Ireland – Page 9 – Slugger O'Toole

How Brexit changes a unionist to a united Irelander

Paul Gosling on June 21, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 13240

Brexit is making some unionists re-evaluate their allegiance to the UK – and consider support for a united Ireland, says Philip Gilliland, a commercial lawyer and former president of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve been given a gift which is called Brexit, because it’s allowed those of us who are from a Protestant background to be able to talk about the heresy of the united Ireland in a way that is not heresy,” says Philip in the latest Forward …

Public finance problems drag FG down and leave FF to contemplate how to regain the rest of its lost vote

Mick Fealty on June 20, 2019, 12:24 pm

| Readers 1446

One of the patterns in southern politics is the shift in the polling after any given election. In last Sunday’s Behaviour and Attitude poll, perhaps the local election results caused some to revise what had been a settled view. But considering the same poll a year earlier came with the following headline: “Sinn Fein surges past Fianna Fail to take second place at polls” you can see just how volatile matters are in the south.

It’s time for the wider Irish nation to be able to choose our President

David McCann on June 20, 2019, 12:22 pm

| Readers 1715

It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish nation. that is also the entitlement of all persons otherwise qualified in accordance with law to be citizens of Ireland. furthermore, the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage Article 2 of the Irish Constitution Well it looks like the …

‘Stephen Nolan needs to find the right balance – and not make angry people angrier’

Paul Gosling on June 17, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 6977

Stephen Nolan needs to find the right balance between allowing people to express their emotions, without making angry people even angrier. The plea was made in the latest Forward Together podcast by Sinn Fein MLA and former finance minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir. “In this often divided society, I think the tone and timbre of the debate has to be respectful,” says Máirtín. “We have to find ways of not feeding the ratings monster, not sectarianising a discussion, which has huge sectarian …

Donkeys led by aardvarks – having a surname start near the beginning of the alphabet is a big electoral advantage

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on June 15, 2019, 5:48 pm

| Readers 3071

In preferential voting systems, such as the electoral system for European, Assembly and Local elections in Northern Ireland, voters have to rank candidates in order of preference (1 for first preference, 2 for second, and so on). A flaw in the system is that voters frequently list their preferences from top to bottom in the order that they appear on the ballot paper, i.e. in alphabetical order of the candidate’s surname. This phenomenon is known as donkey voting. In Australia, …

‘Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past! (But we are.)’

Paul Gosling on June 14, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 1952

Northern Ireland is “a society that is still emerging from conflict”, warns Conal McFeely, chief executive of one of Northern Ireland’s largest and most successful not-for-profit businesses, the Ráth Mór Centre[i] in Derry. He was interviewed in the latest Forward Together podcast. “We must collectively not allow ourselves to make the same political mistakes – and the failure of governance – that we’ve done in the past,” Conal says, before adding “but sadly I believe that we are at the moment”. …

Push: a warning for Belfast

Sarah Creighton on June 13, 2019, 9:23 am

| Readers 3368

There’s a scene in ‘Push’ where Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha, visits the home of a woman in Chile. The house sits atop a leafy hill and has the marks of being well lived in for decades. The woman looks despondent as she shows Leilani about, pointing out the window. Behind her, you can hear the roar of building work. It’s so loud that the camera seems to shake. The source of the noise is …

An obscure sociological theory might throw some light on the realities of southern politics?

Mick Fealty on June 10, 2019, 7:21 am

| Readers 1659

If Northern Irish politics is a closed book to southerners, the reverse is also true. The lack of an ideological base to either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil leaves vulnerable to the idea that they are merely a pair of franchise, or as Mary Lou habitually puts: it a case of tweedum and tweedledee. In the Sunday Independent yesterday, Jody Corcoran came up with as good an explanation for why these two parties seem to endure despite having long since …

‘We have lost ground in the past 20 years’, claims PUP’s John Kyle

Paul Gosling on June 10, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 1896

Society in Northern Ireland has gone backwards since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, argues the former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party John Kyle, who is also a GP in Belfast. “In my view we have lost ground in the past 20 years,” he says in the latest Forward Together podcast. John believes that we need to review the progress that was achieved and consider why it has lost momentum. He suggests three factors enabled the conflict to …

Adams “A referendum without a plan is stupid”

David McCann on June 9, 2019, 9:15 pm

| Readers 3627

Something that happened towards the end of week was a blog post written by former Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams about the issue of having a plan for Irish unification. In his blog post he says; This needs planned now. Not after the referendum. That is the one big lesson of Brexit. A referendum without a plan is stupid. So a referendum on unity must be set in a thoughtful inclusive process which sets out a programme of sustainable options. …

We don’t know how Brexit is going to affect cross-border provision of health care, but one thing is certain: the current situation leaves plenty of room for improvement…

