Slugger O'Toole

Removing statues is a revolutionary gesture. Is that what’s needed?

Brian Walker on June 9, 2020, 4:52 pmLeave a comment | Readers

Queen Victoria being removed from the front of the Dail Fergus on Monday nailed it. In the current atmosphere the statue of Oliver Cromwell speaks for itself. Perched in front of Westminster Hall the Victorians who erected it were celebrating the victory of Parliament over the royal tyrant Charles 1. But even leaving aside the massacres of Drogheda and Wexford, this distorts Cromwell’s record. He sent the troops in to expel Parliament not once but twice and instead ruled …

The new normal is an opportunity for Northern Ireland’s centre ground

Gareth Brown on June 9, 2020, 2:07 pmLeave a comment | Readers 397

The centre ground in Northern Ireland has been a tough road for the last fifteen years. Rightly or wrongly, the truth is that our own version of it has been a somewhat half-hearted attempt to be brave enough to say that elections, as opposed to a border poll if and when there is one, need not necessarily be about securing the most nationalist or unionist votes. Recently, Irish economist David McWilliams when describing how Churchill had won the war but …

“The Referee’s a wnkr…”

ItwasSammyMcNally on June 9, 2020, 7:41 amLeave a comment | Readers 1153

Anyone with an interest in soccer in these islands will probably be familiar with this chant. It is part of what is often referred to as – football culture. It is so now normalised that, what otherwise is deemed to be grossly offensive language, can be audible in living rooms across these islands on a Sunday afternoon – and yet no one seems to actually hear it. Or if they do hear it, no one seems to be concerned that …

Read more…“The Referee’s a w*nk*r…”

How the Big Brother TV programme changed our world, contested truth and showed Trump the low road to the Whitehouse

Mick Fealty on June 8, 2020, 10:40 amLeave a comment | Readers 1606

If you are still wondering how a Twitter troll got the keys to power in the world’s richest democracy or in spite of its activists’ online trolling (and few real policies) SF is now the biggest party in Ireland, try Jamie Barlett’s new series on BBC Radio Four? The first part of Watching Us broadcast/dropped yesterday focuses on the onset of a new paradigm, when the decision to make Big Brother was arrived one July evening by dutch production company Endemol …

‘My coping mechanism is talking, seeking peace and reconciliation’

Paul Gosling on June 8, 2020, 9:02 amLeave a comment | Readers 757

Alan McBride’s personal journey is well known, but remarkable nonetheless. It was in 1993 that his wife Sharon and her father Desmond Frizzell were killed in an IRA bomb attack on the family fish shop in Belfast’s Shankill Road. But with immense dignity, Alan has since dedicated his life to reconciliation and progress, as well as campaigning on behalf of victims. He is the latest interviewee in the Holywell Trust Forward Together podcasts. Alan admits that initially after Sharon …

Seriously Injured Victim Payment Scheme – Providing Some Clarity

Luke Moffett on June 8, 2020, 8:14 amLeave a comment | Readers 457

There has much debate about the implementation of the pension for seriously injured victims over the past few days. The sites of contention have seemed to shift over the past two weeks from which department would be responsible for the scheme, who will fund it (given its UK reach), who will be eligible to what the guidance on conviction states. Despite much sympathy and sweet words for years by politicians around the pension issue, there has been little push within …

Fergus on Monday

Fergus on June 8, 2020, 8:00 amLeave a comment | Readers 1245

In review: why the abortion debate landed where it landed

Andy Boal on June 8, 2020, 7:12 amLeave a comment | Readers 490

To begin with, the Northern Ireland Act 1998 specifically authorises Parliament to make laws for Northern Ireland (Section 5(6)) and, in return, the Northern Ireland Assembly to amend laws made by Parliament to the extent that they affect Northern Ireland, provided that the matter has been “transferred” (devolved – see section 6). In theory, there could be an unending game of ping pong as the Assembly asserts its will and Parliament asserts its sovereignty. Thus the Sewell convention, which is …

Between the constraints of collapsing lockdown and the exhilaration of anti- racist protest, which would you choose?

Brian Walker on June 7, 2020, 8:30 pmLeave a comment | Readers 2132

BLM. Woe betide you if you need the acronym explained. The tide of Black Lives Matter protest has swept across the Atlantic and across the world, following in the wake of Covid 19. Point out the risk of mass infection caused by close encounter at demonstrations and you risk being called a closet racist by some. Politicians are gambling that there won’t be a second spike despite clear warnings from the north of England. For so many young people champing …

This world will break your heart but kindness is everywhere, notice it…

Lisa Wells on June 7, 2020, 7:00 amLeave a comment | Readers 853

If you’re like me and regularly wake up at silly o’clock no matter the weather or time of year, you’ll have developed the best strategy for gently starting your day. I’m well practised in this art of either watching the sunrise or lying for hours waiting for the first touch of the day to show in the sky, depending on the season. Being awake early or having disturbed sleep isn’t a new thing for me, it revisited me as yet …

Northern Ireland is about to learn the cost of lies

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on June 6, 2020, 9:12 pmLeave a comment | Readers 13288

“What is the cost of lies?” This is the question posed by Valery Legasov in the HBO mini-series Chernobyl, about the lies of the Soviet authorities in the lead up and aftermath of the 1986 disaster in what was then the Ukrainian SSR. The British government has stated that it will not be seeking an extension to the transition period with the EU following the UK’s exit from the union in January. It therefore appears likely that Northern Ireland will …

Can Belfast be saved?

