Podcasts about unionists

An Open Letter to My Unionist NeighboursA Chairde,I want to respectfully reach out to my unionist neighbours at this time of ongoing change on our island and continuous turbulence and conflict in parts of our world. We should count our blessings. Imperfect though it might be we have peace and the ability to work out our difficulties peacefully.This ability to find solutions is frustrated by the British government refusing at this time to permit us to exercise our right to self-determination. So, London continues to interfere in our affairs. In my view, and history supports this view, London will never govern us in Irelands interest. It never has. And it never will. How could it? It serves different national interests.Sometimes these coincide with the attitudes of political unionism. But when they don't political unionism and its attitudes are set to one side by London. This has happened again and again. Betrayal has been followed by betrayal after betrayal. London is only loyal to the unionists when it suits its interests. Those are not my words. These are the words of unionist leaders. I do not think these leaders serve the interests of my unionist neighbours. Certainly not on social or economic issues or the daunting challenges of growing our peace process into a prosperity process. Or a new rights based citizen centred society. Of course, my unionist neighbours are entitled to vote for these parties or anyone else if that is their wish, and political unionism clearly has a deep rooted commitment to the Union with Britain. It used to have things its own way. Maybe some of its leaders still believe that is the case but it isn't. They have lost their electoral majority. The Union is now very conditional and in the upcoming period there will be a referendum to decide the future.The extent of constitutional and institutional change is for the people of the island of Ireland to decide – democratically and without outside interference. The Good Friday Agreement makes clear that constitutional change requires consent, freely given and expressed in referendums North and South. So, political unionism will have its say. But so will the rest of us. On the basis of equality. All the unionist parties have agreed to abide by the outcome of this referendum. This ongoing continuum of change is about shaping a new Ireland, an agreed Ireland, and a new relationship with Britain that enhances our personal and community relationships, strengthens society, makes conflict a memory, ends sectarianism and creates real opportunities to improve the daily lives of citizens. It is about reconciliation and accommodation. It is about the North as a part of the island of Ireland again taking its place as a full member in the European Union.The Good Friday Agreement will provide the best framework of protections for everyone including and especially my unionist neighbours. The Agreement which was democratically supported in referendums North and South and is an all-island international agreement, already provides future protection for citizens.The Agreement guarantees that future governance arrangements will be “exercised with rigorous impartiality on behalf of all the people in the diversity of their identities and traditions and shall be founded on the principles of full respect for, and equality of, civil, political, social and cultural rights, of freedom from discrimination for all citizens, and of parity of esteem and of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos, and aspirations of both communities; recognise the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland.”

Northern Ireland is six counties. But the province of Ulster was – and is – made up of nine counties – all including Ulster Protestants. As partition loomed, Unionists chose six counties and demographic dominance over nine counties with a much smaller protestant majority. But what if Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan remained in the UK? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Samuel Beckton, author of ‘The Unbroken Covenant: Could Ulster Unionists have controlled a nine-county Northern Ireland, 1920-1945'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you be a unionist and be in favour of a United Ireland?Well Seán's guest certainly was a unionist, and has written a book called ‘The Irish Unity Dividend'.Ben Collins joins to discuss.

Can you be a unionist and be in favour of a United Ireland?Well Seán's guest certainly was a unionist, and has written a book called ‘The Irish Unity Dividend'.Ben Collins joins to discuss.

Despite the protests and the anger of unionists, the Anglo-Irish Agreement endured under superseeded by the GFA. Some see it as a key factor in attracting Sinn Féin into the political process and by many as a vital factor in convincing unionism that it would have to concede to power-sharing with nationalists. Ciarán Dunbar spoke to Professor Fergal Cochran, to Unionist commentator Alex Kane, to Professor Graham Walker, and to Dr. Peter McLaughlin to discuss the long-term legacy and consequences of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, historian James Prichard joins us to uncover the story of Cook's Rangers, a Confederate guerrilla group active in northeastern Kentucky during the Civil War. Operating in the rugged terrain of the region, these irregular fighters launched a series of raids that struck fear into Unionist communities and disrupted military operations across the area. https://linktr.ee/Kyhistorypod

