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A rumour too far? New MP for West Belfast?

| Readers 62

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALuHAd3SnYw&feature=related Surprisingly one of the first people to publicly declare that Máirtín Ó Muilleoir had decided to return to electoral politics for SF was Mairtin og Meehan of the RNU (in the irishrepublican.net forum which can’t be linked). As that rumour mill seems similar to the one that allowed Slugger to announce Gerry Adams would use Edentubber to declare his intention to run as TD for Louth I think the latest rumour deserves early airing. Is Seanna Walsh the as …

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As the FF tide goes out will the SF boat rise?

| Readers 13

With Mick and many others doing serious political analysis based on polls and the DWS by-election, I thought’d I’d drag up some old election results for the discussion. While one seat or poll does not make an electoral summer, SF members clearly feel the sun on their backs and few would argue with them. If their difficulties with transfers diminish and they do poll over 10%, how far could they go? One indicator might be looking at the return for …

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Butchering more English than….

| Readers 19

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIL2iNvoCsM&feature=player_embedded#! The X-Factor ‘Hope for Heroes’ single makes a return after a year off (are those cheering masses I hear?), this time the RNU are the republican group to take up the challenge of creating a ‘parody’ video (it won’t last long on Youtube). éirígí orginiated the mock X-Factor video idea in 2008 and despite their version of ‘Hero’ being removed from most streaming sites it is still available on their website The Republican Network for Unity effort certainly won’t …

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SF: More lessons on not making a clear statement

| Readers 112

It is increasingly bizarre that is was DUP MLA Robin Newton who announced major changes on SF’s team at Belfast City Council while Cllr Tom Hartley declared any changes would merely be about phasing out dual madates: Sinn Féin is replacing a number of Councillors at City Hall in line with our party’s policy of phasing out dual-mandates With Deirdre Hargey, previously suspended from SF and dropped as a council candidate in 2005 over her actions during/following the murder of …

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Who is doing their own thing?

| Readers 13

We start easy: Now it gets political: ‘One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn’t belong’ Can you spot the odd one out? Blank

SF win at a canter: Senator Pearse Doherty now Pearse Doherty TD

| Readers 7

The Liveblog is still running but Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty has now been declared TD for Donegal South West. In a stunning performance he was elected slightly under quota as the two remaining candidates were unable to catch him. Perhaps the most encouraging factor for SF is Doherty was collecting transfers at high levels throughout all counts? Interestingly his final tally of 16,897, on a reduced turnout, isn’t far off the 20K that would have seen two TDs elected in …

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FF: Just too cute this time?

| Readers 6

Today FF and the Greens looked interested in leaving behind bobby traps for any incoming government as they face a humiliating removal from office. Both have declared their actions as in the national interest. But how much of recent events have been about FF, in particular trying to minimise their forthcoming time in the electoral wilderness and how much is really about the national interest? Following the Doherty court challenge and his likely victory in DSW, with further by-elections in …

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Liveblog: Ireland in crisis

| Readers 5

With Brian Cowen about to make his address we will open the Liveblog for coverage. Live coverage on RTE. UPDATE: No visit to Áras an Uachtaráin, yet. I’ll close the liveblog – I’m sure it’ll be back soon. Ireland in crisis: liveblog Blank

Everyone is dancing on that grave

| Readers 64

When Vincent Keaney first published his monologue and dance on Charlie Haughey’s grave it was widely condemned. Watch it again from 5:19 to see how right he got it: Crooks we are now paying for…filth in limousines….even the man’s grave flowers are withered. Though the remix suits the new Ireland better and perhaps indicates where many in Fianna Fail will find their eventual place in Irish history: Blank

Gerry Adams: Able to run but not vote?

| Readers 28

Gerry Adams declaration he will seek to run as a candidate for Dáil Éireann resulted in a pointless debate on how he will leave his postion as MP for West Belfast. Another technical point is that while he is legally entitled to run as a TD, he may not be entitled to vote in any future election. As the Dundalk Democrat notes and we all know, Adams doesn’t live in Louth or the south: GERRY Adams will reside in County …

