Is it the anthem that makes the green and white army?

The  Newsletter asked me to pen a few lines on the anthem – Northern ireland soccer team debate.

Every weekend kids across Northern Ireland put on their favourite shirt and dream of playing in Croke Park, Wembley or Windsor Park. In their hearts they are Aaron Hughes, David Beckham and Robbie Keane. They don’t know what politics is and do not play football to make a political point.

Windsor Park the home of local soccer is less then a mile from my home. On the night my youngest son Naoise was born, David Healy scored a goal which will live on forever. His boot put England in second place. I remember the roar drifting across the motorway and through the windows of the Royal Maternity Hospital. It was one of those moments when things seemed to change.

The new North is a different place from the old one which divided Irish football nearly a hundred years ago. Football for all is now the by word of the IFA and huge progress which has been made over the past decade to break down barriers to participation.

The next step must surely be to make the Northern Ireland team and squad capable of commanding the support of all in this region. Adopting a shared song would surely be a good step towards breaking down the obvious barriers which playing God Save the Queen puts up.  

I would love to see an all island soccer team but I would be also happy to go watch a Northern Ireland team which is reflective of this shared region and projecting a positive image about our home on the global stage.

Politics should have no place in football.

It’s not God Save the Queen that makes the Green and White Army famous. It’s the changes that have taken place in the past ten years and the passion the genuine fans have for the beautiful game.

Let’s have a mature and respectful debate about making Football for All the mark of our region on the global stage as it is on the youth pitches every weekend.

No 2012 elite training facilities for NI

I asked the Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure earlier about the lack of any plans to progress elite training facilities in advance of the 2012 Olympics. My question and his reply is at 11:08.

Earth system change needed says Prof Iain Stewart

I was able to sneak in the back at last night’s Belfast Geologists Society Annual Lecture by BBC star and earth science professor, Iain Stewart.

His new series ‘How the Earth Made Us’ starts tonight at 9pm on BBC2. Iain uses the elements, Earth, Wind, Water and Fire to explain the complex and interdepent relationships between each of them and us.  

Complete with the latest clips such as the one above he is always a pleasure to listen to.

But last night there was an additional message. 

Earth science must change and geology must start thinking about the earth as a complex interconnected system. Time for the ice pick to stop cracking open old rocks and start cracking a few heads to meet the challenges presented by climate change, depleting resources and over-population. Iain wants to see social scientists in earth science department building a  greater understanding of the complex relationships between mankind and our planet and he wants earth scientists to play a greater role in political discourse. 

What I heard was a manifesto for change. A call to governments and science to start investing in this complex adaptive system which is our earth and for earth scientists to become part of the debate in an interdisciplinary and new way.

One which can begin to tackle the serious dilemma at the heart of humanity.

Is our future to be built on economic profit or the sustainability of our civilisations?

Edward Carson the Trinity Gael and the removal of Craigavon

Edward Carson hurls again!

The Trinity Gael will be surrounded by ash trees being planted on the estate  mark the 125th anniversary of the GAA’s foundation.

For a generation, the GAA has been dragged into the sometimes torrid politics of the North, yet it is not a political organisation nor does it support any political parties. These trees mark a symbolic acknowledgement that those of us who love our national sport have a place in this region’s seat of government.

But the truth is the Stormont Estate is still largely devoid of any symbols of Gaelic Ireland or of the new North for that matter.

There is a big statue of James Craig halfway up the stairs in the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings. It’s  a big masculine piece but entirely unreflective of where we are today or what the Assembly stands for. Wouldn’t it be lovely to see Craig moved to another place and a new sculpture reflecting 21st century NI erected in it’s place.

If Carson could be a Gael surely the Great Hall can be a truly shared space!

BBC losses bad for Northern Ireland. Time to devolve broadcasting policy?

Barry McCaffrey in the Irish News today reports that the BBC is expected to announce major job cuts to its organisation in Northern Ireland tomorrow.

BBC executives are expected to inform around 700 staff in Belfast and Derry of major job losses in a series of meetings today.

