ElBlogador.com- The Voice of Irish Nationalism

Alliance Justice Minister Would Be A Corruption Of Democracy

2010-02-08T18:53:00.004Z

It's hilarious, nay, discomfiting how people can keep a straight face when talking about the possibility of the Alliance Party being handed the Justice Ministry.

By what stretch of creativity could it be possibly justifed to hand an Executive post to a fringe party with nio right to be there?

The people of the north went to the polls in 2007 to elect an administration based on the understanding that Executive posts would be allocated by d'Hondt. There was no Justice Ministry at the time, so it wasn't included in that d'Hondt round. However, the SDLP is next in line should an extra seat at the Executive table is put in place.

Now that the justice post is being created, there are only two options which are morally justifiable- a) that the post goes to the SDLP, the party with the democratic mandate from the people which entitles it to its second seat on the Executive under d'Hondt, or b) that d'Hondt is run again from scratch.

If the Justice Ministry is gifted to the Alliance Party, an organisation which in 2007 formed a "strong, coherent and constructive opposition," it would be a complete corruption of democracy. Once you break the foundation upon which partnership government is based, it's a slippery slope into chaos. The Good Friday Agreement was put in place to ensure that both sides of the community could come together in government- now the DUP and Sinn Féin want to destroy this.

The axis at Stormont is seeking to gerrymander the system to prevent the SDLP from taking its seat. This is a throwback to the old Stormont regime- it seems that once again no nationalist need apply.

Sinn Féin claim that they support the Good Friday Agreement and want the SDLP to get the post. Well let's see them put their money where their mouth is.

The SDLP is entitled to its second seat in the Executive. If it doesn't get it, then it would seem that Northern Ireland is reverting back to being a banana republic.

A Tory/ Ulster Unionist/ DUP Pro-British Front?

2010-01-20T21:33:00.003Z

The shady talks that took place in England over the weekend would seem to suggest that despite claims by the Conservative Party that they want to offer an alternative to the tribal politics of Northern Ireland, there may be scope for a Pro-British Front to be formed.

Presumably the aim of such a move, were it to happen, would be to share the electoral spoils among unionist parties by way of pacts in constituencies such as South Belfast and Fermanagh/ South Tyrone.

Frankly, if there were to be pacts, it would be retrograde step which would show up those involved as putting sectarian power-grabbing ahead of principle or progress.

If the Ulster Unionists and Tories have something truly to offer voters as an alternative to the DUP, then why would they step aside in some areas and not give people a choice? It would hardly ring of democracy. Also, what would be the point in the UUP and DUP remaining separate parties?

David Cameron claims that he want to run Tories in all seats in the Union- this won't happen if they step aside for the DUP in some areas.

Of course, we could be barking up the wrong tree. There is certainly no love lost between either the Tories or the Ulster Unionists and the DUP, so maybe pacts aren't on the cards. However, the fact that there has been no definitive denial of such possibilities doesn't exactly kill speculation that it's an option.

Merry Christmas From El Blogador!

2009-12-23T09:33:00.001Z

It's been a quiet enough year here on in El Blogador, but we've reached our fifth Christmas.

I'd like to thank everyone who has visited El Blogador in 2009, and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Conall McDevitt Selected To Be MLA

2009-12-09T22:53:00.003Z

Further to my last post, tonight SDLP members in South Belfast selected Conall McDevitt to be an MLA, as party stalwart Carmel Hanna MLA is planning to stand down in the New Year.

During his pitch for the role, the PR man said he wanted to focus on party renewal and encourage a new generation of SDLP representatives to come forward.

Also running for the post was Balmoral councillor Bernie Kelly.

SDLP's Carmel Hanna To Step Down After 9th December

2009-11-05T16:23:00.006Z

It has just been revealed that the SDLP's South Belfast MLA Carmel Hanna is to step down. A selection convention will take place on 9th December. Carmel was first elected an MLA in 1998 and was appointed Employment & Learning from the end of 2001.

According to party rules, prospective candidates need to have their names with Headquarters two weeks before the selection convention. Names that have been suggested include Balmoral Branch Chair Conall McDevitt and Bernie Kelly, a councillor in the area. The selection convention will be conducted using PR-STV.

Outgoing SDLP Leader Mark Durkan commented: "Carmel Hanna has served her constituents of South Belfast, the people of Northern Ireland, the wider SDLP with dignity, determination and dedication during a distinguished political career as a councillor, Assembly Member and as a Minister.

"During this time she has remained steadfastly committed to social democracy and peaceful politics.

"She brought immense professionalism to the SDLP Assembly team with her expertise in the field of health and she has been a long-standing supporter of international development.

"I am proud to have appointed her as a Minister because she has displayed in how she thinks and what she says a strong public service ethic.

"On behalf of everyone in the SDLP I want to wish her all the best for the future."

Seeing Sense Over Smoking Fines

2009-10-05T18:00:00.000+01:00

I'm a strong supporter of the smoking ban. Coming home after a night out smelling of ashtray and having your clothes pockmarked by cigarette burns thanks to the flailing arms of drunk smokers in nightclubs was never particularly pleasant. And for workers having to inhale noxious fumes every night in pubs and clubs it was even worse.

However, some things can go too far, and when people are penalised for lighting up when sitting in their vehicle alone, that is the case. The point of the ban is to protect people from inhaling passive smoke- if people aren't present to inhale smoke passively, then why should the smoker be fined?

Thanksfully, it has been reported in today's Irish News that a woman in Armagh has successfully appealed a £50 penalty for lighting up in her car. Lynda Wright won the case against Armagh City and District Council, which had fined her for smoking in the workplace i.e. the car she used to conduct driving lessons. However, there was no one in the car with her at the time, so the only person forced to breathe poisonous gases was her.

Sometimes it seems that legitimate government policy is pished to the extreme by jobsworths who end up undermining the whole point of the exercise. Hopefully now council officials will target those who actually do pose a threat to others with their smoke, and leave alone those who want to endanger their own lives in the privacy of their own car or van when there's no one else present.

Calling Time On Cóir Crap

2009-09-29T18:00:00.001+01:00

Southern foreign minister Micheál Martin has challenged Cóir to withdraw a poster in which they suggest that the minimum wage could be reduced to €1.84 if the Lisbon Treaty is passed in this Friday's referendum. Anybody with a bit of sense would realise the claim being made by Cóir (followed by a question mark as if so absolve themselves of any responsibility for putting such nonsense in the public arena) is nonsense, although it seems that some voters have raised it as a concern, hence Martin speaking out.

Cóir has responded by saying that Martin's comments revealed the minister's "desperation and absolute inability to debate on the issue."

To be fair, I don't think they should be questioning anyone's debating skills when their idea of 'debate' is to erect copious numbers of posters emblazoned with scaremongering claims. And if I'm not mistaken, I've seen plenty of politicians from the southern government and other pro-Lisbon parties debate the issues, such as on Prime Time last week.

If there was one good reason to vote 'Yes' this Friday, it's to wipe the smug off the faces of Cóir.

Four More Years!

2009-09-16T07:30:00.000+01:00

It briefly escaped my attention, but I've just realised that El Blogador has passed its fourth birthday. It doesn't seem like that long since the site has started amidst a period of loyalist street violence and political uncertainty. A lot has happened in the meantime, not least the return of the Assembly. I'd like to think we've made some small contribution to the online political discourse here over those four years, and although I have admittedly neglected to post as much recently as I ought to have done, it's my intention to rev up the old engine of Irish Nationalism on here again and get things moving on the site.

Go raibh maith agaibh.

Disgusting Partitionism by 'National' Dairy Council

2009-09-15T18:02:00.001+01:00

In yet another act of pro-partitionism from a southern organisation, the National (sic) Dairy Council is introducing a new mark on milk and cream packaging to show consumers it has been sourced and processed in the 26 counties.

According to RTÉ, the initiative is designed to protect the livelihoods of farmers and workers in the dairy industry in the Republic, and major companies such as Glanbia and Kerry Group are supporting the move.

The report also says that NDC Chief Executive Helen Broffey denied suggestions that the move is part of a cross-boarder economic war and rejected claims that it flies in the face of North/South co-operation in agriculture.

How else can it be described? They are seeking to delineate between southern products and northern products. It would seem that some Irish produce is more Irish than others in their eyes.

Also, I'd be interested to know what Fianna Fáil's position on this is. They hold their media-friendly publicity meetings in Crossmaglen and Downpatrick, but are they prepared to condemn a campaign to discriminate against dairy produce which is sourced in this part of the island? They can't court northerners while turning a blind eye to campaigns which could damage the livelihoods of people living up here.

Also, the 'National' Dairy Council should not be permitted to use that name- it clearly only represents dairy producers in part of the nation.

Yet again we see that for many, the idea of a united Ireland takes second place to the amount of change in their pockets.

Bomb In Forkhill

2009-09-09T18:30:00.000+01:00

It was revealed yesterday that a group styling itself 'Óglaigh na hÉireann' had planted a 600lb bomb on the border near Forkhill. What was the purpose of this? We've already had soldiers and policemen murdered this year, with the only result being that several families have been left bereaved. Did these killings expedite the creation of a united Ireland? Absolutely not!

Not only was this bomb aimed at killing police officers, but it was dangerously close to a family home in an area where the bombers claim to represent the people. Like their provo predecessors, the well-being of their 'own community' comes second to the bloodlust armed groups like this.

I'm not sure what these people's strategy is, or if they have one. I would like to know though. In the meantime, let's hope no lives are lost as a result of any more violent actions of this sort.

Le Blogger El Matador Est De Retour

2009-09-04T18:00:00.000+01:00

Apologies for my appaling lack of blogging lately. I've been really busy and although had intended posting some stuff on here over the summer, I never quite got around to it.

Since my last venture online we've had the European elections. There were plenty of predictions flying around before the poll, but I don't quite think that anyone expected the DUP to trail in in third place, failing to reach quota. Quite where Jim Allister goes from here remains to be seen, but if he can build a coalition around his particular brand of unionism, then he could potential do quite well in the Assembly. Of course, there's always the chance that it could become a one-man show- after all, how many other TUV members can the average punter name?

Meanwhile, the SDLP failed to make any inroads into the Sinn Féin vote. Indeed, the latter became the biggest party in the north in terms of votes for the the first time, a feat achieved by the former in the 1998 Assembly elections.

Down south, and the Lisbon Treaty Referendum campaign is in full swing. Fianna Fáil, suffering massively in the wake of the financial crisis and stuck in a coalition government that seems to be getting more fragile by the day, will be hoping that the no vote from last time will be reversed.

Apologies again for my absence, but I'll make it my autumn resolution to stay at the helm of good Ship El Blogador.

Clerical Abuse In The Republic Of Ireland

2009-05-20T22:07:00.003+01:00

The full horror of abuse by members of 'religious' orders against innocent children was revealed today. Some say that this is a dark day in Ireland's history. I'd say every day that this activity went on and was covered up was a dark day- today is hopefully the start of the return of light.

However, I am deeply concerned that those who committed these disgusting crimes will not face justice. The Christian Brothers successfully sued the investigating commission in 2004 to keep the identities of all of its members, dead or alive, unnamed in the report. No real names, whether of victims or perpetrators, appear in the final document and its findings will not be used for criminal prosecutions. Shame on them. If they are truly sorry for their members' bahaviour, they should do everything they can to aid justice- not block the course of truth.

I also think that members of society who turned a blind eye to these activities and acted as if members of the clergy were demi-gods who were above question ought to hang their heads in shame. They were complicit in this evil.

The southern government must now take clear and decisive action to enable those who were the victims of clerical abuse to secure justice. It's the least that they can do given that it was their predecessors who enabled these crimes to happen in the first place.

Peelers and a cúpla focal

2009-05-16T10:43:00.000+01:00

News that the Policing Board in Derry will hold one of its meetings in Irish this Tuesday. There will be simultaneous translation for those not fluent in the Irish. The press release I received was in (faultless) Irish and referred, by the way, to Derry and not Londonderry. (Don’t tell Gregory Campbell!)

Being very cynical – can’t help it – I have to admit that I was momentarily taken aback. It is certainly another one of those arresting (!) moments that makes you think, a welcome step. That said, I pass many PSNI stations – have never been in one – and notice that they have signs in Polish and other Eastern European languages at the front. Nothing in Irish. If the Policing Board are serious about promoting the language, then why don’t they include information in Irish at the entrance as a matter of courtesy?

Anyway, here is the press release:

Cruinniú Gaeilge le bheith ag an Bhord Póilíneachta i nDoire

Tionólfaidh Bord Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann a chéad chruinniú poiblí Gaeilge sa Bhálseomra Corantach, Óstán na Cathrach, Doire, Dé Máirt 19ú Bealtaine 2009 ó 7.30 – 9.00in. Ag an chruinniú seo, beidh deis ag baill de phobal na Gaeilge comhaltaí den Bhord Póilíneachta agus an tArdchonstábla Cúnta don Réigiún Tuaithe a cheistiú faoi cheisteanna póilíneachta anois agus sa todhchaí agus faoi na nósanna imeachta atá ag BPTÉ le teacht níos éasca a bheith ag pobal na Gaeilge ar phóilíneacht. Tabharfaidh an Bord fosta breac-chuntas ar a chur chuige i leith Teagmhála Pobail agus ar an dóigh a bhfuil sé ag obair le codanna den phobal le pobail níos sábháilte a chruthú.

Tear it down from the mast…

2009-05-16T10:42:00.000+01:00

The issue of tearing down other party’s posters is one that regularly features at election time. The SDLP’s Declan O’Loan has already complained about republican harassment while trying to put up his party posters in North Antrim. I noticed some youngsters – about 12 years old or so – defacing a Sinn Féin Euro poster by writing “Heil Hitler!” and painting swastikas on it last night. Naturally, one deplores this kind of vandalism. (They came for the Sinn Féin posters but I was not a Sinn Féin poster…) Then again, was it vandalism or a statement by youthful, committed social democrats who recognised the neo-fascist elements in Sinn Féin’s politics and were alerting their community accordingly?

It’s the way he tells them…

2009-05-16T10:41:00.000+01:00

Apparently, Belfast-born funny man, Frank Carson, has thrown his lot in with the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and wants Britain to leave the European Union. Carson is quoted as saying that he is disgusted with politics: “We need to get out of the European Union and ditch the human rights legislation.”

If memory serves me right, Carson, a Catholic, is also a Papal Knight who received his honour from the Pope for fund-raising for charity. Truly, one of the oddest political matches I have heard of in a while. What next? Ken Dodds for Sinn Féin?

Censorship At The Andersonstown News?

2009-05-14T20:40:00.003+01:00

Lisburn councillor Matthew McDermott has decided to compile a dossier of censorship at the Andersonstown News.

According to Matt: "Over a year ago I decided to refuse an award from Belfast Media Group in protest of the Squinter/Adams stuff and ever since then the paper has censored me from their pages. Literally, cut me out of press releases and cut me out of photos when they printed them (but then published the full photo on their website)."

I haven't seen the report yet, but if this is true, it's a truly Stalinist and childishly hamfisted attempt to get back at Matt for daring to show them up. Given the history of censorship of the provos on TV during the Troubles, you'd think those times had passed now that we're in a more normalised era.

It's one thing having a editorial slant, but quite another to simply pretend that someone doesn't exist. Do the Andersonstown News not want to their readers to get the full story?

As I say, I haven't seen the report, but it'll be interesting to see.

SDLP European Party Election Broadcast 2009

2009-05-11T23:25:00.000+01:00

Power to the people

2009-05-11T17:14:00.000+01:00

The Independent has a nice feature today in which it lists a number of books whose popularity have risen as the economic downturn has taken its toll: “Socialist fiction, feminist theory, even Marxist tracts – thanks to the recession, the classic left-wing reads of yesteryear are back in vogue. But which titles really deliver power to the people?”

The paper offers an eclectic and international list with works by Marx, Engels, Rosa Luxemburg, Erich Maria Remarque, Mary Wollstonecraft, George Orwell, Franz Fanon and John Steinbeck.

Just for fun, I wonder which Irish books should be made compulsory reading to help us find our way out of our recession, to recast the national intellect into something more critical?

Here goes nothing: James Connolly and Labour in Irish History; Patrick Pearse’s Murder Machine and other essays; Ernie O’Malley and On Another Man’s Wounds; Peadar O’Donnell and Islanders; Hubert Butler and his essays in Independent Spirit; Bernadette Devlin and The Price of My Soul; Mark Patrick Hederman and The Haunted Inkwell; Seosamh Mac Grianna and Pádraic Ó Conaire agus Aistí Eile; Breandán Ó Doibhlin and his three collections of Aistí Critice agus Cultúir and Alan Titley and Chun Doirne.

‘Cowardly scum’

2009-05-11T15:59:00.001+01:00

Mitchell McLaughlin’s characterisation of the people who attacked his home in Derry with a petrol bomb last night as “cowardly scum” is one with which few people would disagree. This is the third attack on the Sinn Féin MLA’s house. Thankfully, none of the McLaughlin family at home were injured physically – though one can only imagine how they feel at this point. It is only a matter of weeks since the last attack on McLaughlin and he remarked that that was part of political life here.

