Is the Tory party corrupt? Prominent Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi has had to pay considerable sum in back taxes, and Boris Johnson got an unsecured loan for close to a million pounds and a Tory MP has said a nurse earning £40,000 should not need to use a foodbank. Mmmmm Jeremy Clarkson and that Meghan […]
Author Jude Collins
ADVANCE TO BE RECOGNISED? – by Donal Kennedy
Long before the days of my youth sentries guarding their strong-posts by night, on hearing the approach of unidentified persons, would shout “Who goes there?” or Qui Vive? (who lives?). Friends were expected to know the password. If they gave the password they were invited to “Pass and be Recognised” Unrecognised strangers risked […]
POLAND, GERMANY, BRITAIN BOSOM FRIENDS -by Donal Kennedy
POLAND, GERMANY, BRITAIN BOSOM FRIENDS In 1934 Poland signed a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany. Hitler had many admirers in western Europe including the BBC’s Director General John Reith who became Minister For Information during the Second World War,and David Lloyd who had been British Prime Minister during the Black and Tan War. THE […]
PAT+JUDE TALK ABOUT JIM ALLISTER, PASCAL DONOHOE AND JACINDA ARDERN – SPOT THE DIFFERENCES
Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand, has resigned. The Irish Times commends her dignity and integrity in so doing; The Guardian reports on constant abuse directed at her as a woman. What is the truth? The Dublin government is not having a happy new year. There’s all the problems with inflation and […]
Truss and tanks – by Donal Kennedy
In May 2013 my wife and I went on a cruise from Harwich to the Baltic via the Kiel Canalm visiting Warnemunde, Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Karlskrona, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Tallinn, the Estonian Capital,is a shithole. Consumed by an obsessive hatred of Russians. More than 20 years after the latter had quit In […]
The PSNI and Loughinisland: unanswered questions
There’s a very interesting article in today’s edition of the online newspaper The Detail. Here’s what’s interesting about it. It’s headed “PSNI review strongly criticises handling of Loughinisland journalists’ arrests” and it does what it says on the tin. Because of their documentary ‘No Stone Unturned’ about the Loughisland massacre and the highly dubious police […]
London knows best – right, Edinburgh?
The world is a curious place, rarely black and white. A current instance of that is happening as I type in Scotland, where Nicola Sturgeon’s party the Scottish National Party (SNP) has passed a law regarding gender recognition which was part of their 2016 manifesto. It allows a trans person to change their birth certificate. […]
TRUSTED JOURNALISM SINCE 1859? – by Donal Kennedy Immediately under its title, THE IRISH TIMES carries the boast “Trusted Journalism Since 1859.” Trusted by whom? It was ignored by all but a small minority in Ireland for the first 60 years of the 20th Century. It generally supported the Union of […]
PAT+JUDE TALK ABOUT LOCAL PAPERS DYING, ELON MUSK’S MONEY, AND IMMIGRANT DEMONISATION
The Newry Reporter newspaper is shutting down. It’s not the first local paper to go to the wall and it won’t be the last. It’s natural to regret their passing, but should we not be more positive and rejoice in all the new media that we’ve now been gifted with? Elon Musk has lost billions […]
What makes Harry do Spare? Let me count the ways
Prince Harry’s book Spare has broken all records by selling 1.4 million copies on the first day of its publication. The publishers have printed 2.5 million copies and are fairly confident they’ll shift the lot. Penguin/Random House are said to have paid Harry $20 million for the book. There are even some reports that suggests […]