December, 2020

In June 1914 a young man with a pistol killed the  blameless Archduke Franz Ferdinand and  his equally innocuous spouse, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenburg. On July 26 1914 the King’s Own Scottish Borderers discharged their rifles at unarmed civilians in Dublin, killing three and wounding thirty two. Nine days later the Regiment, together with the […]

Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus “The Irish National Caucus website still lists 36 senators and representatives who were infuriated by Mr. Johnson’s Internal Market Bill.” Brexit catastrophe: US-UK deal on brink as scale of Irish lobby pressuring Biden exposed BREXIT may not produce the free trade agreement with the US many euroskeptics hoped for as the Irish lobby in […]

 Has Boris Johnson missed his vocation in life? Before you say dog-poop collector or sumo-wrestler, let me offer one myself – disaster broadcaster.  I can see him now: “I’m standing here at the point where the express train left the tracks (shows teeth in a ‘smile’). I’ve been in there and I can tell you […]

 Has Boris Johnson missed his vocation in life? Before you say dog-poop collector or boil-burster, let me offer one myself: disaster broadcaster.  Even now I can picture him: “It is I, Boris Johnson. I’m standing here at the point where the express train left the tracks (smiles). I’ve been in there at the heart of […]

Today, in the south of Ireland, is National Go Slow Day (something like that, anyway). It is a day when people are asked to make a concerted effort not to speed. So far, near to 250 people have been caught speeding by the gardaí .  What’s more,  over 130 people have died on the south’s […]

 If you want to understand Boris Johnson, maybe look at a clip of him playing rugby on a visit, I presume, to a school. In his shirt and trousers he gets the ball and goes thundering towards the touch line,  bulldozing a small opposing player as he goes. There are also clips, if you care […]

Just over a week ago the main Unionist party’s representatives, past and present, lined up to make scathing and crass attacks on the family of Pat Finucane. It followed the secretary of states’ decision that a full public inquiry would not be held at this time. Whilst Nigel Dodds focused on well-rehearsed “whataboutery”, Peter Robinson […]

Recently in the hallowed halls of Lambeth Palace, London, a meeting of several self-interest groups took place. Lambeth Palace is to be found not far from the Houses of Parliament and has been home to the Archbishop of Canterbury for nearly 800 years. Ironically, under the circumstances, a  similar time scale to Britain’s colonial occupation […]

Wasn’t it Arlene Foster who said “Be careful what you wish for”? This morning she must be feeling those words gnawing at her soul. Brexit, which would clearly define the sovereignty of the UK, Brexit which would emphasise the honoured place of our stateen in that UK, Brexit which would show what a sovereign nation […]

Michael McDowell is a remarkable man. He is a failed politician – he lost his Dáil seat almost twenty years ago. Twelve years ago the party he once led voted itself out of existence. Yet Michael pops up again and again, explaining how politics in Ireland works. Let me tap the back of your neck, […]