Unionists felt that Margaret Thatcher was someone they could trust so when she signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement giving Dublin the right to be consulted over NI, unionists felt utterly betrayed and they were outraged. The UUP leader Jim Molyneax even called it an “an evil document.” Tens of thousands of unionists took to the streets of Belfast, a day forever remembered due to the DUP leader Ian Paisley's “never, never, never” speech. Professor Fergal Cochrane, Alex Kane, Professor Graham Walker, and Dr. Peter McLaughlin explain what happens when the Anglo-Irish Agreement is revealed and why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hunger Strikes had led to a surge in support for Republicanism and in October 1984, Margaret Thatcher herself, narrowly escaped death in the Brighton bombing. Her intelligence chiefs were clear; they weren't going to defeat the IRA by purely military and security means – she decided something had to be done. Meanwhile in Dublin, fears over the rise of Sinn Féin and frustration with a lack of progress in advancing nationalists' interests led to an openness to fresh ideas. The stage was set for secret talks which led to the Anglo-Irish Agreement, signed on the 15 November 1985. Ulster's Unionists were outraged by what they saw as a betrayal. What was the background to the agreement, why was it so controversial, and what did it really involve? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Professor Fergal Cochrane, commentator, Alex Kane, Professor Graham Walker, and Dr. Peter McLaughlin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded November 3rd, 2025. As we approach the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement on 15 November 1985, Behind the Headlines returns to debate whether this was a crucial stepping stone on the path to peace, or a controversial stumbling block. Bringing together experts from across the island, the panel re-examines the Agreement before the Good Friday Agreement, discusses what was so controversial at the time, and debates its impact and legacy. In particular, it explores the response of Unionist and Loyalist communities in Northern Ireland, the political fallout, and the mass protest campaign that followed. The event was chaired by Professor Lindsey Earner-Byrne, Chair of Contemporary Irish History at Trinity College Dublin. Panel Dáithí Ó Ceallaigh, former Irish ambassador, who played a crucial role in the negotiation of the Agreement. Dr Shelley Deane, expert in Security and International Relations at the School of Law and Government in DCU and member of the ARINS project team. Sam McBride, Northern Ireland Editor, Belfast Telegraph Prof Michael Kerr, Professor of Conflict Studies, Kings College London Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

Mike Nesbitt has set out his vision for unionism at the UUP conference – but is he ready to pass the baton? Meanwhile at Stormont, arguments over cultural issues take centre stage once again, with the DUP and TUV seemingly at loggerheads. And as Unionist anger grows over Belfast City Council's new Irish language policies, with an east Belfast sign vandalised, we take a look at the stats and surveys behind dual language signage. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by The Belfast Telegraph's political editor Suzanne Breen and journalist Liam Tunney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

