Andy McGivern’s attempt to get the British Labour party to organise in Northern Ireland is to be voted upon today at the party’s national conference in Bournemouth. As we understand it, he needs a 2/3 majority to back him. It is understood, that even with his own union’s backing, it is still too close to call. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and …
Fintan O’Toole, on his day, is one of Ireland’s sharpest social commentators observes (subs needed) that in the space of a generation the country has moved from more or less religious conformity towards the rule of the Catholic Church, to becoming somehting of a minority interest. Something extraordinary yet not at all unexpected happened last week. For the first time, a detailed and respectable opinion survey showed that practising Catholics are now a minority in the Republic of Ireland. The …
Before we leave the All Ireland championship, a few appropriate remarks from the leader column of the Irish Times on why Sunday was special: It was the first final contested by two teams from the same province; and, in spite of some dire and groundless predictions, the supporters of Tyrone and Armagh behaved with exemplary neighbourliness and good humour, mingling companionably before and after the game and joining in a “Mexican wave” at half-time. It was the day when Tyrone’s …
Mark McGregor writes with his unofficial view of the recently released from the Northern Ireland Office of policing statistics under the provisions of the Terrorism Act. He perhaps provides a hint as to why so many Republicans are sceptical about any IRA move that would provide Tony Blair with a unilateral Act of Completion. By Mark McGregor The NI statistics on the operation of the Terrorism Act 2000 : Annual Statistics 2002 were released this week, as with these reports …
Gerry Adams provides the most comprehensive insight into current Republican thinking re the health of the peace process in his Sunday Business Post with Pat Leahy. The outstanding issues from his point of view are: TextPolicing is do-able in the short term because it has been reduced to a number of issues, including the need to transfer power on policing and justice back to a Northern administration. The Human Rights Commission is an absolute mess. There’s no confidence in the …
Sean O’Callaghan is not much liked within the Republican movement, and as is probably obvious from this piece, the feeling is mutual. However, in yesterday’s Observer he argues that Unionist efforts at excluding Sinn Fein are misguided. Instead, he argues, all parties should rise to the democratic challenge Sinn Fein’s electoral success at the ballot box poses for them. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the …
Excellent review of Roy Foster’s magnum opus on the life of WB Yeats, from Bernard O’Donoghue. The first part was published in 1997 to pretty much universal praise. The review opens with TS Eliot’s line that Yeats and his time could be read almost synonymously. O’Donoghue picks up on the irony of Yeats as an protestant Irish nationalist who lived at odds with the wider reality of his time. A paradox perhaps best captured in that unforgettable line from Easter …
With something of a lull in the internal wranglings of the UUP, Alex Kane is free this week to turn his attention to his party’s younger and argubly more ambitious rivals in the DUP. He asks whether there has been a transformation in the party’s internal outlook, or would failure to gain it’s electoral targets, leave its newly ‘liberal’ leadership vulnerable to old party habits. By Alex. Kane In the pioneer days of the old Wild West, the annual highlight …
RTE reception was not great for yesterday’s all Ireland final, so I was reduced to listening to the BBC’s television coverage over the phone for the final stages of the epic, defensive battle between Tyrone and Armagh. Tyrone’s win means that only Antrim, Fermanagh and Monaghan of the historic nine counties of Ulster have not yet won an All Ireland. Consider that at the beginning of the 90’s only Down and Cavan had ever had achieved that honour, and you …
After a prolonged period of travel, negotiations and internal campaigning David Trimble is beginning to sound as though he may have some kind of deal in his back pocket. The wording of he wants from Sinn Fein is particularly careful, “…is not a mere gesture towards decommissioning, but decisive action in a context where we can see an end point.” Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and …
Thanks for the links from Kevin Drum, Israpundit, French photoblog liens and ahem, Serialdeviant, who has given us pride of place as aortal website of the week. Update: There’s even mention of Slugger at the excellent Peyps’ diary blog. Thanks Glyn! 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
John Fay has picked up an article from last week’s Sunday Independent by Ruth Dudley Edwards outlining her view of the recent threats of from the Real IRA on Catholic members of the District Policing Partnerships. She argues that whatever the nature of the internal argument, the state cannot afford to leave the nationalist community to settle its own scores. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and …
The Guardian today has published an extract from Gerry Adams latest book, Hope and History. It’s a very personal account of the period of the intense talks in and around Stormont which led up the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998. 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: …
John Crowley in this week’s edition of the Irish Post has reviewed (subs needed) Richard Bourke’s Peace in Ireland. On the face of it, Bourke takes a long term and ultimately pragmatic view of the road towards the peace process. Of the change in mainstream Republican strategy he is blunt: In the end the Republicans were defeated by the South. What people may have thought as bellicose, anti-Unionist was replaced with rapprochement with Britain. That �abandonment� came about through the …
Slugger reader Paul Fitzsimons remarked earlier today that reading the tea leaves in Northern Ireland is more of an imprecise art rather than science. Alex Kane observes the large scale practice of that particular art on last night’s Hearts and Minds. On the programme itself Noel Thompson tries to put the DUP’s Peter Robinson on the spot over what it’s next move will be. Interesting discussion with Feeney, Rowan and Martina Purdy. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He …
The certainities of the old left right politics have never been mainstream in Northern Ireland’s politics, but they’ve often provided a background marker particularly within nationalist working class areas. Playwright Martin Lynch’s early work was heavily influence by his own life experience in such circumstances. However, according to Newton Emerson, his latest play takes socialist polemic one step too far. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and …
Nigel Dodds continues his public discussion with the SDLP’s former Minister of Finance Sean Farren, exclusively here on Slugger O’Toole. He argues that what the post election review is called (review or his own party’s preference re-negotiation) is irrelevant, what is important is that the scope is broad enough to address the concerns of his Unionist constituency. Nigel Dodds replies to Sean Farren Sean Farren�s answers to the three questions I posed last month represents progress. When one cuts through …
The FT’s John Murray Brown has returned to post, with a hint from Paul Murphy that elections could be in the offing. However, he finishes with a couple of interesting thoughts on how a further postponement, of the type speculated upon by Steven King last week, might play with the two main nationalist parties. This would have two disadvantages for Sinn F�in. First, it would tie up its electoral resources in Northern Ireland at a time when European and local …
Love him or loath him, you cannot ignore him. Brian Feeney’s long term observation of Ulster politics has a distinctly naturalist feel this week. In between street level stories, minor politicians are vying feverishly for space to get their messages, and their faces, onto the television screen before the campaigning rules kick-in and each sound bite’s measured for balance. People you haven�t clapped eyes on since 1998 will materialise on your doorstep and promise the moon and the stars or …
We’ve finally managed to track down that SDLP dossier that was temporarily unvailable earlier in the week. 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
