The Constitutional Court of Colombia has given President Santos four months to complete his four years of Havana Talks with the FARC and put the deal to the people in a referendum. Remind you of Senator George Mitchell in 1998, musing: ‘I’m fed up with these Stormont Castle Buildings, I’m having a child soon, I’m more…
Martin McGuinness appears to have reverted to Brexit fundamentalism in an article in the Irish Times. He describes a worst case scenario, “ the biggest constitutional crisis since partition…and insists that “Remain must mean remain.” From our perspective, what is needed now is an island-wide approach to dealing with this crisis. That is why Sinn more…
DUBLIN. When Farrell O’Boy launched his Olympic Cars in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, he thought he’d chosen ‘a strong name, and people would remember it’, says Danny McCabe, today its sales manager. Across the Irish Sea, Antonio Leto had emigrated from Sicily and worked as a barber when he set up his own shop, Olympic Barbers, more…
Alerted by Mick on the thoughts on referendums by the Independent’s political commentator John Rentoul, I took in his part 2 “Should Referendums be banned?” This is a rhetorical question which is really in support of Rentoul’s contention that they make very little difference to the course of political events. His pieces prompted my following more…
So let me add some rather more sceptical thoughts to Brian’s view that the sacking of Daithi McKay is in itself a positive. For a start, the speed with which Sinn Fein investigated, and then had North Antrim MLA self-dispatch contrasts with the lack of one when more senior careers were on the line. I won’t detain more…
There are I suppose two basic questions outstanding about the unholy alliance between the disgraced and now former Sinn Fein MLA and Finance committee chair Daithi McKay and the loyalist rascal Jamie Bryson. Who originally floated the Nama allegations which it’s suggested were accessed from an iCloud account and were not made up by Sinn Fein? Or more…
The Sinn Fein Chief Whip, Carál Ní Chuilín has announced the resignation with immediate effect of Daithí McKay as an MLA for North Antrim. The party has also suspended him from Sinn Fein. Full statement Daithí McKay has resigned as MLA for North Antrim with immediate effect and has been suspended from Sinn Féin. His letter of more…
This is funny. Remember that ‘controversial’ Stormont investigation into Nama from a year ago? That’s where Jamie Bryson made a reference to Person A, then revealing at the end it was none other than Peter Robinson… It was great melodrama, but who wrote the script? Allison Morris reveals this morning that it was none other than more…
There are fewer Slugger posts which have proven their worth over time as well as Paul Evans’ 2010 piece on Referendums. It currently stands at 8,610 views on a counter we only installed in 2013. Now it’s inspired The Independent’s John Rentoul into writing a two part post on Referendums and whether they are in fact more…
Something that crossed with the writing of the last post, but it should be here lodged here for the sake of completion. Chair of both the Irish and European Olympic Committees Pat Hickey has been arrested and is under suspicion for turning a quick buck selling an allocation of tickets to local touts… Adds: North more…
World Champion Michael Conlon is the final Irish boxer out of the Olympics without a medal. He believes it’s a result of corruption. Boxing has never run what you might call an open book on how it makes decisions. And it has long been a medal banker (16 since 1924) for Team Ireland. Now it’s more…
It’s hard to overstate the centrality of Pearse and Connolly to the modern Irish state and Irishness. Yeats wrote in his famous verse wrote: ‘Connolly and Pearse Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn’ Eamonn McCann wrote: “One learned quite literally at one’s mother’s knee, that Jesus had died for the human race and more…
SOAPBOX Máirín Murray introduces Refugees Welcome NI which matches offers of accommodation in people’s homes with refugees who need somewhere to live. Could you help with accommodation or by joining the team?
You couldn’t make it up. The decision of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin to remove his diocese’s ( only) three trainees from St Patrick’s Maynooth and pack then off to the comparative safety of Rome (!), because of a “poisonous atmosphere” surrounding allegations about the use of a gay dating app in the College, is more…
From the Irish Times. EU structural and investment projects in Northern Ireland signed before the British chancellor of the exchequer’s autumn statement will be guaranteed after Brexit, the Treasury in London has said. The current level of agricultural backing, which underpins the farming industry, will also be matched by the British government until 2020. Europe’s more…
The four year Centre for Economic Empowerment project at NICVA is nearing its conclusion but the full attendance at today’s event can be taken as a sign of the capacity that has been built in the community and voluntary sector around economic awareness and understanding.
Talking at this morning’s Big Ideas: Festival of Economics at NICVA, Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir indicated that Northern Ireland was being left out of post-Brexit decision making in London. He also felt it was likely the British Government would not underwrite the “half of” current EU INTERREG and PEACE funding, adding that he expected more…
Rather out of the blue, this joint letter from Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness to the prime minister Theresa May changes the impression of a divided Executive heading for a fresh stand-off and is to be warmly welcomed. It is artfully couched in calling for no weakening of cross border measures to deal with crime more…
Living in the shadow of gunmen, from Jim McDowell… Whether they live in loyalist or republican enclaves still bedevilled by the bully boys of the rump of the IRA, the UDA, the UVF, the INLA, or, now, the deranged dissidents, the courageous corps of decent folk who speak, even anonymously, to the newspapers, or the more…
Contributions from Martina Anderson and Naomi Long were subdued in comparison with the robust exchanges between Gregory Campbell and Joe Brolly at tonight’s West Belfast Talks Back event, part of Féile an Phobail.
