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Category Archives: General
Unionists – listen to the Professor of Consociation and Confederation
Brendan O’Leary is an extraordinary man. Born in Cork and brought up in Nigeria and unionist County Antrim, he was a professor of politics at the London School of Economics and for the past 18 years has been Professor of … Continue reading
Posted in General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland
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An Open Letter to Micheál Martin
Dear Taoiseach Congratulations on your election last Saturday. We have known each other for 23 years, since you were the rookie Fianna Fail education spokesman (soon to become Minister for Education) and I was the rookie Irish Times education correspondent. I … Continue reading
Is the future green (saving the planet) or green (driving on to Irish unity)?
We in the Republic of Ireland have two prospects when it comes to the colour of the next government (and indeed the one after that), I would suggest. Those prospects have little to do with Fine Gael or Fianna Fail. … Continue reading
How Covid-19 brought solidarity and kindness to Northern Ireland
This latest blog consists largely of a letter from my good friend Paul Nolan, the prominent Belfast social researcher, who portrays a Northern Ireland working hard to overcome its divisions in order to defeat the Corona virus, a picture one … Continue reading
Posted in General, Northern Ireland
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Could the Irish language be a tool for reconciliation in Northern Ireland?
Tá beagán Gaeilge agam. Tá me ag foghlaim. Is teanga an-deachair í ach tá rún daingean agam leanúint ar aghaidh. I have been learning Irish for two and a half years, and finding it tough going at my relatively advanced … Continue reading
Why we need to fight the Corona virus on an all-island basis
This is an updated and expanded version of an article published in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’ on 2 April. I find I have a little more to add to the Covid-19 reflections of my last blog: specifically about North-South cooperation in … Continue reading
Two reflections on the Corona virus crisis: one Irish, one international
What more can one ignorant retired journalist add to the trillions of words written about the Corona virus? Not much, except perhaps two points that readers will have seen before from me ad nauseam on a range of topics: 1) … Continue reading
Three things Sinn Fein need to do before I can trust them
I have been working hard to overcome my hostility to Sinn Fein, recognising that after last month’s election they are now the party with the largest popular vote in the republic (although still only 24.5% of first preferences). I take … Continue reading
Posted in General, Sinn Fein
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My plea to Irish voters: don’t put Sinn Fein close to power
We in the Republic have a general election in two days, and it looks as though Sinn Fein are going to do exceptionally well. The unhappiness of people – particularly young and poor people – with the shortcomings of Fine … Continue reading
Posted in General, Republic of Ireland, Sinn Fein
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The Seamus Mallon I knew: a brave and generous Irish chieftain
My much-admired friend Seamus Mallon was buried yesterday. This was my tribute to him in yesterday’s ‘Belfast Telegraph’. Courage and generosity: those are the two words that come to mind when I think of Seamus Mallon. Courage because for 25 … Continue reading
Posted in General, Northern Ireland
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