Republic

All confidence and trust is gone

Pete Baker on January 9, 2005, 8:06 pm

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The Sunday Business Post, interestingly, carries a report, by Pat Leahy and Paul T Colgan, who quote their sources’ views on SF’s current standing with the Irish Government. According to a “senior [Irish] government source” – “It’s one of two things: either they [Sinn Féin] don’t know what’s going on and therefore they can’t deliver the IRA; or they do and they’re treating us with contempt”, but, when pressed, the same source is reported as saying that the Irish government …

Fair Comment

Ambrose Uprichard on January 6, 2005, 1:49 am

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Arthur Morgan, SF TD, is reported by Politics.ie as criticising government decision to “change retail and planning guidelines so as to allow Swedish furniture giant IKEA open an outlet several times larger than current maximum permitted”. He raises several excellent points, one being that this is more to do with job transfer than job creation. Another is that Ireland does not need huge out of town facilities whose staff tend to be on minimum wage and that the loss of …

Rough blogging from Louth…

Mick Fealty on January 4, 2005, 7:14 pm

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One blogger who is likely to ruffle some feathers in his home town is the one known as Dermot Ahern, who has begun to roughly chronicle aspects of Louth’s underworld (dundalkescorts.com for instance). Could do with more links – for instance the reference to the British press’s nickname for Dundalk as El Paso. 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 …

Government Change in 2005 ?

Ambrose Uprichard on January 1, 2005, 2:26 am

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Ryle Dwyer in tomorrow’s Irish Examiner takes a frank look at the role played by politicians in the Republic in respect of attitudes to partition, northern politics and the British Government. Sunningdale’s history lessons still have warnings for slow learners. Ambrose Uprichard

Irish Bahamian Ferries?

Pete Baker on December 23, 2004, 6:54 pm

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As talks between Irish Ferries and trade unions continue, a new row has blown up over Irish Ferries’ decision to re-register one of its vessels under a Flag of Convenience.Accoring to one report Irish Ferries are claiming the decision is a commercial one, The company claimed the cost-cutting measure was necessary to help it compete with rival ferry firms and low-cost airlines, but the union says it has serious implications for employees placing them outside the jurisdiction of EU and …

Unionism should step up a gear.

Ambrose Uprichard on December 22, 2004, 5:33 am

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Dr John Coulter’s latest offering in the Blanket, Unionism in the Dáil argues that Northern Unionists should contest seats in the Dáil and demand representation in the Seanad.A wide ranging article, it looks at what some still see as Northern betrayal of Southern Unionists and discusses various options, past and present, most worrying being the possibility of modern loyalists repeating acts of savagery seen 30 years ago in the Dublin and Monaghan massacres. Ambrose Uprichard

M50: designed for traffic sloth…

Mick Fealty on December 20, 2004, 4:49 am

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David McWilliams and an inspired conceit that connects the QWERTY keyboard with the spectacularly poor traffic rates through the toll bridge where Dublin’s M50 crosses the Liffey. 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

Senator Finucane reveals his abduction

Mick Fealty on December 20, 2004, 1:07 am

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Today’s Sunday Independent has majored on a disclosure by Senator Michael Finucane during a debate on the peace process in the Seanad that he’d been abducted by an IRA gang back in March 1990. 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

West Cork and the battle for history…

Mick Fealty on December 6, 2004, 10:16 pm

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Indymedia has played host to a vigorous dispute (previously here) involved three separately focused accounts of one of the most vividly related episodes of the Irish War of Independence – the flying columns of West Cork and in particular the ambushes at Dunmanway and Kilmichael, and the killings of protestants before and after the truce. The three historians are Peter Hart, Meda Ryan and Dr Brian Murphy. RTE current affairs programme Leargas ran an edition on this subject a few …