The attack highlights once again just how far the standards of civilised behaviour have fallen and how difficult it remains to convince some people that they have to win the political argument rather than simply visit violence on people with whom they disagree. In that regard, it was heartening to see Gerry Adams of SF, SDLP leader Mark Durkan, Ian Paisley of the DUP and political representatives from the Alliance Party and the UUP all stand together in the Assembly against this attack.

A lifetime ago in west Belfast, a school friend and I were arguing about the IRA: he was for them; I against. I mentioned some horrific brutality the IRA had committed to which my friend’s father said: “Scum people to do scum things.”

The father and his family were pro-IRA well before the Hunger Strikes. Indeed, the father had been interned by the British army (no pleasant experience) and the soldiers had smashed the house up in the course of the ‘arrest’. The family in question were (and are) lovely people by any standard and their acceptance of what the IRA did was total – if occasionally a little defensive when non-combatants were killed.

None the less, the father – a hard-working, honest, likeable man – was under no illusions as to what some republicans were called upon to do and were capable of doing. Scum people to do scum things. Almost 30 years on, the scum people who do scum things are still at work. They have no support; they have no intelligence; they have nothing to offer. Yet, still, they can terrify a family in such a vicious way – and all, supposedly, done in the name of Ireland.

Compare the petrol bombers with the real guardians of Irish culture. Yesterday hundreds of thousands of GAA supporters marked Lá na gClub. Clubs in Ulster were every bit as active as anywhere else in Ireland. You could not help but be impressed by the dedication of club activists and the way in which they have kept Gaelic games alive over 125 years. The day showed every thing that is best about Ireland and Irish culture: live for your club; live for your county; live for your country.

What’s in a name?

2009-05-09T11:53:00.001+01:00

Hollywood actor, Martin Sheen – he of West Wing fame – was interviewed by Pat Kenny on last night’s Late, Late Show. Sheen spoke on two issues which I would have loved to have heard more about but, unfortunately, Kenny did not develop the themes.

Firstly, Sheen spoke of his faith and his activism. Having had a near-death experience while filming Apocalypse Now, Sheen had returned to Catholicism. He spoke briefly about Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker movement and how it had affected his social conscience and Sheen related her work to the Irish experience at Shannon and the Iraqi war.

Kenny was not interested in following up which was a pity. Those issues of faith, witness and activism are still very much alive in Ireland and one would have thought that it would have appealed to Kenny’s audience. Indeed, the mass demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq – and the total disregard of that sentiment by both the US and British governments – have posed fundamental questions (again) about the nature of Western democracy.

The other issue Sheen raised was his name. Martin Sheen is, in fact, his stage name. His real name on all official documents, he said, was Ramon Estevez. He adopted an anglicised name when he began his acting career because of hostility towards Hispanics. It was, Sheen said, something he regarded and something and a decision that disappointed his father.

Again that issue of language, heritage and identity – both familial and national – are matters that are still being thrashed out in Ireland. It would have been fascinating to see an actor of Sheen’s stature talk about that. The language debate in Ireland is often presented as a simple issue of Irish v English. It would have been refreshing to remind people that issues of language are also international and that they still resonate with people across the globe.

Red Army Faction

2009-05-09T11:49:00.002+01:00

I have just finished reading and watching The Baader-Meinhof Complex, a film about one of Germany’s most infamous terrorist groups, the Red Army Faction. The book by Stefan Aust has been made into a film of the same name. The film is essentially the book transferred to the screen and is not that good. It is too didactic and much of the psychological element of the book is lost in the translation from print to motion picture.

However, it is frightening to read the book and recognise so many similarities between the R.A.F. and our local paramilitaries of all hues. The self-delusional, cancerous rhetoric is similar; the narcissistic, shallow intellect of the leadership; the brutal and merciless violence that they use in the pursuit of their aims and the international fraternity of like-minded friends is all there. One of the most striking things is the fact that the R.A.F. did not formally wind up their operations until 1998 – similar timing with our home-grown ‘heroes’.

In the early 1980s I was on a school trip to Germany and saw the letters R.A.F. written on a wall, this would have been about the time of the first IRA hunger strike. I hadn't a clue what it meant and thought, in my innocence, that it was drunk members of the Royal Air Force damaging private property! Of course, the really terrifying thing is to realise that while the R.A.F. leadership and many local paramilitaries have recognised the futility of their actions, one still remains in existence and armed – the UDA.

Vibrations of light

2009-05-04T13:28:00.002+01:00

The books of Canon Sheehan do not rest on Irish bookshelves in the same way as, say, those of Thomas Hardy or Charles Dickens do on English (or indeed Irish) shelves. That’s a pity. Sheehan was a writer who sold in huge numbers during his day and it seems a bit strange that someone who made such a great contribution to English-language literature in Ireland should be so forgotten. Is television the key? His works are not adapted for the small screen by RTÉ in the same way as Hardy or Dickens are by the BBC. Is it impossible to give, say, The Graves at Kilmorna, Lisheen or The Blindness of Doctor Gray the tv treatment? Irish producers seem to have no difficulty in plundering written literature for material, yet Sheehan remains immune to this trend. A case of cultural cringe, perhaps?

Anyway, as well as being a novelist, Sheehan wrote a wonderful book called Under the Cedars and the Stars. I have it in the form of four short books that Mercier published in the early 1970s: The Beauty of Summer; The Sadness of Autumn and The Loneliness of Winter. They are beautifully written contemplations on life and death and bear comparison with, say, the sensibility and style of Thomas Merton.

Here is a lovely abstract from The Magic of Spring, a very acute observation of returning swallows and one which still holds true. The single lonely swallow I noticed a few weeks ago while cycling around Lough Neagh has been joined by hundreds of companions. Fáilte don Éan:

“The first swallows have come. I had been watching for them these last few warm days in early April, and I scanned the sky every morning and evening for the white breast and black wings that cut the air like a knife … Then, one evening, the 16th of April of this year, I looked up suddenly from my book; and no? – yes, indeed, they were my pretty favourites, tumbling, tossing, gliding flapping, through the air, as in last September, when bade them farewell and without sign or warning they were gone!...

“And here are they again careless of time and human vicissitudes and vexation; here to roll and toss and plough the air like the vibrations of light, so swift and sudden and silent are their movements; caring only for the day and the hour of existence, and only studying alternations of weather, as to whether they shall seek their living food high up in the summer air, or poised above the darkened river, when the heavy clouds bend down weighed with rain, and the flies are languid from the pressure. But here they are, harbingers of spring, and its most swift and elastic messengers…”

Old-fashioned posters

2009-05-04T13:26:00.001+01:00

Finally saw a solitary SDLP poster on my travels over the weekend. Alban Magennis has removed his moustache which is good because there was a while there when he could have been confused with Borat. Noticed too that the SDLP has a slogan on their poster: “We win, you win.” Nice and snappy and certainly a hark back to traditional practices, the idea of trying to headline a campaign and give it some meaning.

Also had a chance to see one of the Jim Nicholson’s UUP posters up close while out cycling. It too has a slogan that I had not noticed before: “Vote for change.” It is not very strong given that change is one thing that one does not associate with the UUP. Even stranger is the very, very, very small print at the bottom of the poster which bears the boast “Conservative and Unionist Party”. It seems odd that the UUP would go to such lengths to achieve the tie-in with Cameron’s Toffs and then have it in such small letters on their election material.

That said, no party has come close to beating Sinn Féin and their poster parade. I was in west Belfast at the weekend and could not help but notice the scores of SF posters on the lamp-posts. The credit crunch has obviously not affected the party’s ability to fund their campaign. Full-colour posters are not cheap, even in these times. (There does not seem to be a slogan on the SF posters. I guess the traditional appeal to the colours is all they need.)

‘Is there an English equivalent of that?’

2009-05-02T12:24:00.000+01:00

Leaving the children’s library books back, the librarian said, not in an unfriendly way, “I can’t pronounce those names at all. Is there an English equivalent?” To which, I replied, not in an unfriendly way, “No.”

The children’s Christian names are recognisable Irish. Have I marked them for life as a consequence? We do live in the North and one needs to be cautious. In the benighted place where I have pitched my tent, the community is very segregated and there is a sectarian undertow (on both sides) to life. That said, my wife (who does not speak Irish) liked the names which are distinctive but not bizarre. In fact, the primary school they attend is full of Pádraigs, Diarmuids, Oisíns, Odhráns, Áines, Méabhs and Caitlíns. (The last one pronounced by parents and children alike with the American inflexion: Kay-linn as opposed to Catch-lean.)

It is a world away from my generation (40 plus) who would never have been given such ‘exotic’ names. I have a very good female friend whose first name is unmistakably Irish. However, it is not actually her first name. Her birth certificate knows her as Elizabeth; her given Irish name is, in fact, her second name. I know also of one well-known academic from the North whose father wanted to call him Séamus but who was registered as James because the clerk in the council refused to write Séamus in an act of petty sectarianism which many of my parents’ generation would recognise.

Those days of refusing to write down a name in Irish are gone (for the most part) but asking for an equivalent in English have not, it seems.

Almunia for England

2009-05-02T12:23:00.002+01:00

There is speculation in the English papers that Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia may declare for England. Almunia has never played at senior level for Spain and it does not seem likely that he ever will. Under residency laws, he would be eligible for England and, let’s face it, they need a decent keeper.

Of course, this is not a new development in international football. Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland team called up as many second and third generation Irish men to the cause as he possibly could. Indeed, he even got them wearing Irish shirts when they didn’t actually have a drop of Irish blood in them – but we still love you Tony Cascarino.

That said, it must be difficult for the more xenophobic Engerland fan to see an Italian in charge of their national team and read that a Spaniard would become first-choice keeper over stout-hearted Englishmen. Could it get worse? How about a German striker? I doubt that Capello would complain. You can just imagine the commentary were Engerland to win the next World Cup: “And England have beaten Brazil thanks to a wonder goal from England’s Kurt Wolfgang von Bismarck whose grandfather was at Dunkirk – in a Stuka. Well, Motty, what do you make of that?”

Then there were two…

2009-05-02T12:23:00.001+01:00

UUP’s Jim Nicholson has his Euro posters up. That makes the second party to fly their colours in my wee part of the world. I know that we live in an electronic age but there is something very comforting about the old-fashioned election poster, those big cheesy grins from the candidates with their ‘vote-for-me’ demeanour. Is it just me, though, or is there always a hint of fear to be seen in those same smiles, a little suggestion that the voters just might not answer the call?

SF/SDLP merger

2009-05-01T15:54:00.001+01:00

Denis Bradley in today’s Irish News reckons that northern nationalists are feeling unloved and unwanted by both the British and Irish governments. He argues that a merger between Sinn Féin and the SDLP would boost nationalist morale though he admits it is unlikely at the moment. (That is, slightly, understating it!) He writes that the Irish government need to “devise and provide a comfort blanket to northern nationalism. If that means more representation in the Dáil and Senate then better it happen soon”. If it doesn’t, he argues, that it will create “a dangerous undertow”.

Euro elections

2009-05-01T15:53:00.001+01:00

There is apparently a Euro election coming. The only poster I have seen so far are Sinn Féin’s. (“Daddy, Bairbre de Brún is up our lamp-post!” “Well, tell her to get down.” I jest, of course.) It is, of course, testament to the SF party machine that they are so quick off the mark.

Will they have a good campaign? I can see de Brún getting a seat in the not so-occupied Six Counties but am not so sure down South. The party’s other MEP, Mary Lou McDonald, is defending her Euro seat but will not be running for the Dáil in the forthcoming by-election in Dublin Central. That surely is a major surprise and all the waffle from Sinn Féin about clashing dates and deadlines is just that – waffle. If McDonald, SF vice-president let’s not forget, is really to make her mark on domestic politics she needs to be in the Dáil, not in Brussels. It seems that Sinn Féin don’t believe that one of their most high-profile candidates can win the seat. Of course, the real nightmare scenario for McDonald is losing the Euro seat too. Big stakes indeed.

Perhaps equally surprising is the news that SF stalwart in Dublin, Councillor Christy Burke, is tipped to run in the by-election in her place. Undoubtedly, he is synonymous with the party but he is hardly the youthful, modern image that Sinn Féin have been trying to portray in recent years. Are Sinn Féin finding it as hard as other parties to get young candidates?

Ritchie right and wrong

2009-05-01T15:51:00.000+01:00

It could have been much worse for SDLP Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie. Her decision to remove funding from a programme linked to the UDA was ruled by a judge to have been wrong on procedural grounds but that she was within her rights to make a judgment in public interest. A technical K.O. but she will live to fight another day – and I imagine that she will still have a lot of political niggle to endure from political opponents.

Interesting to see that it is First Minister Peter Robinson (DUP) and Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd who are leading the charge against Ritchie. Being criticised by Robinson will do Ritchie no harm amongst the nationalist electorate and one would have thought that Sinn Féin would be better keeping quiet than joining in with the DUP on this issue. Still, I suppose the party are performing so poorly in office that they need to distract their voters one way or another.

Remember 1609!

2009-04-29T12:25:00.001+01:00

We are never too far away from one commemoration or another in the North. One that did pass me by – until now – was the beginning of the Plantation of Ulster in 1609. The McCracken Cultural Society, who aim to promote the Irish language, history, music, drama and dance irrespective of creed, class, background or ability, will host a lecture entitled “1609: remembering a turbulent year which left its mark on Ulster” on Friday, 8th May, at 7pm in the William Conor Lecture Hall, University of Ulster, York Street, Belfast.

The talk will be in Irish and will be given by Dr Éamonn Ó Ciardha, a history lecturer at the University of Ulster. He is an expert on this period and will look at how the Plantation affected every aspect of the Gaelic way of life in Ireland.

This is the second annual Robert Mac Adam memorial lecture. Certainly, last year’s talk by Fionntán de Brún on Patrick Pearse was well worth hearing and this year’s topic is definitely of interest. Indeed, this is the first public event I have noticed on 1609 which is quite strange given how the events of that year still echo today. The talk will be followed by a session in McCracken’s Bar, Joy’s Entry, Belfast. Info: www.ccmr156.com

FYI

2009-04-28T14:17:00.003+01:00

The current issue of the Dublin Review of Books is on line at http://www.drb.ie/ Amongst the many interesting articles, I will mention two: one on Seamus Heaney by Barra Ó Seaghda and one by Tom Wall on “Southern Loyalists in the War of Independence”.

Ó Seaghda is a marvellous critic and his piece on Heaney is well worth reading for its insight. I have never met Ó Seaghda but never cease to be amazed by his ability. I first came across him a lifetime ago when he was writing for the magazine Graph. (Now there is a blast from the past for some of you!) It’s great to see that he is a regular contributor with DRB. No more hunting through the bookshops to enjoy his work.

Tom Wall’s article is a must for anyone with an interest in contemporary Irish politics. Taking the book, Coolacrease: the true story of the Pearson executions – an incident in the Irish War of Independence, by Paddy Heaney (not the Irish News Paddy Heaney), as his starting point, Wall looks at the very contentious issue of how Protestants in the South fared at the hands of the IRA during the War of Independence. Wall offers a nuanced and balanced look at those terrible years – and many of the events recalled are still harrowing despite the passage of time.

Wall writes: “As in all countries, there is an uncomfortable side to national history and the time is right for honest and balanced telling. It is a story that was, for most, “a forgotten history”: nationalists for long ignored or denied it (some still do) and southern Protestants kept quiet for fear of re-igniting the awful passions of the past. In the telling, some may have lost perspective and balance. It is a mistake to exaggerate the extent of the injustice or to romanticise the southern Protestant story – they had their share of sectarians and diehards – or to use the excesses of a few to denigrate the courage and idealism of the many involved in the struggle for independence. We all, descendants of victors and victims, Protestant, Catholic and freethinkers alike, deserve the truth about our history, warts and all. But the issues needs to be researched and debated calmly and not as a continuation of the, now hopefully redundant, conflict.”

Carrying on the blogging theme, Fergus O’Donoghue, SJ, editor of the journal, Studies, is now blogging himself and very good he is too on religion, contemporary Ireland and its travails. Fergus is a wonderful writer and a very understanding man who does not get angry when some of his reviewers (ahem!) don’t file on time. (I promise I will make the deadline this time!)
His blog is to be found at http://www.studiesirishreview.ie/

Plenty of learning out there and, I am told, it is lightly carried.

Adams’ education

2009-04-27T15:39:00.000+01:00

It seems entirely appropriate that Gerry Adams’ political education should continue at a university. Addressing a meeting at Saint Mary’s University College in West Belfast, the Sinn Féin president, local MP and MLA – he has some collection of titles – said that the economic situation was the party’s “biggest challenge”. How else could one phrase that? Wait, I know – you can’t eat a flag. Former Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader, Bertie Ahern, once characterised himself as being a socialist, it must only be a matter of time before Gerry Adams calls himself a “social democrat”.

