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Piers Morgan Versus Bassem Youssef – The Assault On Gaza
Nov 6, 2023 · original
Two weeks ago the exiled Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef took part in a live online debate with Piers Morgan, the conservative British TV presenter, that ignited something of a firestorm on the internet. Despite the technical limitations of the remotely held discussion, the highly articulate Youssef pretty much eviscerated the talking-points of those defending Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip (and the West Bank), clearly catching Morgan on the backfoot. The latter was much better prepared in a second face-to-meet interview with the former surgeon-turned-comedian, though this time resorting to ever more desperate logic to argue the position of Israel and its Western backers. Both clips are must-watch moments where, in fairness to the ex-newspaper editor and his Piers Morgan Uncensored show, the rarely heard popular Arab view on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is given an airing. Unsur
The Israeli Assault Upon The Gaza Strip
Oct 22, 2023 · original
There are relatively few events that could persuade me to leave my voluntary retirement from the intellectual hard graft of political blogging. However, the appalling events in the state of Israel and whatever territorial scraps are left of the promised state of Palestine make it difficult not to offer at least a couple of observations. Firstly, however momentous the October attacks by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), the military wing of the Islamist party Hamas, may have been they were certainly not unprecedented in the long and bloody history of the Jewish-Arab conflict in the region. Nor was the murderous “invasion” from the besieged Gaza Strip “unprovoked” as much of the Western news media continues to claim – unless one discounts the 200 plus deaths of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli military and paramilitary forces since the start of the year (the latter force includi
Was The IRA Defeated? Or How Did The Troubles End
Jun 20, 2022 · original
Dr Thomas Leahy is a lecturer in British and Irish Politics and Contemporary History at Cardiff University, and the author of The Intelligence War Against the IRA , a carefully sourced study reiterating the view among mainstream historians and analysts that the primary roots of the Irish-British peace process, and the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, lay in the prolonged military stalemate that characterised the latter half of the so-called Troubles in the north of Ireland. In particular, many scholars argue that the slow road to peace – or an absence of war – began with the halting acceptance by the United Kingdom that it could not inflict a decisive military or political defeat on the Republican Movement . Or even, as the second-best option, contain the armed insurrection at an acceptable level of attrition, safeguarding the UK from serious attacks, while creating the space for some form
Stormont Elections: 42% Pro-Union, 41% Pro-Unity, 16% Other
May 11, 2022 · original
A lot of partisan views have been expressed on the results of last week’s regional elections in the north of Ireland. And principally by commentators in the United Kingdom or sympathetic to the UK (including the usual suspects here) attacking and downplaying the vote for Sinn Féin and/or northern nationalist parties in general while defending and hailing the vote for the Democratic Unionist Party and/or unionist parties in general. However, despite all the obfuscation, it is clear that there is more than mere symbolism in the possibility of a member of what was the minority community in the north-east of the country leading its regional government, with SF’s Michelle O’Neill likely to be chosen as the new First Minister. If the DUP agrees. If fact, the electoral landscape of the Six Counties has now divided itself into three somewhat fluid constitutional blocs: pro-union, pro-unity and p
The Big Winner In Afghanistan: The Opium And Heroin Trade
Aug 22, 2021 · original
With the reestablishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in recent days, I thought this would be a useful reminder of one aspect of the wars in Afghanistan, an aspect that has had a far greater and direct impact on the populations and nation-states of the West than any amount of would-be Islamist terrorism. Namely, opium. It was during the 1950s that the production of opium became a significant phenomenon in what was then the Kingdom of Afghanistan, as entrepreneurs and criminals under the Barakzai dynasty worked with their counterparts in neighboring Pakistan to tap into the emerging global narcotics markets By the 1970s the short-lived Republic of Afghanistan was becoming a major player in the supply of opiates to Europe, despite or perhaps because of half-baked economic reforms by the autocratic Daoud regime The Soviet-backed (Democratic) Republic of Afghanistan saw a massive in
