Slugger O'Toole
55 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -Slugger O’Toole is an award winning news and opinion portal, which takes a critical look at various strands of political politics in Ireland and Britain.
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Episodes
Slugger Podcast looks at the State of the State Report
February 05, 2024 18:13 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBDavid McCann talks with Ed Roddis and Marie Doyle from Deloitte about the 2024 State of the State Report in Northern Ireland.
Breaking Boundaries: Looking ahead to #GE24
October 17, 2023 11:16 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBDavid McCann and Peter Donaghy look at how the proposed new constituency boundaries could impact the next election results in Northern Ireland
The Crisis in the GP service
November 30, 2022 20:07 - 1 hour - 71.5 MBIn this episode, we discuss the crisis in the GP service in Northern Ireland. What are the issues, and more importantly, what do we need to do to address the problems? Your host is Brian O'Neill, and his guests are: Dr. Michael McKenna - A Belfast GP Prof. Ciaran O'Neill - A Economist from Queen's University Belfast Michael Donnelly - a facilitator with Future Search who works on helping groups address complex problems in society
What is behind the University Strike Action? With Professor Dominic Bryan
November 25, 2022 08:06 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBIn this episode, Brian O'Neill talks to Professor Dominic Bryan from Queen's University Belfast about the reasons for the University Strike Action. We also talk about the increasing commercialisation of education. You can follow Dominic on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Domsball
Greg Keeffe on How the pandemic is changing how we live
December 24, 2021 11:17 - 58 minutes - 53.1 MBGreg Keeffe is an academic and urban designer with over 30 years experience in sustainability, energy use and its impact on the design of built form and urban space. He is Professor of Sustainable Architecture and Director of Research at Queens University School of Architecture, Belfast, UK. In this episode, we discuss how the pandemic is changing on we live, work and play. We discuss trends like work from home, as well as how this affects the future of our towns and cities.
Slugger Podcast talks about the State of the State
December 07, 2021 15:00 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBIn this episode of the Slugger podcast we speak with Ed Roddis, Head of Public Sector Research and Marie Doyle, Director at Deloitte about the latest State of the State Report. We chatted about attitudes toward the health service, the protocol and confidence in the Executive.
Politics Plus: US Lessons for Northern Ireland in democracy
November 13, 2020 10:40 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBHere's our wrap up session with Ruarai and Shane reflecting on the lessons that might be drawn from the US elections for politicians and political parties in Northern Ireland, particularly in the more down-ballot races where money was tighter. Why did the Democrats underperform? Ruarai highlights a split between moderates blaming poor messaging for lost seats (Shane gives the example of 'defund the police' which went ricocheting all over), left says bottom-up campaigning was inconsistent. ...
#TheReset Podcast: "Why can't government do things (anymore)"?
October 28, 2020 13:19 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBEd Straw has been in and around government and state led projects for a large part of his later working life. He has also been involved with the UK Labour Party using his trained engineer's eye to look at how things work. His new book throws new light on the problem of poor "government agency". Governments are hooked on a systematic approach which assumes society remains as simple as it once was. This results in what Ed calls the 'end stage fallacy': ie, the naive assumption that government...
NI's opportunity lies in attracting new people as well as new jobs
October 21, 2020 05:57 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBToday Mick spoke with his old friend and Lagan College alumnus Shane Greer, who now owns and publishes Campaigns and Elections Magazine and lives and works in Washington DC about whether in order for Northern Ireland to get a good reset we need to think more globally, not to mention bigly. The main impetus for the start of the discussion was his recent Reset essay on what he sees as a live opportunity to exploit the new home working arrangements rapidly being put in place bring well-heeled ...
Siobhan O'Neill on the need to develop "pack leaders" at every level of society in our responses to Covid 19...
October 14, 2020 14:24 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBNow today's Cargo of Bricks with Siobhan O'Neill, Northern Ireland's mental health champion was recorded before this morning's announcement of a four-week circuit breaker lockdown, which in fact is some way short of the sort of near-total lockdown we had in Spring. But in it, we cover what we have learned so far and what are the issues that come with facing the uncertainty of a second wave and trying to balance a number of factors external to the core concern of slowing down the spread of t...
Covid has unleashed a vast global economic experiment
October 07, 2020 16:34 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBIn today's Cargo of Bricks, we take our first look at how the southern economy is coping with the shocks to the labour market in particular. With my guest Dan O'Brien, chief economist at the IIEA in Dublin we cover... It is absolutely impossible to read too far into the success or failure of what amounts to 'the biggest social policy or political experiment in decades'. Government is able to hold to it's massive intervention in the labour market for now, but in 6 to 9 months it could get 'h...