That said, I am not sure that Mister Adams can expect to gain a history degree anytime soon. Condemning dissident republicans, ie non-subscribing Provos, Mr Adams said: “There is no way that the individuals involved in these groups can match the capability, determination and ingenuity or have the popular support that the IRA had over 30 years of armed struggle.”

If Adams defines “capability, determination and ingenuity” as an ability to kill wantonly, then the dissidents have done that. And what “popular support” did the PIRA enjoy during their campaign? They did not stand for elections – just like the dissidents.

‘Militant rhetoric’

2009-04-27T15:38:00.001+01:00

Tom Kelly in his Monday Irish News column addresses the issue of violence and militant rhetoric. Writing of his time on the Policing Board, he says that he, his home and his car were attacked and that the threats came “in the main” from Sinn Féin supporters and members. He was labelled a “traitor” by one SF politician who has since been discarded by his own party.

Kelly speaks of a “wry pleasure” in watching those who once led the charge against him now taking their places on the district policing partnerships. On a more serious note he also condemns the threats made by dissident republicans against Martin McGuinness and his family, calling them “deplorable and despicable”. That human and natural sympathy does not stop Kelly however from tracing how republicans used rhetoric to wind their supporters up and to intimidate their political opponents. Kelly concludes that he hopes that “reason routs the legacy of redundant militant rhetoric”.

It does not seem likely, though. The Irish News reports that another deplorable attack has been made on SF MLA, Mitchell McLaughlin. His home in Derry was targeted in a hoax bomb alert. It is the second attack on his home this month. If memory serves me correctly, McLaughlin remarked after the last such incident that such things happen here in politics. (Ironically, one of his party colleagues condemns the attackers and their supporters for their “irresponsible rhetoric”.)

However, such incidents should not happen. There is no excuse for this kind of behaviour. Physical intimidation and threats have no part to play in political discourse and, if we are to have a healthy democracy, we need to constantly oppose the idea of local politics as being a step away from a street fight – or worse.

Gerry Conlon To Join Breege Quinn At Newry Event

2009-04-20T21:24:00.005+01:00

Gerry Conlon is set to join Breege Quinn at an SDLP event in Newry on Wednesday evening called ‘Justice Denied: A Public Discussion’.

Mr Conlon, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 15 years, will join the panel alongside Mrs Quinn from Cullyhanna, whose son was beaten to death 18 months ago. Also speaking will be Anne Morgan, whose brother Seamus Ruddy is one of the Disappeared, and justice campaigner Raymond McCord. SDLP Justice Spokesperson Alban Maginness will address the gathering too.

The meeting will offer an opportunity to hear the personal experiences of people who have suffered from miscarriages of justice or have had justice denied to them.

Speaking ahead of the event, Gerry Conlon said: “Thankfully we are now living in more peaceful times. However, for many people, the events of the past still cast a shadow over their lives, and more needs to be done to correct wrongs and bring closure.

“I’d encourage people to come along to this meeting to hear from the experiences of people who have been denied justice, and to share their own stories. This will be a powerful, yet very interesting event.”

Breege Quinn added: “We intend to keep our campaign going until we get justice for Paul, so we welcome every opportunity to speak on any platform to get that message across, especially to his murderers. We have a lot in common and a lot to learn from other families that have lost members by murder.”

The public meeting will take place in the Canal Court Hotel at 7.30pm on Wednesday 22 April. Admission is free and anyone can attend.

I had the honour of attending a similar such discussion at the SDLP conference in January and it was certainly one of the most talked about events of recent years and I'd definitely encourage anyone who can possibly make it to head down to the Canal Court to hear first-hand the stories of these people.

Paddy O'Hanlon RIP

2009-04-07T23:36:00.007+01:00

I was saddened to hear of the death of former SDLP representative Paddy O'Hanlon at the age of 65. He was a founder member of the party in 1970 and represented south Armagh. Paddy had been ill for some time.

One of the most prominent incidents in which he was involved was helping to uncover the details of the murder of 12-year-old Kevin Heatley in Derrybeg in Newry in 1973. A soldier fired a shot that killed Kevin. He claimed that he was returning fire against the IRA, but this was proven to be untrue.

Paddy O'Hanlon may be dead, but as an arch-exponent of peaceful protest, his influence lives on.

He proved that the placard is more powerful that the bullet.

Rest in Peace.

Shocking Footage Of G20 Police Assault On Ian Tomlinson

2009-04-07T23:03:00.004+01:00

When a man died of a heart attack at the G20 protests in London last week, word had it that he had died of natural causes. However, the Guardian has been handed shocking footage of the person in question, Ian Tomlinson, being assaulted from behind by a police officer as he walked along with his hands in his pockets.

Mr Tomlinson is seen to fall to the ground. Minutes later he had a heart attack and died.

Now I don't think there's any question that the police in London had a tough job last week, but there is absolutely no call for this kind of brutality. It only came to light because Mr Tomlinson died. How much more violence like this is meted out by the police?

The Met's reputation is already bad enough given the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes and problems with racism. Now they can add being RUC-lite to their list.

Clare Balding: The Pot Calling The Kettle Black?

2009-04-06T21:55:00.003+01:00

The BBC's horse racing presenter Clare Balding has had to apologise to Grand National winner Liam Treadwell after she made fun of his teeth.

In a post-race interview, Balding urged the jockey to show his teeth, saying: "just give us a big grin to the camera."

When he smiled, keeping his lips firmly closed, she told him: "No, no, let's see your teeth. He hasn't got the best teeth in the world, but you can afford to go and get them done now if you like."

Treadwell, replied: "Well I could do, but I ain't complaining. It might be bringing on bad luck if I do that, though."

Hmm. Well at least he doesn't look like Mon Mome.

Clear Blue Water Conservatives

2009-03-30T06:46:00.005+01:00

It's one month since the Ulster Unionists and Conservatives got together to create a New Force in politics. There was a lot of work done in the background to ensure that Ulster Unionist party members (and representatives) didn't oppose the deal. Some Unionists thought it was a chance for them to recover electorally as part of a bigger movement, a chance for them to make a difference in UK politics, to win more Westminster seats, and possibly a Cabinet seat in the next UK government. Other Unionists preferred Labour policies, including their only MP who practically followed a Labour whip, and has been very quiet recent.

The Conservaties wanted a full merger with the UUP, and a new party called NICUP (NI Conservative Unionist Party). The UUP rejected the notion of a merger and instead chose an electoral alliance. The UCUNF (Ulster Conservative and Unionists - New Force) joint-ticket was formed and David Cameron flew to Belfast to pro-claim: May the force be with you, Reg Empey.

However, it's unlikely UCUNF will have any real electoral success. The Conservatives have never done well in NI. They only have one elected councillor - and he was elected as a UUP candidate in 2005 before defecting. They may have a chance to become the next UK government, but I think it's unlikely they'll achieve enough success in NI to warrant a local person on the UK Cabinet, especially a UUP representative.

Also, the two parties have squabbled over all the details, which led to them choosing such a terrible name. Jeffrey Peel (Vice Chair of Conservatives NI) resigned in protest at the way it was all handled, when he realised the UUP didn't have "the interests of Conservativism at heart". Sir Reg Empey has also angered many Conservatives by saying they are "clearly to the left of Labour" on many policies.

The UUP leaked the new full name to the press early, and the Conservatives responded by leaking the new logo. The new alliance was off to a bad start.

Conservative HQ demanded control of the local associations website (conservativesni.com) and re-directed it to an NI page on their main website. Many Conservatives aren't happy, and renegades have set-up a group calling themselves 'Clear Blue Water Conservatives' who are twitting away about their disapprovals. It's not looking good for the UUP-Conservative pact!

Fantastic!

2009-03-22T22:58:00.004Z

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately- I've been pretty busy so am only getting a chance now to put finger to keyboard.

Yesterday's victory for Ireland in the Six Nations was brilliant and provided a much needed boost to the nation's mood given the current economic climate. It seems amazing that it took 61 years for Ireland to win the Grand Slam since the last time. For so long the team has promised so much, but the wheels always seemed to come off. However, with seasoned players with experience of success at the highest levels of club rugby in its ranks, 2009 was the year in which Ireland realised its potential.

Congratulations to the Ireland team and let's hope that success is continued!

Decline in Irish

2009-03-06T15:34:00.003Z

Tuesday’s Irish News reported how the numbers taking GCSE Irish was continuing to fall, leading to a decline in numbers studying the language to AS and A-level. SDLP MLA Dominic Bradley noted that: “Ironically, careerwise, Irish is a much more exciting prospect than ever before with a wider range of careers opening up to young people, especially in the creative industries.”

The fall in numbers does not bode well for the wellbeing of the language. Those studying GCSE Irish tend, for the greater part, to attend Catholic schools thus giving the lie to the idea that all people from a Catholic/nationalist background automatically have an interest in the language. The numbers attending Irish-language primary schools may be significant but, experience in the Republic suggests, that that does not always translate into active adult Irish speakers. It must also be a cause of concern that, still, there is little opportunity for pupils at state schools to find out about the language.

There may well be a new political dispensation here but the work involved to promote Irish will continue to be as hard as ever.

Ní Dhomhnaill in Derry

2009-03-06T11:59:00.001Z

Poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill will be giving a lecture in Magee College, Derry, tonight at 7.45pm. She is giving the opening talk in this year’s Éigse Cholm Cille on the challenges of writing poetry in Irish. Saturday will see lectures from, amongst others, Fionntán de Brún, Gréagóir Ó Dúill, a reading from Cathal Ó Searcaigh and a book launch of Breandán Ó Doibhlin’s latest collection of essays, Aistí Critice agus Cultúir 3. Ar bís leis an leabhar sin a fháil!

On another literary note, I will be giving a poetry reading with Louis de Paor, Aifric Mac Aodha and Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh as part of this year’s Dublin Book Festival this Sunday 2pm in Dublin’s City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2. It’s Pól Ó Muirí, live in Dublin….

Turn for the worse?

2009-03-06T11:58:00.001Z

Are things about to take a turn for the worse? Media are reporting that the threat level from non-conforming republicans, aka dissidents, has been heightened. I always take public warnings from MI5 with a large pinch of salt. However, I was stopped the night before last on the way home by a very large number of PSNI officers, some of whom were carrying rifles. It was very much a flash-back to the bad old days. Whatever they were doing, they certainly were not dipping for illegal diesel.

The Suggested Increase In Alcohol Prices- Here We Go Again

2009-03-03T00:05:00.001Z

BBC Newsline has been suggesting that Northern Ireland might follow the lead of the Scottish, who are suggesting putting minimum prices on alcohol to tackle binge drinking.

What rubbish.

Wholesale, untargeted, punitive actions like this simply serve to punish everyone- they don't address the core problem. We need to look at why people binge drink, not simply hike up the prices of booze. Increased charges at the counter will just make people with a drink problem turn to cheap rubbish. And if they suffer from alcoholism, it will make them even more desperate to take whatever course of action is necessary to get their hands on drink. The fact is that there is inelastic demand for alcohol- price increases won't really affect people's appetite for it.

Meanwhile sensible drinkers are punished for the misbehaviour of others.

Some in the pub trade and independent off-licences will claim that imposing a minimum retail price for booze would be a good move as it would make them more competitive against the big chains. This is a completely separate argument, one which is based purely on protectionism and false pricing. It doesn't relate at all to the wellbeing of the drinking public.

If the Assembly or anyone else wants to tackle the very real problem of excess alcohol consumption, they need to do so through education. Hiking up prices is just a lazy cop-out and will do precious little to solve the problem of alcohol abuse.

Yes, we Cowen!

2009-03-02T09:46:00.001Z

Tom Kelly, also in today’s Irish News, argues that it is not as tough down South as many commentators argue; there are still investment opportunities. He mentions Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, Brian Cowen’s speech at his party’s ardfheis; Cowen was “serious, serious about doing whatever takes”. (For what it is worth, I thought Cowen gave a good speech.)

Kelly also highlights one of the difficulties of getting Fianna Fáil out of government – who to support amongst the opposition: “The polls suggest no bounce factor for Fianna Fáil as it slumbers but more importantly the polls also suggest that the Irish electorate has no appetite for Enda Kenny as taoiseach, despite his party’s strong showing. The electorate is not stupid. They know its all about leadership.”

(Indeed, were, say Alan Dukes, in charge of Fine Gael, would they be in a stronger or weaker position now? Stronger, I suspect.)

Kelly is also unimpressed by how Stormont is managing financial matters: “The handout mentality that dominates the thinking in the assembly is an economic liability.” Certainly, there have been some sour remarks amongst many in the North regarding the Republic’s economic difficulties of late. However, the fact remains that while Ireland Inc may be taking water, Brian Cowen is, at least, in charge of the bail-out bucket. That is not something anyone in our little regional assembly can boast of.

It might not be a great Republic at the moment – but it is still a Republic.

European Alliance

2009-03-02T09:44:00.000Z

The Alliance Party have picked North Down councillor, Ian James Parsley, as their candidate for the European elections. The Irish News reports that he speaks French, Spanish and German. He also speaks Ulster-Scots – seriously. I heard him at a conference once using the Scots and he was fluent.

I have heard him speak once or twice and have chatted with him occasionally. He is personable and intelligent and should ensure that Alliance punches above its weight in debates. That said, I was a bit taken aback by his comments in the Irish News. Parsley said: “The party has sought a unity candidate and I am pledged to be that unity candidate.”

It is hardly a battle cry that will attract the voters. Don’t tell me the nice Alliance folk have divisions too?

Literature in translation

2009-03-01T10:54:00.002Z

The Independent has a very fine book section on Fridays and is one of the few English-language newspapers to make sure that they have fiction translated from other languages reviewed every week. I, for one, greatly appreciate it. After all, if one is going to read in the conquerors’ language, it might as well be material from other countries! Seriously, though, it is nice to see an English-language paper make such an honest attempt to connect with literature written in other languages.

On Friday, The Independent announced, their long list for their annual fiction in translation award, an award which gives equal due to both the author and the translator. Of the 16 books on the long list, I have read only one up to now – Juan Gabriel Vasquez’s The Informers. Vasquez is Colombian and the book was originally in Spanish. Funnily enough, the reason I chose the book was because it was translated by Anne McLean – who also translated Soldiers of Salamis by Spain’s Javier Cercas which won the Independent’s Prize for Foreign Fiction in 2004.

Indeed, Ms McLean and myself are becoming a regular literary item – I am currently reading The Armies by Evelio Rosero, another Colombian writer, who has also been translated into English by – you guessed it – Anne McLean. The Armies has also made the long list. I don’t have a word of Spanish but am thoroughly enjoying discovering contemporary Spanish-language literature in McLean’s company. Here’s hoping she adds another award to her substantial achievements; she certainly deserves it. Never underestimate the power of a good translator.

(I will add as a note that the Portuguese writer, Jose Eduardo Agualusa, is also on the long list for his novel, My Father’s Wives. Agualusa is another fine writer and well worth reading.)

Léim an Mhadaidh

2009-02-27T15:42:00.001Z

BBC is reporting that there is a row in Limavady Council over bilingual uniforms – Irish/English – for staff. Apparently, some employees are unhappy with Irish being on the uniform. UUP are saying that council should drop its Irish-language policy while SF are saying it is a matter of equality.

It goes without saying that the Irish-language debate is one of the most poisonous that there is – trust me on this one. However, Limavady is, syllable for syllable, Irish. Rendering it as Léim an Mhadaidh on uniforms simply recognises the original spelling. I can understand why some staff might be reluctant to identify with the Irish language but surely a small logo will do no harm to anyone?

Perhaps, those on the council who support Irish could go an extra inch and have a logo that says: Limavady/Léim an Mhadaidh/Leap of the Dog. According to Patrick McKay’s A Dictionary of Ulster Place-Names, the origin of the name lie “in a legend about a dog belonging to a chieftain of the O’Kanes (O’Cahans) which jumped a steep gorge of the river Roe carrying a message of danger to the O’Cahan castle…” Would there be enough in that to show that there is no hostile content in the Irish?

Anyway, I wish I could offer some valuable insight but am just totally and utterly depressed by the whole thing.

Fianna Fáil will fight on

2009-02-27T15:15:00.000Z

I suspect that talk of a Fianna Fáil meltdown will prove wide off the mark should there be a general election in the Republic. One of the things that has struck me about FF members is their total and utter loyalty to the party. In fact, they make some SF loyalists seem sensible! Remember that FF likes to describe itself as a national movement and they alone have supporters throughout every social class in the Republic. Times are undoubtedly hard for them at the moment – and rightly so – but they are the most formidable and effective party that the 32 counties have ever seen. They may take a hiding in the media and at the polls but they will not be beaten into oblivion. There is a saying in Irish: is doiligh drochrud a mharú/it is hard to kill a bad thing. Is doiligh Fianna Fáil a mharú!

Sinn Féin - the glass is not broken

2009-02-27T15:13:00.003Z

More than enough has been written about last week’s SF ardfheis, so I will note only this. I don’t think Gerry Adams has a clue when it comes to promoting his party – and it is his party – in the Republic. In my experience Southerners become very irked when being told what to do by Northerners. Partition has wrought its own damage over 80 years and the last 30 years of conflict have added to that estrangement. Appointing Mary Lou McDonald as vice-president makes little sense to me as she simply lacks the populist touch that Southerners like in their politicians and, given that she could not secure a seat in the Dáil last time out, strikes me as a bit desperate.