The Afghan Withdrawal – The Inevitable Taliban Victory
Aug 20, 2021 · original
I thought I would post this interesting discussion of recent events in Afghanistan published on the American politics’ podcast, The Realignment . Hosted by centre-right journalists Marshall Kosloff and Saagar Enjeti, this episode features a long interview with retired US Army officer Daniel P. Bolger, author of the book Why We Lost: A General’s Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars , a highly critical study of parts of the so-called War on Terror. I say “parts” because some of the writing tends to sanitize or downplay the worse aspects of the US-led campaigns in the Middle East and Asia , while putting an optimistic spin on what might have been achieved if Washington had followed a different path. A path that was, in my opinion, still quite dubious: militarily, politically and – frankly – morally. Not unsurprisingly, then, I have disagreements with some of the interpretations o
Irish Media Conspiracies: From Sinn Féin To Lockdown
Jun 27, 2021 · original
With the shit show that is the by-election in Dublin Bay South still gurgling away, casting the main parties – and some of the main candidates – in a less than flattering light, the reactionary press is getting a wee bit jittery at the prospect of Sinn Féin striking deep into what should be unassailable Establishment territory. How else to explain this McCarthyite analysis from John Lee , the politics editor with the Irish subsection of the British-led Daily Mail group? Winston Churchill said of Sinn Féin’s ideological forebear, Communist Russia, that it was ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’. Sinn Féin are so different from the traditional parties that they are an enigma that is difficult to decipher. There is, perhaps, a code, again to be found by studying Churchill. Sinn Féin is a fanatical, revolutionary movement. So radically different are they from their rivals that t
Jeffrey Donaldson, DUP Leader, Peace Process Rejectionist
Jun 24, 2021 · original
So here we go again. Ten years of successive leaders in the Democratic Unionist Party being hailed by the usual media suspects in Ireland and the United Kingdom as the “moderate” face of the party, politicians that governments in Dublin and London could “do business with”, bar the short-lived tenure of Edwin Poots. It began with Peter Robinson and his, um, profitable alliance with anti-peace process blow-ins from the Ulster Unionist Party, and his outreach to “garden-centre Protestants” and “unicorn Catholics” that never amounted to anything more than the desperate spinning of a few desperate pro-union journalists. Then came the elevation of defector-in-chief Arlene Foster, the supposed F.W. de Klerk of Fermanagh unionism, who surprised no one by being more interested in starving crocodiles and keeping community tensions at fever pitch (while facilitating her colleagues and associates pl
How To Change Back To Classic Editor From Gutenberg Block Editor In WordPress
Jun 24, 2021 · original
If, like me, you’ve been having a bit of a nightmare with the new so-called block editor when writing and publishing posts on your WordPress hosted blog then I have a (possibly short-lived) solution for you. Simply log into your WordPress account in your preferred internet browser, paste the below url or internet address into the browser navigation bar, substitute your blog name for the “yourblog” text and presto, you’re back to the Classic editor rather than the infamous Gutenberg update. https://yourblog.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php?classic-editor I’ve bookmarked the new address in my Firefox browser so you should probably do the same. Given the amount of ill-feeling about the new default editor imposed on its users by WordPress, and the general consensus among blogging and technology experts that the block editor actively impedes long-form writing, I’m surprised that the option
Edwin Poots Turns The Knife On His DUP Rivals
Jun 8, 2021 · original
It seems that Edwin Poots, the new head of the Democratic Unionist Party, is taking no prisoners in his contest with the demoralised followers of the former leader Arlene Foster and her would-be successor Jeffrey Donaldson. The Lagan Valley politician has smacked down any notion of reconciliation with his opponents by kicking them out of ministerial or committee positions at Stormont, elevating hardliners from the traditionalist wing of the party to their posts. By doing so he has completed the long-abiding revenge of the Paisleyite and Free Presbyterian faction in the DUP which saw influence gradually slip from its hands in the second decade of the 2000s, pushed aside by a mutually beneficial coalition led by militant-tuned-apostate Peter Robinson and a tightly knit group of defectors from the rival Ulster Unionist Party. However today’s announcement, as well as sending a message to blo
