by Frank Schnittger
Tue Jan 25th, 2022 at 05:57:51 PM EST
On Saturday a newspaper poll indicated that Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie was the most popular party leader in Northern Ireland. That evening he tweeted a joke about Edwin Poots and his wife which can at best be described as in poor taste. This drew attention to a series of derogatory tweets he had made over the past 10 years referring to women, Muslims, members of the Travelling community and people with mental health issues. He has offered to resign and if he does so, it will result in the fourth leader the UUP have had in just over 2 years, beating the record of the DUP in this regard.
by Oui
Mon Jan 24th, 2022 at 12:32:23 PM EST
War is imminent ... all signs are on RED alert. War rhetoric got a boost over the weekend and the Sunday Talk Shows. Hear all arguments from historic non-value which have been debunked. Getting the people ready for extended hostilities in New Europe ... the Bucharest Nine in the lead with anti-Russia propaganda. Most Western EU nations will swallow the war bullshit. A decade of intensifying pressure on Russia ... we'll make Russia a pariah state. Signed the NATO states of warmongers who got a second wind after the attacks on America by the Saudi jihadists of Osama Bin Laden ... grown in the shadow of Pakistan in the 1980s in Afghanistan. The nations responsible staying in the dark: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Success to get the former Soviet Union out of the Kingdom of Afghanistan, soon to be replaced by a young, idealistic Taliban regime. We are living in a dark chapter of a declining democracy as authoritarian and totalitarian regimes win space.
Twitter account NATO SG Jens Stoltenberg has gone silent over the weekend ...
Frontpaged - Frank Schnittger
by Frank Schnittger
Fri Jan 21st, 2022 at 12:32:48 PM EST
There has been much discussion of our electricity deficit and of the need to go nuclear to address the intermittency of wind and solar energy. However, fourth generation nuclear reactors, even if they prove to be safe and viable, won't be with us for many years, so we need to start now on a more immediate solution.
by Frank Schnittger
Mon Jan 17th, 2022 at 12:45:50 PM EST
My letter in the Irish Times
Not allowing the unvaccinated into crowded places where the risks of cross-infection are high is no more onerous than not allowing the intoxicated, unlicensed, or uninsured to drive. It is done to protect the general public from a greater risk of harm. Entering a pub or stadium is no more a human right than driving a car.
Compulsory vaccination is likely to be a counter-productive policy with little benefit when over 90 per cent of the eligible population are voluntarily vaccinated in any case. But placing restrictions on where the unvaccinated can go is not an impairment of their human right to bodily integrity; it is a vindication of the human rights of others to be protected from unnecessary risk of harm.
by Frank Schnittger
Tue Jan 11th, 2022 at 11:53:50 PM EST
Unionist sense of entitlement still exerted in UK politics
In 1933 Basil Brooke, later Lord Brookeborough and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland said the following: "I appreciate the great difficulty experienced by some of them [Protestants and Orangemen] in procuring suitable Protestant labour, but I would point out that the Roman Catholics are endeavouring to get in everywhere and are out with all their force and might to destroy the power and constitution of Ulster."
A few days ago, in comments later endorsed by DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, former Labour minister Baroness Hoey wrote: "There are very justified concerns that many professional vocations have become dominated by those of a nationalist persuasion, and this positioning of activists is then used to exert influence on those in power".
by Frank Schnittger
Mon Jan 10th, 2022 at 08:31:05 PM EST
Like nearly all countries, Ireland has an addiction problem with alcohol, smoking, prescribed drugs, illicit drugs and gambling the chief offenders. Many drugs addicts are "polydrug" abusers, consuming alcohol, prescribed drugs or whatever illicit drugs come to hand fairly indiscriminately. Sometimes the addiction is as much social as physiological or neurological. Sometimes the motivation is as much self-medication or self-harm as pleasure.
The Irish government has just introduced "Minimum Pricing" for alcohol for retail outlets. This will increase the minimum price of (for example) a bottle of wine from €5 to €7.40.
Many aspects of the legislation I can agree with, such as the ban on multipack or 2 for 1 promotions designed to increase purchases beyond what the consumer originally intended to buy. However the minimum pricing itself I think a poorly thought out measure, and so I had a letter published by both the Irish Times and the Independent saying the following:
by Frank Schnittger
Sun Jan 2nd, 2022 at 08:27:08 PM EST
Being a craft brewing aficionado, Helen wouldn't have approved, but in her honour I have decided to tell a brewing related yarn...
One of the stories I have never seen told anywhere is the development of the modern "Irish Pub" concept, surely one of the greatest marketing successes of all time, precisely because it isn't generally recognised as a marketing story in the first place.
Irish pubs have of course existed for centuries in Ireland and countries with concentrations of Irish emigrants. But it first became a commercial marketing concept in the early 1990's when Guinness sponsored a programme to encourage the development of Irish themed pubs on a grand scale. Today there are many thousands of "Irish Pubs" all over the world, and as a retail category it has become as ubiquitous as an Italian Pizzeria or an American burger joint.
by Migeru
Mon Dec 27th, 2021 at 04:07:25 PM EST
Helen was one of the early active members of this site, and she had a not insignificant influence on its tone, direction and content over the years.
