I wonder if it works in reverse. As we all now know, the Irish language recently received an invaluable endorsement from the head of the Church of England, when she made that astonishing and astonishingly-fluent speech in Irish. All changed, changed utterly. It's now OK for decent people to talk Erse.
However, it now emerges that Mary McArdle, whose appointment as a Stormont special adviser got the thumbs down from Ross Hussey (UUP) on 'The Politics Show' this morning, has a First Class Honours degree from the Open University. Not Ross (I'm not sure if Ross has any kind of degree) - Mary McArdle.
The thing is, does that mean the OU has now been hi-jacked by republicanism? And if so, will decent people feel the need to avoid it, or at least avoid getting a First Class degree from it? And will Peter Robinson ask Sammy Wilson to conduct an investigation into the selection criteria employed by the OU?
One last thing: what brand of glasses is Gerry Kelly wearing?
Jude you are an 'agent provocateur'...! As for the old Beiti bean as far as I'm concerned she doesn't know her Erse from her Anglo...!
ReplyDeleteOU degree...? hmmm...!
Talking of Erse and elbows (kinda) I'm glad the tennis is over...I'm fed up watching El Espanol constantly tweaking his ers...I mean shorts at the French Open...
ReplyDeleteOn the related issue of eyewear... are you referring to SF Gerry Kelly...?
I have to say when it comes to issues sartorial SFashion definitely have the edge...
Gerry Adams is always immaculately turned out well groomed and colour co-ordinated...a case of Toicfaidh Armani perhaps...recently spotted wearing a pair of 'crocs' I believe...very stylish...but not in the Dail I hasten to add...
Can't say the same for Martin however...
Or for whoever is in that that photo above...
Is that graduate/student really wearing a hoodie under his/her gown...? Whatever next...? Is there no dress code/sense of occasion anymore...? Or maybe it's a statement about the value of a degree these days...?
I really think more attention should be paid to how men and less to how women present themselves...
You can always tell a 'gintleman' by his shoes I always think...
Desperate, desperate stuff.
ReplyDeleteWonder if it's time the world heard a bit more about your time at UU.
Hahahaha. Why thank you, Anon 21:42. Your opinion means a lot to me, you know that. Go raibh maith agat, a chara (to paraphrase You Know Who)
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly did this vile McArdle woman get her First Class Degree in? Let's hope it wasn't Moral Philosophy.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the reason 'Jarry' was wearing 'crocs' is because he is a snappy dresser...!
ReplyDeleteAS for the other comments have you got that on that on CD I wonder...?
Ms McArdle was sentenced by the court...she was released under the GFA like many Loyalist prisoners...the purpose of imprisonment is to punish and rehabilitate...That is how the Criminal Justice system works...we do not have a system of retributive justice...
She has obtained a qualification and has been appointed to a position she is deemed qualified to hold...
To coin a phrase used in my profession 'you do not make your point any stronger by repeating it'...
Your 'agenda' has nothing to do with the families or victims of this crime it is just an excuse to vent against 'Taigs' that is what really sticks in your craw...
Jude,
ReplyDeleteI was sympathetic to an earlier response of yours - I was, indeed, wanting, in quibbling about your use of humour! But I couldn't really understand this conversation, nor your opening point about the OU. I always thought that the OU had been very active, on a completely humanitarian basis, in supporting the adult education of prisoners?
Hello Michael - good to hear your voice/thoughts. Are you talking about this blog? I don't think I'm being critical of the OU - didn't intend to be, certainly, if for no other reason than that the woman who runs my life has a degree from it too... My point is the guilt-by-association thing. Sinn Fein speak Irish therefore Irish is bad; the OU gave Mary McArdle a degree therefore the OU is the spawn of Satan.
ReplyDeleteBtw Michael - do you remember Ross Hussey's brother Derek at UU? Out-centre man...
ReplyDeletepreoccupation about who has (or has not) degrees! sad reflection on your values Jude-but then again background as lecturer
ReplyDeleteAnon 21:08 - I have my own thoughts on the value of degrees but qualifications are invariably a major factor in deciding who gets a job. You must have noticed...?
ReplyDelete