Strewth. I take a day-trip to Dublin yesterday and when I come back I find the whole political system is in turmoil. John has left Basil and one of the two pillars supporting NI21 – which was looking so fresh and promising – has been removed. Can you not be trusted if I so much […]
May, 2014
‘NO ONE MENTIONS THE STINGS’ by Harry McAvinchey
“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” – Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) “… that little wild bee, half starved, ignorant, is the ancestor of all the civilized bees. And, what is more important, as the scientists point out, it is probably to her […]
Europe, bulging veins and looking down noses
So now what do you think of Europe? Last night you had the chance to ingest loads and loads about Europe and what candidates will do for us if they get elected. There was Prime Time on RTÉ with Claire Byrne and David McCullagh, and on BBC NI we got Noel Thompson as ring-master for […]
The mysterious case of the elusive election
Dia ar sábhál, as my Irish teacher likes to say – God save us. I’m writing this and at the same time listening to Good Morning Ulster on BBC Raidio Uladh/Radio Ulster. I’ve been listening since 8.00 a.m. and even a bit before, and the truth is I’m feeling wobbly. Confused. Because although there’s an […]
How not to listen, how not to read
I was watching the political debate on RTÉ last night and a thought crossed my mind: these guys aren’t listening to each other. No, that’s wrong: they’re listening to each other but only so they can weigh in and score some telling point at the next opportunity. It’s a debate where the idea is not to […]
How to say “They’re doing well”, Sindo-style
Do you remember an election that received as little or at least as late attention as this one? It’s only now when we’re four days out from voting that the media have begun to focus. Odd, that. Because many of us have an appetite for politics. But here’s what I was wondering: how will they handle […]
You must remember this
You’re probably familiar with the case of Wendy Doherty. No? Well, John Dargle then – you know about him. No again? I’d say that was odd except that it isn’t. Some victims of the Troubles we hear about again and again. Others, even their names are forgotten. John Dargle died forty years ago today. He […]
Liz O’Donnell and doing politics the traditional way
I’m assuming it’s the same Liz O’Donnell. You know, the …I was going to say “the nice-looking blonde one in the Progressive Democrats” but a reader has informed me that any mention of a woman’s appearance is rank sexism, so I’ll confine myself to saying she was the deputy leader of the late Progressive […]
Stephen Nolan: the colourful and the thoughtful
About a decade ago I wrote an article in the Belfast Telegraph defending Stephen Nolan. (That’s back in the day when the Belfast Telegraph accepted articles from me.) Ed Curran had written a critical article about Nolan’s radio show, saying that it was bear-pit stuff and a sad decline from David Dunseith’s Talk Back. […]
Nelson does the numbers
Some people think that politicians here have a cushy number, lolling around all day pretending to be working. A recent article in thedetail.ie makes it clear that is not the case. It seems that the Department of Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland and North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds have been working their proverbial butts off […]