Bobballs

Author's details

Date registered: July 10, 2010

Latest posts

  1. Interview with Jeff Dudgeon… — April 12, 2011
  2. The key to digital engagement is… — February 26, 2011
  3. Cameron on youtube… — February 22, 2011
  4. The Impressionists… — February 19, 2011
  5. Best of the Web… — February 8, 2011

Most commented posts

  1. United Unionist Party? The case against… — 26 comments
  2. Unionist Unity is not Sectarian — 21 comments
  3. Progressive unity, not unionist unity, is the better option… — 19 comments
  4. TUV Platform: Go East! — 15 comments
  5. How to innovate party conferences? — 8 comments

Author's posts listings

Apr
12

Interview with Jeff Dudgeon…

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by bobballs

I recently caught up with Jeff Dudgeon to discuss his candidacy for the Irish Seanad.

Clickthrough for embedded video in the post…

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Feb
22

Cameron on youtube…

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by bobballs

David Cameron will be on youtube’s World View this Friday.

I’d be interested to see how he performs. Questions can be submitted here.

Here’s the Obama interview from last month.

Embedded video inside the post…

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Feb
19

The Impressionists…

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by bobballs

From Jim Fitzpatrick’s Politics Show newsletter this week: PS – Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin got into hot water over an impression of a Chinese speaker that was judged to be in bad taste.  Just as well commentators in the Republic haven’t noticed the impressions of Irish speaking we see each week in the Assembly. What …

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Feb
08

Best of the Web…

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by bobballs

From last Friday’s political review section in the News Letter …

Big issue on the blogs this week? Corporation tax and the general election in the Republic of Ireland. But first to corporation tax…

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Jan
27

The Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead…

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by bobballs

A short post by bobballs rounding up recent controversy over the Sinn Fein president’s wish to resign from the House of Commons.

Whether Gerry Adams likes it or not, he is now ‘Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead‘. Here’s why Gerry is now a servant of the Crown.
Here’s how the news emerged. Here’s the official confirmation which came later.

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Jan
25

Corporation tax – what will they do?

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by bobballs

The issue of corporation tax for Northern Ireland has emerged once more. It looks like this Cabinet is more in favour of the concept than the last one. But how committed are MLAs, asks bobballs.

Owen Paterson is saying again today that the Assembly should take up tax varying powers and settle discussion over Corporation Tax themselves.

Mr Paterson said: “The basic facts are, if we can get this through, and we’ve got to persuade the Treasury and we’ve got to persuade the European Commission, so we have got quite a long way to go on this, but bluntly, we won’t get there if we don’t have enthusiasm from Northern Ireland.”

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Jan
22

Naomi Long’s speech at Alliance conference…

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by bobballs

Panel

Open Unionism was at the Alliance Party conference. Below are some selected pars from Naomi Long’s speech. More in the post.

She said: “Not many would have predicted that a year later I would be standing here at the MP for East Belfast and that David Ford would have taken up the reins at the Department of Justice. I say not many because, if you read David Ford’s speech from last year, you’ll see that he did.”

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Jan
20

Unity by inches…

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by bobballs

Will Unionist unity take place in individual constituencies, or will something more organised arise? asks bobballs.

The above is Sammy Wilson on The Sunday Politics programme. This is the UUP’s interim response to the budget. The parties are bitterly at war, right? But no. The UUP and DUP have come to an understanding in North Belfast. (Sam McBride’s round up is extremely insightful.)

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Jan
18

UUP won’t back NI budget

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by bobballs

The Ulster Unionist Party has confirmed it won’t back the draft budget for Northern Ireland, which was unveiled in December and outlined £4bn in spending cuts.

“Due to the high level of unknown outcomes based on limited information and aspirational claims, the Ulster Unionist Party is unable to endorse the draft Budget proposal,” a spokesman said.

The decision has been condemned as “gross hypocrisy” by Finance Minister Sammy Wilson.

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