Brian Walker on June 6, 2020, 2:19 pmLeave a comment | Readers 21168

I’ve picked up a tweet linking to a devastating critique of the physical state of Belfast by the Belfast based architect Mark Hackett written last year. On my visits home I tend to tramp a few selected streets in my old stomping grounds of the Troubles. Naturally enough I also take in one of two of the tastefully named “Quarters,” the designation intended to preserve and develop what remains of the character of the city. My impression is of a …

Diane Dodds calls for faster movement on opening shops, cafes and, wait for it, pubs…

Mick Fealty on June 6, 2020, 7:15 amLeave a comment | Readers 2550

Interesting development (so far ignored by BBC Online News). DUP Minister Diana Dodds calls for movement on opening shops, cafes, restaurants and bars. In the republic’s plan, these outlets must wait till August but that may be rapidly telescoped. Whatever the reason, new infection rates are now minuscule across Northern Ireland: New #coronavirus infections by NI Council Area: Antrim/Newtownabbey 1Ards/North Down 1Armagh B&C 0Belfast 0Causeway C&G 1Derry/Strabane 0Fermanagh/Omagh 0Lisburn/Castlereagh 0Mid/East Antrim 0Mid Ulster 0Newry M&D 0 3/1098 tests positive. 0 …

Caring for each other in a time of lockdown…

Philip Orr on June 6, 2020, 7:00 amLeave a comment | Readers 538

The global crisis wrought by the Coronavirus has made us aware of some of the most important things in life: good health, effective healthcare, supportive relationships, and wise governance. Self-isolation and fear have shown us just how much we depend on companionship for strength and well-being, while our dependence on the dedication of those who care for us when we are sick, frail, or aged has never been more evident. Perhaps it is time to invoke the wisdom of the …

The annoyance of sales calls…

Felicity Graham on June 6, 2020, 6:50 amLeave a comment | Readers 349

After eleven weeks of singleton lockdown I don’t feel it is inaccurate to say that the one thing that has kept me sane has been the telephone. For all the kind friends and relatives who have stayed in touch by either my landline or mobile I will be eternally grateful. There is nothing more capable of lifting a sagging spirit than the sound of a human voice. Of course, it does depend on what it has to say… Last Tuesday …

Read more…The annoyance of sales calls…

From Northern Ireland to the US, from 1968 to today, the camera is a powerful catalyst for change

Brian Walker on June 5, 2020, 6:31 pmLeave a comment | Readers 2002

The horrific image of policemen in Minneapolis caught in the act of slowly choking George Floyd to death has prompted the thought : how different would have been the course of the Troubles if they’d been waged under the eyes of 24/7 live news coverage and video cameras with sound on mobile phones? Would a whole race of citizen journalists, citizen terrorists and citizen security forces have been created all videoing each other like crazy? Might violence amounting to …

An “act of political will” needed to end the road blocking of victims pensions over eligibility…

Mick Fealty on June 5, 2020, 3:14 pmLeave a comment | Readers 1286

Alex Kane is on fire in the Irish News today on the subject of payments to victims that was promised back in December 2014, under the Stormont House Agreement. He quotes from a letter he received after making an appearance on GMU at the time. “I don’t expect anything to come from this. We aren’t front and centre. We are sidelined and forgotten. Most of us will die before the parties have resolved it and I wouldn’t be surprised if …

The UK now has more daily deaths from Covid than the rest of the entire EU put together…

Brian O'Neill on June 5, 2020, 8:27 amLeave a comment | Readers 2817

From BBC Newsnight on Wednesday night: “The UK now has more daily deaths from Covid than the rest of the entire EU put together.” #Newsnight's Political Editor @nicholaswatt talks us through the latest #coronavirus data 👇 WATCH 👇 pic.twitter.com/odLY0L4jfS — BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) June 3, 2020 Boris Johnston did promise the UK would be World beaters…

Is Trump a narcissist?

Terry Maguire on June 5, 2020, 7:36 amLeave a comment | Readers 2712

In the last few days, as America teetered on the brink of social meltdown, Joe Biden made a speech rounding on the President and suggesting his “narcissism” as a reason for Trump’s penchant for creating division. Narcissists get such a bad press and I have often wonder if they are over represented in political classes. Yet most of us, including Joe Biden, don’t really appreciate or understand what a narcissist is. They are much more complex and infinitely more interesting …

With the R number across the UK and Ireland less than one, what lessons can be learned from the United States on re-opening safely?

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on June 5, 2020, 7:30 amLeave a comment | Readers 2390

The Northern Ireland Executive announced that there will be further loosening of lockdown restrictions next week, following the Department of Health announcing that the R number (the average number of people an infected person will pass the virus to) in Northern Ireland is currently between 0.7 and 0.9. It appears that R is holding steady at less than one across the UK and Ireland. The chart above shows estimated values for R across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, …