Author of historical fiction, historian and political commentator
After nearly three years as Labour leader, the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Corbyn finally made it to Northern Ireland. He waxed lyrical on many topics as only Mr Corbyn can. In fact as only any politician can unburdened by electoral accountability. I'm reminded of how so many grandees of the British Empire behaved towards far flung … Continue reading Mr Corbyn goes to Belfast
Unionists - both Protestant and Catholic - are beginning to openly talk about the concept of a united Ireland like never before in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. One - Prof. James Dornan (unionist) - says that a back channel exists between unionists and Dublin and talks of some kind are underway. Note … Continue reading “Senior Unionists prepared to talk to Dublin about possible unification”
We hear from many historians how the First World war had a dramatic effect on Irish history, but little is understood about the impact of the Second World War on Irish - particularly northern Irish - affairs. I remember the propaganda taught to me as a child that plucky little Northern Ireland had made … Continue reading How unionism left Belfast defenceless in 1941
Patrick Murphy's excellent piece in Saturday's Irish News on Ireland's relationship with the EU and its role within the Brexit negotiations highlights some vital issues. I reproduce Murphy's article below. 'Like General Humbert, who landed in Mayo with 1,000 French soldiers to help the 1798 rebels, Barnier arrived last week with an army of journalists … Continue reading Ireland’s abusive relationships
The current political impasse and absence of ministerial decision-making in Northern Ireland seems to be exercising a lot of local editors and pundits. Most probably because the Stormont machine isn't generating the necessary copy to sell papers and to keep them employed. It looks like politics here has shut down, to be replaced by an … Continue reading Return to factory settings
I watched this BBC NI interview with John O'Dowd of Sinn Fein & Edwin Poots of the DUP in the wake of the McElduff affair. While the tone was a little different from many such interviews in the past and John O'Dowd's comments about McElduff and Kingsmill are to be commended, much of the talk … Continue reading TV land works its spell
In examining the whole sordid affair around Barry McElduff's video and Kingsmill, I looked back at the records of that time - the brutal mid-seventies - and something occurred to me that hadn’t before. The big picture in all this is found when you look at the Kingsmill massacre and what preceded it - the … Continue reading Playing the state’s game
