Slugger Team

Some pretty hard-hitting words were delivered by Lord Alderdice in a BBC Spotlight interview (and quoted in a BBC news article) regarding the seemingly never-ending transition of Loyalist Paramilitaries away from criminality… “Lord Alderdice, the former Alliance Party leader who was chair of the Independent Monitoring Commission, said talks about loyalist transition should stop.He was responding to the arrest and conviction on firearms charges of Winston Irvine, who worked as an interlocutor with the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which represents …

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The proposed redevelopment of Casement Park has been a regular feature on Slugger for a few years now. You can go all the way back to an article by Pete Baker from 2013 (wherein he quaintly describes the project as a ‘£70 million plan’), to our own Brian O’Neill railing against the project as a farce in 2017 (the madness was not stopped but it was stymied…which in hindsight was the worst possible option given it lead to costs steadily …

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Are our MLAs breaking the law in the manner in which they go about recruiting their staff? This BBC investigative report suggests the answer is possibly… “Dozens of Northern Ireland Assembly members are recruiting staff in a way that could risk claims of unlawful discrimination, a BBC News NI investigation has found.They include First Minister Michelle O’Neill, as the “essential criteria” for some jobs in her constituency office suggested applicants should hold certain political beliefs. Recruitment guidance issued to members …

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John Manley, writing in today’s Irish News (the article is paywalled but if you are subscribed it is a recommended read) reports that former SDLP leader Colum Eastwood urged greater nationalist co-operation in pursuit of unity… “The former SDLP leader believes there is a need for a “common cause outside of narrow electoral contests” – a direct appeal to Sinn Féin to put rivalries aside in an effort to bring about constitutional change. He made the remarks at an event …

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The Kneecap controversy from a few weeks ago (which generated these two posts by Brian and Choyaa respectively if you need a refresher) may have slipped from the headlines, but the police investigation that was announced at the time has been rumbling away in the background. As the Guardian report states “Liam O’Hanna (sic), who performs with the Irish rap trio Kneecap, has been charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a …

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The local environment may have taken a blow yesterday when mineral prospecting licenses were awarded to four companies by the Department of the Economy (fronted by Sinn Féin’s Caoimhe Archibald). As the Irish News reports “The licences will allow four companies to prospect for minerals, excluding gold and silver, in at least three counties with the possibility that the prospecting could lead to full time mining operations in the future… the Department for the Economy received more than 2,100 public …

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A deeply unpleasant story this. As reported at Belfast Live Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has told how she has been left living in fear after receiving a death threat.Ms Little-Pengelly told the Stormont Assembly she had received an online threat and that an individual had been prosecuted and is awaiting sentencing… …In response to a question about ending violence against women and girls, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “The Online Safety Act of 2023 introduced new UK-wide laws that protect both children …

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Here we go again. Two nuclear-armed neighbours, one disputed region, and yet another burst of airstrikes to keep the cycle alive. This time, it’s called Operation Sindoor—a fresh salvo from India targeting areas inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Delhi says it’s retaliation for a brutal militant attack that killed civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan calls it an act of unprovoked aggression. Same script, new headline. A horrific attack on unarmed tourists in a picturesque corner of Indian-administered Kashmir set this …

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Somewhere around 2005, Mark Durkan (then SDLP leader) coined the phrase ‘ugly scaffolding’ to refer to the ungainly political architecture which underpins the Good Friday Agreement, namely the need for mandatory coalition between ideological opposites, the designation system that categorises our MLAs as ‘Unionist’, ‘Nationalist’ or ‘Other’ and the system of mutual vetoes which ensures that if one of the big parties decides things are unfolding in a way they don’t entirely approve of, they can decide to pull the …

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Some sad, if expected news has just appeared this morning with reports that Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, has died. According to CNN… “Pope Francis, voice for the poor who reshaped the Catholic Church but faced fierce resistance, has died at 88, the Vatican has announced. The death of Francis, who became the first Latin-American pontiff in 2013 and was one of the oldest popes in the church’s history, came weeks after he was discharged from a Rome …

