On Stephen Nolan’s BBC Radio Ulster show he is currently arguing the toss with the Ulster Unionist Party’s representative Steve Aiken MLA…ex Royal Navy Submarine Commander (Order Of The British Empire). He’s giving him a right old grilling and he’s covering a lot of ground about the UUP’s opposition to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) […]
February, 2017
‘Colum Eastwood: A Failed Political Entity’ by Donal Lavery
Charlie Haughey once described “Northern Ireland” as a “failed political entity” at his party conference. He was referring to the fact that despite its continued existence, it certainly isn’t going to last nor blossom. I want to recycle the phrase but apply it to a man whose political career is coming to a fruitless end, […]
Nigel talks to Nick
I happened to catch Nick Robinson’s interview with Nigel Dodds on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme this morning. Nick made a point – at the start and at the end – that the leader of the DUP had been invited to appear and declined, and Nick wasn’t overly impressed by that. However, in my view he was […]
Notice to guest bloggers and commenters
OK. As many of you will already know, I’ve taken down two blogs in the last few weeks, something I don’t like doing. However, I’m not keen on being sued or seeing out my declining years in a lonely prison cell, so I’ve erred on the side of caution by removing them. In the light […]
Prisoners by Joe McVeigh
The first time I ever visited a prison was in the year of 1969 when I went to visit in Mountjoy gaol in Dublin which I only knew about from the song Kevin Barry. I was a student in Maynooth at the time. I was asked to go to visit a young lad from Fermanagh who was […]
‘No need to patronise us over 1916 celebrations, Boris’ by Diarmaid Ferriter
(This article first appeared in the Irish Times three days ago) There has been much justifiable comment in recent years about the extent to which Anglo-Irish relations have improved, but maybe you can have too much of a good thing. That was the conclusion I came to on receiving a bizarre invitation earlier this month. […]
The Pride Before a Fall by Jessica McGranN
To keep us green, London was keen and put 600 million in a nice big pot But the DUP all danced with glee and instead began to scheme and plot For it wasn’t the cleaner environment or removing pollution from the skies Not reducing our carbon footprint but only pound signs that filled their eyes […]
MODS ‘n ROCKERS (2) by Perkin Warbeck
As long threatened, a word of explanation re title of this Guest Blog. Which was sparked by the biography of Myles na Gopaleen by the Leprechaun-loathing Anthony Cronin. To do so, one must refer to that most, erm, iconic of photos of the Free Southern Stateen (perhaps emblematic is less problematic, as in: […]
‘Looking back and looking forward’ by Joe McVeigh
I wrote this piece below shortly after the Rev Ian Paisley died. I still believe that his ‘conversion’ was the beginning of a new era in political life on this island. There is no going back even though the present DUP leadership have not followed his example. They seem to want to drag […]
Trump, the media and Norman Comiskey
Pat: Trump! Mick: Touch of wind? Pat: Eh? Mick: I assumed that was a burp. Pat : No. I said Trump! The US President. Mick : Ah. Pat: You hear about his latest wheeze? Mick: Which is…? Pat: He’s excluded mainstream media from attending a press briefing in the White House. Mick: What?! Pat: Yep. […]