Taxing Time for SF in the ROI

Ambrose Uprichard on December 1, 2004, 5:24 am

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It is reported in today’s Times Newspaper, Criminal business as usual for IRA’s hard men that Enda Kenny, the opposition Fine Gael leader, raised the issue yesterday during questions to Bertine (sic) Ahern, the Taoiseach, requesting that the remit of the international monitoring commission, which monitors terrorist activity in Northern Ireland, could be extended to the Republic.That naughty co-member of SF, election worker for, and personal friend of SF TD Aengus O Snodaigh, Niall Bennett apparently had a list of …

Partition politics

Pete Baker on November 27, 2004, 3:45 pm

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One for all those history buffs out there.. you know who you are. Ryle Dwyer in The Irish Examiner takes a long look back at the exploitation of the issue of partition in Irish politics, and points the finger at the Long Fellow himself Pete Baker

Tribunal Show in Dublin…

Mick Fealty on November 24, 2004, 11:18 pm

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Joe Taylor and Malcolm Douglas have made a modest but regular living out of attending the two major tribunals in the Republic, currently known as Flood and Moriarty. They’ve been working on Vincent Browne’s current affairs radio programm since not long after they began back in 1997.Over the years they began to gather enough material to excerpt the funny stuff to make a two man show. I heard them briefly on the Pat Kenny Show on Monday. They are currently …

How times change…

Mick Fealty on November 24, 2004, 4:19 pm

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President Mary McAleese has appointed a Unionist Harvey Bicker the Irish Council of State. Thanks Maca. 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

Southern Securocrats?

Ambrose Uprichard on November 21, 2004, 4:16 pm

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Both the Sunday Tribune and the Sunday Independent carry an embarrassing story for Sinn Féin. SF man linked to IRA ring spying on TDs It concerns the relationship between SF TD Aengus O Snodaigh and SF’s Niall Bennett/Binead, who was convicted of IRA membership on Thursday. This came about after the arrest of men in connection with a planned lorry hijack. During the course of this investigation an IRA Dirty Tricks operation against members of the Dáil was uncovered, details …

Look on the bright side, how many albums have they left?

Pete Baker on November 19, 2004, 3:28 pm

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Following the Economist ‘quality of life’ survey, in which Ireland topped the list of ‘best countries in the world to live in’, in the Guardian, Irish Times columnist John Waters and author Joseph O’Connor give their take on how Ireland has coped with the shocking news.John Waters predicts a new dispensation that will see expectations increasingly failing to meet reality and, in the process, makes some good points on what he argues is “the last survey to include evidence of …

Ireland best place in the world to live?

Mick Fealty on November 18, 2004, 4:55 pm

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I hear what Ambrose is saying, yet the Economist thinks it the best place in the world to live… Thanks Maca! 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

Comrade Taoiseach!

Pete Baker on November 17, 2004, 4:57 pm

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In the Irish Examiner, Fergus Finlay sketches the possible ( probable ? ) scenario that led to Bertie Ahern describing himself as a ‘socialist’. Pete Baker

Greater rights for gay couples in Ireland

Pete Baker on November 15, 2004, 5:09 pm

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Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has declared his support for moves to provide equal rights for gay couples in Ireland on tax and inheritance issues – “These people who are in relationships which are not illegal, they’re not immoral, they’re not improper. They say: ‘We want more equality and we want to be treated fairer.’ I agree with that.” The RTE report also has Realmedia links to news reports on the Taoiseach’s comments. Pete Baker

Magill relaunched…

Mick Fealty on November 12, 2004, 5:05 pm

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We hear that Magill has been relaunched (for the third time?) – this time it’s to be positioned right rather than left of centre. Does this betoken a sea change Irish political tastes since the birth of the tiger? It’s not in direct challenge to Vincent Browne’s so far excellent Village. But both may struggle to survive in what is a fairly tight media market. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of …

Bewley’s Cafes to close…

Mick Fealty on November 11, 2004, 6:48 pm

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David Vance regrets the demise of two Dublin landmarks – which were frequented at one time, he reports, by two of his literary heroes – Brendan Behan and James Joyce! Although once grand, both have perhaps suffered from long term lack of investment – there’s a particularly drafty spot at the back of the one on Grafton Street, even in summer! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics …