Author Jude Collins

“Given the seriousness of the concerns outlined above, the Grand Lodge voted unanimously not to support a return to the Stormont Executive until there is substantial and tangible progress which resolves these fundamental issues.” That’s a recent statement from the Orange Order. The Orange Order is, of course,  a religious organisation, not a political organisation. […]

!   The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has been at the forefront of Northern Ireland’s political landscape for decades. As the largest unionist party, they have played a significant role in shaping the province’s political, social, and economic landscape. In recent years, however, they have faced significant challenges, particularly in relation to the ongoing political […]

        Me neither,nor even a half-witticism and I have read his columns for decades.   Fintan has a chip on his shoulder.     He was born in Ireland,  a country he despises.   Among Catholics. And he hates the Catholic Church because it does not bow down in adoration before him.   […]

A man called Padraig O’Malley has written a book called The Perils and Possibilities of a united Ireland.  Neither Pat nor I has read it yet, but we have watched a long interview conducted by Sam McBride, examining some of the ideas. Most of our video looks at some of the things O’Malley said, McBride […]

    For centuries Britain accepted all comers. Including asylum seekers, troublemakers or those fleeing fleeing trouble  at home . Karl Marx and Napoleon III come to mind. Karl Marx could plot in the British Museum Reading Room, drink and carouse in London pubs, throw stones at street lights, take his daughters to Church services […]

Where does the DUP go from here? The Windsor Framework complete with Stormont Brake has now been passed into law by Britain – and yet the Britain-loving Dup still refuses to go back to Stormont. As the old movie said, Quo Vadis, Jeffrey? Emmanuel Macron has by-passed parliament (it’s legal, by the way) and raised […]

I didn’t watch the first programme in this series, and turned off the second within a minute.   Because it immediately equated President Putin with the NAZI tyrant.   Had the programme told us about Hitler, and later provided a case to equate the Russian leader with the tyrant, I would have used my critical […]

  Speaking of democracy – the Democratic Unionist Party has it in their title – is democracy dovetailing nicely with politics? Well, not really. The average CEO in the US these days earns – or should I say is handed? –  some 400 times the salary enjoyed by the average worker in his/her firm. So […]

  “Under its successive names, accepted or given Socety, The South Place Ethical Society is a traceable    and constant endeavour to study carefully, and hope to keep abreast of the growing knowledge of the world, at whatever cost to traditional prejudices and opinions, to do this in a spirit no less of tolerance than of […]

a I see someone called Carl Mullan in the news. Never heard of him before.   But in 1949, in Lansdowne Road I saw Ireland’s first Grand Slam winning  Captain,Carl Mullen playing, and I seem to remember him with his shorts pulled down  and mooning at the Bay.   I forget what position he played. […]