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The British General Election was blown wide open by the competent performance of Nick ‘leg-over’ Clegg. The suave, articulate ‘mini me’ version of Tony Blair impressed the British public when compared to  the tired, lack lustred jowly Prime Minister and the slippery, smooth talking Etonian old boy David Cameron. The popular press particularly those working [...]

Until recently the PSNI and the myopic numpties at the Northern Ireland Office have been content to trivialise the daring and growing capacity of Dissident Republicans. Of course, the NIO has form in such matters as it regularly turned a blind eye to UDA and UVF transgressions; treating their thugs and criminals as groups of [...]

Sitting stranded in London with azure skies and a dazzling spring sun overhead, I am somewhat disappointed not to see any of this volcanic ash which has brought the airline industry to its knees. It just goes to prove that try as we may, man will never tame nature. However, the same cannot be said [...]

Whatever one thinks about elections; this one is going to be different.  The seeds for a different election were sown quite a while back. The public’s tolerance for ‘on the make’ politicians finally broke when the extent of political avarice and greed oozed from their greasy palms and spilled onto the headlines.  It took many [...]

The glitterati and political hoi polloi love everything to do with our peace process. They want to export our success.  To them the grotty underworld of murder, intimidation and terror are histories.  To them they are as mild as an Agatha Christie plotline. Of course Agatha Christie novels are the stuff of a tame but [...]

Gordon Brown says he will keep Alastair Darling as Chancellor in his next Government. David Cameron says the NHS is safe in the hands of the Tories. Nick Clegg says the Liberals will change the face of British politics. Peter Robinson says he is humble. Reg Empey wishes Lady Hermon well and once again Gerry [...]

‘Dance there upon the shore; what need have you to care for wind or water’s roar? Being young . What need have you to dread the monstrous crying of the wind?’
These poetic words fall from the pen of WB Yeats in; ‘To a child dancing in the wind’. It’s an idyllic view of childhood. The [...]

‘When we blame ourselves we feel that no one else has the right to blame us’ so said Oscar Wilde.  Recently, listening to the Prime Minister apologising for the transportation of orphaned children to Australia in the 1940’s and 1950’s one could not help but think what’s the point? Why accept blame for something that [...]

So we go again. On Tuesday Northern Ireland will stand at yet another political crossroads. The choices are as clear now as they were to Terence O’ Neill some forty two years ago. Then O’ Neill was facing down what he described as a form of ‘Protestant Sinn Fein’ led by Paisley. Now Paisley’s ‘Protestant [...]

So the last of the SDLP lions, Eddie Mc Grady has decided to call it a day. The announcement is not as surprising as some commentators make out.  Mr Mc Grady has been an elected representative since 1961 and to put that in context; President Kennedy was still alive; man had not reached the moon; [...]