A great Fenian, John O’Leary said there were things that a gentleman should not do, even for his country, such as cry. Some Irish politician or other used weep in public to prove his patrotism. Reserve and self-control were regarded by perhaps most Britons as necessary for their self- respect, Whatever their faults, Churchill, Attlee, […]
May, 2021
PAT + JUDE TALK ABOUT THAT HI-JACKED RYANAIR PLANE, THE DANGEROUS DECLINE OF THE DUP, AND RUDE WORDS …
That Ryanair jet which was forced to land in Belarus has provoked outrage – maybe in part because many of us have flown Ryanair and don’t fancy having the experience of being forced to land somewhere we don’t want to. The West is up in arms about it. Should action be taken? If so, what? […]
Have the DUP made a terrible mistake?
DUP supporters must be munching their Wheatabix this morning and wondering what sin from their past deserves the punishment they are currently undergoing. For a start, there’s that poll. Yes, yes, Virginia, the only poll that really counts is the one on election day – but opinion polls can give you an indication of what […]
TV Review: Ryan Tubridy talks to Ballymurphy
This TV review first appeared in The Andersonstown News Ryan Tubridy had a small number of Ballymurphy families as final item in the Late Late Show last Friday. He introduced them and said that with them, he’d try to convey “the enormity of what, for many people, was a forgotten tragedy in this country and on this island.” The difference between what happened […]
So what happens after the violence ends? Who won and who lost Israel v Palestinians? – by Fra Hughes
Self-defence, blood lust, ethnic cleansing, disproportionate response, mowing the lawn, genocide, death from the sky. Whatever way you wish to describe the unparalleled violence unleashed on Gaza is up to you. I describe it as shooting or in this case bombing Palestinians in a barrel. Let’s have a brief resumé of what’s happened. The district […]
How U is the UK?
This blog first appeared as a column in The Andersonstown News If you’re a stout supporter of the United Kingdom, you may long to press the reset button and delete the last couple of weeks, because the creaking joints and alarming ping-sounds coming from the political world suggest that the UK is more K than U. Take England. The results of local council elections last […]
SWEET ARE THE USES OF PERVERSITY? – by Donal Kennedy
Don’t get me wrong . We humans are a diverse species and our continued survival demands mutual protection and, at least, toleration, but preferably respect. I see no cause for pride in being human, nor Irish, heterosexual, nor right-handed. Nor any need for shame. I speak most often in English and read over 99% of […]
Let the Storey Go – by Michael Lagan
Had Bobby Storey been any other person, including a Unionist, there would have been nowhere near the hullabaloo that his funeral stirred up almost a year ago. From the very second Unionists, the SDLP, Alliance and Nolan heard about and witnessed the size of his funeral on television, they were on their pedestals and indeed […]
SATURDAY PICS OF THE WEEK – BY PERKIN WARBECK
1 2 3 4 Summer Proms / Ceolchoirm Phromanáide an tSamhraidh Musical Menu / Ceolchlár 1. Perpetuum Mobile 2. Stockhausen 3. Amhrán na bhFiann ? 4. Amhrán na bhFiann Notes / Notaí 1. Whatever you do, do NOT shout:’ Down with Ageism !’ (Pé rud a dhéanann tú, NÁ scread ‘Síos […]
PAT + JUDE TALK ABOUT THE NOLAN SHOW, THE PROTOCOL, AND THE KILLING OF CHILDREN
Have you watched The Nolan Show on TV recently? Or listened to it on the radio? There are those who think it’s become The Nolan Bobby-Storey-Funeral Show. Maybe you’re among them. Maybe you’re not. And then there’s the Protocol. What about that young guy, Joel Keys, who told the parliamentary committee that he couldn’t take […]