jQuery(document).ready(function(){ cab.clickify(); }); Original Podcast with clickable words https://tinyurl.com/24vspuan Contact: irishlingos@gmail.com Concerns about Loyalist violence over bilingual signage. Imní faoi fhoréigean Dilseoirí faoi chomharthaíocht dátheangach. Conradh na Gaeilge says the threats made by Loyalist paramilitaries at the weekend that Belfast City Council property will be destroyed if it has bilingual signage are a cause for great concern. Deir Conradh na Gaeilge gur cúis mhór imní iad na bagairtí a rinne paraimíleataigh Dílseora ag an deireadh seachtaine go scriosfar maoin de chuid Chomhairle Chathair Bhéal Feirste má bhíonn comharthaíocht dátheangach orthu. In an open letter from Conradh na Gaeilge and the Leaders of the Parties and the City Council, the League says that it is a cause for concern for everyone who supports the Irish language and equality in general. I litir oscailte ó Chonradh na Gaeilge agus ó Cheannairí na bPáirtithe agus ó Chomhairle na Cathrach deir an Conradh gur cúis imní é do gach duine a thacaíonn leis an Ghaeilge agus leis an chomhionannas trí chéile. The threat has been condemned by Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt. Tá an bhagairt cáinte ag ceannaire Aondachtóirí Uladh, Mike Nesbitt. A draft Irish language policy agreed by the Council would mean that Irish and English would be more prominent and side by side on all Council publications and property. Chiallaódh dréachtpholasaí Gaeilge atá aontaithe ag an Chomhairle go mbeadh an Ghaeilge agus an Béarla níos feiceálaí agus iad le taobh a chéile ar gach foilseachán agus maoin de chuid na Comhairle. But since the policy was adopted last Wednesday the UDA and UVF have threatened to destroy any property bearing the signage. Ach ó glacadh leis an pholasaí Dé Céadaoin seo caite tá an UDA agus UVF tar éis bagairt go scriosfaidh siad maoin ar bith a mbeidh an chomharthaíocht orthu. These paramilitary organisations told the Sunday Life newspaper that they would burn down Council vehicles and buildings if Irish was visible on them. Dúirt na heagrais paramíleatacha sin le nuachtán an Sunday Life go lasfadh siad feithiclí agus foirgnimh de chuid na Comhairle dá mbeadh an Ghaeilge le feiceáil orthu. Conradh na Gaeilge called on party leaders in Stormont to condemn the threat. D'iarr Conradh na Gaeilge ar cheannairí na bpáirtithe i Stormont an bhagairt a cháineadh. Irish Language Commissioner The new Irish Language Commissioner will be responsible for implementing the Identity and Language Act. Coimisinéir na Gaeilge Beidh dualgas ar an Choimisinéir úr Gaeilge an tAcht Féiniúlachta agus Teanga a chur i bhfeidhm. Yesterday on the X platform, the person nominated but not appointed to that position, Pól Deeds, said that the threat from the UDA and UVF is a result of the promotion of bigotry in the media - in particular, he said, the BBC. Inné ar an ardán X dúirt an té atá ainmnithe ach nach bhfuil ceaptha don phost sin, Pól Deeds, gur toradh í an bhagairt ón UDA agus UVF ar chur chun cinn na biogóideachta sna meáin - go háirithe a dúirt sé an BBC. Paul Deeds said the Executive Office in Stormont had failed to protect its own policy - and UK law - and was failing in its duty of care to the new Commissioner. Dúirt Pól Deeds gur theip ar Oifig an Fheidhmeannais i Stormont a bpolasaí féin - agus dlí na Ríochta Aontaithe - a chosaint agus go bhfuil siad ag teip ina ndualgas cúraim don Choimisinéir úr. The threats from Loyalists have only been condemned by one Unionist party, the Ulster Unionists (UUP). Níl na bagairtí ó Dhílseoirí cáinte ach ag pairtí Aondachtach amháin, Aondachtóirí Uladh an UUP. Their leader Mike Nesbitt said that the Irish language signage needs to be discussed further, and he said that any threat to Council workers should be withdrawn. Dúirt a gceannaire Mike Nesbitt go gcaithfear an chomharthaíocht i nGaeilge a phlé tuilleadh, agus dúirt sé gur cheart bagairt ar bith ar oibrithe na Comhairl...

The peace process saw the release of paramilitary prisoners from HMP Maze, aka the Maze, the H-Blocks, Long Kesh, an Cheis Fhada. The maximum-security prison held thousands during the Troubles. It closed 25 years ago. Whilst some of the site has been redeveloped, political deadlock means much of the old prison lies derelict. Unionists fear that a museum on the site would become a “shrine to terrorism”. Allison Morris has been talking to former staff and inmates – some of whom continued to try and escape even during peace negotiations. She joins Ciarán Dunbar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

