The prominent Norn Iron Political Message Board/Blog site…..Slugger O’Toole……celebrated ten years online last week and I wish to add my congratulations.
I first contributed to Slugger O’Toole about seven years ago….for maybe two years…using about three “names”….not because I was a “sock puppet” but because of my inability to remember my passwords. Since January 2010, I have been a regular.
Slugger O’Toole is of course a partner….but I am told only on occasions…of Stratagem, the lobbying company. Stratagem is of course advisor to the nice Rowntree people who have generously donated £98,000 (since 2007) to the Alliance Party.
Does Slugger have an agenda? It would claim not although it does not have the transparency it seeks in others. The core team have actually their own agenda and weaken Slugger credibility as a consequence. Sinn Féin and DUP tend to ignore Slugger ………and increasingly the SDLP ignore it. The consequence has been a kinda “group think” (to use the over-used “new” word) where there is a kinda vague “lets get alongerism” …where “good” things are believed to include integrated education, the Norn Iron Football team, the Alliance Party, importing mainland politics, using new media and dealing with the past . “Bad” things are believed to include Religion (especially Catholicism), the nation of Ireland, big walls dividing the population, an inclusive Executive, anything that isnt the BBC.
While the core team, excluding the excellent Mick Fealty are the weakness in Slugger O’Toole..the strength is a motley coalition of commenters (sic) who act as a kinda opposition to the “group think/agenda”. Much is made of the “play the ball, not the man” rule but refereeing seems to be more often Graham Poll than Pierluigi Collina. Or rather like a junior League rugby scrum….the weak are over-protected.
At its best….the Norn Iron Water Story…….Slugger is actually very good. At its worst……the sectarian rants of some commenters……Slugger is awful.
I tend to think of it as akin to the satirical magazine Private Eye. It is a kinda house magazine of local journalists. The eccentric “Space” threads are scacely relevant to anything unless a meteorite is going to hit and there is too much deference to fellow journalists. Well only some journalists of course.
Personal highlight for me was when prominent Alliance members outed me as a “failed SDLP politician from North Belfast” and became convinced I was Brian Feeney. I enjoyed this even more when a prominent journalist addressed me directly as “Brian”. I also took a lot of pleasure getting a mis-directed email from one of the Slugger team “who is this bastard Fitzjames Horse?”
Low point? Easy…….Slugger did not acknowledge the death of 100 year old James Kelly who had been a journalist for over eighty years. I declare an interest. James Kelly was a friend of my father. Why was he shamefully ignored on Slugger O’Toole? Possibly Jimmy was not in really part of the wider freemasonry of journalism.
But in all…….Slugger adds to the pleasure of living in this God-forsaken place.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
Fair and balanced (NOT) as always when you write about Slugger O’Toole. Tell us who called you a bastard. LOL.
You might be interested in knowing that Sluggers Space Correspondent has SDLP credentials.
But you hit a few nails on the head but Sluggers top referee has more hair than Sgr Collina.
Yes Ive known of the Space Correspondents/Wind Up Merchants SDLP connexions for a long time. In fairness its a family connexion rather than his own (so far as I am aware). I have only ever seen him once but not really the kinda person Id actually like to meet.
But why do you contribute to a site you dont really like? Or why dont you post the stuff you post here about it on Slugger. Would it not be more effective there?
I suppose……habit.
There is a platform provided and Im not really an abstentionist.
But contributing to Slugger O’Toole does actually give it a degree of credibility it doesnt deserve. But its…fun. I have never got a yellow card there but one comment in support of a another comment critical of that cross border crap of Andy Pollak was deleted rather tetchily (and to be honest that amused me). Theres always an element of wondering how far I can go. Getting to the line without crossing it.
Clearly some recent posts like Micks “Belfast supporters of FAI” (the man just cant bring himself to say Ireland or Republic of Ireland) are coat trailing on a Willie Frazer scale. And really unworthy of Slugger. And possibly a point has been reached where I cant be (a) a regular contributor or (b) contribute at all.
I would not be missed. I am a mere individual. And better placed to oppose their agenda/group think from within rather than outside.
I really dont know. They would love to be rid of me. So I dont know if feeding trolls there is actually more of a pleasure or chore.
It would be ironic to leave Slugger over an issue as trivila as Micks anti-Ireland football thing. The only time I have ever been truly angry at anything about Slugger was in relation to James Kelly.
I suppose the two together……Irish Football and James Kelly says all that needs to be said about that particular website.
It seems to be struggling a little under the weight of its (perceived) glorious past. But really we are more than ten years on from the Baghdad Blogger.
In fact I read somewhere that Slugger O’Toole was original meant to be the voice of a bar-room philosopher. Increasingly its the voice of a golf-club bore.