Is it cos Im from West Belfast? (as Ali G might have said).
Slugger O’Toole’s obvious dislike for James Kelly and Mairead Corrigan…couldnt be anything to do with them both being from West Belfast…could it?
No …there would need to be a pattern.
Well…Gerry Adams is from West Belfast.
Does Slugger like Gerry Adams?
Im guessing that they dont.
Mairtin O’ Muilleoir? Hmmm I dont think so.
So is that four from West Belfast they dont like?
Well maybe.
Does Slugger like ME? Im from West Belfast.
I dont think they do. Id be mortified if they do like me.
So could that be a pattern?
Probably the wrong question.
Maybe Quintin Oliver is from West Belfast. Slugger likes him. If only everyone could be like Quintin.
Questions. Questions. The only real answer is…Lima. So they say.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
Tina McKenzie (NI21) is from West Belfast.
Dont tell Slugger.
Or maybe Slugger already knows and is writing off NI21.
Regarding West Belfast, wouldn’t ayou agree…..
TEXT REMOVED
FJH could you clarify why you censored me?
This is a thread about Slugger O’Toole and West Belfast.
You wanted to ask me about the abilities of SINN FEIN MLAS and councillors. Not relevant to the thread.
Basil wasn’t to great on Spotlight last night was he? Arlene was on pulling faces as per usual. Mr Eastwood from the SDLP was quite good but didn’t get as much time to speak as the others. Mr McWilliams from Dublin was okay. Why does Eamonn McCann and his partner get so much airtime on the BBC?
His previous partner also got a lot of airtime.
Mary Holland?
Yes.
To be honest I always regarded McCann as totally over-rated.
I thought basil was okay……..but there was a lack of ideological tension among the panelists. Which is a sign of how much NI has changed.
Because they are in their own way luvvies – rights for everyone, except the unborne, all the boxes but left wing – the face of what would be “normal” left/right politics which must be encouraged with Northern Ireland
Eamonn Mallie tweeted “@BBCSpotlight. ..quality quality discussion driven by presence of G8 summit in Northern Ireland. Outstanding local television broadcasting.”
I think he is getting at the following point: it wasn’t the old politics, they were discussing more interesting things.
NI politicos (and the audience members can be the worst) can be very parochial discussing really boring things .
The day and hour I give a tinkers curse what that gobshite tweets will be the day that Hell freezesover.
Please dont mention him on my blog again.
Arlene Foster seems to be doing very well – she seems to be highly regarded.
Ms F. O’Connor – the highly regarded writer – stated her admiration of Arlene foster on Inside Politics last Friday.
I estimate that she is the lead contender for the DUP and I think it would potentially be very good for unionism and indeed NI.
I have a long list of people you cant mention.
Eamonn Mallie…Arlene Foster.
I’ve just crapped on me stool and boked on the floor.
Was it something I said? 🙂
I thought it was encouraging that the audience in the NI studio were generally mature, and able to discuss world as opposed to parochial issues.
Factual, read that comment you made again.
“I thought it was encouraging that the audience in the NI studio were generally mature, and able to discuss world as opposed to parochial issues.”
No matter how you present that, it is breathtakingly arrogant and patronising. That is my view. If I am wrong please explain why?
I meant it in an encouraging way.
Very often the studio audiences north of the border are focussed on narrow and parochial issues – this road is a “protestant” or a “catholic” road and so forth – and in contrast the Spotlight audience was more outward looking than that, discussing bigger world issues. Hope that clarifies.
Factual,
has it occurred to you that encouragment, as you phrase it, comes across as a slightly patronising and somewhat ridiculous stance from a perspective which has no idea of the realities north of the border?
This is meant for Factual’s post above. If ever we doubted the management of these audiences, the infamous Nolan (sorry for mentioning him Fjh. Glad there are no yellow cards here) Invasion of the Fleggers confirms it.
Listening to the Beeb’s 2 phone in programmes also confirms that reasonable debate is not wanted, with reasonable callers regularly being cut off in their prime to make ways for Billy/Seamy Ranter, much as Fjh says about Slugger.
Well really its the same tactic.
Stephen Nolan can get away with being a man of reason because of Billy and Seamie Ranter.
AndMick gets to show the Guardian that hes a reasonable man because of the crazier commenters(sp).
He doesnt need the likes of me.
I daresay that I wont be getting any Stratagem-sponsored award from Slugger O’Toole
Because I am a very very unreasonable person.
I cant think of any other reason.
Can we do a thread on Holywood?
They wont let the likes of me into Holywood.
They have posters of me up in Sydenham and Bangor West and Under the terms of a court order, I am not actually allowed within two miles of their May Pole.
Quite right too. You may interfere with the Union Jacks flowing throughout the town