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The DUP #TheLads
The two major parties in contemporary Northern Ireland politics are the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin. The DUP are now running England, and Sinn Féin are the main Opposition party in the Republic of Ireland. Neither are in government in Northern Ireland. In terms of introduction to the bizarre world of politics in the […]
Spin Cycle
Spin Cycle, Part 2What Are We Going To Do!?!Before I start there is something I have to explain, which is that ‘Spin Cycle, Part 1’ was written, and recorded for the podcast, on the 22 May, mere hours before the Manchester bombing. Obviously a great deal has happened in the campaign since then. I think […]
The Meaning of Life, Part 2: Ain’t No Power in the ‘Verse
Yes, that’s a reference to Joss Wheddon’s space western Firefly. Under Ireland’s 2009 Defamation Act, “A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €25,000.” Seriously, Dail Eireann, what the fuck? Have you even HEARD of the […]
Left, Right and Centre
Ok, let’s get this left/right political spectrum thing sorted out. Some people believe that the centre ground has shifted, especially since Thatcher, and that is certainly one way of looking at it, but I’m not convinced. You see, the evidence of 2015’s election just doesn’t support that explanation. Labour did not lose because they were […]
Foodbanks aren’t just for Christmas
If you’re a regular reader of Ungagged, you’ll remember that we asked you to donate to your local foodbank during our Activist Advent campaign, and you didn’t let us down: the Trussell Trust received over 13 tonnes of food donations last December. This week, however, Ungagged became aware of a desperate shortage of food at […]
The Meaning of Life, Part 1: Cosmic Perspective
This trilogy is not like the Monty Python version, there will actually be more parts. Lots of folks say we need to abandon American exceptionalism. Some, like my Dear Uncle Napoleon, prattle on about British exceptionalism. Today, rather than taking on either of those two comparitively minor annoyances, I hope to kick the shit out […]
The Hitchhikers’ Guide To The 2017 Local Elections
Since 2013 these ‘Hitchhikers’ electoral guides (for both Scotland and Australia) have become a bit of a tradition on my blog. I’ve now covered two Australian federal elections, a European Parliament election, a Westminster general election (No.2 coming soon), a Scottish Parliament election and of course two very different referenda. This will be the first […]
Judge Tories on their Record
Theresa May is in hiding, too scared to appear in public, refusing televised debates, public appearances or questions from the electorate, asking that we judge her on the Tories record instead. So let’s have a look at that. May has been PM for nine months, and during that time she has consistently insisted she is […]
GE17: The Brexit Distraction
And so Theresa May has made yet another u-turn, calling a snap general election just 7 weeks from now, despite promising not to just 4 weeks ago. There has been much speculation over the timing of her announcement, with many saying she has chosen this moment because she is ahead in the polls, and believes […]