Strategic response to economic crisis facing those leaving education needed
September 30, 2020 06:54 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBOne of the key reasons for having the Reset project in a space like Slugger is to look behind the headlines and try to assay the effects of the Covid emergency, not just in health, but in other key areas of life. As we prepare for a second wave, the effects on those leaving education are acute. So this week I spoke to Professor of Education Tony Gallagher, to get his take on what that means in practice... In it we cover... After 2008 young people who left education in the year of the c...
Steve Bradley on the future of Derry - #TheReset
September 20, 2020 07:55 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBSteve Bradley is a regeneration consultant, you can follow him on Twitter. Steve is a very popular writer on Slugger with some of his posts getting over 40k readers, you can view an archive of his posts here. In this podcast, we discuss the future of Derry and the Northwest. In particular, we discuss: The future of Ulster University in Derry or lack thereof The potential for an independent University How Covid-19 will affect Derry, in particular, fewer people having to commute to Belfast...
What does Jürgen Klopp have to do with democratic renewal? #CargoOfBricks
September 16, 2020 05:58 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBDo we need a re-set in our democratic culture? We often tie ourselves in knots thinking that Northern Ireland is an exception to the rest of the world, but this week's guest on #CargoOfBricks Richard Wilson's experience is much broader and he thinks politicians are falling far short of current needs. In it we cover... Our Victorian ideas of how representative democracy works are being outrun by a connected electorate which is losing its patience with politicians who don't know how to liste...
Fluidity of technological change means cultural industries should be more central than ever
September 09, 2020 05:56 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBIn today's Cargo of Bricks, I speak to Ali FitzGibbon and discover how the long slow and steady bottom-up development of Northern Ireland's cultural industries over the last thirty years provided the backbone for the recent big payoffs from TV and film, but which has yet to see any peace dividend... In it we cover... The Covid lockdown's withdrawal of vast numbers of people from the workforce has shown just how crucial culture and the arts are to us. But the pipeline behind NetFlix, the BB...
Richard Ramsey, Chief Economist, Ulster Bank on #TheReset Project
September 02, 2020 05:58 - 25 minutes - 23 MBSeries two, episode 1 opens with an introduction to #TheReset, a joint project between Slugger O'Toole and Ulster Bank. And after a brief break after the first series of the Cargo Of Bricks, we start the second series in partnership with Ulster Bank and a brief introduction from Richard Ramsey to the Reset Project, where we find ourselves viz a viz the Covid crisis, and how you might get involved in #TheReset. In it he covers... How politicians need to take heart from their ability to wor...
#InConversation Podcast with Professor David Rooney from Queen’s about renewable energy and electric cars
August 29, 2020 08:32 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBDavid Rooney is a Professor in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen's University Belfast. In this podcast, we chat about improvements in battery technology and how this will affect the growth of electric cars. We also discuss Hydrogen as a fuel source for transport. Already nearly 50% of the electricity generated in Northern Ireland comes from renewable sources and this figure will continue to rise. We discuss new ways of generating electric such as anaerobic digestio...
#InConversation with Tim Attwood on the life and legacy of John Hume
August 22, 2020 07:58 - 50 minutes - 46 MBTim Attwood was an SDLP councillor and party worker who knew John Hume well. In this podcast we discuss the life of John Hume and his legacy.
Brian O’Neill talks with Greg Keefe from Queen’s about rebuilding our cities and societies after Covid-19.
August 15, 2020 06:25 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBGreg Keeffe is Head of the School of Natural and Built Environment. He is an academic and urban designer with 25 years experience. In this podcast we chat over a wide range of topics: Pandemics affect city design, desire lines, how industrialisation compartmentalised life, people who enjoy their jobs like working from home, the importance of boredom, over protected kids, why cars kill cities, driverless cars, the future of the office and much more...
#InConversation - Brian O’Neill talks with Michael McCoy. From the Ormeau Road to Tokyo and other tales...
August 08, 2020 13:40 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBOriginally from the Ormeau Road in Belfast, Michael McCoy has lived in Japan for the past 30 years where he works as an executive coach. In this conversation we discuss growing up in Belfast in the 1970's as well as getting his take on Brexit and what we need to do to stimulate the local economy.
Cargo of Bricks 10: Social science can help NI politicians catch up with where the people already are and want to be...
July 29, 2020 05:58 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBRosa Luxemburg once observed that without all the components of democracy (elections, unrestricted free press and assembly, and free struggle of opinion), "public life gradually falls asleep, and a few dozen party leaders of inexhaustible energy direct and rule". In Northern Ireland we certainly have elections (three of them last year alone). But after twenty years plus of on/off institutions politics there's a growing gap between the people and the political machines which appoint them to l...
