british

Emma De Souza: a solution?

Sarah Creighton on April 29, 2020, 9:54 am | Readers 3728

As we drift through another week in lockdown, it’s hard to believe that there’s anything else to discuss apart from Coronavirus. Thankfully, Northern Ireland’s unique brand of identity politics stops for no pandemic. Cast your mind back to last year and the case of Emma De Souza. I wrote about it here. Mrs De Souza’s case concerns Article 1(vi) of the British-Irish Agreement. That section states that the two governments recognise the right of: ‘…..the people of Northern Ireland to …

Emma DeSouza: None of us benefit from the Home Office’s position

Sarah Creighton on April 5, 2019, 6:23 pm | Readers 6782

In 2015, Emma DeSouza married her American husband, Jake, in a ceremony in Belfast. Later that year, the couple applied for an EEA residence card. Their application relied on the 2006 EEA Regulations and was grounded in Mrs DeSouza’s Irish citizenship. In September 2016, to the couple’s surprise, their application was declined. In giving its reasons for refusing Mr DeSouza’s residence card, the Home Office referred to Mrs DeSouza’s citizenship. She was born in Northern Ireland and, in the Home …

And man created the nation in his own image

Andrew Gallagher on February 23, 2018, 6:44 pm | Readers 2083

When we say we belong to a particular ethnicity or nationality, we are implicitly saying that we share traits in common with the other members of this group. Or are we saying that the other members of this group share traits in common with us? There is a subtle but important distinction. In the popular imagination, the formation of an ethnic or national identity is an objective process whereby the members of the group find commonalities amongst themselves and thereby …

Blind spots in cultural terminology

Andrew Gallagher on February 16, 2018, 6:46 pm | Readers 3747

One long-standing problem in Northern Ireland is the fact that many things have multiple names, the choice of which can be both revealing and controversial. Derry/Londonderry is the most well-known example, and the name of Northern Ireland itself (or the avoidance of it) can also cause friction. However, such problems can be glossed over by simply ignoring the speaker’s choice of terminology, as it does not introduce ambiguity into the discussion. Less obvious are those things that do not have …

British Irishman, not a Black and Tan

Brian Spencer on August 22, 2016, 11:28 am | Readers 3508

In the Ireland of 2016 the British community (Protestant and unionists) still carry the curse of plantation, Cromwell, the famine, the Black and Tans and one-party rule Stormont. (Read ‘Being a planter‘ here.) The Protestant and unionists are the villains, by birth levied and vilified with historical wrong. Catholic is Erin and virtue, Protestant is Saxon and guilt. When Americans think of Britain they think of Monty Python or Downton Abbey. When the French think of Britain they think of …

Aaron & Brian’s Sunday View: the Census

Aaron&Brian on December 16, 2012, 5:50 pm | Readers 89

The Irish Times led with, ‘There are just 54,000 more people from a Protestant background than from a Catholic one in Northern Ireland’. The headline figure, that most papers and the media noticed, was that the gap between Protestants and Catholics had narrowed to 3 per cent in the recent statistics released from the 2011 census. Bringing together the information on Religion and Religion Brought up in, 45 per cent of the population were either Catholic or brought up …

At least 45 Labour MP/MEPs don’t seem to understand electoral systems

Blank on September 25, 2010, 9:01 pm | Readers 7

Pete has an entry covering the outcome of the British Labour party leadership election result but I’m fascinated by senior members of that party who voted but decided to limit the full potential of their ballot. 45 Labour MP/MEPs declined to use their transferable vote option, many others didn’t use it in full. That may indicate absolute commitment to their preferred candidate, it also seems to indicate an element of political naivety. Those of us with an interest in Irish …

Will anyone here object….

Blank on June 25, 2010, 11:55 am | Readers 31

With continuing speculation on a visit by the British Queen to Ireland one person is ahead of the game. Danny Morrison has been talking to the BBC about struggling through the crowds at Glastonbury and being rewarded with a courteous chat from Prince Charles. When we got up it was Prince Charles… He was the only person out of quarter of a million wearing a shirt and tie. He asked myself and my brother Ciaran did we actually camp out …