L'Impero Ottomano comincia le sue azioni militari contro la Russia e il Regno Unito. La preparazione militare della Sublime Porta lascia però a desiderare.Seguimi su Instagram: @laguerragrande_podcastSe vuoi contribuire con una donazione sul conto PayPal: podcastlaguerragrande@gmail.comScritto e condotto da Andrea BassoMontaggio e audio: Andrea BassoFonti dell'episodio:Taner Akçam, The Young Turks' Crime against Humanity: The Armenian Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Ottoman Empire, Princeton University Press, 2012Handan Nezir Akmese, The Birth of Modern Turkey: The Ottoman Military and the March to WWI, IB Tauris, 2005W. Allen, Paul Muratoff, Caucasian Battlefields, 1953Cecil Aspinall-Oglander, Military Operations Gallipoli: Inception of the Campaign to May 1915, History of the Great War Based on Official Documents by Direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, HeinemannArthur Barker, The Bastard War: The Mesopotamian Campaign of 1914-1918, Dial Press, 1967Arthur Barker, The First Iraq War—1914-1918: Britain's Mesopotamian Campaign, Enigma Books, 2013Les Carlyon, Gallipoli, Macmillan, 2001S. Cohen, The genesis of the British campaign in Mesopotamia, 1914, Middle Eastern Studies XII, 1976Early battles in Mesopotamia (Basra and Qurna, 1914), The long, long trailDavid Fromkin, A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East, Henry Holt and Company, 2010Peter Hart, La grande storia della Prima Guerra Mondiale, Newton & Compton, 2013Eugene Hinterhoff, The Campaign in Armenia, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1982Richard Hovannisian, The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, 2004Jihad, TreccaniÜmit Kurt, A Rescuer, an Enigma and a Génocidaire: Cemal Pasha, The End of the Ottomans: The Genocide of 1915 and the Politics of Turkish Nationalism, Bloomsbury PublishingTilman Lüdke, Jihad, Holy War (Ottoman Empire), 1914-1918 Online, 2018Tigran Martirosyan, Caucasus Front, 1914-1918 Online, 2023Frederick McKenzie, The Defence of India, The Great War: The Standard History of the All-Europe ConflictRam Narain Mehra, Aden and Yemen 1905-1919, Agam Prakasham, 1988Odile Moreau, Pre-war Military Planning (Ottoman Empire), 1914-1918 Online, 2018George Morton-Jack, The Indian Army on the Western Front, Cambridge University Press, 2015David Nicolle, The Ottomans: Empire of Faith, Thalamus Publishing, 2008Garegin Pasdermadjian, Aram Torossian, Why Armenia Should be Free: Armenia's Role in the Present War, Hairenik Pub, 1918Eugene Rogan, The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, Hachette, 2015Massimo Sciarretta, Attilio Monaco (1858-1932). Un console italiano a Erzerum durante i massacri hamidiani, Rassegna Armenisti Italiani, XIII, Padus-Araxes, 2012B. Slot, Mubarak Al-Sabah: Founder of Modern Kuwait 1896–1915, Arabian Publishing Charles Townshend, Desert Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia, Harvard University Press, 2011Şuhnaz Yilmaz, An Ottoman Warrior Abroad: Enver Paşa as an Expatriate, Middle Eastern Studies 35, 1999Șuhnaz Yılmaz, Revisiting Networks and Narratives: Enver Pasha's Pan-Islamic and Pan-Turkic Quest, Subversives and Mavericks in the Muslim Mediterranean: A Subaltern History, University of Texas Press, 2016Earl Wavell, The Palestine Campaigns, A Short History of the British Army, Constable & Co, 1968Erik Zürcher, Macedonians in Anatolia: The Importance of the Macedonian Roots of the Unionists for their Policies in Anatolia after 1914, Middle Eastern Studies 50, 2014Erik Zürcher, The young turk legacy and nation building, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014In copertina: la proclamazione della jihad da parte di Haydar Efendi nella moschea Fatih di Costantinopoli, il 14 novembre del 1914. La ricolorizzazione è di Julius Backmann Jääskeläinen.

We talk to Meagan Day about the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination and how to respond like a unionist. We also take a look at attacks on social security, and talk to a whistleblower in the Department of Housing and Urban Development.✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue *is our listeners* so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org  256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services,  and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself?   Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure.  Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Also, the Labour government has ordered every GP practice in England to offer online appointment bookings throughout the day.

Nolan talks to DUP MLA Phillip Brett and TUV MP Jim Allister.

A repost from my new podcast: Women Resisting Empire.Constance Markievicz is one of those legends from the fight for Irish Independence that seems bigger than life. She was born into an Anglo-Irish landowning family and, by all accounts, she should have ended up a Unionist married to some English soldier or lord. Instead, she turned into a bohemian artist, socialist, suffragist, officer in the Irish Citizen Army, the first woman to win a seat in British Parliament, the only woman in De Valera's cabinet, and Irish Republican married to a Polish Count. Learn how she fought for Irish Independence and resisted the Anglo-Irish Treaty.Theme song: Arabesque Op.61 by Cécile-ChaminadeSupport this podcast by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ joining my Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join my newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and stay up to date on all my projects⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me on Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit my website

