Republic – Page 49 – Slugger O'Toole

Economic tragedy is London GAA’s gain…

Mick Fealty on March 21, 2009, 4:31 pm

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http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0321/1224243190799.htmlAccording to the Irish Times: GAA clubs across London, some of which were struggling to field teams in recent years, are reporting a major surge in the numbers of young Irish men and women joining. National insurance figures compiled by UK authorities indicate that thousands of Irish-born people have registered to work in recent months. And, for the first time in years, support groups such as the London-Irish Centre in Camden are being contacted by young economic migrants in need …

Ireland’s special relationship falling into disuse..?

Mick Fealty on March 18, 2009, 3:02 am

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A couple of years ago, I floated a few ideas about what Ireland might do with the considerable social capital it had built up through the years of our ubiquitous Peace Process™. Whatever the practicality of the Green focus of the argument there, the idea was, at base, about getting one of the smartest arms of government (the department of Foreign Affairs) to think smartly about how it might engage the interests of larger world players in an increasingly multilateral …

Leviathan: Leadership in the Modern World…

Mick Fealty on March 16, 2009, 11:32 pm

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Leviathan Live As luck would have it, I’ll be in Dublin on Wednesday night, where Leviathan is asking what is leadership in the Modern World? Wireless permitting, I’ll be live blogging from there, hopefully with video interviews available afterwards. If you want to catch the blog as it happens, sign up for a reminder above… If you’re going along let me know… If neither, let us know what you think leadership in this chaotic modern world entails… Details of the …

“in light of the business I was in it was not unusual for me..”

Pete Baker on March 14, 2009, 3:13 am

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As I said previously, “There’s still some way to go in the trial of Ted Cunningham on charges of laundering money from the Northern Bank robbery”. But he has been giving evidence today about his claim that “two men drove from England in a four-wheel drive to deliver the €800,000 to the churchyard 100 yards from his home in October 2004.” Which would have been before the Northern Bank robbery.. From the iol report. Tom O’Connell, prosecution senior counsel, asked …

“It was, and is, a dead end.”

Pete Baker on March 12, 2009, 7:43 pm

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Mick’s collection of quotes at Brassneck should provide food for thought for some. While Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams is placing the “onus on the British government and the PSNI to resist any temptation or any demands for a return to the bad practices of the past”, WorldbyStorm has a select choice of what has been said in the Irish Seanad. Meanwhile Gardaí are reported to be increasing policing along the border and “intensifying intelligence-gathering operations against known and suspect dissidents”. …

“Sinn Féin’s policy seems to be to pretend..”

Pete Baker on March 9, 2009, 7:04 pm

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In identifying the political tightrope Sinn Féin has chosen to walk along Jason Walsh also highlights the party’s current difficulties when addressing everyday politics, and their own history. [Or the part they acknowledge.. – Ed] Indeed. From the Guardian’s CommentisFree blog The difficulty for Adams is compounded by the fact that Sinn Féin’s policy seems to be to pretend that the peace process has made the Irish border an irrelevance. The party must position itself both ways, Janus-like, as the …

Green Party steadies its nerve at the Convention…

Mick Fealty on March 8, 2009, 4:19 am

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This was the second party conference featuring public representatives on both sides of the border; although unsurprisingly with just one MLA and three councillors in Northern Ireland the emphasis was on Greens in Government. But considering last weekend we heard from the largest party in the state, the Greens consistent the second smallest. And it sounds like a number of the bloggers who went along were less that gripped by the content. Mark complains “there was nothing fresh or new”. …

“by far the worst area for benefit cheats”

Pete Baker on March 7, 2009, 9:14 pm

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Donegal Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh complained of “unusual patterns of dole claimants” in certain border towns back at the start of February. Yesterday the BBC reported the Irish Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, identifying the main culprits Ms Hanafin said the north-west is “by far the worst area for benefit cheats”. “The number of people claiming in Buncrana and Ballybofey are out of line with the rest of the county.” …

Green Party Convention Live!

Mick Fealty on March 7, 2009, 12:14 am

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Green Party Convention Live Conference opens, Dan Boyle in the Chair; John Gormley now giving his welcoming address in ‘listening mode’… Live feed now on 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

It’ll be alright on the night, not really..

