Andy Burnham's speech was interesting. He's a better speaker than Starmer. Perhaps a more contrived speaker too - he is fond of melodrama, that's for sure. A lot of... meaningful...pauses...some long enough that the crowd were not entirely sure whether to clap or to wait and see what happened. A bit, one suspects, how some feel about his premiership. Now how does that connect with a British electorate in these cynical and sceptical times?

Intriguing point made that despite the huge support for residents on the Garvaghy Road from across Republicanism and Nationalism there are, if not fractures, differences and distinctions. How that plays out in Stormont is difficult to assess. On the one hand there are warnings that it is on its last legs. Various Belfast Telegraph and Independent commentators point in that direction.

As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

Paul Culloty noted in comments this weekend the useful More in Common polling conducted in the Republic this last while. This in the context, as MiC notes: Ireland takes up the EU Council presidency promising delivery on European expansion, integration and competitiveness. But the public mood underneath is more guarded, more inward-looking and more sovereigntist than the presidency's outward agenda suggests.

This last week saw this at the UN General Assembly: On Tuesday, the US president stood at the podium and threatened Iran with annihilation. On Thursday at the same rostrum, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the ICC for war crimes, cast all those seeking accountability as “barbarians who threaten our common civilization”. Palestinian officials were absent, …

Behold the voice of supposedly 'moderate' Unionism: The Irish unity campaign is nothing more than “constitutional vandalism” that threatens to rip apart the Belfast Agreement that has given Northern Ireland its most peaceful decades, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows has said. Burrows again challenged Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill to a head-to-head debate on the unity question, saying myths must be confronted “with cold, hard facts”.

In this episode we talk to John Fay about Newshound. John set up Newshound in 1996, after moving from the U.S.A. to Ireland, as a daily curated source of news on the North and the development of the peace process. It later became part of Irish-American news site, Irish Central, and ran daily until 2018. We discuss the founding of Newshound and its growth in the early days of the web; its reception in the media and political spheres; interactions with journalists and users; and the role of a project of its kind as the web developed over the years of its existence.

Check out the graphic summary of UK polling on wiki. A small but clear decline in polling for the Labour Party. But where are this votes going? Reform continues to decline in the summary. The Tories are strengthening a little. The GP a little too. The Liberal Democrats though seem to be seeing a bit of an uptick after a period of clear decline across the last year or two.

Yet it wasn't avoided. Where was the British Government in all this? Its ineptness with regard to the issue - with statement after statement from the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister - appears symptomatic of a Labour that has forgotten or is indifferent to that party's centrality to the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement. Taking refuge behind legalisms demonstrates their complete lack of understanding of the dynamics in play.

BROCHURE 2Download Please click here to go the Left Archive. Many thanks to the person who forwarded this to the Archive. This is the brochure to Marxism, a conference hosted by Rebel. As noted here: Rebel is a socialist website dedicated to challenging establishment politics in Ireland and beyond, and to creating a platform for alternative left-wing viewpoints to be aired.

banjoagbeanjoe suggests: What about a History Books regular thread? Like the Culture one. Fire ahead!

Coverage on RTÉ here, Irish Times here, Guardian here, Independent here, Examiner here.

All examples welcome. From the Sunday Independent today: Given that the public sector pay deal agreed in 2024 expired at the end of June, further rumblings should be expected. An “everybody out” mentality was commonplace once upon a time. Now the prospect of industrial action has fallen out of the headlines somewhat, since the strategy inside government has generally been to keep paying the protection money whenever trade unions sidle up to them and whisper: “Nice country you’ve got here.

I was looking at the upgrade to OS 27.0, that is otherwise known as macOS Golden Gate, and what do I read but the following: macOS 27 Golden Gate with all-new Siri AI powered by Apple Intelligence and new features for a more responsive, delightful experience. Apparently this is followed through on other devices on iOS 27 where the 'official marketing description used by Apple' (I quote) says 'Every little detail makes it all delightful'.

Earlier in the year noted the following: While looking up some information for a post for next week with a particular browser used, was offered the (entirely incorrect) information that it was Joe Costello who had thought of defecting to Democratic Left from the Labour Party in 1992. Not true at all. Now it’s not the end of the world to get that wrong, but if it is getting simple stuff like that wrong one has to wonder what else it’s getting wrong.

An open resource, online, and well worth a read. Updated regularly. At least some of the latest entries will be of interest.

