Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness

According to Sky Sports . The young striker gave Poland all sorts of problems on Saturday with his strength and skill. It will be a tremendous boost if he is available.

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of ‘The Illusion of Freedom’ , Tom Gallagher’s examination of the minority nationalist administration in Scotland, released later this month. Its author has written previously about links between the SNP and Islamist groups, particularly the Scottish Islamic Foundation, directed by Osama Saeed, a parliamentary candidate for Alex Salmond’s party in Glasgow Central. Picking up on an allusion to the SNP’s connection with radical Islam, below, Alec has pointed me in the direction of this excellent blogpost , which highlights upon some of the funding issues surrounding the SIF. Last month the organisation, which is intimately linked to the nationalist party, was forced to repay £128,000 of public money, granted to it by the Scottish Executive. Alec observes that the SIF, which was formed in 2008, managed to leapfrog pre-existing Muslim cultural and religious bodies in Scotland, in order to claim large injections of taxpayers’ cash. This despite its di...

Northern Ireland produced a battling performance last night and held on for a draw in Chorzow. But Worthington’s men will regard ruefully two moments when Burnley striker, Martin Paterson might have helped clinch victory. I cannot criticise the team which secured an unexpected point, but when the final group standings are assessed in mid October, it might not prove enough. It was frustrating to concede an equaliser just ten minutes before the final whistle, but in all honesty, with Poland camped in our half since the indomitable Lafferty’s 37th minute goal had put Northern Ireland into a shock lead, there was an air of inevitability to what happened. Up until the Rangers’ forward netted, the men in green, in my opinion, had create the better chances. It was ironic that going ahead actually encouraged our players to temper a pressing game which had hitherto proved successful. Davis, who was impressive, out of position, in the first half, was largely anonymous during the second. C...

In order to defend myself from the punch in the gut which football results can deliver, I ritually envelop myself in gloom before a big match. Consequently I should be fully prepared for Northern Ireland’s imminent defeat in Poland tomorrow and the subsequent extinguishing of our World Cup qualifying aspirations at Windsor Park on Wednesday night. Except that I’m not. Really. Somewhere, buried too deep to detect in normal conversation, so deep that I am barely aware of it myself, an ember of hope still glows. Dimly. And when disappointment does come, as it surely must, I will feel it just as deeply as any other supporter. Follow the death of my dream, or the genesis of my bankruptcy , live, on 3000Versts Twitter feed . Tomorrow evening and, live from Windsor Park, on Wednesday night. One more thing. COME ON NORTHERN IRELAND!

Vernon Bogdanor’s survey of ‘The New British Constitution’ observes that most Scots voted for devolution, not because of any profound dissatisfaction with Westminster’s sovereignty, but for largely instrumental reasons. Their calculation was that regional government might allow Scotland to flourish, economically and socially, with representation devoted exclusively to its affairs. It would be foolish not to acknowledge that, ten years later, Scots widely accept that the institutions at Holyrood have been successful in this regard. However, impetus towards wider devolved powers, or indeed eventual independence, is still essentially dependent on instrumental arguments. Although a minority mandate has allowed nationalists to form an executive at Holyrood, their emotional and separatist messages have not gained significant purchase. Instead, Alex Salmond has proved skilful at attuning nationalism’s tactics to voters’ instrumentalist concerns and pursuing his wider aim of independence...

In a recent article , Simon Jenkins wrote about the ‘raucous child’ which inevitably accompanies history, ‘lessons to be learned’. Over the past few days I have been immersed in two separate accounts which attempt to portray this difficult infant, chaperoned by partial histories of terror campaigns. Richard English’s ‘Terrorism: How to Respond’ purports to take an essentialist approach to its topic, but it is a puzzling book, that stresses the importance of the unique context in which each terrorist group operates, yet attempts to apply principles which it derives from Northern Ireland’s experience rather widely. In contrast, ‘Talking to Terrorists’ by Bew, Frampton and Gurruchaga, consciously rejects the notion that a particular template can be exported internationally. Importantly, it contends that the Ulster peace process has in any case been misinterpreted, even as its purported lessons have been cited as a model that can help resolve conflicts elsewhere. English’s short book...

One of the most galling experiences which can befall a Green and White foot soldier is to witness the rest of the Army mobilise, whilst he prepares to stay at home. Such is my fate this weekend, as Northern Ireland fans, including O’Neill , travel to Chorzow in numbers. Poland provides the World Cup opposition on Saturday evening. The military metaphor is well established, but I sincerely hope that supporters, eager only to watch their team and enjoy a fun holiday, see no ‘action’. I’m confident that Polish and British authorities alike, in concert with fans’ groups, have put together sufficient safeguards to ensure that everyone returns home safely and without major incident. Although I will witness this game only on television, it represents merely the first of a triumvirate of crucial matches which face Nigel Worthington and his team. Next Wednesday Northern Ireland takes on group leaders Slovakia, at Windsor Park, in a game which it is vital that we win. Although an improbabl...