According to the Sunday Life, the term used by SDLP insiders for its strategy going into the November elections is the Stalingrad strategy. Precidents are not good. 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
Fascinating weekend. Every columnist seems to read last week’s debacle differently. A result of a culture of silence on the matter from all players conerned, rather than first hand knowledge. One of the rarer analyses is one Harry Browne’s Counterpunch, which puts David Trimble as architect of a cunning trap laid by Trimble for the IRA. However the argument seem to be at its weakest here: Nationalist voters are likely to endorse Sinn Fein as their favoured representative, but it …
For Tom Luby in The Blanket, the blame lies with General John de Chastellain, and a last minute feint from the IRA to keep internal dissent to a minimum. He argues that the General was not officially bound by any statutary obligations, but kept quiet at his own discretion. Having created expectations of a �transparent� act of decommissioning, one in which sufficient detail would be given to convince his most doubting supporters, the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble felt obliged …
Paul Dunne at the Shamrockshire Eagle makes a brave attempt at trying to make sense of last week’s events. Not easy when, most of the players are following the old Ulster rule: Whatever you say, say nothing. 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
Alex Kane argues that transparency was needed to bring the two sides on to a level playing pitch. He also believes that the reluctance of the IRA to disclose the extent of of its decommissioning of arms, may be to do with anembarassment over the extent to which the Belfast Agreement is effectively an internal agreement that keeps Northern Ireland within the UK. By Alex. Kane Last Sunday morning I spent about an hour with Sinn Fein chairman, Mitchel McLaughlin, …
The Sunday Independent carries two stories by two women whose judgement can on occasions be clouded by a visceral dislike for Sinn Fein and the IRA, give perhaps the sharpest and most interesting reading of last week’s events. Ruth Dudley Edwards, asks why the IRA seems to have plumped for another lengthy period of direct rule, whilst Eilish O’Hanlon concludes that last week’s comedy of errors resulted from Tony Blair taking his eye off the details. Mick FealtyMick is founding …
Irish government attacked for adjourning its parliament at a crucial time in the peace process, just four weeks after their summer recess ended. Frankly, I’m not sure what role they think they play, given Bertie’s general silence at his pressers with Tony Blair (which he of course makes up for the next day).. 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 …
Dropping in on the same betting forum we did the other day, we come up with a number of interesting epithets on the Northern Ireland process: Pull out of Northern Ireland, save all the money the British taxpayers are ploughing in and spend it on the Health Service, Roads and Education in Britain. They want withdrawl – we want withdrawl. Let’s see how the Irish cope without OUR money! what’s happening today is better than what was happening in the …
Davy Adams gives his view of what went wrong earlier this week in today’s Irish Times. He believes the only chance the UUP has of a flying start to the election, is for the IRA to release the General from his confidentiality agreement. By Davy Adams The IRA had invoked the decommissioning confidentiality rule and, in so doing, had brought about the demise of this latest initiative. It had just ground to an inglorious halt before our eyes. Everyone clearly …
The BBC has a very interesting interview with John Paul Lederach, an expert with experiences of other peace processes all over the world. He argues that in viewing the Northern Ireland situation through a long term lens, he can only come to the conclusion that it is on a one way road to peace. It’s worth comparing his approach with that outlined by Vicky Collis here on Monday. “My job was to engage in longer term bottom-up grassroots work. You …
The latest rumour doing the rounds is that the IRA has decommissioned up to 70% of its arsenal. If this proves to be reliable, it is as substantial as de Chastelain hinted yesterday. It also explains David Trimble’s apparent confidence before Tuesday that he could sell it to his party, especially if it could be presented within the context of Tony Blair’s acts of completion. It would also afford Republicans enough to prove their bona fides to some of the …
As if to underline the fact that there is little else happening today, the first five stories on Newshound today relate to Blair and Ahern’s efforts to try and get the details on the IRA’s recent decommissioning act into the public domain. 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: …
Tony Blair official spokesman’s remarks on the debacle of Tuesday appeared on the No 10 website yesterday: We found ourselves in a slightly absurd position at the moment because we knew that yesterday’s act of decommissioning by the IRA was a significant one, but we had yet to be able to use a form of words to convey that sense to lay people. Essentially, that was the conundrum which we had to cut through. A case of knowledge that is …
The Ulster Decides blog is convinced that the two governments cannot have any information concerning de-commissioning, because the de-commissioning in question is still in progress. Update: here’s the DUP story on de Chatellaine’s threat to quit if confidentiality is not respected. Watch this space for more on this story. 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 …
There are lots of things that may be unravelled about Tuesday’s misfire. However, Chris Thornton’s been investigating why the ball may have slipped between the two governments and de Chastellain. 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
Jon Scott appears to be an Ulsterman who has joined the Dodgeblogium weblog. He blogged Tuesday’s breakdown which has given rise to a short discussion on why Northern Ireland is different. 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
IF 70 percent of the IRA’s arsenal has been put beyond use, could the public not be told if there was a reciprocal gesture from the British? If the Government could commit itself to an act of normalisation much more quickly (like, now) than the current two-year timeframe, what possible reason would then exist for the IRA to keep the inventory under wraps? Wouldn’t everyone have something to gain, just before this election? Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. …
If you haven’t got too much of a political hangover after the past few days, Tony Blair is currently giving his monthly press briefing – and he’s bound to be questioned on NI. It’s set to run until about 12-1230 UK time, so you may want to get to a TV (or try one of the big news websites for video) Update : It’s all over, little new said – Tony’s expalnation for the last few days is that people …
So, if anyone wants to pore over the details of Tuesday’s shenanigans, the BBC have pulled together video of all the key speeches (real media). 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 Irish Independent sums up David Trimble’s position, and decides that the former first minister faces a lonely five weeks. Or as the Guardian sees it, Trimble ‘blows it’, by proving the UUP is “a pale imitation of the DUP”. 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
