Author Jude Collins

“Then I saw her face/Now I’m a Believer” sang the Monkees many years ago. I’ve been thinking about some of the people I would trust most and many of them do not believe in a deity or an afterlife, Heaven or Hell. They are not out for the main chance, in this world or the […]

    The ‘public interest’ guise of propagandists, trolls and bullies We all know, this is a vitally important point and a fact: there exists high profile professional Journalists, Columnists and Presenters who are propagandists, trolls and bullies and they do a grave disservice to our society. “The smart way to keep people passive and […]

In Ireland now in the early years of the 21st century the Catholic church is in deep crisis but that crisis could be a moment of opportunity for the Church. It is up to the bishops to take the lead and initiate a discussion and a listening to the faithful-those people who are faithful to […]

This is an interview I conducted with Martina Anderson MEP  last week on the subject of Brexit. I don’t think many of us appreciate how important Brexit is going to be in the coming 3-5 years, not just economically but politically.  It’s also striking that the EU has entertained the notion of a united Ireland […]

    The little two-horse race for the Politburo Vision Contest 2017, aka The Blue Note Blue Shirt Liedership, would appear to have been whittled down to one: Leo Varadkar is odds on to become the numero uno of the Neo-Ireland with Simon having no hope now of ever rhyming with Prime Min. Especially with […]

There are two schools of thought in the Catholic church about how to tackle tyranny. The traditional one is that it is justified to take up arms to defeat tyranny in certain circumstances. The other school of thought is that it is preferable to take the course of non-violent resistance. The debate about the justification […]

You’re probably familiar with bear-baiting. It was very popular in England from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century and was a simple sport. In an area called a “bear garden” (no, Virginia, not a beer garden) a high circular fence was built, and then raised seating provided for the spectators. The bear would be put […]

As we move into the final days of the Westminster Election, it’s obvious for all to see that the SDLP are being stretched in all directions, in all areas in this election. The idea of an anti-Brexit candidate in certain areas to ensure that the voice of the people is heard, over those addicted to austerity […]

A lot of myths, distortions and downright lies surround the Orange Order , most of them generated by the Order and its  apologists. The Orange Battle-cry: ‘We’ll fight to the last in the honest old cause, And guard our religion, our freedom and laws. We’ll fight for our country, our king and his crown, and make all […]

  Those who saw “THE GRADUATE” when it was screened forty-eight years ago may remember the incomprehension of the eponymous anti-hero when his neighbour, Mr Robinson, took him aside to tell  him that he had one word of advice for him – “PLASTICS”. Some years later, one of my brothers-in-law was graduating in Hull showed […]