#CargoOfBricks 10: Social science can help NI politicians catch up with where the people already are and want to be...
July 29, 2020 05:58 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBRosa Luxemburg once observed that without all the components of democracy (elections, unrestricted free press and assembly, and free struggle of opinion), "public life gradually falls asleep, and a few dozen party leaders of inexhaustible energy direct and rule". In Northern Ireland we certainly have elections (three of them last year alone). But after twenty years plus of on/off institutions politics there's a growing gap between the people and the political machines which appoint them to ...
#InConversation - Brian O’Neill talks with Dr David Suitor about dentistry generally and the challenges of Covid-19.
July 25, 2020 07:40 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBOpen wide, this week I chat with Dr David Suitor who has been a dentist in Belfast for over 17 years. We chat about the general state of dentistry in Nothern Ireland as well as the specific challenges of Covid-19.
#CargoOfBricks 9: From library assistant in Belfast to Smash Hits boss in four years...
July 22, 2020 05:58 - 35 minutes - 32.8 MBThis week's guest, Barry McIlheney, grew up in Oldpark in North Belfast and became singer (or as he puts it, 'chief shouter in front') in a punk band with a bunch of school mates (including Davy McClarnon who's still about today) called Shock Treatment. For Barry Mac, as he is known these days, punk was a 'coming-out' more than 'shell shock' period, in which he learned he had a talent for writing and entertaining through the sheer exuberance and the torching of any notion of the right way o...
#SluggerTV - Campaign to Extend the Franchise for the Irish Presidency
July 20, 2020 09:25 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBSlugger's deputy editor David McCann discusses the campaign to extend the franchise for the Irish Presidency with Naomi O'Leary (Europe correspondent for The Irish Times and host of The Irish Passport Podcast) and Ben Kelly (from the Votes for Irish Citizens Abroad (VICA) campaign). Remotely recorded and edited by Alan Meban (@alaninbelfast).
#InConversation Brian O’Neill talks with Dr John Moriarty from Queen’s about changes to work patterns during Covid-19.
July 17, 2020 12:21 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBJohn is a fellow in the Centre for evidence and social innovation and a sociology lecturer School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queens University Belfast In the podcast we chat about the changes to the workplace from Covid 19.
#CargoOfBricks 8: Lockdown London and getting kettled outside Downing Street
July 15, 2020 05:58 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBEpisode Eight of #CargoOfBricks is with Dublin born, London based historian, a public commentator on both Irish and British politics and prolific crime writer Ruth Dudley Edwards. Initially a lockdown sceptic, I was curious to hear how she had managed what was probably the oddest period of disruption in our post-war lives, and how life changed for her. In the free-flowing conversation which follows she talks about... Although, she began defiantly anti lockdown, 'when the orders came' she q...
#CargoOfBricks 7: Cooperation, looking outwards and maximising Northern Ireland's advantage...
July 08, 2020 05:57 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBEpisode Seven of #CargoOfBricks, is with Willie McCarter a man who brought Fruit of the Loom in from the US to expand his family business at a time when the Troubles were at their height and brought skilled jobs to both sides of the border. In it Willie tells us: In the early 80s, with high-interest rates as governments tried to get inflation under control, the business was getting crushed on cost and prices. With IDA support, they looked for a joint venture with a US company "with deep po...
#CargoOfBricks: Cooperation, looking outwards and maximising Northern Ireland's advantage...
July 08, 2020 05:57 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBEpisode Seven of #CargoOfBricks ( https://sluggerotoole.com/tag/cargo-of-bricks/ ) , is with Willie McCarter a man who brought Fruit of the Loom in from the US to expand his family business at a time when the Troubles were at their height and brought skilled jobs to both sides of the border. In it Willie tells us: * In the early 80s, with high-interest rates as governments tried to get inflation under control, the business was getting crushed on cost and prices. With IDA support, they looke...
#InConversation Podcast - Brian O’Neill talks with Adam Turkington from Seedhead Arts about the arts sector in Northern Ireland.
July 03, 2020 10:49 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBIn this podcast, I chat with Adam Turkington. Adam is a veteran of the arts scene who is best known as the Director of Culture Night in Belfast. He has since moved on to start his own company Seedhead Arts. We bounce around from Culture Night to the 12th, from Universal Basic Income to 20 sided dice.
