North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?
US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty
Anti-Empire >>
Promoting Human Rights in IrelandHuman Rights in Ireland >>
Net Zero Blamed for Blackouts Tue Apr 29, 2025 09:00 | Will Jones
A reliance on Net Zero energy ? solar and wind power ? left Spain and Portugal vulnerable to the mass blackouts engulfing the region, experts have said.
The post Net Zero Blamed for Blackouts appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Why Labour Might Be About to Lose the Runcorn By-Election: Because it Hates its Own Voters Tue Apr 29, 2025 07:00 | Steven Tucker
Reform is favourite to win the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, overturning Labour's 14,700 majority. Why? It might have something to do with having the nation's third-highest number of asylum seekers, says Steven Tucker.
The post Why Labour Might Be About to Lose the Runcorn By-Election: Because it Hates its Own Voters appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Tue Apr 29, 2025 01:09 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Labour to Toughen Up Debanking Laws After Farage Row Mon Apr 28, 2025 19:00 | Will Jones
Labour is tightening the rules around debanking to protect customers in light of Nigel Farage?s high-profile row with NatWest, requiring banks to explain closure decisions in writing and allow them to be challenged.
The post Labour to Toughen Up Debanking Laws After Farage Row appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Glastonbury Urged to Ban Hamas-Supporting Band Kneecap Over ?Kill Your MP? Rant Mon Apr 28, 2025 17:00 | Will Jones
Glastonbury?festival organisers have been urged to cancel a performance by Hamas-supporting Northern Irish rap group Kneecap over a rant in which they urged fans to kill their local MP.
The post Glastonbury Urged to Ban Hamas-Supporting Band Kneecap Over “Kill Your MP” Rant appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en
Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en
The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en
Voltaire Network >>
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2Where readers can appreciate his choice of wallpaper which is a tiled reproduction of a cartoon depicting a man with Frankenstein monster's neck bolt in his neck and a big wooden stake through his heart. The caption over this wallpaper reads "IRA" in little clouds. It really tickles my wonderment that two visual references which are only understandable thanks to seminal 19th century English Feminist (Mary Shelley) and 19th century Irish migrant fiction (Bram Stoker) of the horror genre are the closest this Youtube user appears to get to humour.
But the sublime message is worthy of note. The very same name Captain Johnston, which let's face it is not as familiar to us P O'Neill , & thus needs to be qualified with an address [loyalist west Belfast & shewing us] which somehow engages one less than the Zapatistas' classic ubication - "from the mountains of Chiapas", appears to rant and rant and rant in a way which is sadly bitter.
Almost as if the forces and roots of conflict which brought the IRA back into being in the 1970's and sustained it as a mostly homogenous and unitary armed republican struggle movement until its ceasefire, through its ceasefires, decision to engage in decommissioning and final disbandment - were nothing more than a sacriligous frame of dead body parts assembled by young Dr Frankenstein in his dark sinister castle to be brought to life by the Promethean spark; to then find conscienceness, play the violin, only befriend the blind, seek vengance, stroll the artic wastes & then................ get a tricolour draped open coffin whose wake is adorned by an oak stake befitting the undead.
Oh 'tis all truly 19th century and shockingly ghastly gothic if the cartoons are the only to go by.
http://www.youtube.com/CaptalnWmJohnstonUVF
But they killed one third of all the victims of The Troubles.
We've no number of those who got knee-capped with Black & Deckers instead of sawn-off shotguns.
I really do recommend readers whatever their political take on the national question and the intellectual or moral rigours of the conflict which saw thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands of others minds and esteem shaped to take the time to compare and contrast the UVF/RHC statement and that which officially ended the IRA armed campaign.
& once they've seen the lack of grace in one nor mere mention of honoured dead of the same cloth nor even vaguely class based nod to working class realities - might they just wonder how below it all the same rank still held its significance. The rank of "captain".
Oddly enough it is a very difficult rank to pin down or pin medals upon. As the hero of Roddy Doyle's novel A star called Henry knew to his ironic and cynical chagrin as he recruited and trained volunteers through the early war of Independence cogadh na Saoirse to take on the Black & Tans first and the Auxiliaries later. To win their respect he awarded himself the rank of "captain". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Star_Called_Henry It's an easy rank to award yourself as long as you're hard and sounds so much better than sergeant. Adjutant or Private Craig could never have founded a city. Sean O'Casey would never have made us laugh at a non-commissioned officer or able seamen Paycock.
Oh who were and are these bleedin captains?
Whisht! ye bairns and langers, don't you worry -
it is not the fighting men and women for your flags, independence, sovreignty, loyalty, republic or honour who have the guns now.
for we are at peace & anyone who likes can speak Ulster Scots in a land where no Romanian Gypsy tongue is heard
What damns them in the end is their lack of humour. Hell truly isn't a funny place at all.
Whilst this fan fair by the national & international media circus over the loyalist parmailitary announcement is all well and good, it's nothing to write home about!! The largest loyalist group, the UDA, is still in the act of discussion on disarming their weapons with the IICD. However, not during any of the loyalist paramilitary statements on their "momentus" decision was there an apology, acknowledge or ounce of remorse shown to the near 1,000 sectarian killings they perpetrated upon the Catholic people!! So I suppose thats all well and good then in the name of progress.....