That is not to say that they are finished; the glass may be half full or half empty, depending on your point of view, but the glass is not broken at the very least. They have enough money and discipline to keep themselves relevant but it will be a case of swings and roundabouts for the foreseeable future. I think Pearse Doherty will yet win a seat in Donegal for the Dáil. I heard, anecdotally, that one FF TD in Donegal was texting everyone in a panic during the last general election that he was in trouble and needed their votes.

Doherty could – like FG’s Joe McHugh in the neighbouring Donegal dáilcheantar – see himself elected next time out. McHugh used his time in the Senate very wisely and got himself into the Dáil very handily; Doherty is doing the same. (And don't forget Doherty was given support by the Labour Party in his bid for that Senate seat which leaves the door very, very, very partially ajar for future co-operation.) That said, there will be no breakthrough on a grand scale for SF and they will have to fight for every vote. Nonetheless, a handful of seats in the Republic will still be worth much more than a handful of Westminster seats.

Also, I noticed that SF are running a former student of mine, Tomás Ó Searcaigh, as one of their EU candidates. Tomás is a councillor in Dundalk and I taught him Irish during my very brief career as a teaching assistant at QUB. He is bright, articulate, intelligent and good humoured. In short, he would be an asset to any party. Watch out for the name – he is just the kind of candidate who could swing more people behind SF in the Republic.

Unimpressive Ulster Unionists RIP

2009-02-27T15:11:00.000Z

I am totally and utterly unimpressed by the Ulster Unionist-Conservative tie-in: Ulster Conservative and Unionists - New Force. I think that it is only a matter of time before the whole UU enterprise goes belly-up. I just can’t see this challenging the DUP’s appeal to regional identity and their version of Britishness amongst unionist voters. While I am unimpressed with the politics of the move, I am equally unimpressed with the name. No party in the North should have the word ‘force’ in its name. We have had more than enough of that.

Have to admit to that I am very anti-Conservative too but that might be a hang over from watching Lindsay Duncan in BBC2’s drama, Margaret, last night. Being reminded of the whole Thatcher nightmare was bad enough but, equally worse, was to be reminded of just how vile the Conservative party are. Seriously, who wants to vote for these people – even the ‘modern’ version?

Anyway, UUP RIP is the message for today.

Always Midnight, never dawn

2009-02-12T08:43:00.002Z

Mourid Barghouti is a Palestinian poet, long exiled from the land of his birth, and currently living in Cairo. His latest collection, Midnight and Other Poems (Arc Publications), is a fine work that deserves a wide readership. (The book also includes an essay on the author’s life and circumstances, a handy introduction for those who may not be familiar with Barghouti’s memoir, I Saw Ramallah.)

Midnight is a long, moving poem but not an arduous read. The blurb describes it as a “montage of images of the land of his birth and the strong emotional responses to which these images give rise” and it is one of the most accomplished poems I have ever read. Lines jump out at the reader, images so strong, stark and moving that they almost induce vertigo:

Your heart has stopped
yet the earth beneath you pulses.

Your blood now circulates
outside the confines of your body.

Or when a house is destroyed by the Israeli army:

My grandfather’s cloak gets hooked
on the bulldozer’s teeth.

Midnight is astounding in its ability to shift the reader from one scene to the next while ensuring that the narrative effect of the work is not lost. The shorter poems too are filled with heart-wrenching moments depicting the plight of Palestinians. Barghouti writes that:

Death
stays up, active
for our sake.

In It’s Also Fine, he writes:

It’s also fine to die in our beds
on a clean pillow
and among our friends.

Nor does he shirk the difficulties of being a writer living under the wary eye of Arab governments in Interpretations:

A poet sits in a coffee shop, writing.
The old lady
thinks he is writing a letter to his mother,
the young woman
thinks he is writing a letter to his girlfriend,
the child
thinks he is drawing,
the businessman
thinks he is considering a deal
the tourist
thinks he is writing a postcard,
the employee
thinks he is calculating his debts.
The secret policeman
walks, slowly, towards him.

Dual - to twine, braid, interlace or coil

2009-02-11T12:45:00.001Z

I doubt that cultural cross-Border pollination comes any sweeter than the wonderful sounds to be found on Dual (Machair Records), the new album by Éamon Doorley, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Julie Fowlis and Ross Martin. Dual is Scotland and Ireland at its musical best; its two countries speaking the one language of song. The notes on the cd state: “Dual in Scottish Gaelic and Irish means to twine, braid, interlace or coil. It also means one’s inheritance.”

None of the artists need any introduction to lovers of traditional music. Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh’s work with Danú speaks for itself and for those unfamiliar with traditional singing in Scots Gaelic, Fowlis is one of the best and most exciting voices to emerge from that scene.

The album is a collection of traditional songs and tunes from Ireland and Scotland and it is impossible to praise it enough. Do not be put off if you don’t speak Irish or Scots Gaelic. I don’t speak Scots Gaelic either but have Fowlis’ albums (available easily on Amazon) and there are just wonderful to listen to. The sleeve notes and the emotion she generates in her singing is more than enough to let you know what is happening. In fact, come to think of it, I don’t speak Italian but it doesn’t stop me loving Madama Butterfly and I don’t speak Portuguese but I would be lost without Mariza and her fado singing.

So, jump in and buy Dual. The aficionado will love it for its depth, range and innovation and, if you are new to traditional music, it will be love at first hearing.

Mol an óige and they will make music!

Comhar values

2009-02-06T11:32:00.002Z

For the past few months, I have been acting as Interim Editor of the monthly magazine, Comhar (pronounced ‘core’). It is actually the second time I have edited the journal which has been on the go for over 60 years and deals mainly in current affairs and literature. I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the experience. The February issue is now out and I have started working on March’s edition. (Yes, there is no rest for the wicked.)

There are a number of things that have struck me about the magazine. The amount of good will that there is towards Comhar has been humbling. There is no doubt – without sounding like a total hippie – that Comhar has captured some sort of energy and its spirit simply refuses to die. People have been more than happy to contribute and the range of material available has been first class. Certainly, the number of talented young writers is very heartening and it seems that the printed word has not entirely lost its attraction to the Facebook generation. In addition, more established writers have not been found wanting and are giving the whole enterprise a little gravitas and name recognition. I can’t thank the various writers enough for their support and, while they have done so much to put the magazine back on track, there remains much work to do.

Certainly, Comhar has the chance to regain its place as a very significant forum for contemporary writing in Irish and complement the work that is being done by the weekly newspaper Foinse and the monthly internet mag Beo! There is certainly a niche there for Comhar – material that is too long for a newspaper or that does not make for easy reading on the Internet but which can, over the proverbial cup of coffee, provide the reader with something substantial.

Of course, reading this on the Internet you might be tempted to try and read Comhar on-line. You won’t be able to at the moment as we have not established an on-line presence and still rely on subscribers and shop sales. That said, the designer, Ciarán Ó Súilleabháin, has done a great job in making the printed artefact very attractive to the eye. It may be old-fashioned to admit it but there is something comforting about actually holding a magazine in your hands as opposed to simply viewing it on-line. Still, Comhar will develop an on-line presence at some stage and the board's magazine are talking about it.

In the meantime, if you are passing Waterstone’s in Belfast or Eason’s in Dublin, the magazine should be available. The current issue has Monsignor Réamonn Ó Muireadhaigh (Raymond Murray) writing on Colombia; editor of Foinse, Seán Tadhg Ó Gairbhí on his experiences in Washington DC the day Barack Obama became president; Gabriel Rosenstock’s wry look at what is happening on Mother Earth; a review of Seán Mac Mathúna’s Hula Hul by critic Fionntán de Brún and regular columnists, Rachel Ní Fhionnáin and Mícheál Ó Ruairc.

Don’t be shy about getting some old-fashioned ink on your fingers. It won’t do you any harm and Comhar would be grateful for the support.

Bí ag léamh.

Chatting With A Terrorist

2009-02-02T21:45:00.005Z

It was revealed at the Billy Wright Inquiry today that slain loyalist terrorist Billy Wright paid a visit in the early 1990s to 'Reverend' William McCrea to say that he believed he was going to be killed by the state. Mr McCrea later shared a stage with the loyalist leader.

Surely Mr McCrea has some explaining to do. What was he doing chatting to Billy Wright? The DUP's unique selling point for many years was their apparent opposition to terrorism, yet we find that one of its senior figures was talking to this scumbag. Would he have got into a conversation with an IRA or INLA man at the time? I doubt it. So why would he speak to Billy Wright? Indeed, why would he share a stage with him at the height of his killing spree?

Answers on the back of an election communication postcard please.

Expanding Fuel Poverty

2009-01-27T23:17:00.002Z

I must admit to having had a bit of a chuckle when I was leafing through the newspapers and spotted this in the Fermanagh Herald:

Sinn Féin MP MLA for Fermanagh South Tyrone Michelle Gildernew has welcomed the intervention of the Office of the First and deputy First Minister to expand the fuel poverty to ensure that it now includes an additional 36,000 pensioners.

I assumed a journalistic rush to meet deadline for going to print was the reason for this. However, a simple Google search revealed that the mistake had appeared elsewhere- attributed to another Sinn Féin MLA:

Sinn Féin Social Development spokesperson, North Belfast MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has welcomed the intervention of the Office of the First and deputy First Minister to expand the fuel poverty to ensure that it now includes an additional 36,000 pensioners.

The Dawn Of A New Era

2009-01-20T23:44:00.003Z

Today marks a major milestone in American history. For the first time in a country which not so long ago had slavery and even more recently had segregation, a black man has become President.

I haven't seen before anything that compares to the tide of goodwill which has accompanied Barack Obama to the White House. The positivity in recent months, and in particular today as millions took to the the streets of Washington DC to greet the new President, is in stark contrast to the gloom invoked by global financial problems.

And these are the problems which will greet the President as he takes his seat in the Oval Office. The goodwill will sustain him for a decent amount of time, but he will need to deliver the goods to meet the almost impossible expectations which have been placed upon him.

Good luck and best wishes.

Interesting Options

2009-01-19T22:13:00.003Z

Conall has an article detailing how the SDLP Conference this weekend in Armagh will debate the creation of a New Ireland Coalition. In the same closed session, the party is also scheduled to debate the option of setting up in the south. This would mark a new departure by the party and send out a very clear signal to southern parties who want to come north and think the SDLP will stand aside that the SDLP is going to fight its own corner.

The people of the south have always been very supportive of the SDLP and there's a gaping hole between the centre-right position of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and the varying leftism of Labour into which a strong centre-left party could fit. Of course, the SDLP already faces problems in the north, but perhaps setting up in the south could provide an impetus of talent, an influx of good people who actually believe in the SDLP's principles.

Enough Is Enough

2009-01-06T19:10:00.003Z

I'm not going to bother analysing the respective views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict- there's plenty of that already going on elsewhere on the net. But on a purely humanitarian level the current onslaught by the Israelis must be stopped immediately. This rubbish that they want to avoid civilian casualties is wholly unsustainable. If you bomb places that are packed with civilians like schools, you're going to kill them. It's simple really. There's nothing to be gained from killing swathes of innocent people- it'll simply serve to create a new generation of angry combatants.

And while the Israelis may have the superior firepower, censure must also fall on Hamas. What do they hope to achieve by firing rockets at Israeli communities? They know perfectly well how the odds are stacked on the military front, and for every few people that they kill in Israel, dozens of Palestinians will be killed in return. By now they should know that if you tread on the paw of an angry dog, it'll take a lump out of your leg. Regardless of whether their ideology is right or wrong, so long as Hamas launch pointless attacks on the Israelis, it is their own people who will suffer. That is the reality of the situation.

The leaderships on boths sides need to step back and have a think about what they are doing. The people of the Gaza Strip are suffering terribly and absolutely nothing can justify putting them through such horror.

Merry Christmas From El Blogador!

2008-12-24T11:44:00.004Z

Yes, it's that time of year again. This is El Blogador's fourth Christmas, and although over the past few months posts have been somewhat thin on the ground, hopefully in 2009 they'll pick up again in number.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to El Blogador in 2008, and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ritchie Executive Concern

2008-12-14T21:14:00.004Z

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie has said that her party may need to reconsider its role in the Executive if she is prevented from doing her Ministerial job by Executive colleagues.

The SDLP woman said the party were committed to working to deliver in government "but if there comes a time when executive colleagues and others deliberately stop me from delivering, then that will give my party an opportunity, and myself, to consider our role in government, but at this particular point we haven't reached that point- we're still in government."

It would be a disgrace if Margaret had to quit. After a five-month break by the Executive, the north finds itself in the midst of the global financial crisis. This isn't the time for playing petty political games. There is far more that unites us than divides us, and with jobs being lost and people feeling the pinch, the Executive needs to collectively focus on doing the job it's paid to do instead of messing about.

Margaret Ritchie has done a great job, but there's still much more to be done. I hope her Executive colleagues set aside their animosity towards her and work with her to deal with the issues at hand.

'Racism' Row

2008-11-28T19:12:00.003Z

South Down Sinn Féin MLA Caitríona Ruane has landed in spot of bother after she sat through an allegedly racist display at an X Factor-type event in Newry last week. The Mayo woman, who now lives in Omeath, was a judge at the event. According to the Newry Democrat, “it is understood that some of the crowd was horrified that the Education Minister continued to participate in the night, and did not illustrate her disgust by leaving the hotel.”

In a statement issued afterwards from Ruane, she said: "I am enjoying my time as a judge on the GAA X Factor and have been extremely impressed by the quality of the acts on offer, all of whom have performed magnificently in what is a keenly contested competition.

"The audience had differing views on the performances and I enjoyed some acts more than others, which I made clear in my comments as one of the judges."

I’m sure Ruane had little idea of what she was likely to encounter during the event, but as a public representative she should have known better than to sit back and watch the debacle unfold.

This episode also raises issues of political involvement in sporting organisations such as the GAA. A couple of years back, the Association allowed the use of Casement Park for a provisional Hunger Strike commemoration which gave anti-GAA bigots an excuse to attack the GAA and also frankly brought discomfort to many people who support the organisation.

Perhaps as an outworking of incidents like this plus the insensitive naming of some clubs led to Margaret Ritchie being criticised by the Orange Order recently for saying that attacks on Orange Halls should not be compared to those on GAA halls as the two organisations are completely different. Allowing the GAA to be exploited by political parties of any hue just gives people with an axe to grind against gaelic games ammunition for attack.

In Munster, former GAA chief Seán Kelly is likely to be a Fine Gael candidate in next year's European elections. However, this is completely separate as the two roles did not run simultaneously.

The GAA is a community organisation that has members of many political persuasions and none. It needs to be wary of political infiltration and exploitation, lest it should cause embarrassment and alienate the very grassroots activists who give it its vitality.

Provisional Army Council 'Has Gone Away' You Know

2008-11-22T15:18:00.004Z

According to Peter Robinson, the DUP has received assurance that the provo 'army council' is out of business for good and won't be returning.

That's all well and good, but where does that leave the provisional movement with regard to its view of who is the legitimate government of Ireland?

According to republican doctrine, be it in the form espoused by the provos or the other smaller groups, this role lies with their respective army councils. So if the provisional army council is out of business, who has supreme authority? After all, they do not officially recognise the Leinster House Dáil or Stormont as the governments of Ireland.

All PIRA actions were justified by their cheerleaders by way of this belief that the army council had the legitimacy to authorise said activity as the provisonal governing body of the Irish Republic. So who governs now? How can a 'government' unilaterally go out of business? Was this idea of army council legitimacy actually just a charade to provide cover for the cold-blooded murder of innocent people? Do the provos actually have no ideology or principles? Have the DUP brought the provos to the point of surrender? If the army council is now out of action, does that mean that it has achieved its goals in the form of the current Stormont administration?

This apparent move creates more questions than it answers.

Progressive Democrats vote to close party

2008-11-08T18:23:00.005Z

As El Matador previously forecasted, the Progressive Democrats are to close their party.

At a special conference today, they held a 4-hour debate before voting on the closure. 201 members voted to close it while 161 wanted to keep it open.

Taking into consideration the probability that many of the members who wanted the party to close probably didn't turn up today, having already made plans to join another party or to at least leave the PD's, it's clear the majority voted to close it.

The party was formed in 1985 by Desmond O'Malley, a former Fianna Fáil minister. As a junior party in a Fianna Fáil led coalition, the PD's performed well, until in 2007 they lost 6 of their 8 TD's.

In September 2008, the Parliamentary Party decided that the PD's were no longer politically viable, which was supported by party founder Des O'Malley who sent a letter to be read to members at today's conference.

I imagine the majority of members will join Fianna Fáil and some will join Fine Gael. Mary Harney TD will probably re-join FF and Noel Grealish has in the past held meetings to discuss joining FF, but chose to wait it out with the PD's.