Kudos, if more were needed to KEXP, whose live shows by an incredible range of groups continues to amaze. Saw this group last year, Brownout from Austin (a spin-off from Grupo Fantasma), on it and was deeply impressed by their Latin Funk/Rock/Psychedelic Soul take on Black Sabbath classics. Some have suggested they match or even exceed the originals. True that. …

Some troubling headlines in recent weeks. Here's a sampling. AI could wipe out the human race in a decade, experts warn – here’s why they’re worried; Why the AI race has its creators fearing human extinction; Anthropic warns of bids to use AI to build biological weapons Perhaps less alarmingly than all this are some responses to the likes of the above: …

Speaking of polls. The Independent has this: The majority of people in Ireland want the country’s development aid to be used to reduce migration, a new poll has found. 56pc of those polled for the ‘Ireland in the World — Attitudes to development, global health, defence and neutrality’ want the 0.7pc pledge on aid to be kept to reduce the number of people forced to migrate due to war, poverty or political instability.

So, The Irish Times offers a poll, appropriate timing with the return of the Dáil this last week. The overall shape is not hugely different to recent polls, though there are one or two aspects that are of interest. SF 23% -1 FF 18% -1 FG 17% -1 IND 14% -1 SOC DEMS 8% +1 Aontú 5% +1 Labour 4% NC…

There's been more trouble in the South of England with self-appointed groups of 'patriots' attacking and damaging rescue boats for asylum seekers and 'protesting' against the RNLI. Keep that in mind. The RNLI. Six arrests so far - including ones for assaulting emergency workers. Patriots, eh? The Guardian has an account of this: Hundreds of protesters gathered early on Tuesday evening at Gosport in…

Lcox wrote this in comments which is definitely worth posting up as a post in itself: I started putting together a list of public sector votes for industrial action which was very heartening to see: INTO 99.5% yes (57.5% turnout)INMO 99.2% yesSIPTU 97% yesForsa 96.6% yes (72% turnout)IMO 94%IFUT 92.5% yes (64% turnout)AHCPS 87.9% yes (64.6% turnout)

Earlier during the week mentioned security for politicians. Finally caught up with the RTÉ politics podcast from a week or so ago. Very interesting it was too, not least this: “There have been really serious incidences that have kind of never been reported, that there have been incidents of people going into constituency offices, pouring not petrol, but pouring diesel on the ground and treading to light it.

Straw in the wind here: The introduction of a national identity card moved a step closer following a Government decision to allow individuals voluntarily add their date of birth to their Public Services Card (PSC) if they want to use it as ID. Presenting new legislation in the Dáil on Tuesday, Minister for Social Protection Dara Callearysaid it would allow public service cardholders to use their card “of their own volition and purely on a voluntary basis, as a form of identity”.

It is difficult to overstate the place that the EU holds in the hearts of some British voters, and in particular in the British Labour Party. I get it, Brexit was economically and in so many other ways disastrous - a genuine engine of reaction, and frankly in that latter respect worse than I suspect many of us critical of the process ever imagined.

As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

Good report in the Irish Times on this topic following the attack on Michael Healy-Rae, and the measures taken to protect politicians - democratically elected representatives let us keep in mind - from this phenomenon. There's a bit of agonising on the matter on the IT more generally and some fingers pointed back at the water protests as the original sin.

Not exactly surprisingly: The Green Party has said it is not interested in a merger with the Labour Party after MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin floated the idea of the pair amalgamating. And: “At a time when the current Government is continually rolling back on its environmental and climate commitments, the distinct role the Green Party plays on keeping a focus on nature and the environment in Irish public discussion and political decision making is needed now more than ever.”

Didn't see this one coming. The Green Party and Labour should amalgamate, according to MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. The veteran Labour politician proposed the merger between the two parties during an event organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) on Friday night. According to the most recent Irish Times poll, Labour and the Green Party each enjoy the support of 4 per cent of the electorate.

Had thought last week that the ascent of Labour might be finally coming to an end. It appears that it may, and yet, and yet. The flattening off seen in the last post last week seems to have retained a small uptick. Looking at the poll figures themselves there's a few interesting straws in the wind. The last four polls, conducted between 10-15 September and 16-18 September register poll ratings between 25% and 30%.

To download the above please click on the following link. NILP ICTU 1967Download Please click here to go the Left Archive. This is an unusual document and many thanks to Andy Snoddy for forwarding it to the Archive. A four page publication, dated 1966 - 1967, outlining a Joint Memorandum on Citizen's Rights in Northern Ireland, this was addressed to the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.

gregtimo proposed in comments some while back the idea of a Culture Thread. It’s a great idea. Currently culture is a bit strange, but people read, listen to music, watch television and film and so on – spread the net wide, sports, activities, interests, all relevant – and any pointers are always welcome. And it’s not just those areas but many more. Suggestions as to new or old things, events that might have been missed, literally anything.

All examples welcome. From the Sunday Independent today a column that manages to equate the attack on Michael Healy-Rae with criticism of Ed Sheeran. And then continues: A plethora of single issues has now mutated into an omnicause, which seems to have many tentacles but all of which are attached to a single body. The unifying trait is a refusal to compromise on any matter if doing so risks the purity of one’s political soul.

