March, 2014

I’ve been spending the last day or two extolling the worth of Tony Benn, a  man who lived his life working for the interests of those less fortunate than himself. He had many attractive features: looks, eloquence, passion, conscience, a refusal to be cowed. But I think it was his consistent focus on helping and […]

Two men died yesterday and they could hardly be more different. One was Eddie Haughey who, according to today’s Irish Independent,  “originally hails from Louth[and] was better known as Lord Ballyedmond.”  I’ll not quarrel with the first statement but the second is rubbish. I spent at least fifteen minutes listening to bulletins about his death […]

So, Danny Kennedy: you want to know why Richard Haass believes the situation here may deteriorate into violence if no progress is made. Here’s a suggestion: plain horse sense. To further the equine terms, a blind man on a galloping quadruped could see that continued political deadlock will open a way for paramilitary involvement. Danny, […]

It’s ironic that Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government should have done this particular study. The research looks at the US predilection for political dynasties – the most outstanding examples in recent times being the Bush dynasty and the, um, Kennedy dynasty. The study suggests that there’s a liking for dynasties because they […]

  This morning’s News Letter  has an editorial headed ‘No place for cronyism in Northern Ireland’s education system’, with a big photo of Education Minister John O’Dowd beneath it. Which is a bit like asking someone ‘Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” The editorial says it doesn’t mind St Patrick’s in Armagh becoming an […]

  Can there be a more charming historian than Eamon Phoenix?  He lectures in a soft,  fluent voice that draws you in to what feels like a private conversation, and he has that rare skill: an academic with a sense of humour. I was at a talk by him last week on Roger Casement and Joe […]

One of the most admirable qualities that Tony Benn had  – and has – is that he insisted on judging policy, not the person. There’s no doubt that he’s right. In all sorts of spheres – poetry, art, sport as well as politics – we can be overwhelmed by the personality of the person in […]

  Bad news recently for all of you who suffer from hot jets. It seems that blowing a fuse is something that increases your chances of cancer, heart attack and probably measles as well, five-fold. Pause for thought, eh? Say instead “Ohmmmm” or “Marenathamarenathamarenatha” and allow your spirit to be in the now peacefully. Except […]

    The Equality Commission has a Guide for Employers and Employees. It says “there should be no place in the workplace for conduct that has the potential to disrupt an harmonious working environment”. So here’s the question: did Ruth Patterson’s donning of a Linfield scarf in Belfast City Council last night help promote a […]