It’s fair to say that even before Hain’s last push began late last year, the DUP were braced for a PR onslaught on their political redoubt. In the event, the IMC reports took several iterations to push the IRA into reasonably clear water, with the last one hinting that it considers criminality to be sufficiently out-of-house not to require such close attention. As a result, the required head of political steam never quite got as far as Dundela Avenue. In …
JOHN COULTER makes a welcome return to Slugger. He argues that Protestant working class Loyalism is at a crossroads and its very existence may depend on the future of the Northern power-sharing Executive. He goes on to probe the loyalty crisis facing ‘working class Prods’. He believes that lack of leadership within unionism for could see Loyalist working classes turn directly to the ‘auld enemy’, at least for help in bread and butter issues. By John Coulter If the power-sharing …
What can Unionism do about loyalist paramilitarism? Unionism has preferred to avoid this issue rather than attempt to resolve it. Nevertheless, it is a problem, which must be addressed as it is barrier to a normal society and harm is being caused to working class communities by its continuing existence. In Part 1, I will examine how Unionism has dealt with this issue during the peace process and argue that the two basic options of engagement on the one hand …
Alex with some pertainent thoughts from the Newsletter last Saturday, on the meaning of leadership, and what it doesn’t. He argues Blair should go, someone should challenge Brown, and the DUP should learn that being ‘top dog’ is not good enough in itself. Sometimes the country’s needs should come before narrow party interest.By Alex Kane Over the last few days I have been reading Roy Jenkins’ magisterial biography of William Gladstone and I was particularly struck by one comment; “Nearly …
One of the chief architects of the (now defunct) May 15th deal between the UUP and David Ervine rang me that morning to ask what I thought of it. I told him I thought the party had given too much away, too cheaply. David Ervine has never hidden the fact that he believes in dispersal rather than disbandment of paramilitaries, so the benefits for the UUP with an ally with a particularly unpredictable hinterland, were a risky bet from the …
Gregory Campbell speaking at the same conference that Hain was addressing at the weekend, replies to the accusation his party is somehow running from devolution, laying out what his party still requires from Sinn Fein before going into government: – Total decommissioning, – a complete end to paramilitary activity, – a complete end to criminal activity, – and an acceptance of and support for the rule of law. None of this is beyond the realms of possibility, though it has …
A couple of points on UUP leader Reg Empey’s accentuating of the positive reporting of the recent interview with anonymous UVF spokesmen, as the BBC’s Mark Devenport assesses the balancing act. Firstly, he has indicated he will wait until after the IMC report is published, in October, before deciding whether they are being disingenuous, rather than relying on his own discussions with them.. pushing back the timing of the previously suggested assessment. Secondly he has missed the detail of that …
At the risk of being accused of duplicating the content of not one, but two previous posts, there is an additional point worth highlighting. The PUP’s, and Ulster Unionist Assembly Group member, David Ervine’s interpretation of the UVF publication, as noted by the BBC – “They can speak for themselves but I would like to interpret it that perhaps they are recognising that the war is over” – would, of course, be in no way connected to the statement by …
Thanks to Boland’s Ghost for pointing us in the direction of Gay Mitchell’s latest kite flying exercise, when he asks if there would be a role for a monarch in a 32 county Republic. It is, as Boland notes, a role back from the position held by Collins in treaty negotiations, since the Irish Republican project has never had more than a derisory response from the island’s original republicans (ie Ulster’s Presbyterians), it may be the least it can do …
I had an email from one reader recently who said that Slugger was ‘consistently interesting, entertaining and infuriating – what more could you want?” Well this one from Susan McKay is bound to infuriate some, when she argues that Sinn Fein is orientating itself towards the future, whilst the DUP is still focused on the past. Although it kind of ignores the key issue of shared security which is holding up substantial resolution, she raises an important question about the …