Soapbox on June 7, 2019, 12:51 pm

| Readers 1502

Paul Gosling recently posted about Professor Jim Dornan’s comments about the requirement for integrated provision of health care over the whole of Ireland. This article fills in some additional detail on hospital care, with special reference to the impact the lack of an integrated approach has had on the North West of Ireland. While there are many admirable aspects of specialist health services on both sides of the Irish border, provision of health care in general is suboptimal for people …

‘If we tell people the cost of segregation, they will support greater integration’

Paul Gosling on June 7, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 2698

If people are told the financial cost of segregation and service duplication, there will be much greater support for social integration, says community worker Maureen Hetherington. Maureen is director of The Junction community and peace-building centre in Derry-Londonderry and was interviewed in the latest ‘Forward Together’ podcast. “I have no doubt that integrated education is absolutely fundamental to getting people to know each other, to engage with each other,” stresses Maureen. “The difficulty there is that we don’t have the …

A rights based society? How the UK Home Office is plummeting us into a rights disaster

Emma DeSouza on June 4, 2019, 12:30 pm

| Readers 3293

When did it become acceptable for a government to disregard its duty of care to its citizens? When did the every day abuse of power become normal? We have a government department that is often described as being “a law unto itself” and that is tolerated. Either through apathy, ignorance or acceptance. The “hostile environment” is well publicised, the staggering incompetence documented and regularly reported on. Yet instead of reform or a roll back we are seeing an expansion of …

Could Sinn Féin’s adversity be an opportunity to rediscover the heart and soul of the Belfast Agreement?

Mick Fealty on June 3, 2019, 10:33 am

| Readers 4074

It could hardly be a more inauspicious moment to see a range of pressures conspire to force Northern Ireland’s politicians to sit at a negotiating table in order to resurrect the institutions of the Belfast Agreement (aka, the Good Friday Agreement). The preferred use of the name of a religious festival as a proxy for its official name belies the fact that the lead nationalist party has more often been in breach of that Agreement than the lead unionist party …

‘Citizens’ Assembly could help progress with health reform’, suggests Simon Hamilton

Paul Gosling on June 3, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 967

The adoption of a citizens’ assembly could assist with making progress with reform of the health service in Northern Ireland, says Simon Hamilton – a DUP MLA and former health and finance minister. He was interviewed in the latest ‘Forward Together’ podcast. Speaking about the use of citizens’ assemblies in the Republic of Ireland, Simon explains: “They shouldn’t be dismissed instantly just because you didn’t like what some other jurisdiction was doing with them.” He adds: “I know from my …

Islay: NI’s ‘Hidden’ Whisky Island Neighbour

CM Johnston on May 31, 2019, 7:00 pm

| Readers 6790

Longread What if someone told you we have a relatively untalked-of, world-renowned island destination, full of stunning views, good food and A LOT of even better drinks, a stone’s throw from NI’s shores? For our recent honeymoon, myself and the newly installed Mrs Johnston took to the globally celebrated, whisky-producing island of Islay. And if your first question is ‘where?’, you’re in for a shock. That’s because it’s just one hour from Ballycastle. One hour. Why have I called it …

‘Let’s create an all-island, integrated, health service, and let’s begin now’

Paul Gosling on May 31, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 2231

There needs to be an all-island, integrated, health service, and its creation should not be dependent upon the agreement or timing of a united Ireland, argues Professor Jim Dornan – one of the architects of existing cross-border co-operation in health services. Jim was interviewed in the latest Forward Together podcast. “In many ways Ireland is a Goldilocks sized country for health provision,” he explains. “We can cherry pick the best of health provision throughout the world and let’s introduce it …

Sinn Féin are the Greatest Advocates for a United Ireland but are they the Biggest Barrier to it?

Stephen Donnan-Dalzell on May 29, 2019, 3:29 pm

| Readers 10305

In the wake of the local and European elections, North & South of Ireland, a number of things have become clear for both Unionism and Nationalism in Northern Ireland, and significantly, questions will be asked of Sinn Féin after a hammering at the ballot box. Sinn Féin have been the most vocal and vociferous advocates for a United Ireland, since their inception. It is their raison d’être and has dictated everything for them from policy to electoral strategy to fundraising …

An Ode To The Tallymen

Niall Kelly on May 28, 2019, 11:52 am

| Readers 909

For many people involved in election campaigns, come 10pm on polling day the work is done; the voters have had their say and the result is in the lap of the gods. After a long day of standing outside polling stations, trying to influence every voter entering, comes the even longer day (or days) that is the count. Many candidates don’t know what to do with themselves on the day of the count; famously former Irish Labour leader Ruairi Quinn …

“Justice for victims is giving them a society that works”

Paul Gosling on May 27, 2019, 7:00 am

| Readers 487

Justice for victims is achieved by “giving them a society that works”, says Fergus O’Dowd TD of Fine Gael. He is a member of the Oireachtas Good Friday Implementation Committee and was appointed earlier this year by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to lead a new Fine Gael group to develop links with Northern Ireland. He is interviewed in the latest Forward Together podcast. Discussing how to deal with events of the past, Fergus stresses that victims and their relatives must be …