I’m going to break with a very long retirement to laugh out loud at Iris Robinson. Actually, I’m not really laughing out loud at her, it’s a pretty horrible situation to be stuck in the middle of… The silly old girl went and had an ‘innappropriate relationship‘ with a much younger man (read: ~40 years […]
Well, I couldn’t let this week pass without some comment on the restoration of the Assembley. Is this the beginning of a bright new future for Northern Ireland? That was the burning question yesterday. It’s really too early to tell, but surely the signs are hopeful? I’m not sure what to make of Ian Paisley […]
As many of you know, I’m in the process of looking for a new job. I’m currently breaking out in blotches at the sight of application forms and trying to ‘tweak’ my history to fit the job I’m applying for. Anyway, I’ve been filling out another application form this evening, and the Equal Opportunities/Fair Employment […]
OK, I haven’t technically sorted out the long-running Parades issue just yet, but I think I’ve got a viable blueprint, provided the communities in question have the leadership and resolve to pull it off. So, Let’s Work Out The Grievances The Orange Order are the parading Kings (and Queens) of Northern Ireland. They organise more […]
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 […]
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 Dr Gribben makes the assertion that, demographically, Unionists no longer represent a political majority in Northern Ireland and that they need to broaden their appeal in order to regain their strength.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 […]
In a move destined to shock absolutely no-one in Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley Jr is a) angry b) offended c) outraged d) all of the above by Tony Blair’s remarks about the Protestant Bigot. The gist of Blair’s outburst was aimed at Muslin extremists, but used a local analogy to spice things up: “They are […]
