William Murphy [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)] There was an unprecedented reaction when Julian Smith was replaced as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by Brandon Lewis. On social media in particular, it seemed like the entire province was gnashing its teeth and rending its garments. But, what did the outgoing minister really achieve? He got the Assembly back up and running, partly because Sinn Fein and the DUP were desperate to avoid an election and partly thanks to some trickery during negotiations. During those talks, he comprehensively trashed the three-stranded approach, that prevents the Republic of Ireland government from interfering in Northern Ireland's affairs. There are already signs that the new power-sharing Executive is wobbling. The parties are unhappy with funding, as ever, and there's little reason to believe they're ready to take a fresh, responsible attitude to the public finances. So far, there have been plent...
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I enjoyed the episodes but sometimes felt that while the dialogue was always polite it was sometimes a bit too non-confrontational. The episode with Chris Donnolly and Burke's Corner guy was a perfect example. While civility should be observed the give and take of a good debate is what makes alot of blogs worth reading.
Though I am the first to admit that I love being able to fact check before making an argument as it keeps me from putting my foot in my mouth too often. Which is also another plus for blogs over a talk show format.