Change.gov

2008-11-08T14:12:00.004Z

President-Elect Barack Obama yesterday reminded people at one of his first press conferences that there are 74 days of transition period before Inauguration Day.

Nevertheless, he has already hit the ground running with a series of economic meetings, security briefings and the launch of his new website for the transitional Obama-Biden Administration, www.Change.gov.

It's an impressive website detailing the problems that are faced and how the President-Elect will tackle them. It allows Americans to post stories of the election campaign, and share ideas with the new Administration on what they want them to do. In my opinion, it gives the impression of a great leadership that is listening to people.

I'm sure many Americans are extremely relieved that Barack Obama won instead of John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. That relief was summed up by a comment one friend in Oregon put to me: "It'll be good to have someone smarter than me running the country".

It was worrying just how idiotic the Republicans appeared at times. At all the election debates they seemed to come off worse (especially all that Joe the Plumber nonsence), then in the last week of the election at a McCain rally, avid supporter Gayle Quinnell went on an giant rant calling Obama an Arab (which he isn't) and a Muslim (which he isn't)...but who cares if he was? He's actually an American Christian. Technically, he's not even Black, he's Mixed Race.

Governor Palin also starred in a YouTube prank call courtesy of two DJs at CKY Radio, Montréal. She thought she was talking to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who wanted to go hunting in an helicopter with her and whose wife wrote a song for her.

Time For A Real Overhaul?

2008-11-03T23:54:00.003Z

The Catholic Church in Archdiocese of Armagh is to undergo a restructuring plan that will see parishes clustered and a more prominent role being given to lay people. This is aimed at counteracting falling priest numbers.

However, this is little more than a sticking plaster. The Church needs to look at why more people don't join the priesthood. Whereas years ago, people may have seen it as an honour to become a priest, now it seems positively odd. Who would freely choose to live a single life away from one's family? This anachronism, combined with more general disinterest in organised religion, is what is causing problems for the Catholic Church, and until they address these issues head-on, little will change.

Amú in Aistriúchán/Lost in Translation

2008-10-27T10:41:00.002Z

This could be termed a bad blog, bad in the sense that I am simply reprinting an address I gave to the 21st annual Douglas Hyde Conference in Co Roscommon over a week ago on the theme Amú in Aistriúchán/Lost in Translation. Hopefully, you will find something of merit in it and I hope it adds something useful to the on-going debate on the language.

Amú in Aistriúchán

I have taken a very liberal view of my brief for this presentation. Indeed, some might go so far as to suggest that I have ignored it but I hope I not. What I would like to do is offer something a little more anecdotal on this theme – the perspective of a journalist and writer who has been amú in aistriúchán for many years and, God willing, will continue to be amú in aistriúchán for many more.

I am also delighted to be invited to events like this – though always a little nervous too. I am the archetypical hack in that I will give you 200 words on anything you want, in Irish or English. I will write the right amount of words and deliver them for the dead-line, move on and start again. I write in Irish for the Irish Times on matters pertaining to the language; I write a sports column for the Irish-language weekly, Foinse, called Saighdiúir Samhraidh, and I have just started a monthly column with the Internet magazine, Beo!, which deals with the lighter side of being a parent. In English, I write a column for the Belfast Telegraph on culture – in its broadest definition – and touch on politics. That is a very rough summing-up of my journalistic career so far.

The name on the columns is, of course, Pól Ó Muirí. However, there is an element of amú in aistriúchán there. My contemporaries from school and my child-hood neighbours from Belfast would have known me only as Paul Murray. The translation to Ó Muirí is as every bit as exotic to them as if I had changed my name to Marilyn Monroe. So there is Pól Ó Muirí the journalist and Paul Murray, his shadow. I have to say too that Paul Murray is alive and well. He is to be seen on Ulster’s handball courts where he has been playing handball for over 27 years and has managed, in all that time, to win next to nothing. Pól Ó Muirí may have landed himself a job with the Irish Times but the only way Paul Murray will ever win a national handball title is if he is drawn against Pól Ó Muirí in the final – and even then I would not put money on him winning.

I am not that old – only 42 – but old enough to remember a time in West Belfast when the number of Irish speakers could have all fitted into one small hall. The numbers of people speaking Irish since my youth has certainly grown but the language is still something that many people – both nationalist and unionist – don’t come in touch with.

In this context, I should mention that the Belfast Telegraph – or the Tele – is considered a unionist newspaper and I think I am right in saying that I am the first Irish speaker to have his own column – replete with síniú fada – in it. Not that I spend every week writing about the Irish language. I don’t. Even though the column is in English , there is an element of translation involved in writing about matters pertaining to Irish. I usually write about 1,100 words on six or seven issues. That usually means that if I am writing about the Irish language that I need to introduce the topic in question, give some sort of background information and then make my point as succinctly as I can.

Not surprisingly, there are many people of a unionist background who do not know anything about the Irish language – or if they do know something it may be a negative connotation, one associated with Sinn Féin or the Provisional IRA. Something has certainly been lost in the translation of Hyde’s vision in the North. Language matters are certainly still contentious in the North. The cultural battle lines between the DUP and Sinn Féin are quite starkly drawn – though one need not accept those battle lines.

The difficulty for both parties is that they appeal to fundamentalist cultural positions. For Sinn Féin, the language issue still remains one of cultural counter symbol – it is not English; it is recognisably something that pertains to Ireland; it is native expression. That is not to say, that there are not Irish speakers in Sinn Féin who value the language as language. There are but their party has its own baggage.

I think the DUP accept Sinn Féin’s definition of Irish. They do see it as a threat to their understanding of what it means to be British. That there are people – even now from a unionist/Protestant background – who speak Irish is something that makes them feel uncomfortable.

As a counter-weight the DUP have had to invent Ulster-Scots, a fiction that they promote as being exclusive to their voters, ie, unionists. The difficulty is that Ulster-Scots or Scots in Ulster – I will leave the definition – is spoken by many in North Antrim who are of a nationalist and Catholic background. The fact that they would not regard themselves as British is simply ignored by the DUP. Ignored too is the fact that Robbie Burns, that great poet of Scots, was a firm favourite of the Catholic Irish-speaking navvies and agricultural workers who crossed over from Donegal (and Mayo too) to take seasonal work in Scotland.

Indeed, Séamus Ó Grianna, author of Nuair a bhí mé óg and Saol Corrach, quotes Burns in his writings. To add to the irony, Ó Grianna took part in the War of Independence and sided with the anti-Treaty forces in the Civil War. I don’t imagine the DUP, however, will be celebrating his contribution to Ulster-Scots culture any time soon.

Things become even more complicated for both parties when we consider that Scots Gaelic and Welsh are both spoken in Britain and the promotion of those languages challenge the very narrow definition of what languages are and who uses them. It has certainly been an education watching the DUP oppose the promotion of Irish on the grounds that it is nothing to do with them while watching Irish speakers counter with the claim that in Britain Scots Gaelic and Welsh both enjoy measures of legislative protection.

Of course, the irony is that some of the more green-tinted Gaeilgeoirí can’t bear to use the name “Northern Ireland” and prefer to refer to the place as “the Six Counties”. Needless to say, it is not edifying but it may point to the fact that people in the North are tripping towards some understanding of Irish in the context of these islands. One often hears of areas of my home city, Belfast, as being ‘interfaces’. In truth, I think the North is one large interface – an area that has historical links with Scotland in particular due to Plantation and also more peaceful and more ancient social interaction between Irish speakers on either side of the Sea of Moyle.

Further, the North is an area where Irish is still very much lost in translation – translation into English – and it provides an alternative linguistic model to that in this State. People may and do give off here about what is termed ‘compulsory’ Irish but how much poorer we would all be if the founders of this State had turned a deaf ear to Hyde and his contemporaries and had continued a policy of compulsory English?

Of course, it is not difficult to envisage such a scheme. Simply go to the Border and watch as the bilingual place-names are replaced by ones in English only. We may all develop a certain language blindness to road signs in Irish and English but it is certainly even odder to find yourself crossing an Irish border and finding signs in English only.

I should mention too that that is not the case in Britain. I was recently in Cardiff and was astounded by how comprehensively the country was blanketed in Welsh/English road signs nor was it simply road signs or official areas that boasted bilingual signage. Street names in Cardiff were in both languages, commercial shops had bilingual signs and I even noticed that Tescos was bilingual.

Whether or not the North gets an Irish-language Act remains to be seen and what effect any act may have on the perception of Irish is also open to debate. Certainly, the status quo is not an option for Irish speakers in the North. Lesser-used languages need visibility in order to remain people that they are there. That is not to say that there have not been attempts by Sinn Féin, for example, to put the language in a public context.

The former SF health minister, Bairbre de Brún, put job adverts in the paper in Irish and it is not uncommon to see announcements on road closures or developments in Irish in the local press. What effect, if any, this has in raising the language’s profile or promoting its use is very debatable. At best, it is a very wooden way of signalling to unionists that the North’s English-only policy is not acceptable and, at worse, it is simply tokenism. And we all know by now that the language does not need tokenism. Are such adverts an example of amú in aistriúchán? They render English into Irish and provide some employment for some one. In the context of the North that is something, not much perhaps, but something.

However, the challenge for Irish speakers will always be to move beyond signage. The question is which is more preferable: bilingual road signs or attracting more Irish speakers from a unionist background to use the language? In an ideal world, you would want both. In an ideal world, a unionist or nationalist using Irish should be no cause for comment but we do not live in an ideal world.

Nor would I over emphasise the nationalist attachment to Irish. That there are many more people who speak Irish now than when I was younger is certainly true. It really is quite startling to see the number of young people who have an attachment to Irish and who have managed, or who are attempting, to carve out a little niche for themselves in the language.

30 odd years ago, at the age of 11, I was given my first formal Irish classes at a Christian Brothers’ Grammar School. I had gone through a Catholic primary system that did not teach Irish in any shape or form. 30 odd years ago I was confronted for the first time with translation from Irish to English and back with First Steps in Irish. What is the Irish for spoon? Where is the spoon? Is the spoon dirty?

Simple sentences that, at the time, were far beyond my ken. I wish I could say that things have changed greatly in the interim. They haven’t really. Many people still learn the language as I learned it; many have no access to Irish at the primary level and must wait until they are 11 before they realise that the language exists – and even then they might attend a school where it is not taught at all. One could become pessimistic in the face of that.

I would hope that that will not always be the case. I would hope that those who speak, write, create in Irish will be recognised as making a genuine and fruitful contribution to culture – irrespective of whatever flag flies over Stormont and that we can replace amú with abú!

DRB

2008-10-20T10:47:00.003+01:00

The Autumn issue of the Dublin Review of Books is now on-line. I have a review (in English) on the Irish language. It is quite long so I won't reprint it here. You can access the DRB at www.drb.ie I should mention too that even if you are not interested in the Irish that there are some other, very interesting, reviews in this quarter's issue.

The Southern Budget 2008: Margaret Thatcher Would Be Proud

2008-10-14T21:41:00.004+01:00

In a sickening act of right-wing piracy, the southern government has thrust a financial knife into the heart of working people by landing them with a budget that will make their lives misery.

At a time when most ordinary people in the south are having to tighten their belts to make ends meet, the Fianna Fáil/ Green/ PD administration is more interested in tightening the noose around their necks.

Among the jewels unfurled by Brian Lenihan and hurled at an unwitting public today were a massive 8c leap in tax on a litre of petrol, a half-percentage point jump in the already astronomically high VAT rate, and a 1% income levy on gross earnings up to €100,100.

And to add insult to injury, quite literally, the already grossly inadequate public health system has been boosted in its inability to deliver thanks to the abolition of the automatic entitlement to a medical card for over-70s. In addition, Accident and Emergency charges will be doubled to €100. God forbid something bad might ever happen.

Surely the fundamental basis of any public health system is to help people in medical need without asking for them to fork out for the privilege.

Clearly that’s not the case in the south.

In addition, university ‘registration fees’ have leapt up to €1,500 from a maximum of €980-per-year. Are the university admin offices filling out the forms in liquid gold using diamond-nibbed fountain pens?

Plus classroom sizes are set to mushroom, news that came as a shock to teaching unions.

Whatever happened to all the cash raised by the Celtic Tiger? Billions were flowing into the southern exchequer each year for over a decade, but now the economic climate has turned frosty it has become painfully clear that there has been no contingency built up by the government to cover such a rainy day scenario. Instead, hard-working low- to middle-income families, already facing spiralling energy and foods costs, are having to fork-out even more hard-earned cash to bail out the government.

Yes friends, the days of high-tax/ low-spend are back.

Unrestrained Free Market Capitalism On Its Knees

2008-10-12T22:01:00.006+01:00

The cavalier approach of the world's financial institutions in recent years has come back to bite them with spades in recent weeks and now we see the ultimate humiliation of unrestrained free market capitalism with the UK's leading banks having to go with the begging bowl to the British government to ensure their very survival.

For too long, the banks have been allowed too much free-reign to play dangerous games with vast amounts of money with no restriction. Given the dependence of functional society on the smooth operation of the markets and the steadiness of business, it was criminally negligent to allow highly-paid bonus-laden idiots in the City to play Russian Roulette with the world's welfare.

The Financial Services Authority has now told the four biggest banks to work out how much money they need to stay afloat in a worst case scenario- in return, the banks will have to cede a significant level of control to the government which, among other things, could involve them having to curb executive pay and agree to resume normal lending to individuals and small businesses. It's believed that the government will have to stump up funds to the tune of £50bn to cover this venture. The ultimate goal is to steady the market and stem the flow of confidence from the system. While it can't exactly be described as nationalisation, it does involve government intervention on a scale unseen in recent times.

This is the death knell of Thatcherism, that most irresponsible and self-serving of 'ideologies'.

Good riddance.

'That One'

2008-10-08T20:22:00.004+01:00

In an appallingly bad piece of phraseology, John McCain has stooped to new levels in the US Presidential campaign. At last night's debate in Nashville, Tennessee, between McCain and Barack Obama, the Republican candidate was speaking about an energy bill from 2005 and said: "You know who voted for it? You might never know. That one," while gesticulating towards Obama. "You know who voted against it? Me."

This was astonishing given the language fascism shown by the McCain campaign, not least over Obama's lipstick-on-a-pig remarks. But given America's history of treating black people as objects rather than people, to ditch the courtesy of 'Senator', 'Mr Obama' or simply 'Barack' in favour of "that one" is a ridiculous slip. McCain's lack of respect for Obama is amazing- how many times have we heard "he doesn't understand" coming out of his mouth? McCain might have experience, but he hasn't used it wisely.

As Obama stretches his lead over McCain ever more, the Republicans' desperation is becoming ever more evident. Keep it coming McCain- you're just making yourself looking like an ill-tempered idiot.

‘Shocked, dismayed, disappointed, disillusioned’

2008-10-01T11:05:00.000+01:00

Sinn Féin Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, announced last week that she was not going to support a development proposal for Coláiste Speirín in Cookstown, Co Tyrone. Coláiste Speirín was set up to provide second level education through the medium of Irish in the area. Ruane said: “My Department has a duty to encourage and facilitate the provision of Irish-medium education, but I must be satisfied that proposals for a new school will lead to viable schools providing good quality education for their pupils.

“I have considered this proposal very carefully and I have met with, and listened to, those involved. I am not convinced that this proposal would achieve sustainable intakes and that the proposed funding arrangements with Coláiste Feirste would represent a good way forward to deliver post-primary provision for the area in the medium of Irish. I recognise that there is a demand for post-primary provision in the area and there needs to be a full exploration of options which could deliver sustainable provision.”

She said that Coláiste Speirín had 6 pupils enrolled during 2007/08 and three for 2008/09. To qualify for funding the school would have needed an intake of 50 new pupils. As a result, the school was not “viable”.

One of the school’s founders, Cathal Ó Donnghaile, said Irish speakers in Mid-Ulster were shocked, dismayed, disappointed, disillusioned and indignant about the decision. He said that the school did not expect to be recognised as a free-standing school but as a unit of a larger, already established school, a model that was already in use in the North. He said that had Ruane and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness provided “the necessary leadership” when the proposal was sent in January 2008, then more parents would have enrolled their children for this year.

He has been involved in 60 projects relating to education through Irish over 15 years and many of them were deemed “unviable” by the authorities. He criticised the decision as being “bad” and said that it was “a sad day for Tyrone and Mid-Ulster, and indeed for the whole country. Coláiste Speirín was the only non-funded school in Ireland. The Minister had the opportunity to turn this situation around; instead both she and her party have failed the wider Gaelic-loving community. If this policy were to continue, it would have very negative ramifications for the language revival and everything good it represents throughout this jurisdiction.”

Ironically, it is a hundred years since Patrick Pearse founded the first Irish-language school, Scoil Éanna, in Dublin. I wonder what he would make of Ruane’s decision?

Arsing About

2008-10-01T00:06:00.003+01:00

It's not often that a politician manages to sum up perfectly a situation, but hats off to Reg Empey. The Ulster Unionist leader, speaking at the Tory conference, commented that Sinn Féin are saying "no Executive" until policing and justice is sorted at a time when the Executive could be dealing with the fuel poverty issue. He added that a package was on the table from Margaret Ritchie to help people with fuel this winter, but "we’re arsing about on an argument that means nothing to people in the short term. It's a shame and disgrace."

