A couple of posts at Slugger have witnessed criticism for going off topic in the comments zone. This in itself is not an altogether irregular occurrence, but something about it got me thinking.

Slugger is a great source of news and views on Northern Ireland (and a bit further afield) but I wonder if it's sheer volume of posts, something that no doubt keeps readers interested and gives them an incentive to regularly check the site, is partially to blame for the poor quality and/or off-topicness of many of the comments. Don't get me wrong, some of them are truly informative, but the majority are either rehashes of old arguments or petty tribal/party point-scoring.

Going Off-Topic

The two threads in question are by Mark McGregor and Pete Baker. Mark highlights upcoming protests from socialist, republican microgroup Eirigi while Pete warns that there are actually folk out there who seriously want creationism taught as a scientific "theory".

Mark's post went over old ground (42-day detention without trial) to publicise Eirigi's publicity stunts and was peppered with the usual republican hyperbole. Commenters immediately proceeded to mock Eirigi's paltry numbers, liberal use of graffiti and lack of grounding in anything resembling reality. Pete's post, also rehashing a topic covered many times before, developed quickly into a discussion about the credentials of Richard Dawkins rather than the teaching of Creationism/Intelligent Design as science.

Same Shit, Different Day?

The common factor, from what I can see, (aside from going off topic) is that they both cover material covered before. The 42-day detention has been done to death, both on Slugger and elsewhere, and Pete is never slow to blog when the local bible-bashing nutters are let near a microphone.

So is it because people are bored by the same old same old that the comments veer off on a tangent? While I've been guilty myself of going on (and on) about my own pet peeves, I do try to restrain myself sometimes, or post in other fora where the audience is specifically interested in the issue at hand. I also try not to blog things that have been covered adequately in the mainstream media (including Slugger, which is mainstream compared to my wee site) unless I have something different I want to add. This often means that, despite wanting to post regularly and hopefully keep readers interested, I've nothing to say.

Perhaps it's just the fact that I read Slugger almost every (week)day that creates enough familiarity to breed contempt. I suppose that it's at times like this I'm really thankful for blogs like Unionist Lite that offer something different. Maybe it's just a case that Slugger readers should 'get out more', as it were, and visit some different sites. Thoughts?

Footnote: I'm in no position to criticise the way Mick runs, to paraphrase, the biggest blog in the country, and certainly not suggesting I could do it better. I'm only thinking out loud. Further, Pete and Mark aren't the most predictable or pigeon-holed posters (there's at least one other regular who is leading the pack from some distance on that score); it's just that they posted these articles in quick succession and the comments followed a similar pattern which was pointed out in both threads.

Following a meeting of the Alliance assembly group, David Ford has acted to quash any speculation that the Alliance will help dig the Sinn Fein/DUP-dominated Executive out of a hole by nominating an MLA to take a devolved Policing and Justice ministry.

Since Sinn Fein and the DUP will refrain from nominating themselves, apparently as some sort of agreement of a safeguard/mutual veto, I wonder what would happen if neither the SDLP nor UUP were prepared to step up and/or carry the can. And is this "deal" the reason for the executive not meeting?

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(because Mondays are boring).

There's more to Ireland than the South

It's one of those rare happenings that makes you wonder if you might actually be asleep. Many unionist bloggers have said repeatedly that Ireland is greater than the Republic and that neither nationalists nor the Southern state should not enjoy a monopoly on the definition of Ireland or Irishness.

Chekov (who, as ever, puts his point across much more eloquently than myself) has spotted that Barry McElduff has, rather uncharacteristically, done something vaguely sensible in recent days. Apparently the West Tyrone MLA has written to all the Republic's TDs and Senators to challenge "this notion that the 26 counties constitutes Ireland".

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Celtic fans visiting Belfast Zoo have complained to councillors after they were the victims of vicious, provocative sectarian taunts. Everything Ulster contacted the fans who rubbished claims that it was in fact they who instigated the altercation with sectarian chants.

Anti-sectarianism charity Nil By Mouth have called on the zoo to take action following the incident. The Zoo's chief executive has said he will investigate.

Hun Ping has apologised for any offence caused after mimicking playing the flute.

Celtic fan and renowned academic Leaich Spiedal posted his views on an internet forum, claiming the action was "typical of the bigotry entrenched in NI zoology" before continuing "Anyway, i'd rather be a Paki than a Hun!!!"

Northern Irish bank notes may soon be given legal standing

I noticed an interesting sentence at the very bottom of a Telegraph article about a W.H. Smith store in London overturning a ban on Northern Irish bank notes.

A spokesman for HM Treasury said that moves are under way to ensure notes from Northern Ireland and Scotland have the same standing in England as Bank of England notes.

Of course the difference between theory and practice could still prove frustrating when you have to rely on shop assistants looking in cunfuddlement at the strange piece of paper you're handing to them, nevertheless I thought this was quite interesting given how complicated the issue of legal tender in the United Kingdom is.

Maybe the age of internet development ended with google. Google are great. Their products are great (mostly). Their search engine is great. You want information, it gets you information, quickly and efficiently.

Cuil doesn't. It throws a mash of stuff at you and says "there - you sort through it, I'm off for a smoke". I don't like that in a search engine.

I particularly dislike the photos the put next to results. They usually have no bearing on the page it's appended to. Look at the results for a search on the UUP. Ulster Unionist Party leadership election 2004 on Wikipedia has a picture of Leslie Cree. Whose involvement stretched to voting in that election. Next to United Ulster Unionist Party is the banner from the top of Leslie's website. BBC results from the 2005 Westminster election in North Down? A picture of council candidate Kenny Donaldson. He stood in Warrenpoint. Best of all UUP leadership election 2005 is illustrated with a picture of a girl holding up a necklace with a cross on it.

Cuil - just not worth the effort.

What is the point in Knol (http://knol.google.com/k/knol)? This, to me, isn't a rival to Wikipedia, it's a different format for something Google already does. It's a blog. Yes it's a centralised blog with a more focused purpose, but it's a blog.

I don't think it'll work.

Northern Ireland is full of tourists. Spending money. Good.

The Conservatives have a quote from a speech by Iris Robinson, upholder of God's law, made in the House of Commons on the topic of sex offenders.

There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children.

Homosexuality is "viler" than paedophilia? The physical act of sodomy is perhaps not something I would care to picture while at the dinner table, and I can accept that Iris may not be happy about practices that contradict her religion, but when you make statements like that is it any wonder that "these days Christians are persecuted for their views" (especially when you're trying to force your views on others).

(And "persecuted"? Really?!)

Update: On today's TalkBack Iris claims "I clearly intended to say that child abuse was worse even than homosexuality and sodomy." where David Dunseith had claimed that Iris's original comment was her "voicing opinions probably shared by a fair proportion of the Northern Ireland population, if not the majority." Jesus wept!