With the death of Elizabeth the second the longest serving Monarch in British history who is to be replaced by her erstwhile son Charles, perhaps now is a good time to reflect on the suitability of the continuation of the role of an unelected King in a modern pseudo democratic nation. […]
Author Jude Collins
Catholics are now a majority, so why do we still have partition? – by Carl Duffy
‘Northern Ireland’ was designed with the specific aim of advantaging the Protestant population at the expense of their Catholic counterparts. This political entity did not result from a democratic decision, instead the threat of Loyalist violence is what drove us towards partition. The anti-democratic carving up of Ireland that rejected the outcome of an […]
Five politicians on Census 2021 (with translation)
“The key for all political leaders is that we are reflective of that society and that we can come to accommodate, regardless of people’s religious views and political persuasions, that they feel comfortable in this place that we call home.” – Philip Brett, DUP MLA Translation: We in the DUP have always liked having happy […]
PAT+JUDE TALK ABOUT CENSUS EARTHQUAKE, FRACKING OK, VOTING IN UKRAINE & WILL PUTIN GO THE NUKE ROAD?
For unionists in NEI, it must feel as though the world has been turned upside down – or if not the world, then their world. There are now more people of Catholic background in NEI than Protestants. This has alarmed not just unionists but others across the border, like Michéal Martin and Simon Harris. Is […]
Census 2021 figures – food for the brain
In 2001, the census for NEI showed that 53% of the population were Protestant in background, and that 44% identified as Catholic. Ten years later, In 2011, the census returns showed that 48% identified as Protestant, 45% as Catholic. Another ten years later, the census figures for 2021, just released, show that 43% identify as […]
Meanwhile in London – by A.N. Other
I’m in London observing the beginning of the end. And I’m struck by the number of cafes, shops, bars and restaurants that are open. Obviously people need fed and watered. Yet the BBC allowed Nolan -with Jim Wells’s help- to pillory a convenience store in Dungiven that chose to open today to serve their local […]
PAT+JUDE TALK ABOUT QE2’S FUNERAL, FOODBANKS AMID WEALTH, PUTIN ON THE BACK FOOT, & A 4-DAY WEEK?
Had enough of royal grief? Are there limits beyond which coverage and mourning should not go? We think so – even if QE2 was a decent woman. There are over 2,000 food-banks in England. How can this be, in one of the world’s richest countries? Putin, if we’re to believe western media, has his back […]
Clever-cryptic or plain? – by A N Other
Do you want this clever-cryptic or do you wish for it plain ? Clear and direct with no deference to ‘givens.’ Or shall I go with the flow , shall I go with the grain with […]
The DUP and royalty : where now? – by Bert Simnel
SF played a blinder, they showed how to be civil to your neighbour regardless of your differences and history. The DUP can’t show the same civility and that’s not lost on Charles.Charles had a bit of craic with Alex and Michelle. He more-a-less pleaded that continuity and reconciliation continue; that’s out-of-step with the mindset of […]
PAT+JUDE TALK ABOUT THE ROYAL VISIT, LEO vs MICHEÁl, BERTIE, AND A WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED BATTERIES
Is Sinn Féin in the driving seat in NEI? It looked that way, when King Charles came to town. Can the DUP ever recover from its present doldrums? Would an election help? There has been protest in Britain against Charles assuming the role of King. Is Britain tolerant of anti-monarchists, or does dissent get shut […]