Tag Archives | Westminster election

Michelle Gildernew interview

Given that I put my Catherine Seeley interview up on this site yesterday, it’s only fair that I put up the interview with Fermanagh and Tyrone’s next MP as well….It’ll take a minute or two to download. It’s worth it.   MICHELLE GILDERNEW INTERVIEW 1

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Cries of “Sectarianism!” and Grade A bunkum

  We Irish  have a huge capacity for self-deception. Tell us that our pubs are invariably friendly, music-laden places and we’ll agree vigorously. Tell us that we’re welcoming to outsiders, that we have hearts as big as all-outdoors, and  we’ll nod like one of those soft toys in the back window of a car. But […]

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Maggie and Nigel and what comes with them

“She brings her father, her mother, her sister and her brother, Oh! I never see Maggie alone. She brings her uncles and cousins, she’s got ‘em by the dozens, I never see Maggie alone.” Remember that one? It was part of the soundtrack of my childhood. But it has bang-up-to-date relevance as well. Especially if […]

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Oh, those primitive people in Fermanagh/South Tyrone!

So. You enjoying the coverage of the election campaign in Fermanagh/South Tyrone? Thanks to BBC and UTV reports, it’s now clear that Fermanagh/South Tyrone is stuck in the past. Almost daily references, verbal and visual, to the ‘dreary steeples’ and people mindlessly and tribally voting for orange or green. We still haven’t learnt, we’re told,  […]

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Last night at the Lansdowne

I chaired a meeting in Belfast’s Lansdowne Hotel last night. It was organised by Sinn Féin and clearly intended to boost the attempt by Gerry Kelly to take the North Belfast seat held by Nigel Dodds.  Besides Gerry Kelly, the other two panellists were Deirdre Hargey,  leader of the Sinn Féin group in Belfast City […]

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