Media – Page 15 – Slugger O'Toole

Is no DUP in the TV debates good for Northern Ireland’s image?

Brian Walker on February 1, 2015, 7:51 pm

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If I understand him rightly, Newton Emerson in the Sunday Times (£) regrets the absence (subject to expensive legal action if it happens, which I doubt) of the Northern Ireland parties from the UK national TV election debates – if they finally happen. What Newton regrets tongue in cheek is the absence of a national airing of all sorts of vigorous DUP opinions of the subjects of race, immigration, private lives, confessional beliefs etc that put UKIP in the shade. Who …

Bloody Sunday Memorial Row: “This is nothing to do with politics whatsoever…”

Pete Baker on January 31, 2015, 8:02 pm

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A row has broken out in Londonderry over the design of a new Bloody Sunday memorial window in the Guildhall. The window was commissioned, at a maximum cost of £17,000, in May 2014 to replace the previous memorial window, which was installed in 1986, following complaints from some of the families of the Bloody Sunday victims. A spokesperson for Derry City Council said they had listened carefully to the views of the Bloody Sunday families. “To this end Derry City Council …

“Sunday’s election could be a significant day for Europe…”

Pete Baker on January 24, 2015, 5:20 pm

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The campaign may have resembled a “political circus”, but Sunday’s general election in Greece could see the leftist Syriza, led by former communist Alexis Tsipras, emerge as the leading party – but in search of a partner-in-government [We’ve been there before! – Ed]. Indeed. Although, they could still achieve a majority… In the meantime, the Irish Times highlights a report from Standard & Poor, “European Sovereign Creditworthiness Might Diminish If Eurosceptics Take Power”. From the Irish Times report In a report assessing the rise …

Are the Media just leading us further into the dark over Stormont’s finances?

Ian Parsley on January 21, 2015, 2:22 pm

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Hugh McCloy, a contributor to this site, made the point after the Finance Minister’s Statement on Monday that there needs to be increasing public interest in what the Executive is doing with our money – and, note well, it is our money! Again, however, we face the problem that our Mainstream Media are the best in the world at reporting events (including reporting atrocities from an impartial and sympathetic standpoint), but still have not adapted to the need to analyse …

Je Suis Charlie

Pete Baker on January 7, 2015, 5:18 pm

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Via the BBC coverage of the attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in which 12 people were killed, an eloquent cartoon from the New Yorker. Pete Baker

“The brinkmanship that seems inescapable on such occasions has become self-indulgent and self-important too”

Pete Baker on December 31, 2014, 3:57 pm

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The Guardian’s editorial on the Stormont House Agreement has some pertinent things to note about Northern Ireland’s latest deal. Although, if, as they claim, “the glass is half-full” it is also, by definition, half-empty. From the Guardian editorial The talks came very close, after 11 weeks of discussion, to falling apart, as earlier efforts under the chairmanship of Richard Haass had in fact done. It is good that the same did not happen this time. Yet there is precious little else …

Wuz Rory really robbed of glory?

Brian Walker on December 15, 2014, 3:45 pm

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Just like the politicians, outrage seems to be the default position if we don’t get our way, this time over sporting prizes, judging from the Belfast Telegraph’s reaction to Rory McIroy, the bookie’s favourite, pipped by Lewis Hamilton for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Angry Northern Ireland sports fans last night slammed the shock result which saw World Number One golfer Rory McIlroy sensationally beaten by Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton to the title of the BBC Sports Personality …

Is the arrival of Cameron and Kenny more than part of a tired old ritual?

Brian Walker on December 11, 2014, 11:21 am

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The credibility and effectiveness of the devolved institutions is on the line, writes David Cameron. Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy warned if a deal isn’t done then the Northern Executive will “crash”. “The implications are that the Executive can’t continue to function. You go into a crash and you go back to an election and let the public decide how the issues are resolved, Peter Robinson said last week. SDLP negotiator Alban Maginness, reflecting some expectations of a limited deal, …

“…why else would MLA’s fail to protest when their office expenses are taken from them?”

Pete Baker on December 1, 2014, 5:18 pm

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As the Irish Times reports Former Minister of State, Ned O’Keeffe has been fined €3,500 and given a suspended seven month jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to five counts of submitting false invoices to claim over €3,700 in mobile phone expenses. O’Keeffe of Ballylough, Mitchelstown, Co Cork was arrested by gardaí this morning and brought before Cork District Court where he was charged with five offences contrary to Section 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act. …

“that’s the trojan horse of the entire republican strategy…”

Pete Baker on November 25, 2014, 8:07 pm

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From his reported comments, it would appear that Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, the Northern Ireland Education Minister, has, at best, a flawed “understanding” of his party president’s comments last night – and, hence, a flawed “understanding” of his party’s entire strategy. From the UTV report Mr O’Dowd added that his understanding of Mr Adam’s ‘Trojan horse’ comment was that it was about overcoming bigotry, sectarianism and homophobia. He added: “There are very well fortified positions which people are protecting against …

Gerry Adams: “There is a clear need for more innovative and forward-looking politics…”

Pete Baker on November 23, 2014, 5:41 pm

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By which, the passive-aggressive Sinn Féin president actually means, the SDLP must join Sinn Féin in a sectarian electoral pact in “the next Westminster and Assembly elections”, and the year after that, and the year after that… because… themmuns! To paraphrase, if Sinn Féin can get away with treating all future Northern Ireland elections as a glorified pissing contest pseudo-referendum on ‘Irish Unity’, then we won’t be caught out distracted by actual politics in the north and we can focus all of our efforts and resources …

“vices and follies of the powerful are much less despised than the poverty and weakness of the innocent.”

