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 […]
Author Jude Collins
‘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, […]
LAST NIGHT’S ATTACK ON LONDON BRIDGE
Photo by Hannah McKay /Reuters The attack on London Bridge yesterday and on a market nearby has immediately raised a number of questions, the most immediate one being, will this affect the outcome of the British general election? Well, it’s unlikely to affect the outcome in Fermanagh/South Tyrone or in North Belfast, but it could […]
‘We Live in Dark Times’ by Joe McVeigh
When Mr Trump was elected President of the US a friend from America wrote ‘We live in dark times.’ Little did I realise just how dark they were going to be. When Trump pulled the US out of the historic Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, it shows that we live in dark times. After all the US is the world’s largest carbon […]
Saturday pics of the week
Pics 1-3 are by Antrim Lens Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 “Only one outing with the camera this week and it was to Castle Ward. First photo is of a young girl standing in the walled garden as the heavens opened. As I was taking the tour of the house this group of […]
‘Welcoming Varadkar as next Irish PM, Hindus hope fair treatment of minorities under his rule’ by Rajan Zed
Hindus have welcomed Hindu descent Dr. Leo Varadkar, 38, on being in line for being the youngest and 13th Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Hindu community world over was pleased at his elevation to this position and was hoping that […]
Michael Fallon: hoist by his own (party’s) petard
Schadenfreude, as you probably know, is that dancing, hidden delight you feel when someone you know bashes their shins and falls in the mud. It doesn’t have to be literally shins and mud, of course. It can happen in a TV interview, especially during an election campaign. In Britain last week, it happened to Michael […]
‘Youth and Religion’ by Joe McVeigh
For at least the last twenty years now, parents, who are committed Catholics, often worry that their children, especially in their teenage years are losing their religion and rejecting the religious practices that they still hold dear. They are thinking especially of weekly attendance at Mass, supporting the parish, keeping the commandments etc. Many […]