Bill Clinton

RTE’s celebration of John Hume feels like nostalgia for a time that has gone

Brian Walker on August 7, 2018, 8:59 pm | Readers 2303

RTE have just screened a documentary In the Name of Peace; John Hume in America by Maurice Fitzpatrick which the film maker has kindly drawn to my attention. Being in London I cannot access it yet nor have I read his accompanying book. But from the YouTube trail, this is a major celebration of John Hume’s life and work. Anybody who was anybody is in it, led by Clinton and Blair, although Jimmy Carter was not quite so dazzled. As …

Clinton: “Keep the cranes up. Keep the voices free. Keep the votes fair. You’ll figure it out.” #GFA20

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on April 10, 2018, 5:31 pm | Readers 1353

Political leaders of old and today gathered at Queen’s University, Belfast for a day of events focussed on the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said that people “should realise that this agreement was never going to support all the problems of Northern Ireland” while former US President Bill Clinton had a triptych of advice for NI: “Keep the cranes up. Keep the voices free. Keep the votes fair. You’ll figure it out.”

Bill Clinton’s eulogy for Martin McGuinness and NI’s epic journey…

Mick Fealty on March 24, 2017, 12:24 pm | Readers 3287

For the record, whatever you think of Bill Clinton, Northern Ireland seems to bring out something extraordinary in him… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

US President Bill Clinton: “We’ve all taken our licks for Gerry”.

Pete Baker on January 7, 2016, 4:06 pm | Readers 2456

The BBC’s freedom of information specialist, Martin Rosenbaum, has been reading through transcripts of calls and meetings between US President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, between 1997 and 2000, which were released following a BBC freedom of information request to the Clinton Presidential Library. As he notes, [The transcripts] contain substantial redactions, especially of Mr Blair’s remarks… From the BBC report Much of their discussion was about the Northern Ireland peace process, in which President Clinton played a significant part. …

“Adding more weapons to this volatile situation could destabilise the entire region…”

Pete Baker on June 15, 2013, 6:42 pm | Readers 45

The Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers were in a sunny Downing Street garden yesterday, welcoming that suspect package, and extolling the virtues of demonstrating “peacefully, positively, constructively” [Is that with, or without, a Thompson sub-machine gun? – Ed] Without, probably… ANYhoo, on the same day Sinn Féin released the text of what appears to be a different speech to that delivered in Downing Street by the Mid Ulster MP Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness – made at …

Cartoon: full of wind and spoof

Brian Spencer on January 21, 2013, 3:57 pm | Readers 73

Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Visual Comment of the Week

Brian Spencer on November 11, 2012, 4:07 pm | Readers 50

Cartoon by Brian Spencer with commentary from Aaron Callan. So Obama’s made it over the line and won his ticket back into the White House. But already the US media are making predictions on the 2016 Presidential election. It’s interesting to see how the US media, starved of the Presidential election to feed on, turn their attention, almost immediately, towards 2016. Even though President Obama hasn’t even started his second term! What was more interesting was the predictions being made …

Congressional Brinkmanship Kickin’ Up Fiscal Whiff

Brian Spencer on November 8, 2012, 8:53 pm | Readers 60

So the long drawn out process of selecting a US President is over. Barack Obama won a second term, quite comfortably in fact, with nearly a 100 more electoral college votes and 2% more of the popular vote. The process of picking over the caucus of the GOP had already begun live on air during the announcing of the winner. Fox News seemed to go into meltdown. Karl Rove, in particular seemed to have great difficulty grasping the result of …

Bill Clinton to host “Invest in Ireland” event in New York

Pete Baker on February 7, 2012, 9:03 pm | Readers 53

As the BBC reports Former US president Bill Clinton is to host an “Invest in Ireland” discussion in New York on Thursday. Well, he’ll “attend for the beginning of the event where he will make some opening remarks”. You get the point. *sniff* He used to have such big [economic] ideas for here… The Merrion Street press release adds Following on from a commitment given by him at the Global Irish Economic Forum, President Bill Clinton will host an “Invest in …

Royals and magic bullets: it’s still about the stupid economy.

John Ó Néill on May 21, 2011, 12:24 pm | Readers 5

As gesture politics go, I actually thought last week’s state visit seemed oddly empty. I know we were being constantly told how to read the importance of the symbolism, yet the footage of Queen Elizabeth attending various events largely lacked the sense of a departure from history that came with the likes of Bill Clinton’s 1995 visit to Belfast. Personally, as a benchmark, the Clinton visit had a historical feel that far outweighed the parts, which are godawful when you …

Bill Clinton’s Big [Economic] Ideas for NI…

Pete Baker on September 29, 2010, 10:59 pm | Readers 3

Or, as I think I heard it described on the fawning UTV report, his “special insight” on developing the local Northern Ireland economy, ahead of next month’s one-day US economic forum on NI. According to the BBC report Mr Clinton said new jobs could be created through greater investment in renewable energy and rebranding the local fishing industry [as “organic”]. The second is hardly a unique selling point. And I’m sure I’ve seen the first suggested somewhere else before… But we, including …

Clinton to make “brief visit” to Northern Ireland

Pete Baker on September 6, 2010, 5:23 pm | Readers 4

That’s Bill Clinton, by the way, not the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. At least, that’s what the US economic envoy to NI Declan Kelly has said. The trip will take place ahead of an economic summit organised by his wife, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, on 19 October in Washington DC. Mr Clinton’s intinerary has not yet been formalised. Pete Baker