Turgon – Page 17 – Slugger O'Toole

Some thoughts on collusion (Part 2)

Turgon on June 1, 2010, 11:38 pm

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As I stated in the previous blog unionists have relatively little to fear from outing collusion. However, if any collusion between the forces of the state and loyalists is to be outed then the evidence held by the state of collusion between assorted groups and republican terrorists also needs to be brought out. If any linen is to be washed in public then the scarcely soiled linen of any relationship between the forces of the state and loyalists must be …

Some thoughts on collusion (Part 1)

Turgon on June 1, 2010, 11:32 pm

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Collusion is a term which tends to produces concern within unionist circles. It is something which unionists fear and at times try to ignore: a position which is in actual fact detrimental to the unionist position. It is feared that the problems around collusion will detract from the clear high moral ground which unionists (and constitutional nationalists) hold over republicanism (and loyalism) and make it rather a hypocritical high horse. Unionists fear that the issue of collusion will dishonour the …

Memorial to murdered soldiers dedicated

Turgon on May 31, 2010, 2:12 pm

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The News Letter has a report of Sunday’s formal dedication of a memorial at Ballysillan Avenue to three young Scottish soldiers: Dougald McCaughey, 23, from Glasgow along with brothers John and Joseph McCaig, aged 17 and 18, from Ayr. The three were lured from the city centre and murdered at the isolated White Brae off the Ligionel Road on March 9, 1971. On Saturday the families of the murdered soldiers held a private service at the site of the atrocity …

NI Fire Service wrong to remove Enniskillen tribute

Turgon on May 30, 2010, 10:17 pm

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The News Letter has a report of the Ombudsman’s investigation into the removal of a plaque commemorating the victims of the Enniskillen war memorial bombing. The commemorative plaque, a photographic montage of the people murdered, was placed in Enniskillen fire station where it remained for 19 years until September 2007. Then after an anonymous telephone complaint the fire service removed the tribute apparently within an hour. Arlene Foster asked the Equality Commission (via an FoI request) whether the Northern Ireland …

Where next for our system of government

Turgon on May 24, 2010, 8:15 am

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I have given my thoughts on the TUV’s defeat previously and will not dwell on that in great detail here. The negative parts of the campaign seem to have been rejected: certainly the anger with the DUP over the double jobbing, expenses etc. seems to have been played out by the European elections and with Peter Robinson acting as a lightening conductor. The other negative aspects of the TUV’s message: namely the unacceptability of terrorists in government also seemed to …

1,143 unsolved murders in the UK excepting Northern Ireland (and Gwent)

Turgon on May 22, 2010, 10:32 pm

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A little lost amongst the election campaign, the BBC discovered in early May via the Freedom of Information Act that there are 1,143 unsolved murders in the United Kingdom. We are told that the police never give up on finding the culprit though clearly the murderer of David Ombler is most unlikely ever to be caught seeing as he was murdered in 1914. The BBC tells us that the policy is to look at a case every two years to …

Peter Robinson, the DUP and Admiral Nelson

Turgon on May 22, 2010, 5:03 pm

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When the dust settled on the Battle of Trafalgar the Royal Navy had destroyed its major enemies, beginning a rule at sea which was to last almost unchallenged for 100 years. However, in the process the admiral who had brought them the victory of Trafalgar was fatally wounded. Like Nelson before him Peter Robinson has seen his party destroy its unionist opponents and leave itself the only unionist party at Westminster; yet in the process Robinson himself has been severely, …

Mid Ulster and Whiteabbey A+E to close

Turgon on May 13, 2010, 11:41 pm

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The first post I ever did on slugger was on the number of hospitals in Northern Ireland. The latest news regarding the closure of the Mid Ulster’s A+E department along with Whiteabbey’s A+E and in patient cardiology are part of the gradual process of downgrading the smaller hospitals. This is seen as medically necessary as in the era of increasing medical specialisation it is no longer possible to have safe services in small hospitals without all the necessary specialities. Simply …

Purely theroetical idea: a grand coalition?

Turgon on May 8, 2010, 8:44 am

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I very rarely do mainland UK politics as, although very interested, I do not have any instinctive feel for it and regard commenting from a position of interest but little knowledge the height of arrogance. However, the problems of the Hung Parliament continue with no easy end in sight. The Conservatives seem set to try to link up with the Liberal Democrats: that much is obvious; the alternatives presumably being a Lib Lab pact (though it will still leave them …

CUs: not the end but not far off? (and some battleships)

Turgon on May 7, 2010, 11:51 pm

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If the TUV lost heavily the CU’s were practically no better. The party which ruled Northern Ireland from its inception until the fall of Stormont; the party which as recently as 1997 held 10 seats is now reduced to none. Bob Balls has his thoughts over on Open Unionism but I thought a few other things might be worth mentioning. At a very fundamental level some in the UUP still do not seem to understand that it is no longer …

TUV: the end?