Mick Fealty on March 6, 2009, 10:37 pm

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The two Alexes were not the only ones to let themselves go on Irish TV last night… I spoke with Suzy last night and she tried to explain what happened to Maire Hoctor on Prime Time last night, and I just didn’t quite get how bad it actually was… Nothing does it like the YouTube video… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and …

Belfast Greens set up motion on government of national unity…

Mick Fealty on March 6, 2009, 10:05 pm

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The Greens are the would be bad boys of the Irish progressive politics world for sticking through the storm surrounding Fianna Fail led government. Of some local note is this resolution from the South Belfast Greens to be discussed first thing tomorrow: a. We want to position the Greens in a leadership position b. We believe that we can embed a radical new approach to ‘growth’ and development across the political spectrum, if we can trigger a unified government c. …

“The only door that has been closed is that of the IRA.”

Pete Baker on March 6, 2009, 1:48 am

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Co-chairmen of the Consultative Group on the Past, Robin Eames and Dominic Denis Bradley, were in Dublin today appearing in front of an all-party Irish parliamentary Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement which included Member of [the UK] Parliament, Sinn Féin’s Pat Doherty. From the iol report “The only door that has been closed is that of the IRA,” Mr Bradley told the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, in Leinster House. Addressing …

“We are seeking assurances..”

Pete Baker on March 5, 2009, 8:38 pm

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PriceWaterHouseCoopers are predicting that Northern Ireland will “fare better” than the rest of the UK during the economic downturn. But, as they prepare to travel to the US, our little pleaders are at it again.. Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness are hoping that Dublin sticks to its commitments and that London drops its demands for savings, otherwise they believe there could be a serious impact. “We are seeking assurances. We recognise the difficulties that both governments face but as a …

Quote of the day

Pete Baker on March 4, 2009, 11:53 pm

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And the award goes to.. the patriotic Independent Senator Joe O’Toole [No relation – Ed] defending ministerial trips abroad during St Patrick’s Day Week Month “We need our people abroad,” he said. “Never was it more necessary to promote our economy abroad, and if that means going over there and sloshing horrible-tasting green beer, shaking hands with the ancient order of this, that or the other thing or meeting the various brotherhoods then so be it.” Heh. Pete Baker

Introducing the Drummully Polyp or Salient…

Mick Fealty on March 4, 2009, 4:46 pm

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Hat tip to Ciaran for this one… Strange maps is a peculiarly compelling site… This post concerns a peneenclave on the border called Drummully and home to 92 souls in 2006… it was subject to a question in the Dail, when during the troubles, the Irish Army had to use helicopters to fly its soldiers in to man check points on a road that had no direct ground vehicle access from the rest of the Republic… If you know more …

Fianna Fail crowd sourcing policy in the Dail?

Mick Fealty on March 4, 2009, 3:54 pm

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About face it is then. Brian Cowen has just re-iterated in Leaders Questions, that the purpose of his ‘supplementary budget’ will be to keep the public deficit down to 9.5%… No sign of a date for it other than before, as JL Notes, April Fools Day… In the meantime, other than the Government’s bust books, he wants to see the Opposition’s plans before he shows them his… Using the Dail as a smart mob… Clever, but not exactly how the …

Irish banking system in a “very fragile position”

Pete Baker on March 4, 2009, 12:39 am

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WorldbyStorm spots Ireland’s contribution to the mis-placed fortunes of Warren Buffett – with the help of a couple of Irish banks. Meanwhile, Cian wonders whether Irish credit unions are also vulnerable. And, as the Irish government sketches out the detail of what Taoiseach Brian Cowen mentioned at the weekend, on the subject of Irish banks and the economy RTÉ reports The Financial Regulator has admitted the banking system is in a ‘very fragile position’ and Ireland in the ‘middle of …

On our Celtic troubles with the English…

Mick Fealty on March 3, 2009, 2:54 pm

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Picking up from Brian… Peter Murtagh with a paean to the largely unspoken verities of the English. Yet strains of anti English sentiment persist, not just in Dublin but in Belfast (and on both sides of the communal divide), and in Scotland, where 7% of the population is made of English people (there’s a must see Newsnight Scotland report here), the Moderator of the Church of Scotland has likened it to sectarianism…The substantive hook for Murtagh’s piece was Noel Browne, …

It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it…

Mick Fealty on March 3, 2009, 3:26 am

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Top quote from Suzy’s round up piece on the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis: So little of political Ard Fheiseanna are covered by the mainstream media these days and probably because it’s thought people are no longer interested. But the responses to liveblogging today have been very positive, people learnt things, maybe different things and traffic on blogs was high and lots of new people took part by reading or twittering or blogging. So it ain’t what you do it’s the …

You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off…

Mick Fealty on March 3, 2009, 12:42 am

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Got this from reader Niall. It’s from the Tribune’s latest news feed… Martin Cullen goes from Racecourse to Golf Club after the door in his Army helicopter falls off at 500 feet… Is it just me coins the headline de jour… 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