Loyalism must succeed where Sinn Fein has failed…

Moore Holmes is a Loyalist from East Belfast. You can find him on Twitter I have a fond memory of my dad telling me how foolish he thought the phrase, “learn from your mistakes.” Each time it came up in a conversation, he’d half-chuckle and half-scoff, provocatively asking, “why not learn from someone else’s mistakes and save yourself the hassle?” Although my dad would be at pains to point out that I’ve sung “Fathers Advice” far more than I’ve ever …

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Cycling – One of life’s simple pleasures…

Normally at this time of the year, cycling fever would be in the air with the Giro d’Italia a recent memory (remember the year it started in Belfast?), and that other famous pharmaceutical warehouse on wheels (sorry, bike race) the Tour de France just about to start. This year it’s all different though, but it hasn’t stopped the Middle-Aged Men In Lycra (MAMILs, I believe the modern terminology is) – ie people like myself – from making the most of …

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Irish Government needs to pick an ambitious and sustainable path to economic renewal past climate change. And stay on it.

“Anger is a valid emotion. It’s only bad when it takes control and makes you do things you didn’t want to do…” Ellen Hopkins, via #Angrynomics So Micheál Martin made good his strategic promise when he took over the party 2011 that he would lead the Fianna Fáil party back into government within ten years. It’s easy to forget just how implausible that sounded at the time, as they returned with just 20 seats. He has also tried over the …

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The ethics of shopping vs buying less stuff…

In case you have missed all the subtle hints, the government wants you to open your wallet and spend some cash. I studied Economics at A-Level and as part of my degree at Queen’s, but through all my learning, no one has ever summed up our economic system as well as the geniuses over at Modern Toss. Or as the quote goes: We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like. Over …

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More musings from a beekeeper in lockdown…

29th May 2020 It’s hot. I’m out watering my new plants at 7am in shorts and t-shirt. The garden is dying of thirst and after such a wet winter this prolonged lack of rain is going to be equally difficult for the farmers. But this weather is glorious. The honeysuckle, that my husband said would never grow, has extended by at least 30cm and will need attached to the wall soon. My lavender, old and new, are doing well and …

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Slugger Podcast #InConversation with David Gavaghan about the economy & society after Covid-19…

For the third of my Slugger #InConversation podcasts, I chat with David Gavaghan. David is the founder of Aurora Prime Real Estate Ltd. He is a Non- Executive Director of CBI (and in 2016/2017 was chair of CBI in Northern Ireland). In January David was appointed a Belfast Climate Commissioner and was Chair of MAC in Belfast until March 2020. Amongst his previous roles, he was the Chief Executive of Titanic Quarter Ltd and Strategic Investment Board. Whilst his background …

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A new borrowing arrangement for local Councils is key to funding a Just Transition

Sean Fearon is a Just Transition Researcher. He is writing in a personal capacity.  It will be no surprise to anyone that the COVID-19 public health emergency has reshaped the economic and public finance environment in Ireland, as around the world. Once upon a time the British and Irish governments, in lock-step with the European Commission, championed deficit-reduction and savage austerity programmes as a most noble and urgent economic crusade. As of May 2020, these same actors now run historic …

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Bowling For Michael Moore – The tricky business of renewable energy…

The Planet of the Humans, produced/tagged by Michael Moore caused a bit of a stir recently with the criticism ranging from “hmmmm, a bit out of date” to “he’s effectively now a white supremacist” Here’s a Guardian critique of Moore if you think the latter summary is a glib throwaway exaggeration: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/07/michael-moore-far-right-climate-crisis-deniers-film-environment-falsehoods My own criticism is reserved not for the clumsiness of the attempt to highlight both corporate involvement and the reality of renewables but for the rash conclusions from …

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The benefits of growing your own fruit and veg…

In the current climate of lockdown we are moving into the slow lane and finding it offers time to focus, observe and maybe start hobbies that we perhaps didn’t have time for until now. One of those is definitely gardening and growing your own food. I had previously grown salad veg in my garden and have fruit trees. I always enjoyed being able to eat something freshly picked, there’s nothing quite like the homegrown taste. And yet gardening even on …

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The coronavirus remote working boom has made many modern offices obsolete and the impact on the economy will be profound

The announcement this week by Facebook that they would begin to allow most employees to work remotely was among many this week from technology companies announcing similar moves towards remote working. The coronavirus outbreak has seen a massive increase in the number of people working from home. In 2019, only 5% of the UK workforce worked exclusively from home. In April 2020, 39% of workers worked only at home, and whilst this has fallen to 33% over the last couple …

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We need to reopen the park car parks. Keeping them closed is dangerous and discriminatory…

After two months, I was getting a bit fed up walking around my small local park, so yesterday I decided to bring junior up to Lady Dixon Park for a change of scene. As you may know, they decided at the start of the lockdown to keep parks open but close their car parks. The idea was to discourage people from driving to parks. This was not based on any science, but tabloid mock hysteria about people having the audacity …

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Could open streets save our restaurants and bars?