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Policing and Justice certainly matters, but until it's sorted there is other important business that needs dealing with. With winter approaching, it's about time some of our politicians got their priorities straight. This isn't a zero-sum game- progress needs to take place on the devolution of policing and justice, but that doesn't mean everything else has to come to a standstill in the meantime.

Fair Comment

2008-09-29T19:20:00.005+01:00

Today's Irish News suggested that comments made by SDLP councillor Niall Kelly on his blog caused "embarrassment" to the party leadership.

Niall suggested that "we need to do something to shake this party up," and pointed out that "we are no longer the largest party in the north (as we were in 1998); we are no longer the largest nationalist party (as we were between 1970 and 2001). At present, in the Assembly and in many council chambers across the North, we are bit part players."

He went on to say that "if Sinn Féin and the DUP are trying to cook up a deal with David Ford to cheat the SDLP out of the policing and justice ministry we should be shouting it from every rooftop," and concluded that "Fermanagh HAS to be a wake up call for the SDLP, or else people will begin to wonder if maybe the SDLP isn't sleeping, it's dead."

Now to me, this seemed like a perfectly reasonable article. Far from attacking the party, it was a call for it to get its act together and challenge the Hegemony of Harm.

The only thing embarrassing is the fact that a councillor has felt the need to speak out and is completely right in what he said about the party's predicament.

If the SDLP does not start to provide an alternative to the Sinn Féin/ DUP axis, it will be wiped out in 2011, as Niall points out. And even before then, if it appears that there isn't going to be much chance of success in that election, there won't be many young people like Niall hanging about just to demean themselves at the hands of the electorate.

Perhaps if more people removed the scales from their eyes instead of putting their heads in the sand, we might start going somewhere.

Women in politics

2008-09-29T09:37:00.001+01:00

Tom Kelly writing in today’s Irish News addresses the question of women in politics. Having recently been in the company of SF Minister for Agriculture, Michelle Gildernew (who is expecting a child soon), she mentioned how “the demands of being a mother, wife, MP and minister would not be possible without the support of her family, husband and even party”. Writes Kelly, it is “sometimes too easy to be critical of politicians and there are times that the sacrifices they make are often at the expense of their families and or partners. And it does not matter whether they are male or female, although being in politics as the latter is undoubtedly more difficult.”

Recalling the recent council by-election in Fermanagh, he writes about the row between the DUP’s Arlene Foster – who won the seat for the DUP – and her uncle-in-law, Sam Foster of the UUP. Sam Foster “questioned how the DUP minister would balance her commitments as a minister, MLA and councillor and more controversially as a wife and young mother.

“It was a clumsy intervention. Asking the minister how she would reconcile her duties and responsibilities as a minister and a councillor deserved an appropriate response. The addendum as to how she would balance her home and professional life was perceived as a slight to all women. It is ironic that neither the Ulster Unionists nor the DUP have impressive records of championing the rights of women.”

Kelly writes that the UUP’s only MP, Lady Sylvia Hermon turned down the chance to lead her party in order to look after her ill husband and young children while Ruth Kelly, British education secretary, has also resigned to spend more time with her children. Kelly concludes that: “The glass ceiling is a long way from being shattered, though women like Gildernew, Ritchie, Hermon and Foster are replacing the panes so that at least we can see in.”

A welcome though overdue first step

2008-09-27T00:48:00.006+01:00

There have been reports this week that Downing Street will back a bill arising from plans by Labour MP Chris Bryant to overturn the constitutional bar on Catholics becoming monarch, to be implemented in the government's 4th term- if it ever happens. It has long been argued that the exclusion of non-Anglicans runs contrary to the modern-day standards of equality under the law, as reinforced by the European Convention on Human Rights which became entwined with British law by the Human Rights Act 2000, and the Guardian newspaper has even previously backed a legal challenge to the Act of Settlement 1701 on these grounds.

The reforms have been given a broad welcome by constitutional pressure groups although it is not clear that the British government understands the constitutional complexity that the move is likely to become embroiled in. Such a change will require amendments to a plethora of statute law such as the 1688 Bill of Rights , the Act of Settlement in 1701, Act of Union in 1707 and provisions of the Coronation Oath Act 1688. It also will require the consent of the governments in the Commonwealth.

Much of the legislation was passed in a time of great animosity between Protestants and Catholics in England and has remained in place ever since, even if the religious split has largely healed. While the proposals in themselves are laudable in bringing the institution of monarchy into the 21st century I cannot help feeling that the institution itself does not belong in this century no matter how reformed it may be. While it is rational to deplore the discrimination against non-Anglicans it is irrational not to look further at the anachronistic concept of hereditary monarchy itself, the primogeniture rule entrenching the dominance of the eldest child and the establishment of the Anglican Church in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It might just be that this particular reform is the thin end of the wedge and that the whole constitutional construct providing the source of the monarchy's legitimacy will unravel in front of us. This would be a welcome development. Hereditary monarchy is a concept that belongs in the past and that has no place in a society marked by growing secularisation. Let us hope that this reform leads ultimately to the disestablishment of the Anglican Church, the removal of Bishops from the House of Lords (indeed, the removal of the existence of an appointed or hereditary upper chamber altogether) and the creation of an elected head of state for Britain. Vive la république! Not the one we hope for on this blog but a start nonetheless.

Perfect Blemish

2008-09-26T14:10:00.001+01:00

Strange how books find a way on to your shelf and strange too how cultures on the margin suddenly connect with each other. I read a first-class review by Caitríona Ní Chléircín in last week’s Foinse on a new bilingual collection of poetry by Welsh poet, Menna Elfyn called Perfect Blemish/Perffaith Nam (Bloodaxe). Not knowing anything about Elfyn I was more than happy to be guided by Ní Chléircín’s insight and ordered the book on the Internet. I then ran into Caitríona in Dublin on Tuesday where she was reading her own poems and Elfyn’s book arrived after that – and I am enjoying it.

I can’t speak Welsh and, in fact, dropped the language while a student to study Breton instead. I just could not get my head around Welsh. Consequently, my knowledge of Welsh literature has been confined to material in translation and to that of the big guns of English, R.S. Thomas and Dylan Thomas. I am happy to say that Elfyn’s work has opened another door into Welsh culture for me. (In the notes, she writes that she was imprisoned for a while as part of the campaign for the Welsh-language Act. Don’t expect me to do the same for an Irish-language Act!)

I will leave the last word to Menna Elfyn herself and her lovely poem, The Orchard-keeper.

The Orchard-keeper
(in memory of Gwynfor Evans)

Governance is not a sleight of hand
but a furrow set, then deepened.

In the clearing,
in the orchard keeper’s hand,
burnished to brightness,
nursing the green shoots until they spring
to meadowsweetness.
This much he does for us.

A nation is an estate
whose fruits
are weeds, mired
until a true gardener should sow the seed,
midwife the small buds to
the throng of blossom
through his vision.

His fingers’ span is unmeasured –
a sign of fair weather to come?
A matchless
forecast?
Let there be sun.

Oíche eile, ócáid eile

2008-09-24T10:50:00.001+01:00

Oíche eile, ócáid eile. Another night, another event. D’éirigh liom bheith i láthair do sheoladh, Blaiseadh Pinn (Cois Life), cnuasach nua scríbhneoireachta le scríbhneoirí óga agus úra Gaeilge. Tá saothar le seachtar scríbhneoirí óga sa chnuasach agus ba mar chuid d’imeachtaí an fhéile litríochta, Imram, a seoladh an leabhar. Is léir go bhfuil scríbhneoirí fiúntacha nua ag teacht chun cinn. Go n-éirí leo sna blianta romhainn. Agus más scríbhneoir óg thú, bí i dteagmháil leis an chumann ag scribhneoirioga.blogspot.com

Another night, another occasion. I managed to make it to the launch of Blaiseadh Pinn (Cois Life) in Dublin last night, a collection of work by seven new and young writers. It was certainly a happy occasion. Ríona Nic Congáil, who founded Cumann na Scríbhneoirí Óga agus Úra, last year was there and it was a great testament to her abilities and hard work that so much has been achieved in such a short space of time. Ríona is a published author herself and has Northern connections. Her father is Professor Nollaig Mac Congáil who hails from Derry. He has done Trojan work in promoting the work of Donegal writers, Seosamh Mac Grianna and Séamus Ó Grianna. (Indeed, learners of Irish might also be familiar with his excellent Irish Grammar (Cló Iar-Chonnachta) which he published as Noel McGonagle.)

Anyway, while the young writers were enjoying their moment in the sun, I also got some recognition. On the way home on the train, a man introduced himself to me in faultless Irish: “An tusa Pól Ó Muirí?” (Are you Pól Ó Muirí?) Having admitted that I was, he then told me that he was just after reading one of my collections and had thoroughly enjoyed it. He even name-checked a couple of the poems – so, no, he wasn’t spoofing. (How could you even think that?)

Recognised on a train! Is this how Seamus Heaney feels when he goes out?

(Ar scor ar bith, pictured is Ríona Nic Congáil.)

Alliance Party U-Turns on Justice Ministry

2008-09-17T13:13:00.006+01:00

SDLP Youth have accused Alliance leader David Ford of delaying the implementation of the Policing & Justice ministry by partipicating in a plot by the DUP and SF to gerrymander the Executive ministerial seats.

Earlier today, BBC News revealed David Ford has changed his mind and has not ruled out taking the Justice Ministry.

SDLP Youth Chairman Peter Armstrong accused David Ford of "participating in back room deals with the DUP and Sinn Féin to deny nationalist voters their rightful mandate to the new Justice Ministry".

"The SDLP are going to fight for what is rightfully theirs - what has been mandated to them.

"Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness seem determined to undermine the democratic Assembly structures. In attempting to deny the SDLP their position, they are denying a seat on the Executive to the 105,000 nationalist voters who put the SDLP as their first preference. Instead, they want the Alliance party to take on the post, even though they do not qualify for any seat on the Executive as not enough people vote for them."

The SDLP blog also includes a table to remind people just how the D'Hondt mechanism works:

It shows that even if the Executive kept adding new ministries, the SDLP, DUP and SF would all get assigned new ministries before it was the turn of the Alliance Party.

Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man

2008-09-17T11:45:00.003+01:00

I was in Dublin last night in the headquarters of Foras na Gaeilge for the relaunch of An Leabhar Mór, a collection of poetry in Irish and Scots Gaelic and original art work. The book has been billed as a modern Book of Kells and I consider myself very fortunate to have a poem in it. An Leabhar Mór has been out of print for two years but is now published in a new edition by O’Brien Press in Ireland. The Republic’s Minister of the Gaeltacht, Éamon Ó Cuív, did the honours saying that it would make a “bronntanas deas Nollag” (a nice Christmas present). (First mention of Christmas on El Blogador, I think.)

Ó Cuív also made some very interesting observations about developing the links between Irish and Scots Gaelic. He has just returned from a tour of Scotland and the Isle of Man. Indeed, his grandfather, Éamon de Valera, sent a team of folklorists to Man in 1948 to record the last native speakers of Manx. Those records are regarded as being one of the most important collections of Manx and it is surely very fitting that Ó Cuív had the opportunity to commemorate his grandfather’s very far-sighted decision.

Ó Cuív spoke about the common linguistic bonds between Irish and Scots Gaelic and his hopes that those links would be strengthened through the work of Iomairt Cholm Cille (The Colm Cille Iniative) which is now part of the cross-border body, Foras na Gaeilge. It remains to be seen how that hope is realised. Foras na Gaeilge have enough problems trying to promote Irish in Ireland.

Speaking of Irish, there are two Irish-language events worth mentioning. The Imram literature festival has just started in Dublin. Next Tuesday (23rd Sept), in the Winding Stair Bookshop, Lower Ormond Quay, at 6.30pm, a young group of writers will be reading their work. It is always heartening to see young people writing Irish the old fashioned way in this Internet age. I know some of the writers as contributors to the Irish columns in the Irish Times and if their creative work is half as good as their journalism, it should make for a good night. (A full list of Imram events is available at www.poetryireland.ie/what-on/imram.html The festival runs until 30rd September.)

Talking of writers – though an established one this time – Doctor Fionntán de Brún from the University of Ulster will be giving a talk in Irish entitled: “1908 agus Bunú Scoil Éanna” (1908 and the founding of St Enda’s) on Friday 26th September at 7pm in the William Conor Lecture Theatre, University of Ulster, York Street, Belfast.

This from the publicity leaflet: “September 1908 saw the initiation of an educational project whose consequences are still recognised throughout Irish society. St Enda’s was founded with the aim of providing a bilingual education for boys but equally set out to reject the type of schooling that cared little for the development of the individual. As the founder of St Enda’s, Pádraig Pearse’s vision prevailed in the mission and ethos of the school. He was not alone in his endeavours, however, as many leading figures in the Irish intelligentsia were to visit the school as part-time lecturers, among them W.B. Yeats, Douglas Hyde, Alice Stopford Green, Alice Milligan, Standish O’Grady and Kuno Meyer. As Irish-medium education enjoys unprecedented success throughout Ireland it is indeed time to reflect on the founding of St Enda’s in this centenary year.”

De Brún is one of the language’s best up and coming intellectuals. He has written a very fine study of the writer, Seosamh Mac Grianna, Seosamh Mac Grianna: an Mhéin Rúin (An Clóchomhar) and published a collection of short stories. I also had the pleasure of hearing him deliver a great lecture at the John Hewitt International Summer School a number of years ago.

The lecture will be followed by an Oíche Airneáil in the The Edge, May’s Meadow, Laganbank Road, Belfast at 9pm and will feature Seán Mac Corraidh, Róise Nic Corraidh, Cathy Potter, Nan Tom Taimín and Meaití Joe Shéamuis. Believe me that is as fine a collection of traditional musicians and singers that you could hope to get anywhere.

Both events will be in Irish. But do not be put off if you are not as fluent as you would like: gabh sa tseans/take a chance and develop (or redevelop) your own link with the language.

(Pictured at An Leabhar Mór: mise mé féin (left); artist Robert Ballagh and poet Gabriel Rosenstock)

The End Of The Progressive Democrats

2008-09-16T22:26:00.003+01:00

A meeting this evening of the elected representatives of the PDs has effectively agreed that the party is finished. Last year's disastrous general election left the party with only two TDs, one of whom, Noel Grealish, has refused for some time to deny that he's planning a move to Fianna Fáil.

Party leader Ciaran Cannon said after this evening's meeting that it was the unanimous view of the four members of the parliamentary party (two TDs and two Senators) that the party was no longer politically viable.

A special conference of the party wiull be held in October to decide finally on what happens. Some are calling for a merger with Fianna Fáil, but given that a good few within the party would have tended to come from a Fine Gael background, it's likely that representatives and members will all go their own direction.

Too big to fail? Apparently not...

2008-09-15T22:44:00.009+01:00

The unregulated casino model of global finance has taken another knock today with the fall of US banking stalwart Lehman Brothers. The US government told Wall Street that no public money was on the table to bail Lehman Brothers out for their greed and stupidity and that to save the ailing bank Wall Street would have to come up with the good themselves. When this money was not forthcoming the bank was allowed to fail. An example was made of Lehman Brothers that banks cannot continue to act so recklessly under the assumption that they would be rewarded for their failure by the taxpayer. The market in the US and London took a hit and speculators hovered like vultures to profit on the doom and gloom.

One thing about the global financial crisis that has struck me is how so many apparently intelligent people could have acted so stupidly and expected the profits to keep on coming. It does not take a genius to work out that asset-backed securities reliant on people paying back mortgages they cannot afford for their revenue stream are of dubious value. All it takes is a default on the loan and the not too unlikely scenario (given the drop in house prices) that the value of the collateral (the house) is worth less than the mortgage for the securities to become worse than worthless. As these bizarre financial instruments are traded across the world's financial system no one knows who is infected and no one is taking the risk so trading has slowed down. Cue the drying up of credit, the subsequent drop in demand and of economic growth and, due to rising oil and food prices, the onset of stagflation. All because of a bunch of greedy bankers blinded by their own apparent brilliance our economy is now under threat, workers are being restricted to below-inflation pay settlements and small businesses are going bust.

It is, however, not just the fault of the bankers. Governments across the world have bought into and propagated the myth that the market is so effective and so efficient that it should regulate itself. Central Banks, also enamoured by this magic formula for economic growth, added fuel to the fire by keeping their interest rates dangerously low. "Buy now, pay later" became the zeitgeist and borrowing reached epidemic levels. Following de-regulation by the government the financial sector in the UK has ballooned in proportion to manufacturing- you know, the people who actually make things of use and real value- and it has become more powerful than the so-called trade union barons of the 1970s so decried by the Tory press. What has become apparent is that financiers are only interested in short-term profit, not the long-term good of the economy. As a result they made short-term decisions that maximised profit at the expense of stability and this has now culminated in the so-called 'credit crunch.'

