Andy Pollak has left his job at the Cross-Border Thing That Does Stuff (C-BTTDS) a leading letsgetalongerist thing, much loved on Slugger O’Toole.
In his farewell address to the nation(s) published on Slugger, he expresss the view that he and his colleagues are “prophets without honour” in their own land.
That seems a bit over the top.
True…the enduring legacy of C-BTTDS will be that nobody actually gives a tinkers curse about the work that they apparently do.
But singling out Academics seems a bit harsh.
Mr Pollak seems surprised that conflict resolutionists from around the world are more interested in the work of the C-BTTDS than local conflict resolutionists.
As Irelands leading Conflict Resolutionist…I FitzjamesHorse …can express some understanding if not exactly sympathy.
A few months ago, I travelled to Texas to talk about Conflict Resolution to post-grad students.
I did not mind at all. In fact I loved it. I will be back in 2015.
As it happens I was in Armagh today..albeit only the bus station en route home from Newry but if Andy Pollak had asked me to call in to Abbey Street and give him the ninety minute long version of the Texas lecture….I wouldnt have been arsed.
Thats the way of things.
To me…a leading Conflict Resolutionist…Texas is more exotic than Armagh.
To a Texan, Armagh might be more exotic.
Anyway…I will miss Andy Pollak on Slugger O’Toole.
His newsletter was a monthly reminder of how little I have done for Peace & Reconciliation.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
Andy Pollax once wrote an article for the Irish Times in which he …..
TEXT REMOVED JUST IN CASE.
BUT I LOVE IT.
I have been trying to think of the period in which he wrote the article. It was probably back in the eighties.
Why would a nationalist be opposed to cross-border anything?
We tend not to like the border.
And we tend to dislike anything that suggests that the Sovreign State of Ireland is somehow equal to the putrid non-existent Norn Iron.
And we dont like Spoofers.
You might not like it, but it’s quite clear that it exists. It might be fun to put your fingers in your ears until you get your way, but perhaps a better idea would be to try and stop the grow cultural seperation of the two parts of Ireland and instead, encourage the closer integration of Catholics and Protestants and Northerners and Southerners in an all-Ireland framework (through bodies such as this one) so that the very idea of the border will be seen as ludicrous and people, Catholic and Protestant will gladly wipe it off the map, without the need for violence.
Is this a victory for the anti letsgetalongerist party?
In fairness, Andy meant well
Its meaningless.
Neither a vicory or defeat.
FitzJamesHorse = Angry Frank: “But if he….”
I didnt get that far…but Im sure its hilarious.
Was the reason the holidays? Or news values?
I hate to remind you that youd be happy to explain.
“You don’t want suffer slings and arrows, if you’ve got slings and arrows coming at you you want to get out of the way pretty sharpish… and hide behind a nice rockery or an ornamental shrub…”
Whats wrong with you these days Mick?
Somebody rattle your cage?
I can speak non sequitur with the best of them… 😉 It would help for context if you’d leave the video link in…
Aye…youre probably right.
It would have been helpful.
Cross border bodies are a key part of the GFA and allow North and South to harmonise on key areas of policy.
arguably.
but that hardly applies in this case, does it?
A lot of nationalists don’t really appreciate the work that the NSIB (North South Implementation Bodies) do. For instance when a nationalist takes a barge holiday, for workers in Waterways Ireland are coordinating the canal system. Just a small example.
Undoubtedly true…and if Andy Pollack was towing a barge on the Erne-Shannon Waterway, I would fully support him.
Cross-border bodies. More than 10 years ago, Eoghan Harris, in his column in the Sunday Times, said it all and said it well when he explained to Prods “The All-Ireland Institutions are a cosmetic arrangement to disguise a sell-out (oops settlement).”
Eoghan Harris has said a lot of things.
None of them consistent. 😉
He is a bad egg but he is clever.
Does anyone know is Andy Pollak a nationalist?
I dont know. In itself it doesnt matter.
But there is this mysterious “third identity” that people talk about.