#Angrynomics: Governments can close the wealth gap and save the planet
July 01, 2020 05:58 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBIn *Episode Six* of #CargoOfBricks ( https://sluggerotoole.com/tag/cargo-of-bricks/ ) , Mick speaks to Eric Lonergan ( https://twitter.com/ericlonners ) who, with Mark Blyth ( https://twitter.com/MkBlyth ) , in #Angrynomics ( https://amzn.to/3gczU8r ) critiques how populism exploits the vacuum between democratic politics and unregulated markets, and those markets and the real economy: * At the crux of the book, anger is one of the most powerful agencies within politics just now. It takes two...
#Cargo Of Bricks 6: Closing the wealth gap to save the planet
July 01, 2020 05:58 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBIn Episode Six of #CargoOfBricks, Mick speaks to Eric Lonergan who, with Mark Blyth, in #Angrynomics critiques how populism exploits the vacuum between democratic politics and unregulated markets, and those markets and the real economy: At the crux of the book, anger is one of the most powerful agencies within politics just now. It takes two forms: moral anger as in the witness of injustice and an improving agent within society and the second which acts as a tribal identity regulator. As m...
#CargoOfBricks After Covid's sledgehammer, can Northern Ireland's politicians continue to lead in other areas of policy?
June 24, 2020 09:18 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBIn episode five of Cargo of Bricks podcast, I spoke to Tina McKenzie who is the current chair of the FSB in Northern Ireland as well as CEO of Grafton Recruiting and honorary consul to Finland about how business had coped with the lockdown. Subjects included: * The fact that there was no time to plan for the massive disruption that lockdown would bring, that businesses had some big decisions to make without a lot of guidance from government in London or Belfast. It was a leap into the unkno...
#CargoOfBricks 5: After Covid can Northern Ireland's politicians continue to lead in other areas of policy?
June 24, 2020 09:18 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBIn episode five of Cargo of Bricks podcast, I spoke to Tina McKenzie who is the current chair of the FSB in Northern Ireland as well as CEO of Grafton Recruiting and honorary consul to Finland about how business had coped with the lockdown. Subjects included: The fact that there was no time to plan for the massive disruption that lockdown would bring, that businesses had some big decisions to make without a lot of guidance from government in London or Belfast. It was a leap into the unknow...
#SluggerTV – easing lockdown into what sort of economy + whether Cummings’ trip to Durham has damaged Johnson’s political currency
June 23, 2020 13:32 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBDavid McCann is joined by commentators Julie-Anne Corr Johnston and Tim Cairns to discuss how Northern Ireland is coming out of lockdown and what sort of economy we will emerge into, as well as the fallout of Dominic Cummings’ trip to Durham on Boris Johnson’s political currency. Edited by Alan Meban.
#InConversation Podcast with Ellie Francis – The skills shortage in Northern Ireland
June 19, 2020 11:18 - 39 minutes - 36.1 MBMany sectors in Northern Ireland are facing a skills shortage. In this podcast I chat with Ellie Francis about how this will affect the economy.
#CargoOfBricks 4: On Ireland's draft programme for government
June 17, 2020 07:27 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBIn this week’s episode of Cargo of Bricks, as the draft programme for government finally emerges nearly five months after February, Dr Theresa Reidy and I talked through the blocks and difficulties that have had to be overcome to get a sellable deal back to their parties The main points we cover: The ideologically committed Greens have take harder line in the framing of the draft programme than either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, making their more distinctive and is harder for their two larg...
#CargoOfBricks Mick Fealty talks to Dr Theresa Reidy about the draft programme for government
June 17, 2020 07:27 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBIn this week’s episode of Cargo of Bricks, as the draft programme for government finally emerges nearly five months after February, Dr Theresa Reidy and I talked through the blocks and difficulties that have had to be overcome to get a sellable deal back to their parties The main points we cover: * The ideologically committed Greens have take harder line in the framing of the draft programme than either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, making their more distinctive and is harder for their two larg...
#CargoOfBricks: Dr Theresa Reidy on the draft programme for government
June 17, 2020 07:27 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBIn this week’s episode of Cargo of Bricks, as the draft programme for government finally emerges nearly five months after February, Dr Theresa Reidy and I talked through the blocks and difficulties that have had to be overcome to get a sellable deal back to their parties The main points we cover: * The ideologically committed Greens have take harder line in the framing of the draft programme than either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, making their more distinctive and is harder for their two larg...
#InConversation - Brian O’Neill talks with Andrew Hill about what is going on in America?
June 12, 2020 08:47 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBAndrew Hill is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at St. Philip's College in San Antonio, Texas. In this podcast we talk about the recent race protests in America, inequality and the upcoming S Presidential Election.
