An interesting quote from the deputy First Minister in the BBC’s report of the arrival of the World Rally Championship to Northern Ireland.. and the rest of the island. “If you fail to come here or tune in to what will be happening here during the course of the world rally championship you will be missing the opportunity of a lifetime,” [Martin McGuinness] said. So why, according to Mark Devenport’s blog, did the deputy First Minister miss the “opportunity of …
Better hurry up with that public conversation on border controls within the archipelago.. because the lengthy Cabinet Office report on the border review – as revealed today by Prime Minister Gordon Brown – indicates that a private conversation between the UK and Irish governments is taking place. From the report [page 13 – pdf file] Ensuring breadth of coverage across a range of locations and risks will be crucial. The unique nature of the Common Travel Area (CTA) requires particular …
Interesting editorial in the Irish Times today [subs req], picking up on a report within the paper itself on an extension of the Schengen agreement to the nine most recent EU states [subs req] – and those countries who have fully impemented that particular convention. The editorial proposes an alternative solution to the multiple dilemmas created by the Common Travel Area between the Irish and UK jurisdictions, in light of the planned e-border controls by the UK, rather than the …
There’s been an understandable amount of outrage at the case of seven women who were misdiagnosed as being clear of cancer. But Stephen Collins in the Irish Times on Saturday argued that the opposition is doing the voters a disservice by obscuring the issue beyond the headlines. In fact in policy terms Harney and the Health Service Executive have been fighting a ferocious battle against an array of forces to try and close small and outdated cancer treatment centres to …
Ireland 8th in the world for the empowerment of women? Can’t believe it? The answer’s simple: there’s not been a male President since Mary Robinson won office in 1990. IN fact the Republic comes 74th in terms of women’s representation in parliament and 28th for the number of women in Government”. 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 …
If you think northerners are bad at rucking over history, try this controversy over one documentary programme about Richard and Abraham Pearson, two Protestant brothers were killed by the IRA back in June 1921, at their home in Offaly has fanned some very large flames on an RTE phone-in programme. Ann Marie Hourihane in today’s Irish Times picks up the story: Irish history is so fragile to some, and so sacred, that they confidently assert that the Pearson brothers must …
Frank mentioned this news in the comments zone here, and it was mentioned earlier on politics.ie, but the accompanying statement that Donegal Sinn Féin councillor Thomas Pringle has reportedly made on resigning from the party sounds interesting. Citing his disillusionment with the Sinn Fein party in a statement released within the past hour, Councillor Pringle says he has every intention to carry out the the rest of his term as a councillor. Update More on that resignation here Councillor Pringle …
This is a new one on me. Yesterday Damien broke the news that Sunday Tribune dispensed with the services of Richard Delevan after he revealed that the house of property market auctioneer Ken McDonald has been on the market for 13 months, just three days after McDonald had told the Independent the market was vibrant: “Just come in to our reception area at the moment. It’s like Heuston Station. People are buying properties for the same price as they were …
As P O’Neill points out at Irish Election, it’s not as if there is an election in the offing, but perhaps the most interesting figure from the Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll is the apparent confirmation of a collapse in support for Sinn Féin in Dublin. Some detail from today’s Irish Times [subs req] The baseline figures for the core vote of the parties show that the worst region for Fianna Fáil is Dublin, where the party has lost a third …
Some archelagic poets and writers were at a convocation, a ‘gathering of voices’, in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on 9th October to celebrate the launch of Clutag Press’ first volume of the literary magazine Archipelago. The Library also chose the occasion to launch their first series of BODcasts and because they did you can listen to what was said by all the speakers there. Among those speakers was Seamus Heaney – BODcast available directly here [mp3 file] – who quoted …
In the Irish Times, Frank Millar gathers together [subs req] some recent comments relating to the future of the Common Travel Area, in light of the intention of the UK government to tighten UK border controls. Worth noting in particular, given Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s comment noted here, is the quote from NIO minister Paul Goggins Meanwhile, Northern Ireland security minister Paul Goggins has confirmed that illegal immigrants do cross the land border from the Republic into Northern Ireland. In a …
A RTÉ report refers, in particular, to one response from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in relation to the proposal for a strengthened e-border – as noted here. But his argument – “What affects us most is people entering the UK illegally and coming across the Border to the Republic” – ignores some of the other reasons behind the need to re-inforce border controls.. along a virtually non-existent Maginot line. Reasons such as this. And that’s before the effect of cross-border smugglers, …
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He gives with one hand.. as he takes with the other.. Pete Baker
Recently noted on Slugger were reports based on a PHd thesis research by Mary Alice Clancy into the role of the US government here. The detailed article has now been published online in the Royal Irish Academy journal and it’s well worth reading in it’s entirety [pdf file].Any number of paragraphs could be highlighted, including this line As one former official colourfully put it, Clinton ‘is a s—t, but ultimately he is a thinking man’s s—t’, and the same official …
One of the ‘stickiest’ stories of the last few years has been Sinn Fein’s ‘grand plan’ to progress sufficiently in the next install Gerry Adams as President of Ireland in 2012. Not everyone bought the line (Malcolm has something to say on it too). But a lot of people have. Some of the speculation undoubtedly arises from the fact that Adams now finds himself without office beyond his function as party President. Today in the Irish Times, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin …
Fair deal noted earlier the reported quotes from a PhD thesis research at Queen’s University but it’s worth looking back through the Slugger archive at the series of interviews from early 2006 referred to in the article. Dermot Ahern’s comments on policing in the first interview provided a focus that was returned to in the subsequent ones with Peter Hain, Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley, but in the context of the article’s notes on the US government concerns about “the …
Given his recent speech to the annual conference of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy, and the “much tighter financial environment”, it’s not a surpise to hear the NI Executive’s Finance minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, talk of his hopes for “innovative schemes” to help the economy. Likewise it’s not a surprise to hear that he favours selling off state assets to raise capital for the new administration. None of which, in itself, is grounds for anything other …
Sarah Carey is now settling in to Palo Alto but before she left, she fired this salvo at the Taoiseach… Whatever about the Tribunal , the Rev are going to have some fun. The October 31 deadline is coming up for tax returns and I just filed mine. Every single €50 I get for minor radio interviews has to be accounted for. And he’s pissed off cos we’d like to know where he got the £50k in CASH from? My …
If you’re expecting, or hoping, for a shock from the vote I wouldn’t necessarily hold your breath, but Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is facing his first no confidence vote on the first day of the new Dáil session. It, of course, relates to his convoluted testimony to the Mahon Tribunal. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in the Dáil, “Has the Taoiseach told the truth to the Irish people, to this Dáil and to the Mahon Tribunal. My answer: he has not.”, …
It seems that John Barry co-chair of the Northern Ireland Regional Council of the Green Party, is to run for chair of the Green Party in Ireland. He states he made his decision: “…in the context of being in government in the Republic and in opposition on the Northern Ireland Assembly, we need more than ever an all island focus and a focus on members, innovation, imagination and creativity to realise the opportunities for the Party to herald a new …