The house of cards is falling down as the market convulses spasmodically to reach a point of equilibrium. What will emerge as the dust clears will no doubt be very different but it is in this interstice of the narrative that the future of finance will be determined, it is in this fire that the future will be forged. The financial framework is a creation of law, as are corporations and banks themselves. It is time now for our lawmakers to step up to the mark and re-regulate finance to ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated in the future. Do we really want a credit-creation system in which 97% of currency is privately created through the fractional reserve banking system? Do we really want an economy that relies on a few square miles of the City of London to be the engine of growth for the rest of the country? The answer is surely no. It is time to restrict the reckless practices of the money-lenders and to reject their claims that they are capable of behaving responsibly in a way which benefits us all as they clearly are not. Unfortunately I cannot see such visionary leadership coming from Gordon Brown, a leading proponent of the neoliberal economic policies that led us into this giant mess, nor from Cameron's Conservative Party that has, since Thatcher, been the political wing of the City. Maybe America will show leadership on the issue like Roosevelt did in the 1930s but, then again, maybe not. Maybe we should let the whole system collapse and fight for a new one to take its place. The times are a-changin', everything is to play for.

Playing for the parish

2008-09-15T14:30:00.001+01:00

SDLP MLA and Irish speaker, Patsy McGlone, is mentioned in today’s Irish News – and not in the politics section where you might expect to find him. McGlone pops up in Kevin Madden’s weekly GAA column, Madden on Monday. Madden writes:

“Politics and sport don’t mix. I never paid any attention to this old adage – until now. As the better half and I approached our table at the Irish News Ulster All Stars night, I was greeted by Patsy McGlone, a local politician. Although not overly familiar with him, I did recognise the name and immediately placed him as a Sinn Féin representative for mid-Ulster – or so I thought …

“So I mentioned a young fella that I knew, who did some canvassing for his party in South Antrim. He had never heard of him. So, I kept digging, and proceed to tell how he assisted Mitchell McLaughlin in a recent election. As the lead balloon plummeted to the floor, Mr McGlone replied: “I think you have the wrong party, friend. I’m in the SDLP.””

You really couldn’t make that up. Still, on the positive side for Patsy, everyone who read the Irish News today now knows the colour of his team jersey – it’s McGlone in the red and green of the SDLP jinxing past McLaughlin and Sinn Féin’s blanket defence!

Happy 3rd Birthday El Blogador!

2008-09-13T00:05:00.001+01:00

It doesn't seem like it, but today marks the third anniversary of the first post on El Blogador. In that time, we've covered many topics and seen many changes on the political scene. Some blogs have come, others have gone.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to El Blogador and commented on the site.

Onwards!

Modern Ireland

2008-09-12T15:53:00.001+01:00

The Autumn issue of Studies is now out and I have a book review. As the reviews are not put on line, I am posting it here. However, do not let that stop you from going to www.studiesreview.com to see what else is on offer. As always the editorial by Fergus O’Donoghue is well worth reading and it is to be found in its entirety on-line. “Where do we get a sense of belonging and what are our sources of self-respect? In a very sudden shift, we discover that property can be a burden and that very large cars invited contempt rather than envy,” he asks.

Anyway, here is my review:

Bryan Fanning’s The Quest for Modern Ireland: the Battle of Ideas 1912-1986 (Irish Academic Press, 2008) does exactly what it says on the cover; it is a study of debates in which Fanning plots the intellectual course of five journals. The publications in question – The Crane Bag, The Bell, Studies, Christus Rex and Administration – will be, for the most part, familiar to readers. Certainly, The Crane Bag, The Bell and Studies will undoubtedly be recognised by people with an interest in the goings-on of Irish intellectuals while Christus Rex was more the preserve of academics in social sciences and Administration of meditative mandarins of the Civil Service.

What Fanning has done is gone into the trenches and read the issues copy by copy to chart the development, discourse and dispute that occurred within their pages. One cannot but marvel at the amount of reading that Fanning must have done to cover over 70 years of thought in five journals. That in itself is no mean feat and the leg work involved is testament to the best of academic endeavour – reading all the source material meticulously before offering an opinion.

That said, meticulous reading would be for nought if the material itself were not well presented. In this regard too Fanning succeeds. This is a dense book – dense in the sense that it demands careful reading. Essentially, Fanning gives a detailed examination of the ebb and flow of argument within each journal. What he reproduces in itself is startling but, just as startling, is the way in which his studious interrogation rebuts the clichéd and incomplete understanding of Irish intellectual history.

I will quote the book’s blurb as it offers a much more succinct summary of what Fanning achieves than I can: “Bryan Fanning brings to life the battle of ideas and intellectual debates that shaped modern Ireland. The quest depicted here was one by Irish civil servants, clerics, economists, historians, poets, politicians, sociologists and writers to understand and face up to social, economic and political dilemmas. Though often presented as such, this was never a Manichean battle between authoritarians and liberals, conservatives and progressives or between religiosity and secularism. The Quest for Modern Ireland offers a unique and nuanced insight into Irish social, cultural, economic and political development through its focus on debates fostered by five influential periodicals.”

Reader, that is no lie. And nuanced! Nuanced! There is a word that we do not see often enough when dealing with important matters. Fanning lets the (male) writers speak for themselves. Not everything said will chime with a contemporary sensibility but what strikes one the most is the honest endeavour with which intellectuals undertook to debate the national issue, partition, poverty, the Irish language and the role of religion in Ireland.

While reading Fanning’s book, I was reminded of Brian Fallon’s An Age of Innocence: Irish Culture 1930-1960. Fallon, a former Irish Times journalist (who was still there when I started in the paper but whom I never knew), gave a more anecdotal account of Irish culture. One critic, Marie Arndt, noted of Fallon’s book: “Fallon proposes that the high feel-good factor in the Ireland of today has increased the urge by the Irish to damn the past in order to disconnect from it, and to prove themselves as members of a modern society in the eyes of the world. He further argues, that the black picture of Ireland as an intellectually backward bog is an exaggeration; he concludes that Ireland was not really any worse in that respect than other western countries at that time, and that there were more foreign ideas influencing the Irish cultural scene than has generally been acknowledged. He does not denounce completely the existence of restricting forces in Ireland, but claims that they were not as paralysing to Irish cultural life as is most often suggested.”

Fanning is writing in a similar vein but has put meat on the bones of Fallon’s arguments. The assertion that Ireland was “an intellectually backward bog” does not stand up to scrutiny in Fanning’s work. It is simply impossible to read material from these journals – much of it philosophically informed – and not be impressed by the breadth, range and clarity of thought.

That is not to say that there were not arguments, unpleasant opinions or censorship but that seems to have been part and parcel of Western European life during the 20th century and was nothing compared to that of Eastern Europe under Stalin and the Soviet system. Indeed, the experience of our neighbours in Britain provide examples of, say, public outrage over literature (think Lady Chatterley’s Lover), dreary provincialism (think Philip Larkin in his library in Hull) and deference to authority (to Royalty rather than clergy) that places the Irish experience in some sort of context.

Put simply, if you have not read The Quest for Modern Ireland, do not even think to offer an opinion on Irish ideas of the last century.

Pathetic

2008-09-11T07:00:00.002+01:00

At a speech at Lebanon, Virginia on Tuesday, future President Barack Obama said: "John McCain says he's about change too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush- except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics- we're really going to shake things up in Washington.

"That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. You know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. You know you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing."

Within minutes, the McCain campaign announced a conference call to discuss the remark. This despite the fact that last October McCain drew comparisons between Hillary Clinton's current health care plan and the one she supported in 1993 by saying: "I think they put some lipstick on the pig, but it's still a pig." He used a similar line in May

Yet now the McCain campaign has demanded an apology from Obama, claiming there is a "big difference" between the two references and saying it's "obviously disrespectful and offensive" to Sarah Palin.

I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. Obama was not referring to Palin and even if he was, so what? Is she allowed to say whatever she wants and run on the Republican ticket, but then play they gender card when anyone dares to criticise her? How pathetic. This really is gutter politics and plainly shows how little substance there is behind the Republican campaign.

Thankfully the Obama campaign has seen this for what it is. Obama's senior adviser Anita Dunn said: "The McCain campaign's attack tonight is a pathetic attempt to play the gender card about the use of a common analogy- the same analogy that Sen. McCain himself used about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care plan just last year. This phony lecture on gender sensitivity is the height of cynicism and lays bare the increasingly dishonorable campaign John McCain has chosen to run."

So much for change from the Republicans.

Cromwell – God’s Executioner

2008-09-10T13:48:00.002+01:00

A mention in dispatches for Micheál Ó Siochrú’s book, God’s Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the Conquest of Ireland (Faber & Faber). There is a two-part series on RTÉ based on the book. The first one was broadcast last night – and I missed. However, I have to say that I am not worried. The book is very, very good and well worth getting. Ó Siochrú’s great gift is that he knows his history but that he also knows how to write. The tragedy, political double-dealing, incompetence and sectarianism of Irish political life of the time and the slaughter of Cromwell’s campaign are all here. This is a book by an academic – he is a lecturer in history in TCD – but it is not an academic study, that is, it is written with style and an eye to that fabled creature ‘the general reader’.

I interviewed Ó Siochrú (in Irish) for today’s Irish Times in the Tuarascáil column which, if you do not have the paper, should be on-line in an teanga bheo section of the website. Amongst the many interesting things he said, was the suggestion that we think we know about Cromwell but that we don’t. He also said that we need to better understand that era if we want to understand today. It is certainly true that events that took place so long ago can still have such an emotional affect on us today.

Talking of remembering, is it not about time that a statue was put up to the O’Neills? Owen Roe O’Neill died before he fought Cromwell but he is certainly a figure of great historical importance and deserves recognition in Ulster – which is not to say that Cromwell did not learn to curse the name O’Neill. Ó Siochrú writes that O’Neill’s nephew, Hugh Dubh (of whom I knew nothing before reading this book), bloodied Cromwell’s nose at Clonmel, killing between 1,500 and 2,000 of his soldiers. It was, says Ó Siochrú, “the single biggest loss ever suffered by the New Model Army on any of its campaigns in Ireland, Scotland or England”. Cromwell was so infuriated by the losses that he allegedly said “by God above, he would follow that Hugh Duff O’Neill wheresoever he went”.

Certainly, it seems strange that a statue of Cromwell stands in London but that there is not – to my knowledge – a statute to Owen Roe O’Neill. Indeed, where is the statue for Hugh O’Neill who fought against Elizabeth I? After all, if his adversary Chichester gets a street named after him in Belfast, then surely parity of cultural esteem means that the O’Neill should also be recognised. If memory serves me right, Hugh did not lose the war entirely, signing favourable enough terms, but he did lose the ‘peace’ that followed.

McCain- Palin: You'd Get More Change From A Dollar Bill At A 99 Cent Store

2008-09-09T20:00:00.005+01:00

The superb act of larceny performed by the Republicans in misappropriating Obama’s ‘Change’ mantra for themselves would be enough to make Ronnie Biggs proud. It may be true that John McCain isn’t your common-or-garden Senator, but then he isn’t exactly your average Chuck/ Buzz/ Chip either. Here we have a man who doesn’t know how many houses he owns and who has voted with George W Bush 90% of the time. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said: "The idea that John McCain represents change in Washington is as laughable as his claim that he'll take on the special interests when some of the biggest corporate lobbyists in America are running his campaign." Indeed, the fact that seven of McCain’s advisors were Washington lobbyists hardly does him any favours when it comes to creating an image as an outsider.

Which is probably why they picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. Stuck way up there in Alaska, it’s about distant from Washington as you could get. However, in attempting to get someone from as far outside the beltway as possible, McCain has gambled with an unknown quantity.

As Mayor of a backwater village, a post she won with a princely 651 votes, Palin was little more than the equivalent of a councillor here in the north (despite Mike Huckabee’s lies). So we can’t really count that as high-level experience. Since then, she’s been governor of Alaska for less than two years. This is certainly a much more prominent role, but it’s a far cry from the White House. And in this post, she hasn’t exactly covered herself in glory or distinguished herself from the kind of pork-barrelling and self-serving activity that she claims to oppose. For instance, she supported the infamous ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ which would have burnt hundreds-of-millions of federal dollars- indeed, she ran on a pro-bridge ticket in 2006.

Palin’s actions are also under investigation after she sacked Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan. Monegan alleged that his dismissal was retaliation for his failure to fire Palin’s former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, who was involved in a child custody battle with Palin’s sister and had been accused of threatening Palin's father. The investigation is due to be completed in October, before the presidential election. Last week, Palin's lawyer asked the state legislature to drop its investigation, saying that under state law, the governor-appointed state Personnel Board had jurisdiction over ethics issues. Why are they so worried?

And now the Washington Post has revealed that Palin claimed expenses from the taxpayer for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a ‘per diem’ allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while travelling on state business. This from a woman who got rid of the governor's jet and personal chef to save public money.

I wish I could get paid for sitting about the house at night.

With so little known about Palin and her record being so questionable, worried minds are turning to the possibility of her becoming President. After all, at the age of 72 and having battled with severe illness and the effects of incarceration in Vietnam, it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that McCain could die in office if elected. This would leave Palin as Commander-in-Chief. Perhaps this will make American voters think twice.

The McCain- Palin ticket is Frankensteinian in nature. Here we have a man who’s been in Washington for two decades claiming he wants to offer an alternative to Washington politics. And joining his campaign, which has previously criticised Obama for lacking experience, is a woman whose record would struggle to rival that of a member of a school board of governors. Perhaps she was added to the ticket to appeal to female voters after the demise of Hillary Clinton- if this is the case, it would be an insult to women given that Palin is the political polar opposite of the New York senator.

The choice is clear for the American people: an accomplished politician who has proven he wants to bring real change after eight disastrous years under Bush, running with a man who has the most solid of experience both domestically and internationally; or a man who is elderly and has shown himself to be a Bush-supporter in congress, running with a woman whom he hardly knows and who has a political CV that could fit on the back of a Walmart receipt.

Actually, there is no choice when you think about it.

‘Power-sharing should end’ - Mark Durkan

2008-09-06T13:33:00.003+01:00

SDLP leader Mark Durkan is calling for an end to power-sharing. According to this morning’s Irish News, Durkan gave a keynote address in Oxford, England, last night in which he is reported as saying that “enforced power-sharing between nationalists and unionists at Stormont should be scrapped”. In its place, he said that a strong Bill of Rights could be sufficient to protect minorities and that the SDLP envisaged that Stormont could operate on a majority voting system such as Westminster or the Dáil.

William Graham’s report says: “The Good Friday Agreement was built on the designation system and the d’Hondt voting procedures but Mr Durkan said there is scope in future years to attempt to make some radical changes if parties evolved to a situation where their appeal crossed traditional divides.”

The report also quotes Durkan as saying: “I argued that such measures with their arguable sectarian or sectional undertones should be bio-degradable, dissolving in the future as the environment changed.

“Most, if not all of us, had such future adjustments in mind when we wrote the review mechanisms of the agreement. As we move towards a settled process we should be preparing to think about how and when to remove some of the ugly scaffolding needed during the construction of the new edifice.”

Durkan is also quoted as saying: “The possibilities for political realignment with new or changing party offerings in the future could be stunted by permanent reliance to the present degree on designation. If we are truly serious about a truly shared future then we have to allow for truly shared politics where parties can appeal across the traditional divides.”

First, this seems to be a major speech from Durkan. However, the text is not available on the SDLP website – which it should be, in technicolour and sound! If Durkan is indeed setting the agenda then the speech should have been made available in its entirety on line as soon as he had finished talking in Oxford.

Second, will Durkan’s re-imagination of the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement appeal to the electoral, be they unionist or nationalist?

Third, the thing I have never understood about d’Hondt is the allocation of ministerial positions. Put it this way: Sinn Féin have five ministers to the SDLP’s one but Sinn Féin did not get five times the vote that the SDLP got. Is that difference in ministerial portfolios really reflective of the number of votes cast for the two parties?

Robbo's Gone Mad

2008-09-05T02:02:00.004+01:00

The North's politics have just gotten even more confusing with the IMC's latest report on the IRA. Despite the commission's assertion that the Provisional Army Council "is by deliberate choice no longer operational or functional", First Minister Peter Robinson wants more. Robinson wants the Army Council to be not just completely inert but to be fully disbanded, never to meet again ever. This, surely, is madness; setting aside the fact that much of the Army Council probably meets in the Assembly chamber every week, how exactly does Robinson expect to seek qualification that 7 men have not met in a room? Does he want photographic evidence of people explicitly and demonstrably not meeting in a room? Surely not. The conclusion must therefore be that Robinson wants senior members of the IRA to receive ASBOs. Unbelievable- even for the DUP.

McCain's Massive Risk

2008-09-04T00:45:00.014+01:00

John McCain surprised many when he announced Sarah Palin as his running mate for November. "What?!" cried many non-Alaskans. "Who?" cried many more. However, a few days on it is very unlikely that many still have no idea about the woman who could only be a heartbeat (God forbid) away from the Presidency.

