December, 2016

  Most people in Ireland, were born into the Catholic Church, and were regarded as Catholic whether they practiced or not. Catholic became a handy label of convenience –especially in Norn Ireland. If, on being admitted to hospital, you were asked what religion you were, you would say ‘Catholic’. Of course you did not have to disclose. […]

  “Now is not the time for games or stunts” Simon Hamilton has just said on the radio. Well now Simon,  that would depend on what you were trying to achieve. The SDLP is putting forward a motion to have a full public enquiry, where all documentation is collected and all/any witnesses are if necessary […]

This is a cautionary tale of how bureaucracy, given a chance, will kick the stuffing out of an ordinary defenceless citizen. This one is a woman called Erin Douglas. ON 17 December 2015 she set up a direct debit with the DVLA, and the first payment to them went through smoothly. Erin changed her address […]

Ireland is a laughing stock in the eyes of the world’s leading economists. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman coined the phrase “Leprechaun economics” at Ireland’s expense over our secret tax deals with multi nationals and allowing them to capitalise Irish registered holding companies and pay tax only on their capital assets at reduced rates. It […]

I read this funny story last week –in a conservative Catholic publication I hasten to add. The teacher was talking to the children in her class about how they spent Christmas. Patrick, who was Catholic, said that his family went to midnight Mass sang carols, came home and got their stockings ready for the toys […]

By now we’ve all watched the footage of the former DUP Minister and Arlene Foster on the corruption within the RHI process. I wouldn’t normally rush to the defence of Unionist politicians but I believe Jonathan; why else would he risk and quite likely end his political career and livelihood over ambiguous allegations? He has […]

When Danny Morrison wrote the letters which constitute this book, he was in prison in the early 90s, serving a sentence for false imprisonment and conspiracy to murder a British informer in the IRA. He was sentenced to eight years but released after five. (In 2008 his conviction was quashed.) The book consists of letters […]

What has all so angry about the scandal of the failed Renewable Heat Initiative? Is it the fact that we know that someone within the upper echelons of the DUP has acted to the detriment of the public good and that we are frustrated to watch the “he done it, no she done it” squabble […]

“The first minister does not take her instructions from Sinn Féin, but from the electorate.” That was the statement issued after Martin McGuinness advised his coalition partner First Minister Arlene Foster ,that it might be the most advised option given that she was the entire focus of the “Cash for Ash “scandal and that remaining […]

If there’s one faith group I admire, it’s the Quakers. Not because they’re linked with childhood memories of porridge but because they were against violence. What’s great about that, you ask, Virginia – aren’t we all against violence? No, my dear, but the Quakers are different: they’re against all violence. You can tell there are […]