Mick Fealty

James Bond: was ‘Q’ an Ulsterman?

Mick Fealty on November 19, 2002, 12:00 am

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Jeffrey Dudgeon speculates in his latest book, Roger Casement: the black diaries to be launched on Thursday, that Ian Fleming based his character Q on Ulsterman Major Frank Hall. Hall became Military Secretary of the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) formed to resist Home Rule for Ireland in 1912. Gudgeon’s main premise seems to be based around the fact Hall went under the codename Q when he became chief of MI5 in Belfast two years later. Update: According to reader …

Trimble’s view

Mick Fealty on November 19, 2002, 12:00 am

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In a recent issue of Ha’aritz, David Trimble gave an extensive interview to Sharon Sadeh. He began by making the political case for the process, and then quantifying some of the gains of the transition from war to peace. He admitted his own mixed feelings about dealing with his former enemies. Identifying two issues yet to be resolved, he explained why these were crucial to moving the next stage. After giving his appraisal of Clinton’s role in the process, he …

Trimble regrets ‘pathetic’ remark

Mick Fealty on November 18, 2002, 12:00 am

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But apparently none of the rest of his attack on the Republic of Ireland at a meeting of the UUC last March. In fact he’s gone one better: If you took away Catholicism and anti-Britishness, the state [Republic of Ireland] doesn`t have a reason to exist. Though many took great affront at the original remark, it also had some humorous spin-offs: here and here. Update: Local reaction to the renewed insult. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has …

Book reveals journalist’s past

Mick Fealty on November 11, 2002, 12:00 am

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Hugh Jordan, is shortly to publish a book called Milestones in Murder, which apparently discloses details of murdered journalist Martin O’Hagan’s early life as an Official IRA volunteer. Barrie Penrose reports in the Spectator – via Newshound. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Stormont ‘spy’ released…

Mick Fealty on November 8, 2002, 12:00 am

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Here’s the BBC report. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Demoralised prods: update

Mick Fealty on November 7, 2002, 12:00 am

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Newshound has now made Brian Feeney’s article available. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

NI and the Euro

Mick Fealty on November 5, 2002, 12:00 am

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There’s a discussion coming up on the BBC. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

The Cruiser’s birthday

Mick Fealty on November 4, 2002, 12:00 am

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Love him or loathe him, the former politician and one time editor of The Observer Conor Cruise O’Brien was 85 yesterday. He took a break from writing to let an interesting range of folk pay him tribute. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Reid’s sudden move

Mick Fealty on October 24, 2002, 12:00 am

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John Reid is to move to Labour party chairman, where his strongman credentials will, no doubt, be useful stock-in-trade. His replacement is to be Paul Murphy who was until today the secretary of state for Wales. He is no stranger to Northern Ireland having already spent some time there as a minister and as a shadow cabinet spokesman. Early reactions from local politicians are mixed, with Ian Paisley junior reading it as as sign that direct rule is settling in …

Trimble’s aides ‘redistributed’

Mick Fealty on October 22, 2002, 12:00 am

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Looks like Westminster is expecting a long negotiation period. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Blair speech: Completion

Mick Fealty on October 18, 2002, 3:30 pm

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This may be the sound bite that outlasts the rest when the time and the place of this speech are long forgotten. Blair calls for decisive action: It’s time for acts of completion. We will do our best to carry on implementing the Agreement in any event. But, should real change occur, we can implement the rest of the Agreement, including on normalisation, in its entirety and not in stages but together. And we are prepared to do what is …

Blair speech: The benefits

Mick Fealty on October 18, 2002, 1:21 pm

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The focus changes to the political and economic benefits the Agreement has brought: “…there is still violence, but at a far, far reduced rate – in 1972, 470 people died. This year, so far, ten. Ten too many, but let us recognise the progress made. The transformation in the economy has been enormous: unemployment at its lowest since 1975; long-term unemployment, down 65 per cent since the Agreement; manufacturing up 15 per cent, uniquely in the UK. New jobs, new …

Blair speech

Mick Fealty on October 18, 2002, 12:00 am

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Tony Blair gave what may have been the keynote speech of the final stage of the Northern Ireland peace process yesterday. We’ve blogged the highlights here: He began by reminding his audience of the reasons for establishing the Agreement in the first place. He went on to outline the problems the process had run into from every side. After a short reminder of some of the benefits the Agreement has brought, he reminded Nationalists and Unionist of their commitments. He …

Suspension; eye witness

Mick Fealty on October 15, 2002, 11:28 am

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In the subscription only Irish News Newton Emerson, editor of the satirical website Portadown News was in Stormont on the last day of business. One thing that consistently erks the reasonable middle ground parties is the way that most commentators rarely talk to them: “The Women’s Coalition are first to brave the spotlight. Cruelly, several reporters take this opportunity to make final adjustments to their cameras and microphones. There are no questions. As they leave, the DUP arrives and the …

Suspension; winners and losers

Mick Fealty on October 15, 2002, 8:28 am

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Malachi O’Doherty is the first one I’ve seen to evaluate the gains and losses made by each of four main parties through the events of the last fortnight. It’s an interesting exercise, but one that may prove misleading in a process that has become more long term, where many expected early closure. Indeed it is these parties that O’Doherty pinpoints as the main losers. The winner, he declares is the DUP, repeating his observation of last Sunday that Peter Robinson …

The ‘cooling off’ begins

Mick Fealty on October 15, 2002, 12:00 am

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And suddenly, it was all quiet up at Stomont, despite the front page headline from last night’s Belfast Telegraph. Gerry Moriarty believes that Blair and Ahern are jointly flagging the necessity of the IRA to disarm before the Assembly can re-commence it’s business. There are signs that the broad inconsistency in Unionist condemnation of paramilitaries, has not gone unnoticed in the US. This from yesterday’s Irish News; thanks to Paul Dunne and Newshound. At home, both sides continue to blame …

Paisley’s men leave their posts

Mick Fealty on October 11, 2002, 12:00 am

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Peter Robinson, Minister for Regional Development and his party colleague Nigel Dodds Minister for Social Development have finally started the rolling ball we all knew was coming and resigned their posts. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Stormont crisis

Mick Fealty on October 10, 2002, 12:00 am

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For new visitors, and those too bewildered to have taken it all in, here’s a quick recap on recent events in Belfast, according to Letter to Slugger O’Toole. The current crisis broke less than a week ago, with an early morning raid on the Sinn Fein offices in Northern Ireland Assembly Building. The PSNI quickly released details of what was captured in the raid to members of the Sunday press and by Monday, the Nationalist Irish News was calling for …

Policing: a question of philosophy?

Mick Fealty on October 10, 2002, 12:00 am

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Neill Lochery writing in the Jeruselem Post, frames the primary conflict within the state as a tension between those who follow Hobbes’ thinking: “…humans were basically selfish creatures who would do anything to better their position. Left to themselves, he thought, people would act on their evil impulses. According to Hobbes, people therefore should not be trusted to make decisions on their own. In addition, Hobbes felt that nations, like people, were selfishly motivated. To Hobbes, each country was in …

Stormont crisis: whodunnit?

Mick Fealty on October 10, 2002, 12:00 am

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“When a corpse turned up in the classic detective story, the wise detective always asked �Who had a motive � who stood to gain by this foul deed?�” Jude Collins investigates. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty