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Monthly Archives: December 2011
Year Of The Dragon……Year Of The Bus Pass
So the year 2012 begins in 24 Hours. This is the last day of 2011. And by common consent, a very bad year. I have attended NINE funerals this year,including two in my extended family and the funeral of James … Continue reading
The British “New Years Honours” Choreography in Norn Iron.
We all know someone who has a MBE or OBE. Occasionally they actually deserve it (with the proviso that I dont like the System at all). Yet there is a choreography. ……certainly at the lowest levels.The Cabinet Office controls the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alliance, DUP, New Years Honours, Norn Iron, SDLP, UUP
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The British “New Years Honours” Explained
Those dull days between Christmas and New Year can be brightened by idle speculation on the New Years Honours List. Twice a year…….on her “official” birthday and New Year the “Queen” awards honours to her subjects. Of course these “honours” … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Honours System, House of Lords, Knighthood, MBE, Monarchy, OBE, Peerage
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Racism And Football. Two Cases.
I am an Anti-Racist. Thats how I am. I like to claim that I was a member of the Anti-Apartheid Movement in the 1970s and 1980s. The reality is that I was only a member for about seven or eight … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Anton Ferdinand, Chelsea FC, football, John Terry, Liverpool FC, Luis Saurez, Manchester United FC, Patrice Evra, Racism
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The Leveson Inquiry…Witnesses Week 5 (Tuesday)
Steve Turner, General Secretary of the British Union of Journalists gives evidence of a bullying culture at News Of The World. Turner blames two factors….falling circulations and a profit based industry leading journalists to take risks. Phoney allegations were made … Continue reading
The Leveson Inquiry…Witnesses Week 5 (Monday)
Stuart Hoare, brother of Sean Hoare (the whistle-blower who told about the dark arts at “The News Of The World”) who died of an overdose some months ago. The brothers often talked about phone hacking. James Hanning, Deputy Editor of … Continue reading
British Comedy Awards 2011…and Armando Iannucci
It was nice to see Armando Iannucci take the Writers Guild Award at the British Comedy Awards this week. Iannucci, a Scot with a Italian father is in fact much more than a writer….as a producer, director and indeed performer … Continue reading
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Tagged Armando Iannucci, BBC, BBC Comedy, Comedy, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Lee Mack, Miranda Hart, Rebecca Front, Rowan Atkinson, Sarah Millican, Steve Coogan
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US Presidential Election 2012…Fux News, Conservatives And Insanity
The default position of 95% of Europeans including myself is that American Republicans are insane….we simply dont speak the same political language. But Obama has disappointed most Europeans and a considerable number of his own American supporters so how is it … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, conservativ, Fox News, Glen Beck, gun control, Mitt Romney, Obama, Republican Party, Shaun Hannity, USA
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The Olympic Spirit? London 2012
I am a big sports fan. In the 1970s I used to travel around Ireland to watch sports events… Football, Hurling, Gaelic Football, Athletics, Boxing, Horse Sport…….it was a break in the routine from life in Belfast. And of course … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Ireland, London, London Olympics, Moscow, Olympic Games, USSR
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The Leveson Inquiry…Witnesses Week 4 (Thursday)
Colin Myler the Editor of The News Of The World when it closed in July 2011 had been brought in as a new broom in the wake of the Goodman-Mulcaire Scandal. Perhaps the most telling phrase he uses is that … Continue reading
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 