Culture – Page 9 – Slugger O'Toole

A brave new orthodoxy. Whatever you say, say nothing.

Brian Walker on September 7, 2013, 12:22 am

| Readers 49

Eamonn McCann’s class war may be a touch whiskery these days but it still helps him punch a big hole in one of our brave new orthodoxies. A little while ago, a friend attended a session of non-sectarian training sponsored by her employer. Each must respect the “culture” of the other side, it was explained. For example, the Orange Order was an expression of the identity of the Protestant community: to disrespect the order was to disrespect Protestants. My friend …

Seamus Heaney: “But what about the river in the trees, boy?”

Pete Baker on August 30, 2013, 2:27 pm

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Seamus Heaney has died at the age of 74. The Slugger archive has a number of Heaney-related posts, although some links may be defunct. Among them one of my earliest posts noting Heaney writing on his fellow poet Czeslaw Milosz. More here, here, here, here, and here. And here’s a great montage of BBC archive clips from 2009 of “Digging”. [Photo credit: Felix Clay] [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIzJgbNANzk?hl=en_GB&version=3&w=560&h=420] And a quote noted back in 2006. Sitting comfortably at last in the country-like kitchen of …

The Maze is part of a shared past

Brian Walker on August 24, 2013, 12:41 am

| Readers 53

Malachi O’Doherty is magnificently right. The best result for the Maze project would have been/ still should be to provide an unsparing and comprehensive account of the Troubles, murders, conspiracies and weasel politics, including the narratives without which it is a meaningless recitation of horror. Conflict resolution could come in the last gallery just before the shop. What a powerful statement it would be coming from the post-Agreement generation of parties and what avenues it would open for collective cognitive therapy. …

“À la Bastille!” Again!

Pete Baker on July 14, 2013, 3:59 pm

| Readers 68

Once again, with apologies to Pierre Ranger… [It’s a tradition, we know… – Ed] Indeed! Play La Marseillaise! Pete Baker

“You can’t put people in one of two boxes, it is much more complex now”

Pete Baker on July 13, 2013, 9:59 pm

| Readers 60

In the Irish Times Gerry Moriarty talks to five northern “unicorns” – Catholics who believe Northern Ireland is better off in the UK “for economic and cultural reasons”. From the Irish Times article If five people from a Catholic background, two of them from nationalist west Belfast – Goss and McKenzie – are so readily prepared to declare their allegiances, there must be more. These people are far removed from the current tensions over yesterday’s Twelfth parades. They have no emotional …

“The Commission has heard the decision of the judge late this evening and cannot agree with his view…”

Pete Baker on July 12, 2013, 12:35 pm

| Readers 62

We’ll have to wait to see the detail. But, in the meantime, the News Letter has the he said/she said response to a High Court ruling overturning a Parades Commission determination in Castlederg. From the News Letter report A spokesman for the band, which was supported by TUV leader Jim Allister, said the case was won through a resident who protested that he was being denied the right to see the parade. “The commission could not explain their position,” he said. “They …

Military covenant: “I may need your help publicly on this…”

Pete Baker on July 2, 2013, 7:39 pm

| Readers 90

For the second year in a row, an Irish Government Minister has taken part in the Battle of the Somme commemoration at Belfast City Hall – this time it was the turn of Labour TD, Joe Costello. Also present were the Northern Ireland First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, and representatives from the Ulster Unionists, the Alliance Party and the SDLP. The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Féin’s Máirtín Ó’Muilleoir, has continued his party’s boycott of the official ceremony. [Are you serious?! – Ed] As the …

UK City of Culture is a success but what does “success” mean? Greater transparency is needed

Brian Walker on June 22, 2013, 2:18 pm

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What is UK City of Culture delivering for Londonderry and Derry for the rest of us? My fitful browsing and searches in journalism and the written public record doesn’t tell us much. No doubt there’s a buzz about the place with the opening of Ebrington Square and the Peace Bridge. You only need the evidence of your own eyes to see that tourism has become a major – the major? – source of investment. They are squeezing every last ounce of value …

“Drowning in the last hours of the day…”

Pete Baker on June 17, 2013, 2:48 pm

| Readers 46

Somewhat belatedly, here’s the annual excellent Bloomsday video. It’s tradition! Those of a sensitive disposition are duly warned, again, that James Joyce enjoys the language in all its fecund nuttiness. Enjoy! Pete Baker

UK City of Culture rocks for Radio 1 Big Weekend

Brian Walker on May 25, 2013, 7:09 pm

| Readers 18

I’ve just been watching the video stream of Day Two of the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Derry for a few hours, on and off. (I fess up. My daughter is an executive producer of the event. For variety during the cultural initiation I opened up other windows to sound off in Slugger about political reform; that explains it ). That said the event won me over. It looks great, terrifically well staged, well filmed, good sound and really charged on video stream. …