rWotD Episode 3051: Charlie Oliver (trade unionist) Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Wednesday, 10 September 2025, is Charlie Oliver (trade unionist).Cecil Thompson "Charlie" Oliver AM (23 December 1901 – 24 February 1990) was an Australian trade unionist and politician. He was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1948 to 1951, representing the seat of Boulder, and was later prominent in the labour movement in New South Wales as the state secretary (1951–1978) and state president (1980–1985) of the Australian Workers' Union.Oliver was born in Bangor, Carnarvonshire, Wales, to Elizabeth (née Thompson) and John Murray Oliver. His family moved to England when he was a child, living first in Chester and later in Liverpool. He left school at the age of 13 to work as an agricultural labourer, and emigrated to Western Australia after World War I with an older brother. Oliver initially settled in Meekatharra, where he worked as a miner, and later also lived in Koolanooka, Perenjori, and Big Bell. He joined the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) in 1923, and in 1942 accepted a position as a district-level organiser.In 1943, Oliver was appointed state secretary of the AWU's mining division, which was based in Boulder. He entered parliament at the 1948 Boulder by-election, which had been caused by the death of Philip Collier (a former premier). His chief opponent was the Liberal Party candidate, Billy Snedden, who was a future federal Leader of the Opposition. Oliver was re-elected unopposed at the 1950 state election, but felt under-utilised in parliament, and in mid-1951 resigned to accept a position as the AWU's New South Wales state secretary.Oliver remained AWU state secretary until 1978, helping to improve the union's finances and membership numbers. He then served as AWU state president from 1980 to 1985. Oliver also served as ALP state vice-president during the 1955 party split, and was credited with helping to reduce its impact. He was elected state president of the party in 1960, and remained in the position until his voluntary resignation in 1970, although the party won only a single state election during that time (in 1962). In retirement, Oliver lived in Sydney, dying there in February 1990 (aged 88). He had been made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1984, "for services to trade unionism".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:16 UTC on Wednesday, 10 September 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Charlie Oliver (trade unionist) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Brian.

We're just about ready to move on from John Major but, before we do, we need to spend a few moments on two major events of his second premiership. One was a significant breakthrough, in Ireland, even if it didn't go to completion under his administration; the second, his back-to-basics campaign, was an unqualified disaster.The first of the two problems with ‘back-to-basics' is that going backwards isn't a slogan that appeals much to voters. The second is that it feels like an appeal to morality, and there couldn't have been a worse time for that kind of appeal in the Conservative Party: it was engulfed over the coming years by a whole string of scandals, many sexual but some more simply corrupt, involving such actions as MPs taking money to ask helpful parliamentary questions.On Ireland, Major got the peace process really motoring, with support not just from the Republic of Ireland but even more significantly, from the US. If things ground somewhat to a halt in the last year or so of his premiership, that was mostly down to the Provisional IRA ending its ceasefire, in response to Major's apparent over-readiness to accommodate the Northern Ireland Unionists. That, in turn, was mostly down to his having lost his parliamentary majority and therefore having to depend on the Unionists to cling on to office.That he did, calling the 1997 general election at very close to the last possible moment. But the atmosphere of sleaze created by the scandals, the unpopularity of moves such as railway privatisation, and the perception that the Tories were increasingly split (over Europe) sank his party in voters' views. The election, on 1 May 1997, gave a landslide Commons majority, even larger than Thatcher's, to Tony Blair and Labour – or, to use his language, New Labour. He reckoned Labour had won thanks to ‘a vote for the future'. It looks like going forward to the future resonated better with voters than heading back to basics.Illustration: John Major at the 1993 Conservative party conference, detail from a photograph by Malcolm Gilson/Rex Features, from 'The Guardian'Music: Bach Partita #2c by J Bu licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License

And, are we getting a raw deal from our politicians in Stormont?

"Im convinced Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly aren't working off their on agenda and their own mind" - that's the verdict of a leading female loyalist. The ‘PUL' Community – Protestants, Unionists, Loyalists. There is sometimes debate over what those terms actually mean. That debate is suggested as being a factor in a reluctance of loyalist figures to speak to the media – especially loyalist women. What is a loyalist, are members of the PUL community media shy and is it worse for loyalist women? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Leanne Abernethy is the creator of Herstory: Women in Loyalism and Academic consultant Joanna McMinn who is part of the National Womens Council. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The TUV has dramatically emerged as the third most popular party in Northern Ireland in the latest BelTel / LucidTalk polling. Most unionists want electoral pacts, a significant minority even want the existing parties to merge. Most of those polled want a commission to regulate bonfires and flags and less than a third of our readers agree with Belfast City Council's dual Irish-English language signage policy. Ciarán Dunbar joined by the head of LucidTalk. Bill White, commentator Alex Kane, commentator Ursula Savage, and by Belfast Telegraph reporter Andrew Madden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the TUV become the biggest unionist party? Would they go into opposition or take up a place in the Executive? Frank spoke to Prof Jon Tonge and Dr David McCann Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A thrilling, cinematic saga of a Southern belle whose espionage for Abraham Lincoln and the Union helped win the Civil War.Wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew had it all. Money, charm, wit—the biggest mansion in Richmond. So why risk everything to become the Civil War's most productive Union spy?The answer was simple: freedom. In this gripping history of a secret espionage genius, Gerri Willis reveals how Elizabeth built a flourishing spy network in the heart of the Confederate Capitol. Flouting society's expectations for women, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons, defied public opinion, and recruited an underground movement of freed slaves, secret Unionists, and brave captives.Putting her straitlaced Victorian past behind her, Elizabeth encountered vivid characters—assassins, socialites, escape artists, and cross-dressing spies. From grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, her escapades grew more and more daring. It paid off. Her agents were so well-placed that she had spies gathering information in both the Confederate War Department and the Richmond White House, and couriers providing General Ulysses S. Grant with crucial, daily intelligence for the war's final assault.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Highlights from Talkback. William Crawley and guests discuss the news headlines.