It is with shock and sadness that we have found out from a relative on Facebook that she died on Boxing Day after a short illness.
Use this as a memorial thread for Helen. We may post more details about her death as we know them, with due care to respect her family's desire for privacy.
by Frank Schnittger
Mon Dec 27th, 2021 at 12:40:20 AM EST
Fintan O'Toole has written a piece arguing that Believers in a united Ireland without trade-offs are as bad as Brexiteers. (Regrettably subscriber only). In it he argues that those who believe that a united Ireland will simply be a takeover of the north by the south are as guilty of wishful thinking as the Brexiteers.
So far so good. However he then goes on to compare any such union to a marriage which requires a lot of give and take to work well. I don't think that is a good analogy because there are many different strands of opinion both north and south, and unionists simply have no incentive to engage in any negotiation prior to a vote under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, as any such discussion would only make a vote for re-unification more likely.
The Irish Times has published my letter in response (see also below the fold).
by Frank Schnittger
Sat Dec 25th, 2021 at 09:52:15 AM EST
On behalf of European Tribune, may be wish all of our readers and contributors here a happy Christmas, season's greetings, winter solstice or whatever way you like to characterise or frame it yourself!
It's been a tough year for most of us, with Covid and associated social restrictions making life difficult for many of us, and tragic, awful, or lonely for some. Here's to wishing for you that next year will offer more hope, health and happiness to all, with more effective vaccines and treatments for those who fall ill.
The pandemic has also reminded us of the importance of our social bonds as friends, relatives and citizens and the dangers of the extreme individualism, selfishness, egotism and narcissism of the few who refuse to accept any of their social responsibilities.
In an age of consumerism, perhaps the best gift we can give each other is the space and respect we need to keep well. Keep safe, good friends, until we can meet up again!
by Frank Schnittger
Mon Dec 20th, 2021 at 12:38:30 PM EST
The gradual collapse of the Johnson regime as his lies and contradictions catch up with him are a wonder to behold. First his rather splendid oven ready deal with which he achieved an 80 seat majority has been shown to have contained some rather obvious flaws. Former adviser Dominic Cummings and DUP MP Ian Paisley Jnr. have revealed that he never intended to abide by it in the first place.
Second his "levelling up" agenda has been revealed as a scam as the budget increased taxes on the lowest paid while offering more inducements to the better off. Fantasy projects such as his bridge from Scotland to N. Ireland were never intended as anything more than a symbolic commitment to closer links between Britain and Ireland and weren't even taken seriously by the DUP.
But what has probably done for him, even among his own supporters, is his rather loose association with consistency, truth and probity in office. The Downing Street parties in breach of lockdown restrictions applied to everyone else; the undisclosed, privately financed and extravagant refurbishment of his Downing Street apartment; and his botched attempt to knobble the regulator when she accused former cabinet Minister, Owen Patterson, of using his position to benefit companies paying him hundreds of thousand a year in "consultancy fees" are added to a long list of constitutional and procedural indiscretions.
by Frank Schnittger
Fri Dec 17th, 2021 at 05:19:42 PM EST
The weird and wonderful ways of British diplomacy were again on display with the unexpected, unrequested, and unexplained decision by the British government to waive all checks on goods arriving from the island of Ireland "until further notice". Exports from Ireland to Britain have been booming (+20%) compared to last year, with imports from Britain slumping by 32%.
Some believe the decision is because UK customs systems are simply not ready to process this level of exports. Another theory is that the Johnson government is concerned import controls might add to the shortages of food and other goods being faced by British consumers. The UK imports almost half the food it consumes with 26% of its total food consumption coming from the EU. More food shortages would not be a good look for the Johnson government.
by Frank Schnittger
Fri Dec 10th, 2021 at 01:06:23 PM EST
Newton Emerson writes "The truly decisive outcome of this decade will be whether voters in the Republic see through a Sinn Féin government's unity posturing, or whether their frustration is directed towards unionists." (Nationalist timeframe for unity does not stack up, Opinion & Analysis, 9th. December).
For decades, the more extreme unionist parties have managed to shore up their voter base by scaring their voters into supporting them as otherwise "the other side" might win leading to a united Ireland. Now the boot is on the other foot and Sinn Fein are trying the same gambit, claiming a united Ireland is just around the corner if only voters would rally behind them.
Both the DUP and SF need inter-communal tensions to remain high, as otherwise the more moderate centrist parties might grow in support. It's all a game as "those in the know" know there is no majority for a change in the status quo right now, and even in the south, voters might think twice if asked to stump up the €12 Billion p.a. subvention the North currently receives from Westminster.
The confidence that a united Ireland might be closer, post Brexit, is not based on anything that is happening in Ireland right now, but on what has happened with the rise of English and Scottish nationalisms. If the UK government were to suffer a post Brexit economic collapse, they might think twice about paying the €12 Billion subsidy. It is, after all, greater than their erstwhile much-hated net contribution to the EU.