To evangelical Christians the choice was music (presumably of the choral or devotional sort) to their ears; a Jesus-loving, gun-toting, moose-shooting pro-lifer was bound to be popular for that constituency. To the Hillaryites, to whom the choice was also cynically aimed, the choice of a woman probably smacks of condescension on McCain's part, especially as this woman is certainly no liberal like their hero claims to be. To everyone else the choice may seem baffling. Palin is a candidate with experience only as mayor of a small town and as a part-term Governor of Alaska. In contrast to Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, she is a political lightweight. Republican claims that she has more Executive-level experience than Obama are technically true but no less ridiculous for it. Might I suggest that, barring constitutional prohibitions, the Mayor of, say, Limavady is equally qualified according to this criteria?

However, the merits of Sarah Palin's candidature are not in fact the greatest issue at stake here. Far greater, in my mind, is the fact that McCain made his choice after having only met Palin twice and without any effective vetting process. Had she have been vetted properly the campaign would have known about her pregnant teenage daughter, her links to the pro-Alaskan independence AIP, her fondness for pork-barreling (lobbying for money for projects in your home state at the expense of the country as a whole in order to win favor with the local electorate, a practice criticised by McCain himself), support for a pointless and expensive bridge project and ongoing investigations into allegations that she abused her powers by sacking her brother-in-law in the wake of his divorce from Palin's sister. Whether or not Palin turns out to be a good candidate is irrelevant to the question of McCain's judgement (or lack of) and the rashness of the decision he made. Such impulsive decision-making was the hallmark of the previous administration and is much suspected among many American voters. As a former Bush adviser told Channel 4 news, McCain has gambled a lot of money on black and even if it pays off it still doesn't make it a good decision.

Another interesting issue surrounding the Palin candidacy is the allegation of sexism in the media's reporting. I would suggest that the only sexism here is from the Republicans. It is perfectly reasonable to scrutinise the woman who may be the next Vice President and the criticisms do not have to be linked to the fact that she is a woman. To suggest that her gender should make her immune to criticism or that criticisms should be tempered to take account of the fact that she is female is nothing short of patronising.

SDLP Must Stand Firm On Policing And Justice

2008-09-02T07:00:00.005+01:00

For several years now, the SDLP has been playing the role of responsible bridesmaid in northern politics. When the IRA was still playing its grubby games and Sinn Féin was still unsure whether democratic politics was the way forward, the SDLP refused to form an administration sans-provos. After all, the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement was to promote inclusiveness and respect the mandate of parties.

Even now, the SDLP appears reticent to rock the boat too much over the obscene incompetence of the two biggest parties, lest it could hasten the collapse of the devolved administration.

However, recent developments regarding the devolution of policing and justice have shown that the dysfunctional DUP/ Sinn Féin axis at Stormont doesn’t quite have the same commitment to respecting the rights of voters as the SDLP has had.

They ‘generously’ said that neither of them would aim to take control of a would-be policing and justice ministry. That’s all very well, but they aren’t entitled to another Minister in the Executive anyway. It’s the SDLP which is next in line under d’Hondt for an Executive post. However, the axis is attempting to deny the SDLP its right, instead apparantly aiming to hand the post to the Alliance, a party with so few seats that it is not entitled a Ministry under the rules that govern the allocation of Executive positions.

I suppose people shouldn’t be surprised. After all, of the four current Executive parties, the two concocting this exemplary display of latter-day gerrymandering are also the ones who did not campaign in favour of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. At least they're showing form.

To be fair to the DUP, they never really supported the whole powersharing thing until they were the biggest party and could benefit from it. And even then it was just a megalomaniacal means to an end for them. They were ostensibly anti-GFA while the Ulster Unionists were trying to promote devolution and hardly covered themselves in glory with their behaviour over the issue, so their current actions are par for the course.

However, real censure must fall on Sinn Féin, that great ‘republican’ party, over their contrivance with the ‘Never Never, Never’ party to deny fellow nationalists their right to one of the most important positions of government there is.

What does it say about Sinn Féin’s credibility that they would seek to disenfranchise the 105,164 nationalist voters who gave the SDLP their Number 1 vote in March 2007, not to mention the tens-of-thousands of their own supporters who gave the SDLP high preferences?

Although the political hue of a party should have no part to play in whether it gets a Ministry- strength in the Assembly should dictate this- it shows how far Sinn Féin would go to deny a fellow nationalist party the policing and justice ministry that they would prefer to conspire with the DUP to hand it to the Alliance, a party which has campaigned on a platform saying that it "supports the constitutional position of Northern Ireland as an integral part of the United Kingdom. We know that this belief is shared by the overwhelming majority of our people and that provocative debate about it has been the primary cause of all our most fundamental troubles. The link is in the best economic and social interests of all the people of Northern Ireland."

Of course, the SDLP needn’t bother complaining unless they’re going to do something about it. For too long they’ve sat back and allowed the DUP and Sinn Féin to run rings around them, creating the not unfair impression among many people that they are weak, indecisive and lack purpose. Acts of strength and vision such as Margaret Ritchie’s handling of the CTI funding issue have become the exception rather than the rule. The SDLP cannot stake its reputation on isolated incidents like this alone to win the trust and support of the electorate.

I noticed that yesterday Mark Durkan came out with a strong statement saying that Sinn Féin "is guilty of abuse of power and old-style majority rule" over their handing of this issue and Alban Maginness has spoken about it previously. This needs to be cranked up tenfold.

The SDLP must adopt a strong position and fight tooth and nail to secure the policing and justice ministry. This is essential not only to secure its own interests as a party moving forward, but also to ensure that the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement remains alive and to send out a message to each and every one of those people who voted for the party that their support was not in vain. If the SDLP is seen to be weak on this issue, regardless of whether it actually gets the ministry in the end when all is said and done, it can kiss goodbye to the idea of playing any significant role in the future governance of the north.

No doubt the axis will use all manner of verbal smokescreens to justify trying to shaft the SDLP out of its democratic right. That is why the SDLP must stand firm and insist that it gets what it is entitled to.

No case can be made that policing and justice should be treated differently from the other ministries and therefore shouldn’t be allocated by d’Hondt- such a move would be tantamount to an admission that the four main parties aren’t fit to govern, which is an affront to the vast majority of the electorate of the north who voted for them. It would also destroy any notion that shared government is possible.

By handing a ministry to a party which is not entitled to have one, the whole premise of shared government is destroyed. Chipping away at such a fundamental base upon which government here rests will result in the whole devolved structure collapsing like a house of cards. It cannot be justified in the slightest and any 'excuses' given by the axis will have simply been concocted in their own minds for the purposes of denying the SDLP its rightful role. This must be opposed in the strongest possible terms.

The time has come for the SDLP to step up to the mark. It must stand firm in defence of its rights and the rights of its voters. The SDLP must send out a clear message to other parties and to the public that it will no longer be cast aside and will take whatever measures are necessary to provide the best alternative for the people of the north.

A Little Learning

2008-09-01T10:20:00.002+01:00

The Irish-language weekly Foinse reported at the weekend that the number of students taking Irish at A-level and GCSE has fallen again. Only 248 students took the language to A-Level, a fall of 11 per cent from 2007 and a fall of 24 per cent since 2006 when 329 students sat Irish A-Level. At GCSE level the number of students fell from 2,748 in 2007 to 2,416 this year.

Those figures are not good news for the health of the language within English-language schools where the students are, for the greater part, from a Catholic/nationalist background. It confirms what I suspect – the struggle to promote Irish in the North (even amongst nationalists who are sympathetic) will be every bit as hard in the next 20 years as it was in years gone by. There is little doubt that nationalists are more aware of the language than my generation were but that does not mean that that knowledge translates automatically into support. (We will have to leave the provision for Irish in state schools for another day.)

You could argue that the number of students attending Irish-language primary schools – the famous bunscoil – will more than make up for the fall in A-level students. I would be quite cautious of making that assumption. It seems to my eye that many parents are quite happy to send their child to a bunscoil but do not always send them on to an Irish-language secondary school (even if there is one available). Undoubtedly, the tremendous work of teachers in the bunscoil sector creates a pool of young Irish speakers but not all of them have the opportunity to hold on to their Irish into their teen or adult years.

And that brings me to this statement from SDLP Education Spokesman, Dominic Bradley, MLA. He says that “he has serious reservations about the proposals on Irish Medium Education contained in a leaked document from the Department of Education. Commenting on the proposals to establish more Irish medium units within English language schools and to establish Irish medium schools within federations, Mr Bradley said that these proposals presented a possible threat to the future of Irish medium education:

“I understand the need to take cognisance of declining demographic trends but my understanding is that Irish medium education is the fastest growing education sector in Northern Ireland. I have reservations about the development of Irish medium education within confederations with English medium schools or within units in English medium schools. The danger is that the Irish medium provision can become the weaker partner in such arrangements.

“It is a common experience where a minority language is pitched against a world language like English that the lesser-used language comes off worst. That is a danger in this situation. The Irish Medium Education sector is relatively new and has developed rapidly; my fear would be that its continued growth as a vibrant and distinctive sector could be diluted by these proposals. I would prefer to see the Irish medium education developing as a distinctive sector as it has in the South of Ireland rather than as an tie-on to some other sector.”

Finally, some news from that other sector that continues to fly the language flag without fail – the Irish-language night class. (God be good to the days when I had the time and the energy to teach Irish in the evenings.) This is the time of year when classes begin. I only have a few details of classes that are due to begin but I will post them anyway. Má tá rang i do cheantar féin, b’fhéidir go gcuirfeá nóta chun an tsuímh seo. Any additional information on classes would be most welcome.

In Belfast, classes will begin at the McCracken Cultural Society, 156 Antrim Road, today week. There will be beginners, grammar classes, conversation for past pupils from bunscoileanna, intermediate Irish and the nirvana for the fluent Irish speaker, the Ardrang. There are limited places and you are advised to book immediately. Further information is available from Niall Ó Maitiú at 028 9074 9688 or http://www.ccmr156.com/

In Lurgan, Co Armagh, enrollment for classes begins tonight between 7pm and 8pm at Áras Ailf Uí Mhuirí, North Street. Classes begin today week. Beginners to fluent speakers are catered for.

In Ballycastle, Co Antrim, Irish classes at Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced level will start Wednesday 17th September at 7pm in Ionad Teaghlaigh an Chaistil, 5 Kiln’s Road. Information: 028-20762977. Also in Ballycastle is “Opening Doors” a workshop for parents with little/no Irish which looks at methods of nurturing the language in their children. Information: Pobal an Chaistil on 028-20768883.

In Ballymena, Co Antrim, Irish classes for Beginners and Intermediate level will start on 22nd and 23rd September in All Saints Parish Hall. Contact Róise of Glór Dhál Riada on 07740 684 152. Finally, in Martinstown, Irish classes for Beginners and Intermediate level will start on 22nd and 23rd September. Contact Aodán on 07936 648 423.

Sin é go fóill beag.

Police searching for Lion in Cavehill

2008-08-31T21:16:00.002+01:00

Breaking news from RTÉ, that the PSNI are currently searching for a Lion near Cavehill country park in North Belfast.

The police statement says: "Police in North Belfast are warning the public to be aware of sightings of what appears to be a lion in the Upper Hightown end of Cavehill Park.

"Police are currently responding to the incident and would urge the public to avoid the area. Anyone who thinks they may have seen the animal should not attempt to approach it."

Although it is very close to Belfast Zoo, it has not yet been clarified whether it escaped from the zoo!

Heaven?

2008-08-31T12:00:00.000+01:00

I'd imagine the Australian Embassy will be receiving a slew of visa applications in the very near future...

Remember The Disappeared

2008-08-30T12:00:00.002+01:00

Patrick mentions on his Amnesty blog that today is International Day of the Disappeared.

The purposeful vanishing of murder victims by the IRA and INLA was among the most brutal and evil acts of the Troubles. As if it wasn't enough to snuff out the lives of these men (and women in Jean McConville's case), their killers took it upon themselves to put the families of the deceased through a lifetime of agony, unable to give their loved ones a decent burial.

Perhaps the most prominent of those family members was Vera McVeigh, whose son Columba was among those whose body has never been found, nor its location revealed. Vera died last year never having been able to lay her son to rest properly.

Meanwhile, other relatives of the Disappeared continue to wait in hope for details of the whereabouts of their loved ones.

Those who carried out these evil acts are not Irish Republicans- their actions are a blot on the cause of Irish unity and did nothing whatsoever to help reunification. The murder of these people and the subsequent hiding of their battered and bloody corpses was nothing short of a wanton and dispicable act of cruelty and depravity. Perhaps reflecting this fact, the terrorist organisations behind them have not had the guts to admit responsibility in some cases. How brave.

Let us all hope that one day the families get some sort of closure on this sad issue.

Kevin McKee: disappeared 2 October 1972
Seamus Wright: disappeared 2 October 1972
John McIlroy: disappeared 1974
Columba McVeigh (17): disappeared 31 October 1975
Brendan Megraw (24): disappeared 8 April 1978
Capt. Robert Nairac: disappeared 1977
Gerald Evans (24): disappeared 1979
Charles Armstrong (55): disappeared 16 August 1981
Danny McIlhone: disappeared 1981
Seamus Ruddy (33): disappeared 9 May 1985
Sean Murphy (25): disappeared 1986

Rest In Peace.

Obama's best speech yet.

2008-08-30T00:57:00.004+01:00

Like many I'm sure, I was begin to tire of his abstract notions of 'hope' and flowery rhetoric but in last night's speech to the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama finally nailed it. Obama focused his guns on McCain and the corporations and his policies at everyday working Americans for the first time in a speech that outlined a vision totally anathema to anything the 3 main British parties would dare to spell out. It's a sad thought that most of it was, to me, common sense but that it seemed so radical after 8 years of Bush, and even in a UK context with New Labour so willing to prop up the bankers that caused the current crisis rather than those who suffered at the hands of their reckless greed.

The Democrats at last have started to tear lumps out of their Republican opponents, learning the lessons of John Kerry's failure to respond to Karl Rove's dirty tricks in 2004. Asking why Republicans say they favour small-government while increasing government spending through arms contracts is something that hopefully will chime with many voters, as will attacking McCain's contention that Obama is out of touch with voters. How many houses does he own? I'm not sure either.

Obama's brand of populism and his humorous dismissal of the main tenets of trickle-down economics- "In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own"- is something that would have Gordon Brown and John Hutton dispatch the Whips but that should be second nature to a Labour government in the eve of recession. His call for tax increases for the super-rich are again common sense solutions to a widening wealth gap and perilously empty Treasury coffers, but Brown's government is resisting a windfall tax on the highly unpopular energy companies that are profiting from everyone else’s' fuel poverty misery.

To see real Keynesian interventionist policies coming from the mouth of the favourite to win the Presidency of the United States is a site to behold (especially as it is assumed that the political culture in the States is far further to the right than ours) and a much welcomed improvement from the free-market nonsense and corporatist cronyism offered by the Republicans. It is only a pity that these not-so-radical proposals are still out of bounds for senior figures in the British government. I am convinced that as households continue to feel the pinch, people will start to favour an interventionist government that will, to paraphrase one disaffected Republican voter speaking to the DNC, put Barney Smith before Smith Barney [the investment bank]. Unfortunately Brown does not realise this. Jon Cruddas anyone?

In closing, it must be noted that Obama's message was spot on. Even so, I am still wary of getting too excited. The Democrat base is much to the left of its corporate backers and most of its leadership and this point often explains disappointment with Democratic administrations. Hopefully Obama is sincere in what he says and that his message will not be diluted too much by the moneymen if he gets into office. I hope too that Bush's fiscal irresponsibility and the state of the global economy gives him some room to actually implement his reforms. That last point may be the most crucial.

Happy 50th Birthday Michael Jackson!

2008-08-29T19:57:00.005+01:00

Congratulations to the King of Pop who celebrates his half-century today. Let's hope he gets his act together and releases an album to match the quality of Bad and Thriller. Fingers crossed!

President Obama Gets The Nod From The Democrats

2008-08-28T00:49:00.003+01:00

And so it is that Barack Obama has been selected as Democratic candidate for the White House. One-time presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton called a halt to the vote tallying at the Democratic convention in Denver and moved for support to be put solely behind Obama.

When all the fanfare dies down, the task of making sure that this historical story gets the ending it deserves commences.

Here's to President Obama.

Show Mugabe A Red Card - Sign The Petition

2008-08-23T15:55:00.004+01:00

The SDLP Youth Blog takes a look at the state of Zimbabwe, and urges people to sign a petition calling for Mugabe to resign. This weekend, Mugabe is meeting with 15 other African leaders to discuss the progress of talks with the opposition in Zimbabwe. A massive group of trade unionists will march through Johannesburg calling for Mugabe to resign, supported by 100,000 people who have signed the petition.

Sign of the Times

2008-08-20T14:15:00.004+01:00

Times Online includes the 2008 Sign of the Times photo competition.

There are 30 entries that you can vote on. The photos are from every corner of the earth, including Ireland, and are well worth having a look at.