Spurred on by Matthew Ingram’s post on blogs affecting politics (and society), I’m wondering to what extent local (Northern Irish) bloggers can challenge traditional preconceptions in our wider society. That was a long sentence! What I mean is, can blogs like Slugger encourage a wider variety of debate than what we’re exposed to when it’s […]
I was pleased to read on Slugger this evening that NIO Finance Minister Lord Rooker has set the record straight on direct rule versus devolved government. He claims that much of the unpopular reforms the the Northern Ireland Office are currently pushing through were originally conceived by the “locally elected Assembly”. The inference, as Mick […]
Paul at The Northern Irish Magyar is hosting a very interesting debate on the subject of Irishness. Despite my RC upbringing, I wasn’t indoctrinated with attendant Republican or even Nationalist values. I always viewed Northern Ireland as a seperate entity, quite apart from either Ireland or Britain. Paul sums it up well in the comments: […]
A thought-provoking piece by Dr Crawford Gribben about the relationship between Unionism and Protestantism, something which has been on my mind recently. Dr Gribben makes the assertion that, demographically, Unionists no longer represent a political majority in Northern Ireland and that they need to broaden their appeal in order to regain their strength. As the […]
I took a hard line yesterday on the language of Republicanism, the talk of continuing struggles and so on. Chris took some offense at my position, which I still feel is justified. Looking To The Future Now, Chris Gaskin is an intelligent fellow. As a student of law, he is no doubt aware of some […]
I’ll make this short. I’m tired of hearing about Republican ‘struggle’ and British oppression and occupation. I can honestly say that not once in my life have I felt oppressed or discriminated against on the grounds of my religious background. I have not been held back from getting gainful employment, nor buying a house, nor […]
I know it’s been quiet on The Levee Breaks recently. Still having a tough time at work, with no end in sight. Paranoia is running high eclipsed only by my stress levels. I’m such a ball of negative energy at the moment. I had a job interview on Friday last week, and did a fantastic […]
I almost let a significant birthday pass without mention this week, folks and I feel bad about it. Someone who has brought much pleasure and enjoyment to the human race turned 80, and – yes – he’s still going strong! Certainly, this great man has caused plenty of controversy in his time, and he is […]
I’ve been playing with the del.icio.us bookmarking service recently. Delicious allows you to keep all your bookmarks online and access them from any computer. It also allows me to include my latest links in my RSS feed, so those of you who use modern technology to keep up to date will get some extra reading […]
I’m stunned this evening to read about the shooting of Denis Donaldson, the former Sinn Fein head of administration. According to the BBC: …a neighbour had found Mr Donaldson’s body on the floor of his house with a gunshot wound to the head….Mr Donaldson moved out of his Belfast home last December, and had been […]
