Opinion Pieces | Belfast Media

SQUINTER: A video message from Nigel and missives from anti-maskers

KATE Hoey’s great mate Nigel Farage has announced another career change. The sometime City trader, failed MP, absentee MEP, UKIP leader and Brexit champion has been at something of a loose end since the UK left the EU. They say the hand that wields the sword never wears the crown, and while there was never any prospect of Toad moving to anywhere more salubrious than Toad Hall, his slide into oblivion has been surprisingly rapid. His latest job illustrates with tragic and painful accuracy the depth of his predicament. While the other big names in the Leave tent are filling their boots with dodgy Covid contracts for their friends and family and getting seats in the Lords, Nige is making a living sending personal video messages to his his gammon supporters for sixty quid a pop.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: British legacy plan graver threat to peace process than Brexit

ALL victims were cried for with tears that held an equal amount of salt. All victims missed – and were missed on – the best days in their families’ lives: the births, the marriages, the bursting-with-pride days. Every single lost life mattered. We don’t have to agree on our narratives of conflict to recognise that. While those who took lives reconciled those actions in a conflict context, for bereaved families that reconciliation was and remains impossible. That chair is never filled, that grave is always calling out, that photograph is always reminding us. It doesn’t go away, there is no line to be drawn. Since the ceasefires, families bereaved during our conflict have been told that their rights and their loved ones’ lives don’t matter. They knew that when the Good Friday Agreement didn’t pay attention to them.

GERRY ADAMS: Families will never give up on loved ones

ONE after another their faces appeared on my Twitter feed. The very young. The older. Children and young people. Mothers and sisters and daughters. Sons and brothers and fathers. Uncles. Aunts. Grandparents. Many with smiling faces from better times. Birthdays. Weddings. A night out. Black and white and colour images. The faces of victims – the legacy of decades of conflict. The response from Relatives for Justice to the British government’s plan to close down legacy cases, criminal prosecutions, inquests and civil actions was simple in its design but powerful in its effectiveness. #NeverGivingUp was the hashtag. The defiant message of solidarity and of intent to pursue truth from the families was a poignant reminder of lives lost and families bereaved. Norah McCabe; Jack Duffin; Christy Doherty; Julie Livingstone; Peter Gallagher; David McCafferty: Eileen Duffy; Jean Smyth-Campbell; Thomas McErlean; Charlie and Tess Fox; Anthony McDowell; Francis Rowntree; Sheena Campbell; the Ballymurphy Massacre families; the Springhill Massacre families; the Bloody Sunday families, and many, many more.

WE SAY: Legacy move opposition needs US buy-in

AS expected, MLAs voted on Tuesday to oppose the outrageous plan by the British Government to end Troubles-related prosecutions. The debate – called by the SDLP – may have been a formality in terms of the outcome, but it was important that the Assembly place formally on record its opposition to the British binning of prior agreements and its intention unilaterally to impose a solution on the vexed issue of legacy. The vote will not, of course, make a ha’porth of difference to a radical Tory cabal that is determined to sweep aside any opposition to its regressive and anti-democratic agenda – the agenda in this case being wiping the slate clean for ‘Our Boys’.

REV KAREN: Fear not — while you are waiting, He is working

Usually when I take time off over the summer months, I choose a book of the Bible to read through. I love grabbing a large cup of coffee and taking my time to read, study, think, and reflect for my own spiritual nourishment.

ELLY ODHIAMBO: Fruits of Apartheid still being witnessed

SOUTH Africa has been burning over the past week. There is massive youth unemployment in the country, which was under apartheid rule from 1948 to 1994. The former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, was jailed last week for contempt of court in a corruption case.

DÚLRA: Been there, dunnock that in a very busy week

IS there anything prettier on God’s green earth than a baby bird? This one actually flew into Dúlra’s house this week, straight through the open back door and into the kitchen. It settled on a windowsill, looking longingly out into the garden while flapping its wings. Dúlra’s daughter cupped it in her hands and carried it to safety – if ‘safety’ is the right word for that big, bad world out there.

