Republic – Page 69 – Slugger O'Toole

“without a change in material circumstances..”

Pete Baker on July 6, 2007, 10:57 pm

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The new Irish Government Minister of the Environment, John Gormley of the Green Party [Is he still blogging? – Ed], has announced plans for “a major review of archaeological practice and policy as it relates to his department.” – beginning with a seminar in the autumn to draw up the terms of reference for the review. He’s also released a file of documents on the controversial Lismullin henge site at the Hill of Tara, available here [scroll down]. As the …

Are public inquiries incapable of coming to a decision?

Mick Fealty on July 5, 2007, 4:01 pm

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This is a short judgement that could have big consequences. According to Anne O’Loughlin in the Irish Times, Ms Justice Susan Denham has ruled that “to grant an order of prohibition from holding the public hearing as the court had found there was a lack of jurisdiction on the tribunal’s part. She granted a declaration that the tribunal had failed to comply with a paragraph of the amended terms of reference which referred to additional matters to go to public …

“That situation has changed.”

Pete Baker on July 4, 2007, 5:53 pm

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As Mick mentioned yesterday, the inability of the 4 Sinn Féin TDs to secure support for their demand to change the Dáil Standing Orders, in order to permit them to form a technical group – not even the support of Finian McGrath – is indicative of the new political situation the party finds itself in. And, also yesterday, the party’s leader in the Dáil, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, tried again.. only to be reminded by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern that the party’s …

“Devolution needs to bed in and then we see what happens from there.”

Pete Baker on July 3, 2007, 5:36 pm

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Following the recently reported comments from un-named senior Irish government sources by Stephen Dempster in the Newsletter, the Irish Times today reports the clarification from an un-named spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs – who has pointed to the Taoiseach’s speech at Westminster Hall in May. The reality is that there is no contradiction between the two reported positions of the adept navigator’s government.The Newsletter reported Senior Irish sources said: “Devolution needs to bed in and then we see …

Nail in the coffin of MPs speaking rights in the Dail?

Mick Fealty on July 3, 2007, 3:05 pm

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The hopes of many Northern Irish nationalist for political unification of the island rest with Sinn Fein. But, says Noel Whelan, they looked very isolated on the first day of the Dail. Unable to muster the support of one other TD at their loss of own representative’s speaking rights, their influence on this Dail session looks set to lessen considerable. Realistic prospects of gaining speaking rights for their MPs look even more remote than ever. …the party tried to sweeten …

Republic’s courts more effective than legislature…

Mick Fealty on July 2, 2007, 2:41 pm

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If Gordon Brown signalled a return to taking parliament more seriously than the media by doing his hiring and sacking at Westminster rather than Number Ten, there is a sense that Dublin’s legislature is further behind both in terms of the status of the Oireachtas and its capacity to scrutinise legislation. The current slimline committee system has only in place since 1997, with each overseeing the activities of a given department, much in the way that the Stormont Assembly does, …

Republic is a better place to live…

Mick Fealty on July 2, 2007, 2:08 pm

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The title for the ESRI new study is nicely balanced. Best of Times?, recalls Dickens’ famous opening lines to his novel, A Tale of Two Cities. Though according to Carl O’Brien last Friday, it’s not quite as ambivalent as that inestimable literary work when it comes to a judgement about the current state of social wellbeing in the Republic: The editors of the book, Prof Tony Fahey, Dr Helen Russell and Prof Christopher T. Whelan, suggest the pessimistic view regarding …

Blair: a social democrat who came to terms with the end of communism…

Mick Fealty on July 2, 2007, 12:22 am

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As Gordon Brown takes a ball passed to him on the run by one T. Blair, Eoghan Harris offers some (presumably unwelcome) advice to an impoverished Irish left. …unlike most of the British and Irish media I do not believe that his political career largely came to dust. Blinded by Iraq, the media tell us that Blair was poor on policy, adding, as an afterthought, that he was good at winning elections. As if winning elections were easy. As if …

The Blair Chair..

Pete Baker on June 26, 2007, 5:22 pm

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Newly re-elected Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has announced that the Irish Government is to provide an endowment of £5million to fund a professorship at the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool – The Blair Chair of Irish Studies.. [Better make sure the lid’s tightly screwed down on that past then – Ed] Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said: “It is a fitting way to mark Blair’s immense and historic contribution in helping bring peace to Ireland.” Pete Baker

Sinn Féin come to terms with partition?

