Survey suggests aggressive invaders had little genetic effect on native UK populations

So on the genetic purity distinctions (still favoured by some of our politicians) between Planters and Native Irish the news from the science journal Nature is, erm, not so good. [It rarely is! – Ed]. The BBC’s Science Correspondent Pallab Ghosh notes: According to the data, those of Celtic ancestry in Scotland and Cornwall are more similar to the English than they are to other Celtic groups. The study also describes distinct genetic differences across the UK, which reflect regional identities. And …

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The results of our 2015 predictions survey!

More than 270 people filled in the survey over the past day and here are the results: Bad news for big Al but not entirely unexpected. Who will be the new SDLP leader? The favourite is Colum Eastwood, but can he reverse the party’s decline or are they beyond all hope? As Gerry Adams begins his 32nd year as President of Sinn Fein it is no surprise that many think he will hang on for another year.   As with …

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Get out your crystal balls, and take our 2015 predictions survey…

The survey is now closed. You can view the results here… Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck …

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SDLP leadership readers’ survey: McGlone leads with good show from McDevitt…

Okay, as has been said several times, this online survey, and was just for fun… So why do it (I hear FitzJamesHorse calling out from the group of troublesome boys at the back of the comment zone)? Well, it’s a sampling exercise… Not a sample of the electorate, but the rough opinion of the online readership of Slugger O’Toole… It should be noted that there is a substantial urban and in particular a Belfast bias to our readership (which may …

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