Palestine solidarity activists from across the country converged on Canberra over July 20–22 to demand the Anthony Albanese government sanction Israel over its ongoing genocide in Gaza.  During the convergence, Green Left's Riley Breen spoke to Hala Shanableh and Amin Abbas from Boycott Caltex Australia about the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign and why it is a critical part of the campaign to end Israel's genocide and occupation of Palestinian land.  They also discuss the recent report by Labor-appointed antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal, which includes draconian attacks on the right to protest and the Palestine solidarity movement.  Hala Shanableh is a Palestinian activist based in Boorloo/Perth, the deputy chair of Friends of Palestine Western Australia, a member of Unionists for Palestine WA and key organiser of Boycott Caltex Boorloo. Amin Abbas is an organiser with Free Palestine Melbourne, a board member of the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) and a performer and teacher of Dabke dancing.    We acknowledge that this video was produced on stolen Aboriginal land. We express solidarity with ongoing struggles for justice for First Nations people and pay our respects to Elders past and present.   If you like our work, become a supporter: https://www.greenleft.org.au/support   Support Green Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/greenleft   Green Left online: https://www.greenleft.org.au/ X: https://x.com/GreenLeftOnline YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/greenleftonline TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greenleftonline Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenleftonline/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@greenleftonline Bluesky: https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/did:plc:46krhuuuo6xjpofg6727x6fi Podbean: https://greenleftonline.podbean.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/greenleftonline Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenleftaction

The Fairground Park pool in St Louis Missouri was the largest pool in America when it was built in 1919. It had enough room for 10,000 swimmers. All of them white.But when integration came to Missouri, rather than allow all races to swim, the Fairground Park pool closed. This phenomenon was explored by writer Heather McGhee and on Free State today, Joe and Dion examine the drained pool politics of unionism and the Orange order in Northern Ireland. When the North Down Cricket Club cross-community sports camp sports was blocked following an online backlash it was a perfect example of how narrow mindedness hurts everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Twelfth of July is a day of joy, pride, and nostalgia for Unionists and Loyalists in Northern Ireland. The night before, bonfires will be lit across the country - a tradition that began when fires on hillsides were used to signal William of Orange's march from Carrickfergus to the Battle of the Boyne. But a night of tradition and celebration for some is viewed by others as physically dangerous, and in some cases, undeniably sectarian. Are bonfires a sectarian safety risk, or just a harmless tradition? Olivia Peden is joined by Sam McBride, Loyalist activist Moore Holmes, and the chairman of the Schomberg Ulster Scots society in Kilkeel, Gareth Crozier. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We profile Nathan Bedford Forrest, a polarizing figure who rose from a Tennessee slave trader to a Confederate cavalry general and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Before the Civil War, Forrest amassed wealth through slave trading, real estate, and cotton plantations. Enlisting as a private in 1861, he became a general, earning the nickname "Wizard of the Saddle" for innovative cavalry tactics. His role in the 1864 Fort Pillow Massacre, where surrendered black and Unionist troops were killed, remains highly controversial. As Klan leader (1867–1869), he led violent efforts to suppress black voting rights but later disbanded the group and supported racial harmony. Forrest died in 1877, leaving a legacy tied to slavery and violence, prompting the removal of his monuments today.Subscribe to our YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@bangdangnetwork

Michael D. Higgins has been President of Ireland since November 2011, his presidency must end in November this year – that means an election. But unlike many other countries, not every Irish citizen has a vote. Only those living in the ‘State' - the Republic of Ireland, can vote. Now a bill is before the Dáil, which if passed would allow northerners to vote in the presidential election, subject to a referendum, How likely is this change? How would it affect the vote? And what would Unionists make of it? Ciarán Dunbar is joined by David McCann and Sam McBride. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Carruthers discusses Irish unity with Leo Varadkar and how the former Taoiseach hopes to plan, persuade and pay for it.

