November, 2012

I wish I were smarter and could see what everybody else appears to see – or certainly all commentators I’ve heard so far appear to see. Fact: the BBC’s Director-General has had to resign. Why? Because somebody on Newsnight  accused a leading Tory in the 1970s of sexual abuse. The accused was not named. People […]

I wish I were smarter and could see what everybody else appears to see – or certainly all commentators I’ve heard so far appear to see. Fact: the BBC’s Director-General has had to resign. Why? Because somebody on Newsnight  accused a leading Tory in the 1970s of sexual abuse. The accused was not named. People […]

Below is the article I wrote for The Andersonstown News group of papers earlier this week. I  could have lopped out the top bit and made it more up-to-date, but since I’ve been wrong (like so many others) so often in my predictions,  allow me a quick wallow in self-congratulation. Besides, it’s fun to remember […]

Below is the article I wrote for The Andersonstown News group of papers earlier this week. I  could have lopped out the top bit and made it more up-to-date, but since I’ve been wrong (like so many others) so often in my predictions,  allow me a quick wallow in self-congratulation. Besides, it’s fun to remember […]

Oh dear. It’s that time of year again. Poppy time.  When those who don’t wear the poppy are depicted as backward-looking anti-Brit bigots, stuffed with spleen and blind to the sacrifice of their fellow-countrymen. When politicians like Fine Gael’s Frank Feighan can wear their poppy with pride in the Dail, to show how open-minded and […]

Oh dear. It’s that time of year again. Poppy time.  When those who don’t wear the poppy are depicted as backward-looking anti-Brit bigots, stuffed with spleen and blind to the sacrifice of their fellow-countrymen. When politicians like Fine Gael’s Frank Feighan can wear their poppy with pride in the Dail, to show how open-minded and […]

I see where, over on sluggerotoole.com, Mick Fealty is going all thoughtful and running a professional eye over The Irish Times, which today apparently has adopted a new format.  It’s not gone tabloid but it hasn’t stayed broadsheet either. Somewhere in between.  Mick says things like “The Berliner is a personal favorite of mine, not […]

I see where, over on sluggerotoole.com, Mick Fealty is going all thoughtful and running a professional eye over The Irish Times, which today apparently has adopted a new format.  It’s not gone tabloid but it hasn’t stayed broadsheet either. Somewhere in between.  Mick says things like “The Berliner is a personal favorite of mine, not […]

It’s not a position I usually find myself in, but I reacted negatively yesterday when I heard someone – almost certainly a politician – talk about the death of David Black as ‘an all-Ireland problem’. I concede that the dissident group which killed him very likely has members north and south of the border, but […]

It’s not a position I usually find myself in, but I reacted negatively yesterday when I heard someone – almost certainly a politician – talk about the death of David Black as ‘an all-Ireland problem’. I concede that the dissident group which killed him very likely has members north and south of the border, but […]