Mick Fealty on November 19, 2014, 4:18 pm

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This is soooo good, I’m just going to post a big chunk of it below. It’s Chris Dillow nailing a key problem with the UK media’s obsession with bringing celebrity to the big politics table… He cites an experiment (pdf) by James Andreoni and Justin Rao involving a constructed roleplay scenario involving a ‘dictator’: There are two things going on here. One is that if someone communicates with us, we tend to become more sympathetic towards them – even if …

Rosetta: “We’ll need some luck not to land on a boulder or a steep slope.”

Pete Baker on November 12, 2014, 2:51 pm

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[Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA] The ESA Rosetta probe has been on a long journey – spotted en route briefly on Slugger in 2008, and more leisurely in 2010 as it took time out from its mission to the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to take a look at the asteroid Lutetia. Ten years after launch, it’s now orbiting its designated target, and the lander, Philae, is descending. However, there has been a hiccup… During checks on the lander’s health, it was discovered that the active …

“Are you going to pay your water charges, Gerry?” – Redux

Pete Baker on November 3, 2014, 10:10 pm

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The Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, TD, would like to change his previous answer to the question. Again. Here’s his new new position on water charges “Sinn Féin is standing firmly with those families and hard pressed citizens who very simply cannot pay the Government’s water tax. As a mark of solidarity, I have decided that I will not pay this Government’s Water Tax. [added emphasis] To be fair, up until a month ago the Louth TD didn’t realise he would have …

The Taoiseach: “I will ask them the question that the Deputy will not answer.”

Pete Baker on November 1, 2014, 7:54 pm

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There was a clear attempt at political revisionism this week, as the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, TD, sought to, as Anthony McIntyre put it, “claw back lost ground” following an “unprecedented” Leaders’ questions in the Dáil on Wednesday 22 Oct – aided and abetted by interventions from the legal representative of four of those accused, and acquitted, in the Maíria Cahill case. [added in-line link] This is the position the Sinn Fein president attempted to end the week with “I further understand that Peter …

Sinn Féin’s Peadar Tóibín: “I have no doubt that in the IRA modus operandi of the time that people were moved…”

Pete Baker on October 24, 2014, 5:25 pm

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With the out-going MP for Newry and Armagh, Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy, declaring his ignorance of alleged abusers in the republican movement being moved out of Northern Ireland – BBC report “I’ve never heard that in all my life as a republican,” [Conor Murphy] said. …it’s worth extracting from the Fireman’s post some quotes from the interview on Newstalk Breakfast with Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín – who, according to the SF website, is a “current member of the Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle.” Here’s …

“Adams’s claim… is worthy of the most cynical bishop”

Pete Baker on October 21, 2014, 4:20 pm

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From today’s editorial in the Irish Times Adams’s claim that there was “absolutely no cover up by Sinn Féin at any level”, is worthy of the most cynical bishop. It appears to be based on the fact that the IRA came to accept that she had indeed been abused. But its response was not to assist in bringing the culprit to some external forum of justice, or to counsel and assist the victim, but to offer to shoot him. That …

“Are you going to pay your water charges, Gerry?”

Pete Baker on October 10, 2014, 5:37 pm

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To pay or not to pay water charges was the question of the week for the southern wing of Sinn Féin. In the north, things are completely different… Under pressure from former MEP Paul Murphy of the Anti-Austerity Alliance, the party’s candidate in today’s by-election in Dublin South West, Cllr Cathal King, had majored heavily on his opposition to the charges during the campaign – telling potential voters that he won’t pay, and would fight his bill in the courts. His party …

Kicking the [financial] can down the road, again.

Pete Baker on October 9, 2014, 2:40 pm

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According to the BBC’s Mark Devenport, The Treasury has been asked to supply Stormont with a one-off loan of between £100m and £150m to ease its budgetary crisis, the BBC understands. According to the reports, the proposal was discussed with the UK Treasury by the NI First Minister, the DUP leader Peter Robinson, and the NI Finance Minister, the DUP’s Simon Hamilton. Whether that occurred before, or after, yesterday’s ‘special’ meeting of the NI Executive isn’t entirely clear. From the …

Slugger makes Ireland’s Twitter #Power100…

Mick Fealty on October 1, 2014, 2:58 pm

| Readers 117

Okay, nice to get some recognition, even if we are a long long way behind David McWilliams, Matt Cooper, P.ie and the boul’ Gerry Adams…But we did just pip Declan Ganley, Micheal Martin and Fiach Kelly… The matrix is built around influence in the Republic rather than in Northern Ireland, so 44th is not too shabby for a humble Nordie blog… My own account came in a bit further down at 60, just behind journalists Orla Tinsley and Pat Leahy …