Giant’s Causeway dispute heightens

Brian Walker on May 24, 2013, 6:40 pm

| Readers 113

The plot thickens over the controversial plan to build a golf course and hotel complex at Runkerry just outside the perimeter of the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage site. Now UNESCO which awards this designation is weighing in behind the National Trust to try to stop it. From memory this is land the behind the lovely beach that stretches from just outside Portballintrae beginning at the brackish outflow of the river Bush. Would the beach be closed off too I wonder? …

Exploit Building a United Community to call the Executive to account, not to let them off the hook

Brian Walker on May 23, 2013, 8:22 pm

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Statement by the First and deputy First Minister “As our first move in implementing our new strategy “Together: building a United Community “ we are delivering a political bombshell. We solemnly declare that, following the precedent set by the former IRA which made stable power sharing possible, we intend as soon as possible to dismantle our respective parties, the DUP and Sinn Fein. We call on the other parties to do the same and join us in forming new centre …

Azerbaijan Presidential Inquiry over Eurovision Vote

Pete Baker on May 20, 2013, 11:12 pm

| Readers 58

Denmark may have won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, due to last year’s winner, held in Malmö, Sweden, but Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev is reported to have ordered an inquiry into why his country, apparently, failed to provide any points to their neighbour, Russia. Russia gave maximum points, 12, to the Azerbaijan entry. From the BBC report Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, disclosed that President Aliyev had ordered an investigation and votes were being recounted. He said that a …

“…the only thing that’s real…”

Pete Baker on May 20, 2013, 12:16 am

| Readers 42

Apropos of nothing… Pete Baker

Drama shows best how much Northern Ireland has changed

Brian Walker on May 15, 2013, 3:00 pm

| Readers 68

The distinguished Arts commentator Mark Lawson has an interesting blog post in the Guardian pegged to the new BBC2 thriller series “The Fall,” set in Belfast and launched on Monday night. He uses it to discuss the impact of “British ” in the BBC. He rightly observes the big change, that it’s now Scotland with its independence debate where the “British” in” BBC” expresses more of an issue than it does in today’s Northern Ireland. However I think he gets “The Fall” slightly wrong, although the headline …

Celebrated in London, Sam Thompson’s “Over the Bridge” is as powerful today as ever

Brian Walker on May 7, 2013, 7:18 pm

| Readers 139

Last Sunday the great James Ellis, still rockin’ at 82, poet, translator and household name in the 1960s and 70s as Bert Lynch in the gritty TV cops series Z Cars, saluted the cast of the London revival of the late Sam Thompson’s prophetic shipyard play Over the Bridge, just after the performance . Jimmy had special cause to salute and be saluted. He was the play’s first director in the Belfast of 1961 and thereby hangs a tale I’ll come to shortly. …

“Win a weekend break for two in Londonderry”

Brian Walker on May 4, 2013, 11:18 am

| Readers 38

Hi yous’uns, just marvel at this Daily Telegraph headline as it echoes round your brain Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London

Gotye: Autonomous artist meets autonomous audience…

Mick Fealty on April 3, 2013, 8:52 am

| Readers 42

What a great way to demonstrate what’s happening in this new digital world. It’s a Wired talk by Gotye (he’s Belgian Australian, so its not pronounced the way you’d think). It’s peppered with great music inspired by his own internet hit Somebody That I Used to Know: What got to him first of all was the way it inspired so many (over 350) covers and parodies: And this guy was an internet star in his own right, before doing his …

Parliamentary Written Answer of the Week…

Pete Baker on March 27, 2013, 4:04 pm

| Readers 54

They don’t have to be dull. As demonstrated yesterday by the clearly well-read Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government, Conservative MP, Brandon Lewis. Here’s the nominated written question and answer Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has any plans to deregulate the publication of planning permission applications in local newspapers. [149335] Brandon Lewis [holding answer 21 March 2013]: Ministers have been clear that, in an internet age, …

Shane Allen, Belfast’s latest TV mogul. Creative power house or an accident waiting to happen?

Brian Walker on March 25, 2013, 10:21 am

| Readers 210

We always like to know aboout people from the old place who’ve made it, don’t we? Shane Allen is one the most influential people who comes from Northern Ireland. What is he? A politician on the rise (hah!) A journalist/writer (hah again)? A business mogul , a poet? Nope. He’s the BBC’s head of comedy commissioning and so a guy who has the power to shape popular taste. Don’t know him at all but he sounds as edgy as some of the …