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Aontú Party leader Peadar Tóibín says his party will submit a bill to the Dáil which, if successful, will extend the Presidential franchise to Irish citizens in Northern Ireland. According to the  Irish News article on the story… “A new bill allowing Irish citizens in Northern Ireland to vote in the Republic’s presidential elections would be “historic,” the Aontú political party has said. Party leader Peadar Tóibín announced he had submitted the bill to the Dáil, with details announced at …

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In a piece of news that will surely come as no surprise to those of us resident in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in Westminster has concluded that our public services are in such a state of crisis that they are negatively impacting our quality of life. As ‘The Guardian’ puts it in its article on the subject “Northern Ireland’s public services, including hospitals, schools and police, are being “crippled” by lack of funding, impinging on the quality …

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King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla yesterday concluded their three-day tour of Northern Ireland. According to the BBC the tour, which began on Wednesday “…included a private meeting with First and Deputy First Ministers Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly at Hillsborough Castle. O’Neill has already met King Charles on several occasions. The King greeted the first minister in Irish saying: ‘Tráthnóna maith, a Chéad Aire.’ [Good afternoon, first minister.] She replied: ‘Tráthnóna maith duitse fosta. Cad é mar …

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One of the bigger news stories locally this week has been the Labour government’s announcement that it is slashing the benefits budget in an effort to save five billion pounds a year by 2030. Whilst the London government argues that these measures are now a necessity in the face of the mounting and unsustainable cost, they’ve still received a tremendous amount of criticism not only from their own backbenchers but from the devolved regions as well. In Scotland the SNP …

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Happy St.Patrick’s Day to everyone! We at Slugger hope you are having a fine day, whether celebrating the day or are otherwise occupied. Let us know how you are getting on in the comments and what is being done in your area.   Slugger TeamOur mod team uses this account to share news and posts. Content here should not be interpreted as Slugger’s editorial position. Slugger welcomes all views and does not take editorial positions on issues.

Former British Prime Minister Theresa May was in Belfast earlier this week where she addressed the Literific society at Queen’s University and answered questions. Unsurprisingly, people in the audience were interested to hear her thoughts on Brexit, given her two year premiership was dominated by her need to do a deal with the European Union, an endeavor ultimately derailed by difficulties over reconciling the status of Northern Ireland with Brexiteer desires for maximum separation. As ‘Belfast Live’ reports “During the …

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The recent discussions regarding reunification, which have increased in the aftermath of recent polling showing a narrowing gap between those in favour of reunification and those in favour of the union has prompted DUP leader Gavin Robinson to remind us that he is having none of it as he addressed a party conference on Saturday… “Republicans still peddle the same tired lie that Irish unity is inevitable, that victory is around the corner,” he told delegates. “They said it in …

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The nearly 300 year old law (the Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737 to be specific) which bans the use of the Irish language in British courts is to be repealed according to this report from the BBC… “A proposal to allow the use of Irish in court was contained in the New Decade New Approach deal in January 2020. But it required the repeal of a penal law from 1737 which made it “a criminal offence to use …

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Following on from the decision of the SDLP last week, yesterday afternoon Sinn Féin announced that they would not be sending a delegation to the annual St.Patrick’s Day reception at the White House in protest at the policies espoused by President Donald Trump, particularly his position on Gaza where he recently advocated the removal of the strip’s inhabitants to facilitate its reconstruction (without a guarantee that they would be allowed to return). This means that Sinn Féin leader (and Dáil …

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Last week PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher expressed concern at the low number of Catholic applicants to the PSNI. As this report from ITV news says… “Northern Ireland’s chief constable has said the number of Catholics applying to join police is lower than he would like to see. Around 3,500 applications have been received in the latest recruitment campaign for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which closes on Wednesday. Of those, approximately 27% were by those who identify …

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