Although I have strong political views, some of those who think differently from me I genuinely like. One is Alex Kane. Another is Malachi O’Doherty. That doesn’t mean they don’t talk/write tosh. Let’s confine ourselves to Malachi for the moment. In a recent Belfast Telegraph article, titled “Michelle O’Neill has dashed hope of new republican […]
June, 2017
Daniel McCrossan: Rhetoric, Expenses & RHI (Part 2) by Donal Lavery
-Any points made in the course of this article have been referenced below so that Mr McCrossan cannot accuse me of promoting inaccuracies. If you have been following this blog you will notice that my last article caused a bit of a stir in the SDLP camp. Mr McCrossan took to Facebook and Twitter […]
‘Immature religion’ by Joe McVeigh
“Immature religion creates people who know what they are against, but have a very poor sense of what they are for. They are against sin, always as they narrowly define it; but they are seldom for love or actually for anything except the status quo where they think they are in control. This is indeed “the world” and will never get them very […]
‘Two MPs and money matters’ by John McCartan
Attending Westminster with all the bobs and bells doesn’t come cheap. According to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (http://www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-costs/), during 2015/16, Margaret Ritchie’s expenses were £200,118.61. This doesn’t include Ms Ritchie’s full salary of £74,962 which, like all SDLP MPs, she fully draws. During 2015/16, the cost of Ms Ritchie’s staff alone was £142,945.46. In […]
‘What about the future?’ by Joe McVeigh
When the Belfast Agreement was delivered in 1998 it was never envisaged that there would be a Brexit referendum and that the UK would decide to leave the European Union and take Norn Ireland out as well. Even though a majority in the six counties voted to Remain in the EU, the British government is determined to impose Brexit […]
‘Guy Spence: The Nice Guy’ by Donal Lavery
A few people, particularly those in the SDLP or the ‘intrigues’ in People Before Profit, have accused me of spitting literary vitriol at any political figures who I profoundly disagree with. That’s certainly not the case in all instances. I like people who stand for things in a straightforward way – there are people I […]
Scandalous endorsement that got the light touch
Journalists have a way of disappointing you. A political story comes up and, while they report it, they don’t return to it again and again, especially now when politicians are vulnerable in the run-up to a general election. In ways it’s hardly believable. The example I have in mind is the fact that the Irish […]
‘British Unionists in Ireland are á la carte democrats’ by Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Brexit has ignited a fresh debate on what constitutes ‘democratic decisions’ on the island of Ireland. British Unionists are increasingly suggesting, if the Irish nation on the island of Ireland want to reunite our nation, we must convince a majority of them to agree. Wrong. In our 1998 GFA peace deal, Unionists agreed to […]
‘Daniel McCrossan: The Hypocrite’s Hypocrite ‘ by Donal Lavery
SDLP politicians always have larger than life egos which their erudition and analyses skills rarely, if ever, appear to live up to; and by God this isn’t lost on Danny Boy dearest. From the beginning, there was quite a rift over his selection as a candidate for the Assembly, with some SDLP folk resigning and […]
‘Ritchie’s Snub to Dáil on Brexit is Shameful’ by John McCartan
Margaret Ritchie has failed to attend a single meeting of an Irish parliamentary committee examining Brexit. Since the Brexit referendum, the Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has met 11 times. The Committee, chaired by Sinn Féin TD, Kathleen Funchion, is examining the impacts of Brexit for Ireland, North and South, […]