Pioneer of the Irish Credit Union Movement, Member of Parliament at Stormont, Westminster and the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Nobel Laureate, winner of the International Gandhi and Martin Luther King Peace prizes, Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory The Great (KCSG) Born: January 18th, 1937 Died: August 3rd, 2020 _____________________________________________________ Poverty shaped much […]
John Hume and response to his death
They’re at it already. John Hume won’t be buried until tomorrow, but the opportunists are seizing his death to take a swing at their opponents. Gregory Campbell led the field. “He could be very prickly”, Gregory allowed when asked about Hume, “but then I’m sure he’d say the same about me.” (See what he did […]
Jude and Dr Federica Ferlanti talk about modern-day China
Dr Ferlanti is an academic from the University of Cardiff. She very kindly allowed me to eat into her time on holiday to talk about the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, and what part nationalism plays in both areas.
Pat and Jude Zoom-chat about…John Hume
ily It’s an odd thing about writing and talking: if you feel engaged with the topic, have strong feelings about it, the writing and talking comes very easy; whereas if it’s something you really have little interest in, it’s like stabbing a vein to draw ink for your pen. So my Zoom-chat with Pat today was an easy number: John Hume bestrode Irish politics like a Colossus for many years. For many, he epitomised what was best in Irish politics. As editor of the Derry Journal in the 1980s, Pat knew John Hume well, and I met him a couple of times myself. But watch the Zoom-chat, watch the Zoom-chat…
John Hume: a man for all seasons
I’ve just heard Chris Buckler talking with Gerry Adams about John Hume and his opposition to violence. As is to be expected from Raidio Uladh/Radio Ulster, Buckler did all he could to contrast John Hume as peacemaker with Gerry Adams as man of violence. Adams pointed out that at that time, Sinn Féin were ostracized […]
Human Rights and Justice by Michael J Cummings
AMERICAN BREXIT COMMITTEE 1919 CHESTNUT ST, SUITE 1724 PHILIDELPHIA, PA 19103 John M. Corcoran Esq. Chairman Michael J. Cummings, Secretary Here’s a fun fact for political junkies. Massachusetts Members of Congress have a rich legacy of standing up against bullies in the fight for human rights, justice and democracy around the world. Of course, O’Neill, […]
The British role in America’s tainted past – Aleem Maqbool (courtesy of Fr Sean McManus)
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53603250 By Aleem Maqbool BBC News, Richmond, Virginia BBC. Saturday, August 1, 2020 Part of the soul-searching in the US in the two months since the killing of George Floyd has been focused on examining the history that led the country to this point. Confederate statues have been pulled down in many cities and there are […]
Kate and Nige: well Lordy, Lordy
What does the elevation of Kate Hoey MP (late of this parish) and Nigel Dodds (former MP) to the House of Lords tell us? Apart, of course, from their liking of titles and being members of a prestigious unelected body? Well, maybe it tells us that Kate and Nige are planning to work their little […]
John Finucane MP and fly-tipping
This blog first appeared as a column in The Andersonstown News In 2019, after years of slicing the unionist majority thinner and thinner, Sinn Féin finally took the Westminster seat of North Belfast. John Finucane is the first nationalist ever to hold the seat but he is emphatic that he represents all of the people in his constituency, including those who voted against him. Yes, […]
ANNIVERSARY OF MIAMI SHOWBAND MASSACRE – Fr Sean McManus
Miami Showband massacre: ‘I heard my platform shoes click against each other. I still had both legs’ Stephen Travers, who survived that night 45 years ago today, now works for reconciliation Yvonne Watterson. Irish Times. Dublin. Friday, July 31, 2020 Yvonne Watterson is an educator and writer living in the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. […]