Awards
And the winner is…
The BBC’s Nick Robinson, apparently. According to the [ei] Comment Awards he’s the “Best Blogger” of 2010… At the Telegraph blogs, Toby Young suggests that “Asking Robinson to blog is like inviting a eunuch to an orgy and expecting him to participate”. Nevermind, Toby. Maybe next year… But, perhaps, that’s who [his BBC colleague] Andrew Marr [...] more »
Two Irish books shortlisted for the Orwell Prize
No Irish bloggers in this year’s Orwell Prize long listing (Chekov made it last year), but two writers make it for their non fiction work: Fintan O’Toole forShip of Fools: How Stupidity and Corruption Sank the Celtic Tiger and Ruth Dudley Edwards for her magnum opus on the experience of the relatives of the Omagh [...] more »
Londonderry makes shortlist for UK City of Culture 2013
The BBC notes that Londonderry has made the shortlist in its bid to become the UK’s first City of Culture in 2013. Also in the running are Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield. [Brian will be pleased - Ed] Perhaps… According to the BBC report It is expected that the successful city would see economic and social [...] more »
Quote of the day…
From a great thread on Malachi O’Doherty’s Facebook page in which I expressed concern about the likelihood of the Slugger Awards running next Autumn… to which this reply: “Perhaps you could introduce a “Scandal of the Year” award.” more »
McGuinness on the importance of contention and dialogue…
It went hard with me that the end piece on the (excellent) UTV report on the Slugger Awards last week ended on a stalled video of the deputy First Minister… I’d given him a pretty deadpan intro to the effect that we’d often given his party a hard time on Slugger but in the certainty [...] more »
What Slugger readers got right about our politician of the year…
The art of politics is not just about the possible, it’s also about the plausible… There was a certain amount of disgruntlement with the choice of Martin McGuinness as Slugger’s Politician of the Year (and for good reason when you consider how his party has blocked the capacity of the Executive to progress any serious [...] more »
What a good Stormont Chair needs to do: hold his minister’s feet to the fire…
I’ve had a look back at the water rates issue after blogging Tom Kelly’s piece and found this little gem from our archives, in which our Stormont Chair of the Year Fred Cobain spells out the bleedin’ obvious to the Minister Conor Murphy who, so far as we can tell, is still ignoring the ticking [...] more »
Slugger Awards: Those late results…
For those waiting on results last night, I’m sorry for the late arrival of this post (behind the MSM for once, must be getting old or middle aged or something)… Martin McGuinness won best politician of the year. Although he only received one nomination in the comments zone, both the readers panel and the judging [...] more »
Slugger Awards: The shortlist…
There’s been a fair amount of speculation as to who has made the shortlist and who hasn’t. Some of the choices made themselves and there will certainly be some surprises. But this is who you have nominated, the readers panel with the judges finally picking the winners. The list is not, nor was it ever [...] more »
Slugger Awards: Join our readers’ panel next Tuesday…
I’ve booked a room at Jury’s Inn at the foot of the Grosvenor Road for next Tuesday evening… Meeting at 7.00pm and working through till 9-10… Tea and biscuits provided and may a pint afterwards before we all head home… Limited spaces I’m afraid, but if you want to come drop me a line… mick.fealty@gmail.com more »
And the Slugger Awards Playlist…
This is my nomination for the music play list up to the point I make my welcoming remarks. I might even try to work some of the lyrics into those same remarks: A little less conversation, a little more action please All this aggravation aint satisfactioning me A little more bite and a little less [...] more »
Slugger Awards has now sold out…
Hard to believe, but those fifty tickets we made available yesterday are now sold out. Because of the constraints on space, we just can’t give any more out. But we’d encourage you put your name on waitlist which you’ll find on the eventbrite site… Also, if you’re coming, join the Awards night’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=178311514617&index=1 more »
Slugger Awards sold out. More tickets made available – get them while they’re there!
It seems that demand is a good deal higher than we were expecting for the Slugger Awards. All of the 250 tickets that we’d allocated are gone already with two more weeks to go (we only put the link on the site here on Thursday!) The capacity of the venue is slightly larger so we’re [...] more »
Why health of local papers is more important to democracy than the crumpling of big media…
This year and last year we have deliberately left out the big three newspaper titles from our local newspaper competition. The reason for that is that to lump them in with the Mourne Observer, Mid Ulster Mail and the Londonderry Sentinel would be uneven competition. But also because they have in the past been the [...] more »
Slugger Awards: what makes a good councillor?
The front runners in the councillor of the year award so far… Cara McShane currently Chair of Moyle District Council; Councillor Walter Cuddy, UUP councillor for Dungannon town; the SDLP’s PJ McAvoy in Ballymena; the DUP’s Adrian McQuillan in Coleraine; Sinn Fein’s Lord Mayor of Belfast last year Tom Hartley and his party colleague Conor [...] more »
Slugger Awards: Politician of the Year…
This is the last category to be announced and comprises all categories of politician in Northern Ireland, including Westminster MPs and MEPs. But it also includes parliamentarians sitting in both the UK and Irish upper houses, who increasingly are being called upon to play significant roles both inside and outside government. Who represents us well? [...] more »
Book your tickets for the Slugger Awards
Welcome to any U105 listeners! This is just a quick note to let you know that you can get your tickets for the awards online now – hurry before they’re all gone! Also, nominations are still open (see the appropriate ‘threads’ below the follow). Please visit them and give us your suggestions. Remember, we’re being [...] more »
Slugger Awards: Keep those nominations coming in…
You can see from the side bar that we have nearly got through all the categories for the Slugger Awards… Next Monday we’ll be looking for politician of the year… But we are still looking for new names and reasons for voting them the champions of their category. Please note, that if you prefer you [...] more »
Slugger Awards: Journalist of the Year…
This is open to all journalists who have contributed to the political health of Northern Ireland, whether writing for any of the local newspapers, nationals, or working as a freelancer. The last year has been a tough for purveyors of political news: not least since for 150 days plus last year that the Executive did [...] more »
Slugger Awards 2008: Best Campaign of the Year…
Right, here’s a variation on last year’s theme. This time, although we’re asking you for nominations, it will be the politicians themselves who vote for the winner of this category. It’s the best campaign of the year. Now, for this, it can be an ad campaign, a website, good use of Facebook or Twitter or [...] more »
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Books
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Of the Old North and other Vanished Kingdoms..
I’m currently trawling through Norman Davies’s fabulous new tome – “Vanished Kingdoms” – Five stars in the (London) Telegraph’s review from Ben Wilson: All the nations that have ever lived have left their footsteps in the sand,” writes Norman Davies. “The traces fade with every tide, the echoes grow faint, the images are fractured, the human [...] read our review » -
“You can see Newton’s mind at work…”
To add to the open access treasure trove at the Royal Society, Cambridge University Library is putting online some of its collection of books, maps, manuscripts and journals. We have called the first phase of our work on the Cambridge Digital Library the Foundations Project, which runs from mid-2010 to mid-2013 and has been made possible [...] read our review » -
The lost art of reading (or drowning in too much information)…
Here’s a great review of a fascinating book (H/T reader Rory) on how the Internet is destroying our capacity for intelligent, focused and critical thought. It opens thus: …here is the news that Ulin brings in this slim, meandering book: that reading is “an act of contemplation”; that such an act becomes more difficult in [...] read our review »
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