Wales – Page 11 – Slugger O'Toole

Does Tory eurosceptics’ nationalism boost UK breakup chances?

Brian Walker on December 13, 2011, 10:16 am

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The Financial Times (£) is alone today among UK national papers in spotting how the English nationalism of extreme Tory eurosceptics feeds Scottish separatism, in spite of all the fears for small nations’ survival in the gales of the eurozone crisis. First, the news story Alex Salmond, first minister and leader of the Scottish National party, accused David Cameron of blundering into apparently changing the UK’s entire relationship with the EU “without even discussing it with his own Lib Dem …

Donaldson calls for DUP-led pan-UK unionist movement #dupconf

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on November 29, 2011, 8:48 am

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Beyond the headline of attracting more Catholic unionists in Northern Ireland, Jeffrey Donaldson raised an interesting proposal for the DUP to lead a pro-Union campaign for unionists WITHIN Scotland and Wales… Unexpectedly bumping into my friend Thomas Hennessey, I chose to stay at the DUP annual conference and attend a discussion panel that he was participating in, “Strengthening Unionism”: Jonathan Bell MLA (Chair) Jeffrey Donaldson MP Ian Paisley MP Thomas Hennessey Mr Hennessey made reference to the late Sir Philip …

Of the Old North and other Vanished Kingdoms..

Dewi on November 23, 2011, 7:09 pm

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I’m currently trawling through Norman Davies’s fabulous new tome – “Vanished Kingdoms” – Five stars in the (London) Telegraph’s review from Ben Wilson: All the nations that have ever lived have left their footsteps in the sand,” writes Norman Davies. “The traces fade with every tide, the echoes grow faint, the images are fractured, the human material is atomised and recycled. But if we know where to look, there is always a remnant, a remainder, an irreducible residue.” In this brilliant, …

Budget Deadlock in Cardiff Bay – What happens next?

Dewi on November 17, 2011, 2:45 am

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The BBC reports on the tied Budget vote in Wales here. Adrian Masters on ITV reports on Labour’s reluctance to deal with the Tories here. The Welsh Government has ruled out doing a budget deal with the Conservatives and will from now on only talk to Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats. It’s no surprise that a Labour government would find it difficult to reach any such agreement with the Conservatives, but it’s still a significant step to rule it …

Conservatives winding up the UUP?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 10, 2011, 11:41 am

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If you tilt your head towards East Belfast, hold your breath and listen carefully, you’ll be able to hear the sound of chuckling from UUP HQ. Jeff Peel has blogged this morning about an audacious, bold, and unlikely-to-be-considered offer from the Conservative Party to the UUP. I was today forwarded a letter that has been sent to all members of the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland. The letter suggests that the Conservative Party chairman, Lord Feldman of Elstree, has addressed …

“Olympic Torch Relay will take the 2012 Games to almost every corner of the UK”

Pete Baker on November 7, 2011, 2:02 pm

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As the BBC report, the over 1000 cities, towns and villages on the route of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay have been announced – there’s an interactive map here. But despite a previous BBC report confirming that “the Olympic torch will travel across the Irish border”, Dublin doesn’t appear to be included in the final route. Something to do with the “complex” politics mentioned previously? What we can spot is that Locog have made sure they cover a lot of the islands, …

BIPA at 21: Has its day come?

Gary Kent on October 26, 2011, 2:37 pm

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At the end of its recent plenary in Brighton Irish Co-Chair Joe McHugh quipped that that the low profile of the Assembly had been changed by press coverage of its decision to hold the plenary in the Grand Hotel 27 years after the Provo bomb that nearly killed Mrs Thatcher. Some Conservative MPs were angered by the decision which was taken for practical rather than political reasons. Northern Ireland ministers unusually stayed away pleading a conflicting diary engagement. Reservations about …

Tŷ Hywel – is the mystery that deep?

Dewi on October 26, 2011, 12:51 am

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The BBC reports on the Welsh Assembly Mystery Landlord: The assembly’s rent for the Ty Hywel building in Cardiff Bay will rise nearly 30% next year from £1.7m. (To £2.3m – Dewi) It is paid to Crick Properties Ltd, registered in Douglas, Isle of Man, but assembly authorities cannot say who the ultimate owner of the building is. and further on: Ty Hywel, originally called Crickhowell House, was built in the 1990s by Grosvenor Waterside, the property arm of Associated …

BIPA: Some heat and light in Brighton…

Gary Kent on October 24, 2011, 4:36 pm

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The pebbley beaches in Brighton deprive me of using the metaphor that the tide is about to overcome a carefully constructed sand castle But there is a sense here in Brighton at the 43rd plenary of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly that the tide may soon come in on a body that has done much to foster good relations in these islands but is now searching for a role I am hearing strong suggestions that the British Government may call time …

British Irish Assembly meets in the Grand Hotel Brighton

Gary Kent on October 23, 2011, 4:09 pm

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A smorgasbord of hot political and business issues dominates the next meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly which brings together senior parliamentarians and ministers from across these islands. Their focus is on the banking crisis but they will also hear from the Northern Ireland Police Minister David Ford in the wake of the MI5 sting operation that put a Real IRA arms dealer behind bars for 12 years in Lithuania. The meeting takes place in the Grand Hotel in Brighton …

Is Murdo Fraser right? No, but he’s got a point.

