In previous articles in this series I sketched the personality of Sir Basil Thomson, who was head of Scotland Yard in 1916 and the main interrogator of Roger Casement. He was a man of remarkably wide professional experience and much intellectual curiosity. He was also a gifted writer. Intellectually, Thomson was committed to defending the global power … Continue reading Basil Thomson And Maundy Gregory
The killing of Hind Rajab
From Irish Daily Mail. Dear Editor, The killing of Hind Rajab and far too many other children A recent UN report found that more than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025. This figure does not include those buried under rubble, and deaths caused by hunger, diseases, and … Continue reading The killing of Hind Rajab
They rewarded disruption over need—giving to those who shout the loudest!
ORGANISED LABOUR (Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions) THE rules have changed; it is now clear that public spending is based on noise rather than need (Irish Mail on Sunday, 19.4.2026). The past two weeks have felt seismic. With a 20% jump in fuel prices as a result of conflict in … Continue reading They rewarded disruption over need—giving to those who shout the loudest!
The British Way Of Revisionism
LABOUR COMMENT RTE has become a training ground for the British broadcasting system. Fergal Keane MBE and Orla Guerin are the successful Irish broadcasters because they have become British broadcasters. Some time ago, Keane MBE was given a series of personal programmes on Radio 4 in which he regaled the British public with the awfulness … Continue reading The British Way Of Revisionism
The Power And The Gory!
Britain came close to governing the world in 1918, when Ireland decided to part company with it. Britain's only rational purpose in making war on the German, Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires and destroying them was to establish itself in World dominance. For a moment in 1918/19 it thought it had done so. Winston Churchill was … Continue reading The Power And The Gory!
DEMOCRACY
PUBLIC MEETNG on DEMOCRACY by Brendan Clifford Upstairs room, ICTU premises,45-47 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2FG(beside John Hewitt Bar).Friday, 22 MAY 2026, 7pmFor Zoom link email: lane.jack@gmail.com
Israel, Türkiye And Cyprus
The Cyprus dispute goes back to the early 1960s, when the Greek Cypriots started to gradually erode the constitutional rights of the Turkish community on the Island. There were a series of pogroms and massacres of the Turkish population. The fascist coup in Cyprus, aimed at annexation of the island by Greece, led to Turkish military intervention in 1974, … Continue reading Israel, Türkiye And Cyprus
The Strait Of Hormuz In Law
Letter to the Editor The sea in the Strait is claimed as the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. The following is from Wikipedia (see below) and it explains the current situation and how it evolved from the 1970s. Iran in 1982 adopted the policy that only shipping related to those States which had signed … Continue reading The Strait Of Hormuz In Law
Salonika Migrations
The following description of the Greek city of Salonika featured in a novel by Philip Kerr: Greeks Bearing Gifts (2018, paperback edn. pp161-3). It is notable for its description of Jewish migrations. Many Jews fled the Ottoman Empire after being implicated in separatist revolts—stirred up by Britain and its allies during World War One—with … Continue reading Salonika Migrations
The Geopolitics Of Casement
Review:The Crime Against Europe with The Crime Against Ireland, by Roger Casement, Athol Books, 2003 This book, when it came out in 2003, was the first time Roger Casement’s work had been published for almost 50 years. Brendan Clifford in his introduction refers to an academic book which states that: “The origins of the modern … Continue reading The Geopolitics Of Casement