January, 2018

Abortion: what’s the question?

There can be few people in Ireland who can’t tell you how many people were killed on Bloody Sunday in 1972. Most would also be able to tell you that thirteen of the fourteen died on that January day, while the fourteenth victim died a few months later. Rather less would be able to tell […]

Continue Reading

Five lessons we can draw from the Gary Haggarty case

  It may have been painful – no, let’s get real, it was and is painful – that Gary Haggarty should have received a sentence of just over six years for his crimes. Equally painful, in some ways, are the lessons it teaches us about the state and its concern for its citizens. There are, of […]

Continue Reading

Joe and the dumb nationalists in the north

When I was an impressionable teenager, I used to read Time magazine. It impressed me mightily: it could take some matter – any matter – and make what had been vague and fuzzy precise and sharp-edged. It wrote with clarity, it spoke with authority. Time was my bible. And then one week they did a […]

Continue Reading

Leo and Mary Lou: two new leaders

Normally when a political party replaces an ageing leader with a leader in his/prime, the expectation is that this will give the party a bounce. People will see the new leader the way we look on the first snow-drops or a tentative daffodil tip pushing clear of the soil: something new and fresh and maybe […]

Continue Reading

Saturday pics of the week

Pics 1-3 are by Perkin Warbeck:   Pic 1   Pic 2   Pic 3   Pic 1:  Valletta celebrated being European Culture Capital 2018 last Saturday night with a Spectacular Launch. Pic 2: . Culture Vultures from all arts, crafts and parts arrived. Pic 3: . Including this Brobdingagian  character who set speculative tongues a-wagging. Was it […]

Continue Reading

Poll- climbing

According to polls in The Irish Times this morning, Sinn Féin are showing the kind of numbers they’ve been showing for some time now. While Fine Gael are almost out of sight with a 34% rating, Fianna Fail can feel reasonably happy with 25%, Sinn Féin show at 19% and Labour at 3%. Now there […]

Continue Reading

Alban,Gary and David: three men, one mind

I’ve just come off the Vinnie Hurrel/Stephen Nolan show. I was on with Alban Maginness, talking about the decision of St Cecelia’s College in Derry to make Martina Anderson their Past Pupil of the Day. If the school had announced   “We’ve just built a small devil-worshipping shrine off the gymnasium, a quiet place where girls […]

Continue Reading

Kenny and Mairia are shocked and saddened

When people take a different stance from you on some matter, it can be hard to believe they’re serious.  Just because someone doesn’t agree with you, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong or that they don’t hold their views with  sincerity. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean they’re right or that they aren’t being cynical. This morning […]

Continue Reading