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 19, 2011, 1:30 pm

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Robert Price, Iain McGill, Mike Nesbitt, Bill Manwaring, Ian Parsley at Young Unionists debate asking Is Murdo Fraser Right?

“No, but he’s got a point” was probably the most succinct answer to the question “Is Murdo Fraser Right?” posed at last night’s Young Unionists’ event in QUB Students Union. With Mike Nesbitt in the chair, four centre-right panellists took ten minutes to outline their response to the question as well as the implications for unionism in Northern Ireland. There were 21 in the audience, nearly all young male students. Young Unionists: Is Murdo Fraser Right? (part 1) (mp3) Organiser …

RWC: What’s Welsh for “gutted” ?

Dewi on October 17, 2011, 3:51 pm

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Watched the re-run on S4C on Saturday: Interviewer to Shane Williams: “Sut wyt ti’n teimlo Shane ?” (How do you feel Shane?) – “Gutted” To Jamie Roberts – “Beth oedd y teimlad yn yr ystafell newid?” (What was the feeling in the changing room?) – “Roedd y bechgyn yn “gutted”. (The boys were gutted) My sister phoned me after the game – we go halfway round the world, play like heroes and can’t even have a game against the All-Blacks. I’m …

Dis-united Kingdom? Young Unionists debating the issue on Tuesday night

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 17, 2011, 12:05 pm

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As Brian, O’Neill, Mick, Dewi and others have posted, there has been a lot of public debate in recent weeks about the state of the Union. Attention has largely been centred around the strength of Scotland’s links with the rest of its island and whether the Scottish Conservatives should go it alone. The Guardian has been running a Dis-united Kingdom series this month. Mick and I participated in an online debate (that was dominated by Scotland and Cornwall) last week …

RWC: Wales v France

Dewi on October 15, 2011, 7:41 am

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OK – off to the Millenium Stadium – along with 60,000 others. Let me know how we are doing. In the meantime: Jonathan’s a fan again… Enjoy! DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

RWC: Semi Final Day…Make History Wales…please!!

Dewi on October 14, 2011, 12:13 pm

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2 Fairly big games this weekend in Auckland. On Sunday New Zealand face Australia. Is McCaw fit? Will the all Blacks risk Cruden or play Weepu first five eighth? (Where on earth does “first five eighth” come from?) Here’s the NZ Herald – Graham Henry will be trying to stay awake…it’s a 9pm start in New Zealand – which is a bit different for the players. In Australia they are working on those Sonny Bill Williams voodoo dolls…might be working – …

Back to the future with IONA?

Brian Walker on October 13, 2011, 12:03 pm

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Three cheers for the Guardian for giving space to the future of the Union ( the English-Scots version) and two to Simon Jenkins for trying to shake the Westminster establishment out of its complacency. Partly, he has in mind the commission being set up to review the conundrum of the “West Lothian Question” under which Scots ( and to lesser and different extents NI and Welsh MPs) can vote on English-only domestic measures but English MPs can’t vote on matters …

GCSE reform: “It is unlikely that the Minister’s decision on this issue would stop the current position…”

Pete Baker on October 10, 2011, 5:25 pm

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In June this year the UK Government’s Education Secretary, Michael Gove, welcomed Ofqual’s proposals for making changes for GCSE courses and, on 27 September, a consultation was launched on changes to the current GCSE specifications in England. Today the Northern Ireland Education Minister, Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, launched a consultation on on making the same changes to current GCSE specifications here. In England the consultation ends on 4 November, here it continues until 30 December. According to the Northern Ireland consultation document [pdf file] It is …

RWC: Wales goes bonkers…

Dewi on October 9, 2011, 9:08 pm

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Or as the Independent on Sunday puts it : Rydyn ni gyd yn Gymry nawr… There are three sheep for every human, and in winter it’s the wettest place in Britain. But today Wales, the most maligned member of the union, can hold its head up as the mightiest after becoming the only British country to secure a place in the semi-finals of the rugby World Cup. Wales Online captures the mood. DOES it get any better than this? Well, …

RWC – Here we go…..

Dewi on October 8, 2011, 5:28 am

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Ok – I hope everyone’s awake for the biggest game in Irish and Welsh rugby history! Enjoy…. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

RWC – Wales v Ireland – views from the Press.

Dewi on October 7, 2011, 2:36 pm

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Guess which Newspaper front page headline is “Two nations…one mission….COME ON WALES!” It promises to be tense, tight, titanic. So when the alarm goes off tomorrow morning, don’t switch it off and roll over. Even from 12,000 miles away, your country needs you. Because, make no mistake, there’s a piece of rugby history to be made. Two nations, one mission… come on Wales. And from the Irish Times – “One more box to tick” Yet in the crunch games against …