The UK’s New Tactic With The EU: Threats Of Loyalist Violence
May 17, 2021 · original
As I have noted several times before, when it comes to loyalist violence in the north of Ireland, while British and unionist terrorists may pull the triggers it is British and unionist politicians who point the guns. That same dynamic is being played out again with representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party and the Conservative Party government in the United Kingdom making a concerted effort to undermine the so-called Irish protocol by invoking the spectre of loyalist militancy in the contested region. Both groups are “warning” of civil unrest by the “people of Northern Ireland” – by which they mean the minority of voters who support an uncompromising version of Brexit – in protest at those aspects of the UK trading and customs arrangements with the European Union that protect the Irish-British peace process. And they are issuing these alarms in such a way as to all but incite the
DUP Leader Edwin Poots
May 15, 2021 · original
Following a decade of sympathetic coverage by journalists and commentators pushing the narrative that the Democratic Unionist Party was truly interested in “outreach” to moderate pro-union or constitutionally agnostic voters in the north-east of the country, to most observers it seems that last Friday’s selection of Edwin Poots as the group’s new leader has very much returned it to its hardline politico-religious roots. A Biblical literalist from the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, the evangelical sect that played a major role in the foundation of the party, Poots’ narrow defeat of his more urbane rival Jeffery Donaldson has been presented as a triumph for the organisation’s conservative grassroots . However even the candidacy of Donaldson offered little hope for any real change in the direction of the party given his association with the late Enoch Powell, the Conservative Party exi
The Scottish Parliament’s New Pro-Independence Majority
May 9, 2021 · original
The largest number of votes submitted in an election for the Scottish parliament and the largest tally of support recorded by pro-independence parties in an election for the Scottish parliament, yet this weekend most of the UK press has been leading with editorials and opinion pieces proclaiming that the nationalist movement has no mandate to demand or hold a second independence referendum, echoing the words of the Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem parties. It is extraordinary stuff, reflecting the delusional view of Scotland that exists within the politics of Greater England, whether on the ideological right or left. The fact remains that a narrow majority of Scots voted in favour of groups that have placed a plebiscite on separation from the United Kingdom as the centrepiece of their manifestos. And voters have expressed their support for this policy of separation despite the vociferous
Eoghan Harris Axed By Sunday Independent Over Fake Twitter Account
May 7, 2021 · original
Yesterday’s late breaking news that the controversial right-wing newspaper columnist and so-called “revisionist” author Eoghan Harris has been sacked by his bosses for collaborating with a “group of people” to run a fake Twitter account known as “Barbara J Pym” to promote the political opinions of the aging British apologist clique in the Irish press and academia has shocked a lot of people. For decades Harris seemed to be one of the untouchables of the domestic media , lauded by conservative and reactionary opinion, deplored by liberals and progressives. I long ago described him as a “neo-unionist”, as he himself noted in one of his regular Sunday Independent columns, and I believe it to be a fair summation of his contribution to the intellectual and cultural life of this island nation. The allegation that the social media sock-puppet account he co-founded had been targeting public figu
Scottish Parliament Election 2021. An Unpredictable Vote
May 5, 2021 · original
Later today the people of Scotland will be heading to the polls in what could be the biggest test for the country’s broad independence movement since the failed referendum campaign of 2014. If voters decide not to back the Scottish National Party and other pro-sovereignty groups like the Scottish Green Party and Alba in sufficient numbers it’s possible that the present desire among nearly half or more of the electorate for a Scotland outside of the United Kingdom could go the same way as the once popular demand for a Quebec outside of Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Certainly that’s how the UK media will present such an outcome if there is anything less than a significant separatist majority in the Scottish parliament. So far the polling companies are presenting mixed messages from the electorate , making for no easy predictions in what has been a relatively lackluster campaign
