April, 2017

Pics 1-6 are by Antrim Lens     Pic 1 Pic 2     Pic 3   Pic 4 Pic 5 Pic 6 “Busy week this week so I wasn’t out with the camera much. Hope your followers like garden birds. Pic 1 Wren, Pic 2 Goldcrest, Pic 3 Chaffinch, Pic 4 Robin, Pic 5 Dunnock and […]

Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a […]

When the setting up of the Regiment was first announced I thought the idea was crazy. Following the 1969 disturbances a British judge recommended the disarming of the regular RUC and the disbanding of the B Specials. I thought the recommendations sensible and that they would make room for reform and constructive politics. Riots in […]

Do you listen to your politicians? I’m not asking do you follow their advice: I’m asking do you literally listen to them? Just over seventy years ago, George Orwell wrote an essay entitled “Politics and the English Language”. I’ll give the link to it below, but I’d like to highlight a few of the things […]

I was on Nolan this morning (well, actually it was nice Vinny) with Newton Emerson and Basil McCrea, talking about the impact here of Theresa May’s sudden call to arms. The point that was raised: Doesn’t Theresa May care about the success or failure of the talks here? A no-brainer, I think: she doesn’t. And […]

My good friend and ex-politician Nelson McCausland,  in a recent conversation,  seemed to express the belief that  much of the non-voting section of the population can be explained by the existence of people on benefits  who don’t want their identity or whereabouts revealed. I rarely disagree  with such a gleaming intellect but in this case […]

So the DUP say they still want to go into coalition with Sinn Fein in a revived Executive, but already they are insulting that party for it’s essential republicanism, as they ready themselves for this shiny new unexpected election.Coalition partners indeed!! It’s not as if we all don’t know thta these parties are like chalk […]

My thanks to Donal Kennedy for alerting me to this interesting piece – Jude How little they know of England, who are only Anglophiles! John Bruton was morally shocked by Brexit. He had observed, at close quarters, British handling of the EU—exerting relentless pressure in order to gain exceptions for itself because it was exceptional, […]

In May 2013 the British magazine HISTORY TODAY, founded by Brendan Bracken carried an article FICTION OF IMPERIALISM, by Michael Paris.  It started: “Britain’s involvement in the Middle East between the (World) wars proved a rich seam for authors of adventure stories which helped to reinforce the imperial mission.” Tales of young Britons bringing peace […]

And they’re off. Reports that Sammy Wilson, owing to a misunderstanding, was seen dancing in the streets en déshabillé, causing several horses in East Antrim to throw their riders, are, of course, false. But you can see why the lie might have been propagated. Sammy is known to favour the life natural, and the DUP […]