The riots in England: Bring in the army you say?

I am coming to the conclusion that the minimum force necessary to achieve a restoration of law and order is to shoot selected ring leaders among the [Derry Young Hooligans], after clear warnings have been issued. In other words, we would be reverting to the methods of [internal security] found successful on many occasions overseas. [...]

Belfast riots, TV News and balanced sectarianism: They haven’t gone away you know!

Only hours after Rory McIlroy picked up the US Open trophy and professed his need to get back home to Belfast and celebrate with family and friends; only hours after politicians in Northern Ireland fell over each other to congratulate the boy from Holywood and seize his triumph as a marketing opportunity for Northern Ireland’s [...]

Ourselves alone? Sinn Féin and the Protestant vote.

In the run up to the NI Assembly elections on 5 May, BBC Radio Ulster’s Talk Back programme has been inviting listeners to call in and question leading figures in all the parties standing for election. On 27 April, it was the turn of Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin. The first few [...]

Kicking out Mother Teresa (Or: The TV Guide to Sows’ Ears and Silk Purses)

BBC Northern Ireland broadcast a programme just recently called Mother Teresa: 123 Springhill Avenue (11 April) to mark the 40th Anniversary of Mother Teresa’s brief sojourn among the beleaguered community of Ballymurphy, Belfast. Now here’s the thing: this was news to me so I thought I’d have a look and find out more. How did [...]

Milne to jump off 9-floor tower shock!!

My good colleague and friend, Milne Rowntree, is to jump off a 9-floor tower for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity. He’s a great guy and I’ll be sorry to lose him but as he said to me over a pint the other day, it’s a good cause and sometimes you have to do these [...]

The Propaganda of Peace just published

There’s a very interesting new book just out that takes a critical look at the role of media and culture in the Northern Ireland peace process. Written by Greg McLaughlin and Stephen Baker, and published by Intellect Books, The Propaganda of Peace examines a range of factual and fictional representations, from journalism and public museum [...]

The Trouble With “The Trouble With Northern Ireland” (BBC NI)

A new four-part series started on BBC NI last Monday evening (19 July), called The Trouble With Northern Ireland.  It’s available on BBC iPlayer until 14 August so have a look at it and see what you think.  This is my take on it. The series claims to tackle “the thorny issue of identity” in [...]

Bad Apples on Bloody Sunday? The British Army in Iraq.

Jonathan Beale, BBC Defence Correspondent, reflects on the implications of the Saville Report for the British Army, which “learned the hard lessons of Bloody Sunday long ago with changes to soldiers’ training and rules of engagement”. It’s that, he reckons, which ‘”makes the harsh criticisms of the Saville report harder to swallow” for a paratroop [...]

The Saville Inquiry: An emotional first response

The publication today (Tuesday 15 June) of the Saville Inquiry’s report on the events of Bloody Sunday was greeted with much relief and emotion in Derry.  You had to be there when it happened to understand this response. And I was. I was only 9 years old and while I didn’t quite understand the politics [...]