Eoghan Harris suggests there is a dangerous moral muddle at the centre of Irish political consciousness. He chooses the recent gulf war crisis and prevailing attitudes towards unionists of people in the Republic to illustrate the point. 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
Tom Hayden argues that the promotion of British anti insurrgency tactics perfected in Northern Ireland would be disasterous if implimented in Iraq. 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
Slugger O’Toole featured in the keynote speech of top US blogger Rebecca Blood, (many thanks Rebecca) entitled Waging Peace: Using Our Powers for Good at the webtalk conference in Vienna last week. We seem to be getting most hits from this oriental (ie we can’t tell precisely which language it’s written in) weblog; though it is difficult to tell if it is for good or bad reasons. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the …
The major Unionist parties are united in welcoming a new a initiative to prevent any interface violence from taking off this summer. 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
Sinn Fein is the subject of editorial flak over their protest on Wednesday evening outside the meeting of the first District Policing Partnership in Omagh. Although the criticism has not simply come from Unionists. The nationalist vice chairman of the Policing Board Denis Bradley: It sounds to me that the protest went beyond what I would consider acceptable or reasonable. I hate intimidation of any kind and I think this society needs to move away from intimidation and that includes …
Suzanne Breen gives a feisty reposte to Martin McGuinness’s suggestion that the confidence of the Republican movement had not sustained any serious setback as a result of the Stakeknife revelations. 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
For those of you in Northern Ireland, Trevor Ringland will be talking with Jeffrey Donaldson on Hearts and Minds on BBC tonight. The streaming video should be available to the rest of us tomorrow. 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
Political editor of the Newsletter, Ciaran McKeown introduces a relatively new word – ethnocracy as opposed to democracy, at time when Northern Ireland has neither. 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
In the wake of Iris Robinson’s speech in Newtownards the other night, leading UUP member and Trimble aide, David McNarry anticipates the publication of the DUP’s forthcoming pamphlet called Towards an Agreement, could lead to a convergence of approach within Unionist politics. 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: …
Although Richard Haass warns about the dangers of a political vaccum, he confirms that the general feeling is now to leave matters where they are until September. 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
Peter Kelly reckons that people have had enough of the glass is half full explanation for the lack of political progress in Northern Ireland. Time now, he argues, for a more aggressive push to get the peace process over the finish line. 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: …
Whilst not naming any parties in particular, the Republic’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen believes the outing was an attempt to wreck the process. The FT reports that despite any damage done by the affair to Britain’s secret service, their surviellence and intelligence gathering will continue on republican dissidents and some loyalist paramilitaries. 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 …
I am surprised that Iris Robinson’s speech in Newtownards last night hasn’t hit any of the news pages. It is interesting, not because it says a lot that’s new but it may be the nearest we are likely to get to what a DUP manefesto would have been in the run up to the cancelled elections. Perhaps most importantly it lays out the parties expectations for a re-negotiated Agreement: It must be a settlement not a process By this I …
Steven King believes the recent Irish Times poll results indicate a certain amount of double think on the part of many in the Republic over recent developments in the north. 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
Brendan O’Neill’s latest Irish article at Spiked online, that at the bottom of stakeknife story is a corrosive moral confusion that cuts back on the British elite more than anyone else. Beyond the immediate focus on Northern Ireland’s ‘dirty war’, some in the British elite appear to be questioning the very drive that enabled the British authorities to contain the IRA for 25 years. With the loss of any clear sense of what the British elite represents or what it …
Good piece of writing from Sean McCann on the art of blogging. 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
Martin McGuinness gives short shrift to the suggestion that Republicanism is in crisis. 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
This may seem a slight departure, but it is likely to be true that most people in Northern Ireland who take an interest in soccer, have some kind of an allegiance to one of two teams in Glasgow. Very interesting piece on the financial crisis of Scottish football by Frank Kane and Conal Walsh in The Observer. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media …
Phillip French reviews a new biography of John Ford, which identifies his early life as part of an Irish American community in New England as having a formative influence in the perspective of his many classic films. Thus when it came to the conflict between the US cavalry and the Indians in his great postwar Westerns, Ford was on both sides. Moreover, he seemed to regard any persecuted group as honorary Irishmen, whether they were dispossessed Okies heading for California …
Newshound has the Andersonstown News interview with Freddie Scapaticci, the man at the centre of press speculation over who exactly Stakeknife is. 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