Covid-19 has severally affected the hospitality industry with most bars and restaurants now closed. At some stage, we need to work out how we can let these businesses safely reopen. I came across a video that proposes a solution – open streets. In simple terms, it means having more outdoors areas for restaurants and bars. Customers will be uncomfortable sitting inside; they will be more relaxed sitting outside in the fresh air. The chances of catching the virus outside are …

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Musings from a beekeeper in lockdown on World Bee Day…

11th May Last night the Prime Minister addressed the nation on the proposed easing of lockdown. It was a long-winded vague ramble; go to work if you can, but stay at home if you can’t, don’t stay at home, but stay alert. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all done their own thing and extended the lockdown for a further three weeks. The United Kingdom is not looking so united in the face of Covid-19. The unpalatable reality of social …

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Video: Discussion with Mark Hackett and Wesley Johnston about the proposals for the York Street Interchange…

In our first Slugger podcast we talk with Architect and Urban Designer Mark Hackett about his alternative proposal for the York Street Interchange project in Belfast. Roads expert Wesley Johnston gives his view on Mark’s ideas. We also have a general discussion about the road network after Covid-19. As Mark did a presentation to explain his ideas we have released this one as a video, but future episodes will likely to be audio. The idea for the York St Interchange was …

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Establishment of biosecurity zones could allow different regions of Ireland to safely emerge from lockdown at different speeds

The Northern Ireland Executive announced their roadmap to relaxing coronavirus restrictions today, following similar publications for England and the Republic of Ireland. Unlike the Irish government’s plan, no dates were released with the plan, although there is an aspiration to progress through the plan’s five stages by the end of 2020. Progress on lifting restrictions depends on the all-important R0 figure, the number of people with Covid-19 who subsequently infect others. However, calculating R0 is difficult and necessarily imprecise. An …

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Queen’s Quarter superblock – Freeing a city quarter from vehicle traffic and pedestrianising Botanic Avenue…

Following Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon’s announcement of a new Walking and Cycling Champion, to lead the emergency measures needed to immediately increase active travel space and priority, we take a closer look at one aspect of plans: superblocks. The term has been used to describe work to reduce traffic levels within areas of Barcelona, and Bikefast has proposed a superblock-style approach to re-configuring Belfast’s Linen Quarter. Coronavirus has claimed many lives and devastated families, and will continue to do so – in greater …

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Air France ordered to curb competition with rail in France…

This is an interesting story from railjournal.com ONE of three conditions imposed on Air France in exchange for a €7bn coronavirus aid package is to stop competing with TGV services where rail offers a viable alternative. The ban on short-haul domestic air travel will apply to routes where trains offer a journey time of 2h 30min or less. This means Air France will no longer be able to sell tickets for domestic travel on flights between Paris and Bordeaux, Lyon, …

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In praise of our parks & green spaces during the pandemic

Cllr Brian Smyth is the Green Party Councillor on Belfast City Council  I’ve developed a whole new level of appreciation of our public parks during this pandemic. I’ve been up to Cregagh Glen a few times during the last number of weeks and it brought me the head space I hadn’t realised I needed. I grew up in a block of flats with my mum and space, never mind head space, was in short supply. No garden, not much green …

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A rescue mission for the cat and her kittens…

I’m getting into the habit of writing for Slugger and I’m enjoying that feeling of satisfaction in doing something meaningful. Thanks for reading and for your comments on my pieces. One of the benefits of writing here is the chance that conversations will spark off in the comment section below. It’s very rewarding and entertaining to see what direction readers will take. It has surprised me that the learning I’ve had from living mostly indoors would be something I could …

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The beekeeper in lockdown gets a new outfit…

27th April 2020 My new bee suit arrived at the weekend. Ordered in a pre-Covid world, it still got caught up in the pandemic and has taken nearly eight weeks to get here. Until now, I’ve been squeezing into an inherited child-size suit. My new one is ‘lilac’ though I’d say it’s closer to pink than its purple cousin. It’s the same shade as the Cherry Blossoms that are blooming everywhere. I’m delighted – no more straining into a too …

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