Turgon on May 7, 2010, 5:09 pm

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When Jim Allister stood in the King’s Hall to make his speech after the European election enormous things seemed possible for the TUV. The high likelihood of him taking North Antrim at the General election seemed clear. This morning to quote Harold McCusker: “I felt desolate because as I stood in the cold …..everything that I held dear turned to ashes in my mouth.” Although that statement was by Harold McCusker regarding the Anglo Irish Agreement it could equally be …

Fermanagh South Tyrone goes absolutely to the wire

Turgon on May 7, 2010, 3:08 am

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I am hearing from the count for Fermanagh South Tyrone that the SDLP vote has collapsed and that for ages Michelle Gildernew was ahead. However, at the end Rodney Connor pulled back and finished 8 votes ahead. Sinn Fein entirely reasonably has demanded a recount. Update: recount Sinn Fein 2 ahead Further update: counting suspended until morning, Sinn Fein seeking legal advice. It seems to all come down to interpretations about the doubtful ballots. TurgonThis author has not written a …

Latest Register of Stormont Members’ Interests published

Turgon on May 5, 2010, 12:16 pm

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Jonathan Bell who replaced Iris Robinson as the DUP’s Strangford MLA following the latter’s resignation has declared on the Register of Members’ Interests that he employs two members of the Robinson family: Jonathan Robinson (son of Peter and Iris) and one of their daughters in law. This may simply continuing the previous employment of these individuals though I could not find them on the 2009 or previous 2010 register of members’ interests. In addition the DUP Westminster Strangford candidate Jim …

Bored of elections? Let’s discuss werewolves

Turgon on May 4, 2010, 1:57 pm

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Sorry for the personal nature of the intro. The election is getting a bit boring. Essentially my interest is political analysis and it is very difficult to do much analysis until after the election. We are so in the dark with so little time to go that even spinning is difficult to sustain: Thus far none of the parties’ major representatives has made a major error. Maybe Margaret Ritchie was less than brilliant on the UTV debate but it was …

Belfast Telegraph poll: read with large pinch of salt

Turgon on May 4, 2010, 1:19 pm

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Mark Devenport’s blog at the BBC has the results of the latest opinion poll published in the Belfast Telegraph today (I cannot find it online yet). It seems a larger poll that the “Slugger O’Toole one” Mick mentioned. Currently the Belfast Telegraph has: DUP 26% SF 25% SDLP 17% UCUNF 13% Alliance 7% Independent 6% TUV 5% In terms of the seat tally they have all the sitting MPs reelected, though FST is impossible to call being a 1% margin …

Sinn Fein and criminality

Turgon on April 30, 2010, 11:49 pm

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The TUV’s stance on refusing Power sharing with Sinn Fein is one of their most distinctive policies. To refuse mandatory coalition with Sinn Fein was of course a policy once held by the UUP and, until as recently as 2007, by the DUP. The DUP now claim that Sinn Fein have changed and as such they, the DUP, are willing to share power with them. The TUV dispute this and I would submit that a single word can sum up …

TUV’s offer to help prevent SF First Minister ignored

Turgon on April 27, 2010, 2:17 pm

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Jim Allister’s latest attack on the the current agreement is one he has been developing for some time. He was the first to warn (in November 2006) of the potential for an SF First Minister following the change in the legislation after the St. Andrew’s Agreement. The arguments over the change in the rules which ceased to make the First Minister come from the largest party of the largest designation in Stromont and changed it to simply the largest party …

The leaders debate: style matters

Turgon on April 26, 2010, 9:54 pm

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There has been previous analysis of the leaders debate but one part which I found interesting was the presentation. Clearly no slick presentation can make up for a poor performance but good presentation can make a significant difference. The classic example of this was that John Kennedy in 1960 was generally reckoned to have won the first debate with Richard Nixon by those watching the debate on television. However, amongst those listening on radio a fairly equal proportion felt that …

The TUV outside North Antrim

Turgon on April 25, 2010, 3:58 pm

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Most interest in the TUV has focused on their prospects in North Antrim. It is difficult to say how the campaign is going as Northern Ireland does not have the almost continuous opinion polling seen in the rest of the UK; not that people always tell the truth to opinion pollsters anyway (even less so here). However, as far as can be seen the election there is going to be a tightly fought battle. The TUV are of course also standing in 9 other seats throughout Northern Ireland. The TUV’s detractors have repeatedly suggested that they will loose in North Antrim (even the most optimistic DUPers have stopped saying that they will loose heavily) and that they will fail to gain anything even approaching an assembly election quota elsewhere.

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Genuinely important news: tea is good for you

Turgon on April 24, 2010, 7:56 pm

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Amid all the election issues the BBC has brought us the most important news ever. Tea is good for you. Indeed tea seems remarkably good for you (this week) and better than water. Apparently “They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack.” This will mean I will live forever since I drink about 8 to 10. However, this being Slugger and Northern Ireland I think …