PREDICTIONS: Okay it is the end of the year and one of us typically produces a piece looking over the past year and the notable political moments that defined our year. However, I wanted to change tack and look back over some of my predictions to see what I got right, but just as important, more…
Seamus Mallon has been speaking to Talkback (interview to be played later today on Radio Ulster) where he reflects on his career and comments on his views about his then party leader, John Hume. Speaking to William Crawley, the BBC reports; John Hume was “no fool” but that Sinn Féin leaders played him “like a more…
A long time ago in a newspaper far, far away (well, Ballymena) I was kindly taught local newspaper writing by a fellow reporter and by our bosses. The lessons from those days have stayed with me so, for something a little more light-hearted at Christmas, it made me wonder how knowing the basics and banter more…
2015 was another boom year for Slugger with record amounts of visitors. So far this year we have had nearly 800,000 visitors reading 4.3 million pages of the site. It may not always be obvious but Slugger does not get core funding of any kind. All income comes from readers donations, our warmly supported events and a more…
Well here we go again, it’s Christmas time. For Slugger, it has been a brilliant year, more than 4.3million page views on the website so far in 2015 and we hosted two pub quiz’s with the ever brilliant Amnesty International’s Paddy Corrigan, a head to head debate between Naomi Long and Gavin Robinson (trended at No.4 in more…
A really interesting article by Sam McBride in the News Letter today highlight the number of MLAs standing down at the next election. In his piece McBride points out; Almost 30 per cent of MLAs elected in the last Assembly election are not even standing for election next year – and the turnover in Assembly more…
Interesting interview from Liam Clarke with former UUP Deputy Leader, Lord Kilclooney about his relationships with former UUP leaders, his views on Same Sex Marriage and how he views the current Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. Speaking about him he said; The people who tried to kill me were the Official IRA, not the Provos, more…
Is doiligh a chreidbheáil go bhfuil muid ag druidim le deireadh na bliana agus é in am dúinn súil siar a chaitheamh ar 2015. Ar a lán bealach, gidh nach bhfuil sé linn go fóill, tá 2015 faoi scáth 2016 nuair a dhéanfar ceiliúradh ar na himeachtaí móra a d’athraigh cúrsaí an oileáin bhig seo more…
BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback programme today covered a story which broke at the end of last week following the decision of UUP Fermanagh South Tyrone MP, Tom Elliott, to condemn the announcement that 40 pupils from an Irish language school in Lisnaskea would be permitted to use classrooms in a derelict post-primary school for more…
I don’t share David’s view of the Spanish election result. The most remarkable thing (apart from the low turnout increased turnout, actually) is how poorly Podemos performed compared to expectations earlier in the year. The limited returns from Syriza’s pitch in Greece perhaps coloured expectations? Scotland by contrast got its play for freedom in earlier, more…
BBC: We’ve come a long way from the days of finding our news from street vendors shouting ‘Sixth Tele’, leaving the Northern Ireland Teletext page running in the corner of the room or waiting for the next Radio Ulster bulletin to find out why a road was closed or a bang was heard echoing across more…
UNBELIEVABLE STORY: Today I read a harrowing article about an “unbelievable story of rape”. In 2008, a young American woman reported having been raped; her foster mother was suspicious that her behaviour wasn’t befitting of someone who had gone through such an ordeal and the discrepancies in her story were noticed by the police. She more…
If straight talking, honest politics is what Jeremy Corbyn brings to the leadership of the Labour Party, then what he and those he’s promoted into senior positions have said matters. What makes moderates like me uneasy, however, and why many moderates have left the party in large numbers, is that what Corbyn and those around more…
SPAIN VOTES: Spain went to the polls yesterday in their tightest ever general election. The incumbent Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy was seeking a second term after his Partido Popular party swept to power in 2011. However, after a four years of high unemployment and continuing cuts more anti establishment parties such as Podemos, have began more…
After the guilty verdict in the trial of, “key supporter of the Sinn Féin peace strategy”, Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy on 9 charges of tax evasion, Gerry Adams, TD, declared that he had “no comment to make until the legal process has been concluded”. Following criticism of that position the Sinn Féin president has, apparently, decided more…
By my estimates, there are around 500 to 600 murals of various shapes and sizes in Northern Ireland. Between 2008 and 2015, I visited and photographed around 400 of them, with just short of 200 of these photographs featuring in my book The Writing on the Wall: A Visual History of Northern Ireland’s Troubles, published in October more…
VIVID PICTURES from gable walls across Northern Ireland accompanied by intriguing notes and laid out in chronological order to map out how local history has been illustrated over the years.
SLUGGER INTERVIEW: Following her election as DUP leader, I sat down with Arlene Foster to talk with her about how she felt about becoming the party leader, how she views her relationships with Sinn Fein and the UUP and how she views herself becoming the first woman to lead the party. I began by asking more…
END OF YEAR FUNNIES: If you haven’t liked it yet, you should. MLAs and the like standing around looking awkward classes itself on Facebook as a Political Organisation. Now it has pulled together a great compendium of embarrassing photos of, erm, MLAs and the like. Not under any circumstances to be confused with “arlenefoster.holdings”.
FRESH START: An actual fresh start requires ‘unreasonable generosity’ to create the sort of cooperative action needed to get anything done in Northern Ireland. Without it the drift from the ballot box will continue apace. Ms Foster will be judged on actions. Her own. And that of her political opponents cum partners.
