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Recent Posts
- Whatever the Unionists wish for, the Protocol looks like it’s here to stay – and it can be good for all of us
- Majority of Southern voters think united Ireland “not very important” but they would like to see it “some day”
- Could North-South agri-food cooperation help cross the rural-urban climate change divide?
- My single transferable blog: the people of the South are not ready for reunification
- My tribute to a group of mountaineering Irishmen (and a note about Micheal D.)
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Category Archives: Ireland, Europe and the world
Whatever the Unionists wish for, the Protocol looks like it’s here to stay – and it can be good for all of us
One year on, the Northern Ireland Protocol looks like it’s here to stay. Its fiercest opponent (and chief negotiator) in the British government, Lord David Frost, has gone. Before that the British had dropped their demand that the European Court … Continue reading
Could North-South agri-food cooperation help cross the rural-urban climate change divide?
So in the end the political will did not exist among world leaders at COP26 in Glasgow to radically tackle global warming. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned at the end of the conference: “We are still knocking on the … Continue reading
Listen to the wisdom of the man who was rejected by the voters of South Belfast
In democratic societies it is not always the best and wisest people who end up as politicians and political leaders. We have seen that in the USA, the UK and, not surprisingly, little Northern Ireland in recent years. Sometimes the … Continue reading
Is the UK exit from the EU an opportunity to turn Northern Unionists towards Europe (and Ireland)?
So, four and a half years after the fateful Brexit vote the United Kingdom finally left the European Union on New Year’s Eve with a trade deal in place. The sometimes unfathomable Northern Ireland protocol (which is separate from this … Continue reading
In evil times the rule of law does not matter
I fear we are living through evil times: climate catastrophe coming down the road; facing into a second winter surge of the Corona virus; the insanity of Brexit yet to hit home, and ultra-nationalist ‘strong men’ in charge of most … Continue reading
Now they’re going to be on the losing side again, is it time to be nice to the Unionists?
Writing this on 24 October, I forecast that Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, despite parliamentary delays and perhaps a general election, will eventually pass through the British parliament (the 30 vote Commons majority for the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement … Continue reading
Two Irish mistakes as we hurtle towards the Brexit cliff edge
Readers of this blog will know that I have been a voice in the wilderness when it comes to querying the wisdom of the Irish government’s ‘backstop’ strategy to avoid a hard border on the island following the UK’s exit … Continue reading
Do we need a bit of Chinese ingenuity to solve our Irish puzzle (or could Chris Patten be the man to unite Ireland)?
Christmas 2018 sees an anxious Ireland starting seriously to prepare for Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal. It finds the United Kingdom in a state of constitutional agitation and division not seen since the Suez crisis in … Continue reading
Could a four-party pro-EU Executive govern Northern Ireland?
In a letter to the Irish Times earlier this month Martin Mansergh, one of the principal architects of the Good Friday Agreement, issued a plea to nationalists and republicans to recognise some positive aspects of Northern Ireland’s past, ranging from the contribution … Continue reading
I am a disillusioned disciple of the Good Friday Agreement
Disillusionment. That’s the feeling these days among many people like myself who have been the most passionate advocates of the Good Friday Agreement. When I hear Arlene Foster’s extraordinary choice of words (‘the red line is blood red’) in talking … Continue reading
2 Irelands together 