Brian O'Neill

It seems many in the DUP forgot one of the critical rules of politics. Never commit anything to paper or pixel that you would not like to see splashed on the front page of a newspaper. From Sam McBride in the Beltel: More than 1,000 internal text messages between the DUP’s most senior figures have been published by the Covid Inquiry, providing an unprecedented insight into what the party really thought and how it operated during the pandemic. The WhatsApp …

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I was listening to a podcast that said that although 244 million people are eligible to vote in the US, due to the quirks of the US electoral college system, it could all come down to 81,000 voters in 6 key states. From Axios: The titanic Biden-Trump election likely will be decided by roughly 6% of voters in just six states, top strategists in both parties tell us. Each side will spend billions to reach those voters over the next six …

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From the BBC: Large parts of the UK government’s Illegal Migration Act should not apply in Northern Ireland because they breach human rights laws, a judge has ruled in a major defeat for ministers. The judge at NI’s High Court said the law breaches the Windsor Framework. It is the revised post-Brexit deal agreed between the UK and EU last year. The ruling raises significant questions about the long-term viability of the plan to refuse some asylum seekers a hearing …

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A very entertaining story from Niamh Campbell in the Beltel. While most of us were watching the Eurovision, The Pleasure Boys were back in Northern Ireland on Saturday night and bought some Free Presbyterians and Frostbite Boy for a craic. From the story: The UK Pleasure Boys, Frostbit Boy and two Free Presbyterian ministers walk into a bar… No, that’s not the start of a joke, it’s how this reporter’s Saturday night panned out. After the controversy caused by the …

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From Vicky Shaw in the Beltel: Belfast is the second most expensive destination in Europe for a city break, according to a new report. It costs an average of £629 for a weekend away, the Post Office, which compiles the city costs barometer, found. Only Amsterdam is more expensive, its research suggests. For the first time, the study said Belfast was more expensive than Dublin for a two-night weekend break. By contrast, holidaymakers looking for a bargain city break may …

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In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not …

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The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily …

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We are remarkably blasé about new technology. Thirty years ago, being able to make video calls anywhere worldwide would have been considered science fiction; now, we carry the ability around in our pockets. Strangely, we don’t make video calls that often, and we don’t even make audio calls much anymore, as most people prefer to text. Still, some artistic folks have come up with creative ways to put this technology to good use. A new art installation has placed a …

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Also, on last night’s The View, Sarah Creighton asked: “Nationalists and republicans are so far ahead of unionism when it comes to organising. What’s the unionist version of Ireland’s Future?” "Nationalists and republicans are so far ahead of unionism when it comes to organising". What's the unionist version of Ireland's Future?@NewsDeclan asks @Saraita101 #BBCTheView pic.twitter.com/v1MPsAfrlQ — BBC The View (@bbctheview) May 9, 2024 Arlene Foster launched her Together UK Foundation in 2022, but they don’t seem to have attracted much …

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In an interview with The View, DUP founder Wallace Thompson doubled down on his comments from last year. From the interview: A founding member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has told BBC News NI that fellow unionists agree with his belief a united Ireland is “inevitable”. Wallace Thompson, a former DUP special adviser, told The View that members of unionist parties and the loyal orders have approached him privately to support his position. Mr Thompson also conceded that his …

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The BelTel has an interview with BBC Broadcaster Declan Harvey. This section caught my interest: “The most common remark I get when I’m out and people recognise me is they say, ‘I don’t really watch that much [news] anymore. I just find it gives me anxiety or I find it too depressing to watch the news.’ “That is a serious question that the news industry has to deal with. How do we reflect the world we live in truthfully, and …

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I came across this interesting post from the psychologist Naomi Fisher. From the post: I was listening to a podcast about something unrelated to parenting, or school, or any of the things that I usually talk about. The guest was talking about his experiences leaving a religion where the leaders were abusive. He raised the alarm as a teenager, thinking that others would act to protect young people. What happened was that he was called rebellious. The youth leaders told …

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In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break. So discuss what you like here, but no politics. Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not …

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The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like. Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing. Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily …

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In today’s Beltel, Sam McBride has a lengthy piece on the Covid enquiry. Some extracts From the article: After just four hearings of the Covid Inquiry in Belfast, already layer after layer of Stormont’s deep secrecy has been penetrated. The revelations are dismaying. As death swept towards us, ministers fought. As health staff risked their lives to treat Covid patients, just one civil servant out of 23,000 volunteered to sit in an emergency hub to coordinate the crisis response. As …

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It is not looking to be a good year for the Conservative Party. Heavy losses in the English local elections are an omen of what is to come in this year’s general election. Here are the results so far: I am sure you will all feel sorry for the poor aul tories. At least they have their millions to comfort them. "It's going to be very, very difficult for [Rishi Sunak] indeed to turn it round" Prof Sir John Curtice …

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I know what you are thinking. Its been at least a whole day since we have had a post on reunification. But lest you get the DT’s Professor John Doyle and Professor Brendan O’Leary come along to kick their highly polished patent leather boots into the IIEA report from the other week. The last time I called it report tennis, with each side lobbing reports back and forward. But I prefer to think of this one as a WWE tag …

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Yet more deaths on our roads. This time with the horrendous twist that one of the victims featured in a campaign to improve the A5 road just 2 days ago. From the BelTel: The two young people killed in a crash on the A5 last night have been named. Kamile Vaicikonyte (17) passed away alongside Jamie Moore (19) in the accident on the Doogary Road near Omagh. Ms Vaicikonyte lived in Aughnacloy with her family and worked in the Supervalu …

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At times, you do wonder if this place will ever change, but when you zoom out from the day to day, there have been some dramatic changes. It is not that long ago since we had the ‘Save Ulster From Sodomy’ campaign trying to valiantly protect the good citizens of Ulster from ‘the gays’. But times change. We now have our first openly gay Minister in Andrew Muir, and now his Alliance party colleague councillor Micky Murray to be the …

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There are reports this morning that Humza Yousaf will quit as First Minister of Scotland. This follows the Green Party’s removal of support last week and a planned vote of no confidence. He has called a press conference for 12pm today. Humza Yousaf: MSPs braced for announcement on SNP leader’s future ‘one way or another this morning’ – UK politics live https://t.co/UKSqu465QD — The Guardian (@guardian) April 29, 2024 Brian O'NeillI help to manage Slugger by taking care of the …

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