ARTS: Crafty creators steal the show

Launchpad exhibition at Craft NI features four individuals with very different takes on Craft. Clare Skelton has come up with an elegant way of transforming heirloom gold with her jewellery portraits.

MINDFUL MOMENT: Clearing your head with a healthy walk

Within the core teachings of mindfulness we find mindfulness of movement which is illustrated in what we describe as kinhin or mindful walking.

Can anyone say what’s ‘ambient’ music for a taxpaying musician?

IT’S hard to believe how far we’ve come since the cold blues of January 1. While we’re not back yet (Can ANYONE get the Assembly to define ‘ambient’ music for the taxpaying musician? Míle buíochas), scenes at Stendhal in Limavady and test events in the south are visual reminders of the hard-won progress that industry activists and professionals have fought for all year. With the last six months in mind and a positive eye on the horizon, we’re able to have a proper inspection of our creative output this year without a grimace. After all, we’ll be able to SEE some of these people sooner or later. With this in mind, I’ve collected a handy list for the intrepid supporter of local banjo pluckers to peruse, a top 10, if you will, of the best albums released in the year of our Lord 2021 so far. In no particular order, here’s my selection of the crème de la crème...

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Now is the time to speak our own language

AS this summer of remembrance continues the catalogue of conflict anniversaries give us pause to remember. On just one evening last week families in Springhill, the Falls Road and Ardoyne were joined to remember Fr Fitzpatrick, Paddy Butler, Margaret Gargan, John Dougal, David McCafferty, Norah McCabe and Danny Barrett. Adding to the sense of loss was the known truth that not one of these families has received due legal process. All of these families are currently engaged in fighting the myriad of obstacles placed in the way of families affected by British state killings. The killing of a loved one by the British state is accompanied by an experience of violent impunity that adds to the absolute horror and grief.

Campfire convention is rebuilding Irish America, one marshmallow at a time

"Make no little plans," goes the Daniel Burnham quote, "they have no magic to stir men's (or women's) blood and probably themselves will not be realised. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work."

GERRY ADAMS: Hopes for unionist progress going up in flames

THE inherent contradiction of wanting to be in power, while dodging the responsiblity of sharing power with republicans and others on the basis of equality and respect, has proven to be a constant challenge for the DUP since Ian Paisley crossed his particular Rubicon in 2007 and went into the office of OFMDFM with Martin McGuinness. The reality is that there are unionists who believe it’s 1921 not 2021. Equality and respect for the human and civil rights of nationalist and republican citizens and for women continues to be anathema to them.

MIKE TOMLINSON: There goes the planet; a million pallets up in flames is only tip of the iceberg

From ice cores, it is estimated that the earth’s atmosphere consisted of 276 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) when the Battle of the Boyne was fought. The beacons that were lit to guide King William’s forces into Belfast lough in June 1690 made a negligible difference to the prevailing level of greenhouse gases. Can that be said of today’s bonfires?

GRÁINNE NÍ GHILÍN: Ciníochas, fimíneacht agus Euro 2020

Bhí barúil mhaith againne a d’fhan inár suí go mall ag amharc ar na ciceanna pionóis lenar socraíodh cé a chrochfadh leo trófaí Euro 2020 nach scéal an tsacair féin a bheadh i mbéal na n-anailíseoirí is na dtuairimeoirí an maidin dar gcionn. Thuig muid nach scéal na foirne buacaí a bheadh ar an scéal nuachta ba mhó.

Golf: Can past Open champions stop another Rahm-raid?

Soccer: Lawlor to step down as Cliftonville chair as he becomes NIFL’s first Chief Executive

Antrim Senior Hurling Leagues: Rossa remain in the hunt for Division One title

WATCH: Exuberant uni-area crowd dances on bus shelter to celebrate Italian victory

WE SAY: British can’t douse the flame of truth

MINDFUL MOMENT: Going back to grassroots with salt of the earth has brought serenity

ELLY ODHIAMBO: The African affinity with Ireland is multi-faceted

JUDE COLLINS: Understanding the English

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