#CargoOfBricks 3: Prof Gary Murphy on government formation in Ireland
June 10, 2020 12:49 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBIn this week’s episode of Cargo of Bricks, I’m talking with Professor Gary Murphy of Dublin City University about last February's tumultuous general election and the dilemmas facing the now five-month-long process of government formation. In it, we dissect: How Ireland's swing from right to left, illustrated by the collapse in the Fine Gael vote and Sinn Féin's unanticipated great leap forward, has nullified Micheál Martin's long-held ambition to lead a non-SF, left-leaning coalition gover...
#CargoOfBricks Mick Fealty talks to Gary Murphy about government formation in Ireland
June 10, 2020 12:49 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBIn this week’s episode of Cargo of Bricks, I’m talking with Professor Gary Murphy of Dublin City University about last February's tumultuous general election and the dilemmas facing the now five-month-long process of government formation. In it, we dissect: * How Ireland's swing from right to left, illustrated by the collapse in the Fine Gael vote and Sinn Féin's unanticipated great leap forward, has nullified Micheál Martin's long-held ambition to lead a non-SF, left-leaning coalition gove...
On #CargoOfBricks Graham Brownlow says economic recovery from #Covid19 must be long sighted and ambitious
June 03, 2020 09:51 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBIn this week's episode of Cargo of Bricks, I'm talking with Graham Brownlow who is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Queens Management School in Belfast about the economic effects of Covid 19, and what he thinks our response needs to be. Some of the themes we talked about include: * Rise of internet-based giants like Amazon poses huge business case challenges for local retail calling into question its capacity to continue providing services to local communities, leading to downward pressure...
#CargoOfBricks 2: Graham Brownlow on economic recovery from #Covid19 must be long sighted and ambitious
June 03, 2020 09:51 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBIn this week's episode of Cargo of Bricks, I'm talking with Graham Brownlow who is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Queens Management School in Belfast about the economic effects of Covid 19, and what he thinks our response needs to be. Some of the themes we talked about include: Rise of internet-based giants like Amazon poses huge business case challenges for local retail calling into question its capacity to continue providing services to local communities, leading to downward pressure ...
#InConversation Brian O'Neill talks with David Gavaghan about the economy & society after Covid-19
May 29, 2020 08:57 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBDavid is the founder of Founder Aurora Prime Real Estate Ltd. He was also the chair of CBI NI as well as the MAC Belfast. Amongst his previous roles was the Chief Executive of Titanic Quarter Ltd. While his background is in business and finance, he also has a keen interest in the environment and social justice.
#CargoOfBricks 1: Ian Parsley on Northern Ireland's response to #Covid19
May 27, 2020 12:27 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBThis week, Slugger Editor Mick Fealty spoke to Ian Parsley whose frequently updated blog you should definitely put on your reading list for its incisive analysis of many aspects government, and most recently for his coverage of Covid 19. In it we cover: How Northern Ireland was lucky to get Stormont back to work on time How the UK's and the Republic's efforts compare with the approaches of other European countries Why honesty in the shortcomings of our initial responses is key to learnin...
Podcast: #CargoOfBricks talks to Ian Parsley on Northern Ireland's response to #Covid19
May 27, 2020 12:27 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBThis week, Slugger Editor Mick Fealty spoke to Ian Parsley whose frequently updated blog ( https://ianjamesparsley.wordpress.com/ ) you should definitely put on your reading list for its incisive analysis of many aspects government, and most recently for his coverage of Covid 19. In it we cover: * How Northern Ireland was lucky to get Stormont back to work on time * How the UK's and the Republic's efforts compare with the approaches of other European countries * Why honesty in the shortcomi...
Chris Donnelly on the challenges to education during Covid-19
May 23, 2020 14:09 - 56 minutes - 51.7 MBBrian O'Neill discusses the challenges to education during Covid-19 with Slugger contributor Chris Donnelly. More know to Slugger readers for his political insights, Chris is also a headteacher of a primary school in Belfast.
Slugger TV – the devolved nations fightback episode
May 15, 2020 14:40 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBThis month Slugger O'Toole's deputy editor David McCann talks to Irish News journalist Allison Morris and Andersontown News columnist Andrée Murphy about the performance of the Northern Ireland Executive, the legacy of different devolved government strategies to ease the COVID-19 lockdown, and the Irish Government's lack of cross-border consultation about their plans. Edited by Alan Meban (@alaninbelfast).
Slugger TV: Episode 38 - the impact of coronavirus on the local economy
April 18, 2020 14:41 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBSlugger's David McCann explores the impact of coronavirus on the local economy with Tina McKenzie (chair of FSB Northern Ireland), Ryan McAleer (Irish News business journalist) and Paul Gosling (writer and SDLP policy adviser).