December, 2025

It warms the heart, makes your toes curl up in delight when you hear of a dignified and respectful display of identity. We had this on the Ormeau Road in 2018. Under a ‘protocol’ (EH?) involving unionist parties like the DUP and PUP, plus some local loyalists, there was an agreement that union flags and […]

I expect you’re still glowing with satisfaction over the recent Kenova report, which had things to say about Stakeknife, the Dublin-Monaghan bombings and the Glenanne gang. In the  face of some  robust criticism, we had the refusal of authorities to name Stakeknife as Freddie Scappaticci. Like, as if we didn’t know. George Bernard Shaw once […]

Richard Boyd-Barrett got a rough ride on RTE radio the other day. He was questioned (to use that term loosely) as to why he and Paul Murphy of the People Before Profit  stood when Zelensky of Ukraine entered the Dail but did not join the applause for the miniature tiger of Ukraine.   RBB replied that […]

Before we have a quick look at Herzog Park, here are a few relevant matters Is a citizen of Israel the same thing as a Jew? No. Are non-Israeli Jews supporters of Israel? Yes, in the main they are. But there are a considerable number of Jews worldwide who feel shamed by the bloody actions […]

A few days back, Carl Duffy wrote a guest blog on this site called ‘How to Trigger Claire Hanna”.It provoked quite a bit of interest and I’m sure there were people who were not pleased to see such an unfavourable depiction, a politician I have in the past admired. Why was their such interest in […]

By all accounts, President Zelensky got a hugely warm reception in the Dail in Dublin yesterday. It seems all the TDs and Senators are wildly supportive of him, up to giving  him €100 or was it €150 million to help his war effort against Russia. The only two naughty boys who didn’t join the standing […]

    Michael McDowell is once more on the warpath against Sinn Féin in today’s Irish Times, because of their support for the change of the name’Herzog Park’ in Rathgar, Dublin. Mr McDowell figures the Shinners should not be speaking in favour of any such change because they named a park in Newry after Raymond […]

  I recently attended a public meeting in Enniskillen by Claire Hanna. She spoke at length about issues such as Healthcare, Lough Neagh pollution and a New Ireland. I welcomed many of these discussions, particularly talk of greater levels of fiscal devolution for the North of Ireland. Towards the end of this short meeting, the […]