Brian O'Neill 
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’m not sure of just how big a risk radical Islam is to the good people of Tyrone. According to the last census the Muslim population of Mid Ulster is 198. This is a massive 0.2% of the population. It’s hard to know how many of the 198 are jihadi extremists’ intent on overthrowing Western civilisation or how many of them are just normal people working and raising families. But another year, another Moygashel bonfire ‘performance art’. Last year it …
When you think about it Count Binface is the perfect intergalactic space warrior to puncture the pomposity of Nigel Farage. 'My job is to demonstrate that British democracy is wonderful and unique in the entire Cosmos' Count Binface told #BBCBreakfast why he plans to stand against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election – triggered by the resignation of the Reform UK leader who then plans to re-fight… pic.twitter.com/3o3RNSrirk — BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 8, 2026 Brian O'NeillManaging Editor of Slugger …
Eventually you live long enough to see things going around again. 30 years ago, it was common practise to have residents for doctors and nurses, but for some reason this fell out of favour. Older medics will have lots of stories about parties in the staff accommodation. The most visible example in Belfast is the old staff tower blocks at Broadway, which were abandoned in 2015 and are a complete eyesore. But the Telegraph reports that some NHS trusts in …
To counter allegations over his finances, Farage has decided to embrace populism. He has just announced that he is resigning as an MP but will put himself forward as a candidate in the by election, to show that ‘the people’ are behind him and send a message to ‘the establishment’. You have to admire his creativity. 🚨 BREAKING: Nigel Farage has resigned as an MP to trigger a by-election in Clacton "This will be a people vs the establishment by-election. …
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 …
Today, ten years ago, the loyal citizens of Her Majesty’s United Kingdom took to the polls and told that motley crew of French cheese-eating surrender monkeys, joyless German technocrats, lazy Spanish siesta lovers and over-sexed Italians and all the other godless heathens of continental Europe that they take their EU and shovel it up their big jam roll. Since in there has been nothing but sunny uplands, the UK economy has soared. There has been political stability and societal harmony …
The jury has made its decision in the Jeffrey Donaldson trial and they have found him guilty of all 18 sex abuse charges, including one charge of rape. His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, who faced five charges including four related to aiding and abetting, found to have done the acts. She cannot be found guilty as she is facing a trial of the facts after being declared unfit for a conventional trial. He has been sent to jail now and …
The political grapevine is buzzing today with reports from The Guardian suggesting that Keir Starmer will announce his resignation timetable today. Word on the street is that he intends to stick around until the autumn. This feels like a bizarre move. Announcing a departure months in advance is the fastest way to turn a Prime Minister into a dead duck. The moment a leader puts an expiry date on their tenure, power immediately begins to evaporate. Politics relies heavily on …
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 …
From the Guardian: Andy Burnham has set up a potential showdown with Keir Starmer after convincingly winning the Makerfield byelection, paving the way for his return to Westminster and a likely tilt at the Labour leadership. The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester promised change after winning the byelection in the early hours of Friday morning with 55% of the votes and a majority almost double the size of his predecessor, Josh Simons. The scale of the win has prompted talk …
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 2026 World Cup kicks off today with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. Yet, the buildup to the tournament feels remarkably subdued compared to previous years. A significant factor is the heavily tarnished international reputation of the US under the current Trump administration. Without sliding entirely into Godwin’s Law, there is an uncomfortable “Berlin 1936 Olympics” vibe hanging over the event. A vast number of fans have been actively put off visiting the United States simply due …
I thought I would throw in a brief interlude of beauty amidst our local misery. Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass at Barcelona’s iconic La Sagrada Família yesterday, delivering a papal blessing to the highest spire of what is now the tallest church in the world. The basilica’s distinctive Modernist structure has been under construction for more than 140 years. However, this past February, work finally concluded on the central Tower of Jesus Christ. Standing 566 feet tall, the spire is …