This will be unwelcome news across the North. Local news output has been under huge pressure in recent years with less resources for investigative journalism and current affairs coverage. At a time when politics in our region is moving from the predictable to discourse on serious policy issues, the need for a properly resourced regional broadcaster has never been greater.

But its not just politics. Arts, culture and sport have already suffered from cutbacks. Further reductions will undermine much of the good work which has been done over the past twenty years.

Things are no better in the private sector. UTV is under tremendous pressure and is now running its news and current affairs output on what could only be described as limited resources.

That we continue to maintain a good standard of journalism is a credit to the people who report and make programmes on daily basis.

Maybe it is time to have a serious discussion about devolving broadcasting policy and allow NI as a region take ownership of its own talent and seek to build up a vibrant a sustainable regional press in partnership with public and private sector broadcasters across the island and in Britain.

Peoples War Against Facism 1939-1945

70 years ago on 3 September 1939, the long period of shameful appeasement of Nazism was finally ended and war declared when Germany invaded Poland.

War is never something to ‘celebrate’ but the guys at Philosophy Football are proud to commemorate the People’s War against Fascism 1939-45.

Philosophy Football has brought out a range of T Shirts for those of you like me who like a T! Check them out

Car Free Summer

Its day 89 of my car free summer.

I have done a couple of thousand miles by train - bus and about 600 on the bike since the beginning of June.  Ive probably walked an extra 60 miles also.

Am I missing the privacy pod? No!

Has it been good for me? Well I’ve lost about 5lb and am eating like a king!

They say the car give s you freedom. I have found the opposite. Not having the car has meant I can only do so much in the day. There are some extra thinking minutes which have been wonderful and the opportunity to feel the breeze in my face. That is surely liberating in itself.

So is there a new car on order? Not yet.

I’m going to hold off for another month or so. I may not feel this way when the winter closes in. Lets face it, the gale in the face may not turn out to be refreshing at all.

The bike? Its a specialized Sirrus (A road hybrid) which I got through the ride to work scheme - love it!

The old car? It was an Alfa GT – don’t get me started.

Lance Armstrong rides in Dublin

Lance Armstrong Tweeted the following this morning:

Good morning Dublin. Who wants to ride this afternoon? I do. 5:30 pm @ the roundabout of Fountain Rd and Chesterfield Ave. See you there.

At 5.30pm there were over 3000 cyclists waiting for the legend to arrive. The reports are he has brought the Park to a standstill. That’s the power of social media and proof that Lance Armstrong can ignite online debate. He is what we call in the business a ‘Mega Hub’.

I just wish I could have been there. But I was on my own bike at 5.45pm navigating the streets of the Northern Capital instead. Ride on!

The car free summer

The car free summer is going well.

I’m on the train to Dublin this morning and the bike is safe and sound in the bike rack at Belfast Central.

The weather has been my biggest problem. It is difficult to turn up at a meeting dripping in traffic spray from our latest Irish summer downpour but the bus, train and occasional taxi has saved my colleagues and clients from the drowned dog look.

So what now that the evenings are closing in and the rain is becoming more, eh – seasonal?

I’m going stick at it. I’ll stay on the bike until its not practical and see how the public transport experience feels on dark mornings. Worst case scenario - I buy  a small very low emmissions car for running about; best that I am able to enjoy the freedom to roam and ride at my leisure.

Lance Armstrong arrives tomorrow.

I’m just waiting for the tweet saying he will be riding out in Dublin. For once my Specialized Hybrid will be the coolest form of transport on this island!

Dublin v Kerry 2009

So here we go again.

Like Guinness and oysters, bacon and cabbage and a Big Mac and fries, no matter what your class or creed, no Irish summer is complete without Dublin and Kerry.

Its come all to early for many of us. There are still eight teams battling for Sam and by Monday next, one of the finest will be gone.

Am I confident?

Ehhhh…….

Yeah, No.

Five time Leinster champs v a team which has been dogged by problems all summer. Never mind their league win I have to keep telling myself, or the fact that this lion only ever shakes his chains when August comes. Can we do it? Yes we can!

So here goes the scramble for tickets and my prediction.

More people will be at Croker to see this show down then at all the other quarter finals put together.