So, what would "soft unionist" voters do if the €12 Billion subsidy were to be substantially reduced? Would they accept an offer of €6 Billion from the south if the alternative was no subsidy at all? Coincidentally, the NHS budget for N. Ireland is currently about €7 Billion. Would unionists vote for a united Ireland if that was the only way they could retain the NHS?
Perhaps N. Ireland voters might also ponder whether the North's economy could grow as fast as the south and become independently viable if under similar governance? Either way, for the foreseeable future, a United Ireland will only come about when soft unionists realise they have no other option, and that depends on how long Britain can, and is willing to continue the subsidy.
by Frank Schnittger
Fri Dec 3rd, 2021 at 02:09:05 PM EST
Despite the best efforts of Lord Frost and the Tory party, there are growing signs that Northern Ireland is rejecting their polemics about the Protocol and coming to live with it as a fact of post-Brexit life. Although no one is happy with increased customs checks between Britain and Northern Ireland, there is a growing realization that Northern Ireland's unfettered access to the Single Market offers it a unique opportunity within the UK to mitigate the worst effects of Brexit.
Northern Ireland hasn't suffered the goods shortages seen in Britain, trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland is booming, and British statistics have now belatedly confirmed that the Northern Ireland economy is recovering faster than Scotland or Wales. But the most remarkable change is the U-Turn currently being performed by DUP Leader, Jeffrey Donaldson.
by fjallstrom
Fri Nov 26th, 2021 at 08:33:29 AM EST
Swedish PM Löfven resigned earlier this fall, paving the way for the Social Democrats to enter next years election with a newly appointed PM.
Those with good memories remember that this summer Löfven was voted out and then returned as PM.
His successor, current finance minister Magdalena Andersson was today voted in and then resigned a few hours later. She will be back though.
Frontpaged - Bernard
by Frank Schnittger
Thu Nov 11th, 2021 at 05:14:24 PM EST
Over the years I have made a point of reading Northern Ireland unionist political commentators in order to get a sense of what they are about. The Slugger O'Toole website is a good indicator of non-aligned or moderate unionist thinking - mostly sympathetic to the Alliance party - and Newton Emerson and Alex Kane are unionists linked to the Ulster Unionist party which ran Northern Ireland prior to the ascendency of the Paisleyite DUP. I have not yet found a politically literate commentator linked to the DUP.
Unionism in Northern Ireland is an evolving political force slowly coming to terms with the fact that they can no longer command a majority of the electorate even if that majority is still broadly in favour of the status quo union with Britain. There are many strands to unionism, from the fundamentalist protestant Free Presbyterians of the the DUP to the agnostic liberals of the Alliance Party who just want Northern Ireland to like any other part of the UK.
But they all seem to think that the world revolves around unionists and what they want and feel they need, and find it hard to comprehend that the world around N. Ireland has changed and might have other priorities. Thus the debate around the Protocol within unionism has been all about retaining as much as possible of the free trade they had with Britain while also retaining full access to the Single market. Some even think that the Boris Johnson regime shares their concerns.
by Frank Schnittger
Thu Nov 4th, 2021 at 08:41:10 PM EST
Growing fears that British government will shortly invoke article 16 of protocol
There are growing fears in Dublin and Brussels that the British government will shortly invoke article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol, a move that officials say would plunge EU-UK relations, and British-Irish ties, into deep crisis.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin issued an unprecedentedly blunt warning to the British government in the Dáil on Wednesday, describing any move to trigger article 16 as "irresponsible . . . unwise . . . reckless", and saying that it would have "far-reaching implications" for the relationship between Dublin and London.
---<snip>---
However, Irish officials fear that the triggering of article 16 could rupture relations between the two sides and lead to retaliatory action from the EU, ultimately triggering suspension of the free trade agreement and the introduction of tariffs between the EU and UK.
by Frank Schnittger
Mon Nov 1st, 2021 at 11:06:15 AM EST
One of the privileges of going to university is that you get to know some very interesting people. One such is Alan Matthews, now professor emeritus of European agricultural policy at Trinity College Dublin. In an industry noted for its short-sighted self interest, his work shone a light on the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on third world producers faced with the price impact of large quantities of subsidised European exports being dumped on their markets.
European farmers were being subsidised to over-produce, and their surplus product was off-loaded onto third world countries with European taxpayers and third world producers facing the cost. Farmers are not alone, of course, in seeking to off-load the costs of their income and production methods onto others, but the report which the Irish Farmers Journal commissioned from consultants KPMG is a classic of the genre of ensuring a supposedly independent report only asks the questions they wanted asked.
Alan Matthew's de-construction of the report is also a classic of critical analysis, and deservers to be read in full.
by Frank Schnittger
Thu Oct 28th, 2021 at 08:40:39 AM EST
The disconnect between British government policy and rhetoric and what the people of Northern actually want grows ever wider. The ground is shifting under Lord Frost's feet and he doesn't have a democratic leg to stand on in his stand-off with the EU (not that he was ever elected to anything in the first place). A survey carried out by respected pollster Lucidtalk for a Queen's University study has found that 52% of N. Ireland adults thought the Protocol was, on balance, "a good thing" for Northern Ireland, compared with 43 per cent in a similar survey in June.
