With the 12th of July almost upon us, people living in Northern Ireland can’t help but notice the familiar sights of bonfires being constructed, freshly painted red-white-and-blue kerbstones, and areas adorned with British, Northern Ireland, and UVF flags.
This annual event very much hearkens back to Northern Ireland’s past, and depending on your perspective, is either a celebration of cultural heritage or a destructive ritual that represents the desire of some to cling to old and divisive political aspirations.
Continue reading ‘Belfast Telegraph Debate on a New Approach to Northern Ireland Politics: Mobilising the Middle Ground?’
Queen’s University recently hosted the launch of a new book edited by Dr Katy Hayward (Queen’s) and Dr Mary Murphy (University College Cork), The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland: North and South (Routledge, 2010). At the launch, some of the academics who contributed to the volume presented their perspectives on the impact that the EU has had on political parties within Northern Ireland.
Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson was on hand to offer his thoughts on the proceedings. I was the author of the chapter on the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and along with the others who had written on Northern parties, we were asked to address the question:
Continue reading ‘The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland, Book Launch – Has the EU Encouraged Reconciliatory Politics?’
It’s been awhile since we’ve heard the Rev. Ian Paisley rail publicly against the pope, identifying him as an ‘anti-Christ.’ But in an interview with the BBC World Service, Paisley reverted to ‘anti-Christ’ mode as he voiced his opposition to the pope’s state visit to the UK in September.
On his blog, BBC religion correspondent William Crawley says that Paisley’s comments,
Continue reading ‘Ian Paisley and the Pope: The Return of Dr No?’
In its annual report, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) has noted that it received 392 complaints about the British Humanist Association’s campaign slogan: ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.’ The presence of this slogan on city buses became almost iconic.
But what received the most complaints? It was the Christian Party’s counter-campaign, which read: ‘There definitely is a God. So join the Christian Party and enjoy your life.’ 1,204 people voiced their dissatisfaction with this campaign – presumably many atheists annoyed about the complaints registered against the humanist campaign.
Continue reading ‘Christians v. Atheists? The Battle for the Buses and the Ulster Museum’
This morning I had the rather surreal experience of a Benedictine monk greeting me with news of one election result I didn’t expect: the Alliance Party’s Naomi Long had defeated Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson in the election for the Westminster Parliament.
So I’ll have an interesting answer if, in years to come, people ask the question of where were you when you heard that Peter Robinson had been defeated in East Belfast? I was finishing up a silent retreat in a Benedictine monastery, but that was news worth talking about!
Continue reading ‘Peter Robinson, Naomi Long, and the 2010 Westminster Elections: A New Era in Northern Irish Politics?’
The Democratic Unionist Party has a lot to worry about in this election. Traditional Unionist Voice’s Jim Allister has been smelling blood ever since the DUP’s compromise with Sinn Fein. Especially in the conservative heartlands, the TUV cause may get a boost from the Iris Robinson scandal and suspicions over Peter Robinson’s dodgy property deals.
The DUP’s broadcast for the 2010 General Election aired last night. It’s an interesting piece of theatre (watch here). The party is, of course, trying to hammer home the message that it has tagged to its election manifesto: ‘Let’s Keep Northern Ireland Moving Forward!’
Continue reading ‘DUP Election Broadcast: Will Looking Back Keep Northern Ireland Moving Forward?’
Last night’s BBC Panorama programme on the Iris Robinson affair, ‘The MP and the Whistleblower,’ followed much the same script as the original Spotlight programme. The Panorama showing, geared towards a wider UK audience, merely updated the on-going saga to include yesterday’s most important development: Peter Robinson’s decision to vacate the office of First Minister for six weeks as he tries to clear his name.
DUP colleague Arlene Foster steps into the First Minister’s role, with Mr Robinson pledging that he will continue to work on the critical policing and justice issue. This ministerial switch was allowed due to a special provision stemming from the St Andrews negotiations in 2006.
Continue reading ‘Iris Robinson scandal – What now? Meaningful Change or Business as Unusual?’
On today’s BBC Radio Ulster programme, Sunday Sequence, I discussed with Free Presbyterian minister Rev. David McIlveen, and former editor of the News Letter Austin Hunter, how the Robinson scandal may change Northern Irish social, political and religious culture.
Rev McIlveen, a senior Free Presbyterian cleric who is a close confidant of former DUP party leader the Rev. Ian Paisley, said that Iris Robinson’s conduct had damaged the public witness of conservative evangelicalism.
Continue reading ‘The Robinson Scandal, Evangelical Pietism and Waiting for God to sort things out?’
In yesterday’s Irish Times, Fionola Meredith wrote that folks might be surprised that Protestant fundamentalists seem willing to forgive Iris Robinson. Meredith notes that this constituency (I prefer to refer to them as conservative evangelicals) has been quick to condemn what they perceive as the immoral behaviour of other public figures. Why should their reaction to Mrs. Robinson’s behaviour be any different?
Meredith’s column summed up the conservative evangelical reaction with this comment from Free Presbyterian minister Rev. David McIlveen:
Continue reading ‘The Robinson Affair: DUP’s Evangelical Constituency May Find it Easier to Forgive than to Trust’
Wednesday we found out about the sex, yesterday we found out about the money.
Last night the BBC ran the Spotlight programme that is assumed to have prompted First Minister Peter Robinson’s interview on Wednesday about his wife Iris’ marital infidelity.
Continue reading ‘Iris Robinson Scandal, Episode II – Dodgy Loans with a side of tea and scones…’
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