The Rebel Matters Podcast
May 4, 2021 · original
Apologies to all for my prolonged absence. I’m absolutely maxed out in my day job, plus I now find myself in the middle of studying for a diploma in business management while simultaneously starting a new master’s level course in computer system validation (CSV). Since I lobbied the company to sponsor this education I have no one to blame but myself for the unfortunately timed cross-over in subjects. Of course I could never have afforded to pay for this education myself – and the CSV course is just ridonkulous money – so I’m committing all my spare time to making a go of it. Though at least some of the studies align with my existing skills while appealing to my not-so-inner nerd. Talking of which! A big thank you to a regular reader for pointing me in the direction of the Rebel Matters Podcast , a bilingual discussion on all things political and cultural with Ainle Ó Cairealláin and gues
The Truth About China’s Uyghur Genocide
Apr 6, 2021 · original
The YouTube politics’ channel Bad Empanada has published a video examining some of the evidence supporting the charge that the People’s Republic of China is engaged in a massive, years-long project to assimilate – or eradicate – non-ethnic Chinese communities in the sprawling, fossil-fuel rich Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. As always, the channel presents a carefully researched and documented feature that is well worth your time if you have an interest – as you should – in the fate of the diverse population groups being targeted for effective ethnocide by the authorities in Beijing. Given the long historical shadow of cultural and linguistic destruction hanging over this country, where native speakers of the Irish language now number in the low tens of thousands out of an island-wide population of several million, it is an issue that should perhaps concern and outrage our political an
Arlene Foster, Unionists And Forcibly Leaving A United Ireland
Apr 5, 2021 · original
When Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and joint First Minister of Northern Ireland, told a BBC documentary in 2018 that she would “probably have to move” in the event of Irish reunification, the political and media response was relatively muted. The primary reaction was, well, she would say that wouldn’t she? The follow-on reaction concerned the move itself, people speculating on a relocation to south-west Scotland or the north of England in the wake a successful referendum to reunite the country. That initial statement by the Fermanagh politician seemed fairly innocuous, if somewhat dispiriting for those of us who hope that the reintegration of the diverse communities in the Six Counties will further enhance the civic plurality of the Republic. However the DUP leader has gone on to repeat that prediction of forced emigration, most recently in an interview with
DUP Cynically Exploits UDA Gang Violence In Derry And Belfast
Apr 5, 2021 · original
During some of the most difficult days of the nascent Irish-British peace process the late bomb-maker turned peace-maker David Ervine, head of the Progressive Unionist Party and political representative for the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force, expressed the view that during times of constitutional or communal crisis – real or imagined – the leaders of unionism were swift to march their most militant followers to the top of the hill and were just as swift to abandon them there when the times changed again. There is a large element of that familiar refrain playing out in the statements by the Democratic Unionist Party calling for calm after successive nights of loyalist rioting in Derry and parts of Greater Belfast. Though she is nominally the joint First Minister for all the people of “Northern Ireland” the reaction to the violence by the DUP boss Arlene Foster made her identification with
Alex Salmond’s Alba Party
Mar 28, 2021 · original
It’s over a week since I suggested that “…none of us can predict what the suddenly unpredictable Alex Salmond might do next”, and sure to form the embattled ex-leader of the Scottish National Party surprised friend and foe alike last Friday with the launch of his new Alba Party. Or so it seemed to me. In fact, some activists in Scotland were aware of this possibility for the last couple of months, if events at Holyrood failed to remove Nicola Sturgeon and her allies from the leadership of the SNP and usher in the triumphant return of Salmond and his supporters. Now with his own political movement at his back the former First Minister is free to once again contribute to the establishment of an independent Scotland. If the electoral cards fall that way. And, of course, only coincidentally rehabilitate his own personal reputation in the process. The claimed reason for the existence of the A

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