Always wondered about this supposed illusion and the Guardian handily provides some explanations. A mathematician has uncovered what may be one of the longest-running myths in history after studying optical illusions and the Parthenon, the famed Greek temple that overlooks Athens. Scholars have marvelled at the building on the Acropolis hill for more than 2,000 years and heaped praise on its architects for their clever use of geometry.

Was listening to the Player One gaming podcast which interviewed games journalist Carli Velocci who had some striking thoughts about the current state of play, ahem, in that area. Her take was that the soon to be released Grand Theft Auto VI might represent a high water mark for such games, and that from here on smaller and different games might be the order of the day.

Pansy Division are an American Queercore band founded in 1991, They were Conceived as the first openly gay rock band featuring predominantly gay musicians. In the early 90's Green Day went on their first major tour with Pansy Division as their support act. Given it was America in the early 90's , a number of venues told Green Day their gigs would be cancelled if they didn't throw Pansy Division off the tour and get a different support act.

This is a tough read - an overview in the IT of the riots in Belfast. The fact that these were workers, families, people trying to get on with their lives put out of their houses in a display of racism and xenophobia. At least 88 families made homeless according to official stats, but many more. The reality that there's a 'muscle memory' as one interviewee noted of rioting.

From the Trump mid-term convention, an unusual definition of communism (and socialism). The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, delivered a fiery address setting Republican “common sense” against a “dystopian hellscape” of leftwing ideology. “As we speak, Democrat candidates across the country are openly embracing the radical ideology of democratic socialism,” suggested Trump Jr. “They claim that their socialism is for the people, but that’s the exact same story we’ve heard from every communist in human history.”

From the Journal: A NUMBER OF roads are closed in Dublin city centre between Thursday and Saturday this week due to an event connected to Ireland’s presidency of the European Council. Apparently we play host to EU finance ministers. “Traffic restrictions will be kept to the minimum required and it is intended that any impact on the public will be localised,” a garda spokesperson said.

Some noises being made in that regard according to the media: Speaking to reporters in Leinster House on Wednesday morning, Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said the party would “absolutely” have an interest in speaking to his Aontú counterpart about a voting pact, or asking his voters to consider transferring to Peadar Tóibín’s party. He said the parties had a lot of ideas “along the same lines as ourselves” on many issues, although he claimed Independent Ireland would have had a “way stronger voice” on rural, agriculture and fisheries issues.

Whatever else it is fair to say that self-determination is having a real moment across these islands. As the Irish Times noted: President Catherine Connolly discussed movements towards self-determination in Northern Ireland and Scotland in a meeting with Scottish first minister John Swinney in Edinburgh on Wednesday, commencing her four-day programme of engagements in Scotland. At the meeting at Bute House, the first minister’s official residence, Connolly and Swinney discussed issues of self-determination and independence, strong ties between their two nations, the conflict in the…

Breaking news on RTÉ: Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae is recovering in hospital after he was assaulted in Dublin this afternoon. It is understood he was injured when his car was stopped in traffic in central Dublin. Mr Healy-Rae is currently in St Vincent's University Hospital recovering from his injuries. The Kerry TD was taken from the road by gardaí who were quickly on the scene.

Looking forward to reading or Siobhán Fenton's book Ourselves Alone: Sinn Féin Behind Closed Doors, this review here from someone not unknown to this site is excellent. The book is an account that offers at least some view of the inside track. She also appears to be reasonably fair-minded in her views on SF which is refreshing. Which raises the thought that for all the talk about…

Well now, there was me with a post on this: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wants a closer relationship with the European Union and ⁠is exploring whether his country could become an “associate member” of the bloc, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The EU, which has not been flexible about membership rules in ​the past, is ​open to the idea of granting Canada a yet-to-be-created status of associate membership, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials both from the EU and Canada.

As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

So alleges the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach has accused Sinn Féin of “digging trenches” and “harking back to the 1970s” on the question of a united Ireland, after the intervention by US president Donald Trump sparked a renewed push for a border poll. And: the Taoiseach hit back, saying a lot more work needs to be done on reconciliation, and dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, something he and UK prime minister Andy Burnham would focus on.  

The responses to Trump's words on unity of this island are predictable - albeit that they were uttered by him does generate some cognitive dissonance. But take this: Trump’s comments also proved awkward for Northern Ireland unionists who have supported the president on other topics. “Everyone is allowed a personal opinion even when it’s wrong,” said Ian Paisley Jr, a former Democratic Unionist party MP.

Whatever else the issue of independence from the UK is in the air these days. As evidenced by the meeting of the First Ministers on Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales who met yesterday: The leaders of Sinn Féin, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru in Wales have declared “Westminster’s time is coming to an end” in a joint agreement aimed at putting pressure on Downing Street to hold referendums on independence.