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SDLP: Internal sectarianism on display?

| Readers 32

As Stormont parties debate Dawn Purvis’ doomed motion on double-jobbing, supported by all from the start, that now faces defeat at the hands of a DUP cross-community initative – you’d think others that endorsed the legislational would make at least a superficial attempt to support the spirit of what they ‘agree’ with ? Not the SDLP. Tonight, South Belfast SDLP (I’m informed 150 odd of them – I don’t believe it) selected Conal McDevitt, unelected MLA, and Dr Alasdair McDonnell …

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Backfilling a black-hole

| Readers 4

Our very own tragicomedy appears in the form of elites whose strategic choices are made contradictory by the fact that, in their haste to wage their own class war against the peoples of Europe, they surreptitiously undermine the very currency union which was their own idea for facilitating capital accumulation on the continent

Gerry Lynch: ‘purely a staffing matter’?

| Readers 114

Despite attempts via several avenues to get clarity on this I have been unsuccessful. There is a chance the reason behind it being kept quiet is entirely valid but Slugger has not been given even a gentle indication there are issues that mean this post shouldn’t be in the public domain (and more than just me asked or looked into this). I had previously tipped Gerry Lynch, now former Executive Director of the Alliance party, Westminster candidate for East Antrim …

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shhh…you didn’t hear it here first

| Readers 6
Image by Brian mór - original on the Pensive Quill

You heard it here. With Arthur Morgan leaving behind socialism for business (a first for SF?) the field is open for a new SF face in Louth. Will Gerry Adams be declaring his hand at Edentubber? The good people of Louth would of course want this handy loyal supporter’s guide to Adams as a representative if he did step up to the plate. Blank

Matching vote and belief? (we love our graphs)

| Readers 254

I’m not sure which topic suggestions for the unconference I’ll be supporting or attending – I’m considering removing the idea I have near the top of the list and promoting my lower rated one. That’s the joy of the format, what happens will only become clear on the day and will be defined by those that decide to attend. As part of getting in the mood and seeing if a discussion could form around it I thought I’d return to …

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Encouraging dissent – would a ‘Trevor’ do that?

| Readers 4

It’s funny who or what can make you think, bumping into a Liberal Unionist at a funeral isn’t one of my normal jumping off points. When someone from such a different mindset, on meeting for the first time, asks such an inappropriate question, in such an inappropriate setting, as; “Just how do we talk to these [dissenting republicans] people?” First you think ‘wtf’, then: ‘I’ have no more insight than ‘you’, the state and certainly not SF – they aren’t …

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SDLP: Minds clouded by SF?

| Readers 40

A passing glance at the SDLP party conference caused me to think they had a little too much emphasis on SF. So, I ran their leader’s speech through a word cloud to find out when Sinn Féin appeared on the list of most mentioned phrases. You hit ‘Sinn’ as the 10th most popular word during Margaret Ritchie’s address to the faithful. It beat ‘economy’. Blank

Book-Token

| Readers 9

It seems we will be saying goodbye to many political faces as the Assembly and needlessly delayed council elections approach. The latest to fall is the unelected MLA for East Derry, former lots of things, Cllr Billy Leonard. The declared reason from the 55yr old for leaving political life is the time required to write a book (he clearly doesn’t have the stamina of an older, prolific SF author) Blank

One rule for ‘ussuns’, another rule for ‘themmuns’?

| Readers 44

As Martin McCauley and Stephen Barnes have noted on twitter – after 2 nights of rioting in Rathcoole the PSNI have yet to deploy a single Baton Round or roll out their water cannons. The petrol bombs, vehicle burnings and gunmen mingling within the rioters have been described as ‘different beasts’. Lucky old Rathcoole rioters. But will people in Ardoyne understand the softly, softly PSNI attitude to things just up the road when they got the iron fist? Blank

Do not mourn the octopus

| Readers 22

In news Slugger predicted last year, Alliance’s Sean Neeson has announced his retirement. You won’t have long to wait to check if the 2nd half of the prediction is correct and Gerry Lynch is selected to run in his place. Blank