issue. We have always preferred that people use their real names in the posts and, ideally, in the comments. The policy came from observing anonymous accounts’ toxicity to social media and not wanting the ‘contagion’ to infect Slugger (yeah, I know, wishful …
With Robin Swann deciding that traipsing around the streets of South Antrim is a better use of his time than fixing the health service, Mike Nesbitt has taken over the post of Health Minister. Today, in the Speaker's Office Mr Mike Nesbitt MLA, @mikenesbittni, @uuponline, affirmed the pledge of office to become @healthdpt Minister. pic.twitter.com/L7eV6Kst9y — Northern Ireland Assembly (@niassembly) May 29, 2024 As a permanent presence in our living rooms for two decades, Mike is a solid media performer, …
It’s all kicking off in Choyaa’s stomping ground of Fermanagh. From Kurtis Reid in the BelTel: A row over fielding a single unionist candidate in Northern Ireland’s most marginal constituency continues to brew. The Fermanagh and South Tyrone Ulster Unionist Association endorsed the UUP’s Diana Armstrong as candidate, days after a DUP-UUP spat. The seat is currently held by Sinn Fein with a majority of just 57. On Monday, UUP leader Doug Beattie said an agreed unionist candidate in the …
The Daily Star reports: Britain is facing a ghost shortage as ageing spirits are passing over to the “other side”, according to a leading paranormal expert. Dr Paul Lee believes that the UK’s spectral heritage is in serious decline as many ghosts have become dormant or moved on. The paranormal researcher and author shared: “Since January 2020 I’ve been contacting all the reportedly haunted locations on my app, and asking if the residents, owners or staff have experienced any unexplained …