Pete Baker on June 25, 2007, 2:29 am

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With conflicting views being expressed from within the party on the reasons behind Sinn Féin’s poor Irish General Election performance, the party leader Gerry Adams has repeated his opinion that the party’s expectations were unrealistically high – whilst now acknowledging that “the party vote fell in some crucial areas” – and, while stating that the internal analysis will continue, he has been making some suggestions as to how the party, north and south, will attempt to address the problems He …

“It’s high time we all learned to love all of Ulster”

Mick Fealty on June 22, 2007, 1:34 pm

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Fergus Black welcomes the second Love Ulster march as a rare opportunity for Dublin show affection for its northern neighbours by simply letting them walk through the centre of town. WE never were given the chance to embrace, let alone love Ulster last year. Never given the opportunity to allow unionist victims of the Troubles have their say. Never even allowed to appreciate the sights and sounds of a good Northern marching band beating its way through the capital. Instead, …

Mulley gets a letter…

Mick Fealty on June 22, 2007, 1:07 pm

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The saga continues… 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

“There’s a lot of honour involved, and in that honour, that’s how it worked”

Pete Baker on June 22, 2007, 2:25 am

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Brian Rowan noted something in the BBC’s NI Politics Show interview with John Major that I’d wondered about too, but as the BBC, in their wisdom, don’t archive these interviews and didn’t report it at the time, you’ll have to take his and my word for it – In that Sunday interview John Major restated that the message stating that the Provisional IRA needed the British Government’s “advice as to the means of bringing it[conflict] to a close” came from …

A Summer Solstice interlude

Pete Baker on June 21, 2007, 7:25 pm

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Visible ancient monuments provide an obvious focus for those hankering after a long-lost golden age and/or a more up-to-date agenda. And an occasion like today, the Summer Solstice, provides another level of interest – both natural and supernatural. At Tara Hill the campaign group TaraWatch is involved while at Stonehenge modern-day self-styled druids have taken over the festivities. Today also sees the re-opening of the British Museum’s Galleries on Ancient Europe [4000-800BC] and Britain and Europe [800BC-43AD]. The Guardian’s Jonathan …

Is there going to be a Love Ulster 2?

Mick Fealty on June 21, 2007, 4:18 pm

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Willie Frazer was on Morning Ireland this morning with some interesting thoughts as he petitions the Garda for another, larger parade in Dublin this year: “Dublin is a multicultural society and everybody is welcome. Now is the time to prove it”. And later “At the end of the day the people down south are saying we must learn to live together and I believe we can live together with the people from the south. But people are going to have …

Sinn Fein’s failure an intellectual embodiment of partition…

Mick Fealty on June 21, 2007, 1:30 pm

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Anthony McIntrye, writing just after the Republic’s election, argues that partition was the key to Sinn Fein’s poor performance in last month’s election. Not least in the sheer unfamiliarity with the political economy of the south of the party leader: …he more resembled a luminary of the 1850s American Know Nothing Movement than a serious modern European political leader. His awareness of the issues in the Republic has improved little since attention was first drawn to this handicap by Paul …

Dublin company and a nasty cyber revenge…

Mick Fealty on June 21, 2007, 1:12 pm

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In five years of blogging, I don’t think I have ever quite heard the like of this… Damien Mulley had some bother with some bags, and posted this in his anger and frustration. Now it seems someone in the company he was complaining of has sought cyber revenge by signing him up to a gay dating website and filling in details on his behalf, using his name and email. Whoever did it may be regretting it now, since it has …

Can the Greens get over a muddled start…

Mick Fealty on June 20, 2007, 2:16 pm

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So far the Greens have displayed all the confusion of a small group emerging into the deck of a ship after years in the dark, dank galley below. Yet far from shafting his junior partners in government Bertie Ahern has handed them two senior ministries, and Trevor Sargent a junior minister. That’s half the parliamentary party! Vincent Browne thinks that whilst Bertie will keep them soothed (and keep FF in power till 2017), if the leadership of the party switches …

“the year this matter is finally resolved for these families”

Pete Baker on June 20, 2007, 3:55 am

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The BBC NI News website has a short report summarising the Spotlight investigation into the murder of Captain Robert Nairac – the location of his remains is currently one of those subject to an investigation by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains. The programme ended with a somewhat tenuous analogy between the ‘disappearance’ of Robert Nairac and one of those who went on-the-run in the aftermath, Terry McCormick, now living in the US. What the summary report …

A ringing endorsement then..

Pete Baker on June 19, 2007, 6:59 pm

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Former US President Jimmy Carter has stated, “I would say that the Irish Government has become the pre-eminent voice for human rights in the European Union.” – just after the Irish Government gave his Carter Centre [which has its critics – Ed] €600,000 to add to the previous donations of €50,000 in 2005 and €70,000 in 2006. RTÉ points out the latest funds will be paid over three years. A report yesterday noted the comments from an Irish Aid spokesman. …