West Belfast Talks Back is probably the highest profile annual public debate in Northern Ireland, after the MacGill Summer School [okay, I know it’s in Donegal, but you get my drift]. No DUP representatives this year, so I wondered whether I should bother going. There was an edgey confrontation between David Ervine and Raymond McCord father of a 22 year old beaten to death by a UVF squad back in 1997. But I came away with the vague feeling that …
Brian Kennaway delivered a presentation to the West Belfast Festival last Saturday. Daily Ireland covered it as a front page article yesterday, which emphasised the need of the Orange to change. Roy Garland who was also present on Saturday gives his view. For the rest of us, who missed the original, here is Kennaway’s original presentation:From Brian Kennaway May I just say three things about this publication! (Presbyterian Ministers normally have THREE points to their sermons – though some are …
Alex Kane argues that there is a danger to the pro-Union position in the current stand off between the DUP and Sinn Fein. Peter Hain, he argues, is decidedly more pro-united Ireland than any of his predecessors. It is time for Unionists to grasp the nettle and accept the unpalatable now, rather than the unacceptable later. That he suggests is better done with a united unionist strategy than one divided by ‘petty little egos’.By Alex Kane The UUP’s Sam Gardiner …
The abiding problem with the UUP/PUP pact (for Reg Empey at least) is in discerning what’s in it for the UUP. This story from today’s Newsletter seems to underline those doubts, when Empey is reported as echoing David Ervine’s misgivings that cross border co-operation with the Assembly might ‘spark a violent reaction’ from Loyalists. Whilst there is a need for mainstream mainstream politicians like Empey to engage with the residual disillusionment of Loyalist communities, there is also a question of …
As Fair Deal notes, Susan McKay visits the rehearsal set of Gary Mitchell’s latest play, Remnants of Fear. To add a slightly more upbeat note, it’s on in the Rock Theatre on the Whiterock Road, Belfast from tomorrow until 19th August. It’s definitely on my list of things to grab at this year’s Féile.The Irish Times notes these highlights: he ambitious programme includes music, theatre, readings, debates and events for children. Highlights this year include Echo and the Bunnymen, Afrobeat …
Arthur Aghey has a cogent answer to Brian Feeney’s urgent question: why are there no Unionist intellectuals?, by falsifing the premise. In this month’s Prospect magazine he probes the issue of English versus British identity, with particular attention to the tensions raised by the West Lothian question. The ambivalent character of Englishness, he argues, touches all of those inside the Union. Outside Northern Ireland, “British” refers almost exclusively to the legalities of citizenship, while English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish refer …
Last week the MacGill. This week the John Hewitt. The week after next the William Carleton. Brian Feeney points out that the historical, cultural and political content our summer schools is overwhelmingly nationalist, even if the orginal figures being celebrated were not. Why, he asks, do Unionists not organise their own Unionist specific events? The absence of unionist reflection on politics and history creates another problem. It�s this. Republicans crowd in to hear unionists speaking and can question them and …
Eoin Ó Murchú argues that political sectarianism only exists in one direction. To that extent he notes that only Unionist dominated councils have they refused the principle of rotation of offices with all major parties: Strabane and Down’s nationalist dominated council recently elected DUP men as Chair this year for the first time. Although the DUP in Castlereagh has finally bitten the bullet and elected SDLP man Brian Hanvey as Deputy Mayor. However, there is no real coverage of the …
Is not necessarily the Union, if it comes to it. Or so says Andrew over at A Tangled Web in response to Adam Maguire’s original question. As he points out, break up seems a highly unlikely outcome to the current controversy. But such conditionality is part of the Presbyterian, contractarian view of the Union. However it’s possibly worth returning to a couple of things mentioned towards the end of our study of the future of Unionism, A Long Peace?There are …
I’m hoping to meet up with the notorious Guido Fawkes next week. He sent me this short account of a previous experience in our short email correspondence. It seems he has had a talent for wind-ups, long before his blogging days. If you were there, let us know!!From Guido Fawkes One of the reasons my Laois born wife fell in love with me is from the time when the Orangemen were marching down Whitehall. Something for which they had great …
