Have you changed your mind?

Increasingly online, even on our Slugger oasis, it seems as if a polarity in western culture is rearing its head into every shred of discourse. When it comes to ideas the human psychology has a tendency to make a conclusion (sometimes informed by bias) which becomes our ‘position’ on a given issue. Nowhere is this more obvious than in politics where movement between parties is so rare and so vilified that it resulted in every single MP losing their seat …

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Beware of conflating the issues…

Politics can often be the art of conflating problems and offering simple solutions. Thus far the Brexit debate has been clouded with such conflation, left and right pundits are drawing totally disparate issues most of which have nothing to do with Europe or the UK’s place in it. I was at a debate for young people last week, it demonstrated the worst kind of narrative conflation. Mostly left wing liberal/green types coloured with the odd nerdy Marxist in a hoody …

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Stuck in the Past – difficult choices to be made #feile18

Three years ago, the same hall was venue to a conversation between the then deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and the PSNI Chief Constable, again chaired by Brian Rowan. That night, the atmosphere was electric. This afternoon, the conversation seemed less extraordinary, certainly less unexpected. Unfortunately, the political stalemate has become as normal yet unacceptable as the stretched patience of victims and survivors who seek truth and information about incidents during the Troubles.

A Year Without Government Series: Part II

This article makes up the second part of a series that takes a satirical look back on the last year and a bit of Northern Irish Politics. The following was written entirely tongue in cheek and none of it should be taken very seriously. Find Part I here. The Assembly Election Debate It is a time honoured tradition of the Assembly election cycle that the BBC and UTV bring representatives from the five largest parties into a room together to shout …

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Mount Stewart Conversations: a festival fusing debate, culture & food (17+18 September)

MOUNT STEWART CONVERSATIONS promises a weekend of debate, ideas, storytelling, art, music and food in the National Trust’s recently restored house and the surrounding gardens. Anne Applebaum, David Aaronovitch, Fintan O’Toole, Sarah Helm, Wendy Osborne, Jonathan Powell not to mention Urslua Burns, Iain Archer, Molly Sterling, Orchestre des Refugies et Amis, Bitch’n’Monk, and Lords of Strut.

Slugger O’Toole – New Horizons in the Republic

I am delighted to take up the role of Southern Editor here at Slugger O’Toole.  It is the perfect time for ‘Slugger’ to expand.  Over the next year we want to bring that unique approach to the Irish political scene.  In the past I was deeply involved in grass root politics.  Ireland has a great tradition of this across all parties and none.  There are many people who possess a deep understanding of the political game and how it works. …

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Live drawing #TweetupNI (and with Ian Knox)

Local tweeters give Ellen and the Oscars a #TweetUpNI selfie. David McCann kicked proceedings off at around 8pm with a healthy turnout. #tweetupni @dcmbfs kicks off the tweetup in McHughs pic.twitter.com/zJbVp9HPfl — Alan in Belfast (@alaninbelfast) March 13, 2014   Derek McCallan from @NI_LGA launched #participate14.Then the mayor spoke:   Belfast Lord Mayor @newbelfast addressing @sluggerotoole #tweetupni – positivity & his Buddhist chaplain! https://t.co/4dRsEz9U0L — Alan in Belfast (@alaninbelfast) March 14, 2014   Then Terry McHugh gave us some stand-up and mixed in …

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Was Micheal Martin the only ‘sane’ one, refusing to get involved in #Aras11?

The front page of The Phoenix sums up the orgy of self destruction the Irish Presidential race is becoming… ‘De Nile’ is not just a river in Africa… On Twitter, Frank FitzGibbon of the Irish edition of the Sunday Times summed up last night’s Prime Time debate, rather succinctly… 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 …

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