Also, Executive says it will have an "equity stake" in a redeveloped Casement Park

A thrilling, cinematic saga of a Southern belle whose espionage for Abraham Lincoln and the Union helped win the Civil War.Wealthy Southern belle Elizabeth Van Lew had it all. Money, charm, wit—the biggest mansion in Richmond. So why risk everything to become the Civil War's most productive Union spy?The answer was simple: freedom. In this gripping history of a secret espionage genius, Gerri Willis reveals how Elizabeth built a flourishing spy network in the heart of the Confederate Capitol. Flouting society's expectations for women, Elizabeth infiltrated prisons, defied public opinion, and recruited an underground movement of freed slaves, secret Unionists, and brave captives.Putting her straitlaced Victorian past behind her, Elizabeth encountered vivid characters—assassins, socialites, escape artists, and cross-dressing spies. From grave robbery to a bold voyage across enemy lines, her escapades grew more and more daring. It paid off. Her agents were so well-placed that she had spies gathering information in both the Confederate War Department and the Richmond White House, and couriers providing General Ulysses S. Grant with crucial, daily intelligence for the war's final assault.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

He's taken on governments, grilled broadcasters, and championed workers with that unmistakable calm fire. From the picket lines of London to his family roots in Cork and Armagh, Trade Unionist Mick Lynch has never been far from the fight.He is in Dublin for the Tressel Festival, which kicks off this weekend and he is taking part in a discussion tomorrow at 3pm in the Liberty Hall Theatre on his political hero, Irish Revolutionary James Connelly.Mick Lynch joins Kieran to discuss!

We're in Colombia where workers have been been shot at, threatened with violence and seen their work colleagues killed – all because of union membership or association. Why is this happening, what's being done about it, and what drives people to still sign up for trade union membership? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Gideon Long (Image: Striking truck drivers in September 2024. Credit: Getty Images)

rWotD Episode 2918: Austen Chamberlain Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Wednesday, 30 April 2025, is Austen Chamberlain.Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain (16 October 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a British statesman, son of Joseph Chamberlain and older half-brother of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 45 years, as Chancellor of the Exchequer (twice) and was briefly Conservative Party leader before serving as Foreign Secretary.Brought up to be the political heir of his father, whom he physically resembled, he was elected to Parliament as a Liberal Unionist at a by-election in 1892. He held office in the Unionist coalition governments of 1895–1905, remaining in the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Exchequer (1903–05) after his father resigned in 1903 to campaign for Tariff Reform. After his father's disabling stroke in 1906, Austen became the leading tariff reformer in the House of Commons. Late in 1911 he and Walter Long were due to compete for the leadership of the Conservative Party (in succession to Arthur Balfour), but both withdrew in favour of Bonar Law rather than risk a party split on a close result.Chamberlain returned to office in H. H. Asquith's wartime coalition government in May 1915, as Secretary of State for India, but resigned to take responsibility for the disastrous Kut Campaign. He again returned to office in David Lloyd George's coalition government, once again serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He then served as Conservative Party leader in the Commons (1921–1922), before resigning after the Carlton Club meeting voted to end the Lloyd George Coalition.Like many leading coalitionists, he did not hold office in the Conservative governments of 1922–1924. By now regarded as an elder statesman, he served an important term as Foreign Secretary in Stanley Baldwin's second government (1924–1929). He negotiated the Locarno Treaties (1925), aimed at preventing war between France and Germany, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Chamberlain last held office as First Lord of the Admiralty in 1931. He was one of the few MPs supporting Winston Churchill's appeals for rearmament against the German threat in the 1930s and remained an active backbench MP until his death in 1937.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:18 UTC on Wednesday, 30 April 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Austen Chamberlain on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Amy.

SEGMENTS | Justice James E.C. Perry "Benchmarked" | Unionists in Confederate Florida | Anti-Apartheid Movement in Gainesville

In DOUBLE OVERTIME have a federal worker on to dive deeper into Trump's latest executive order. 844-899-TVLR✦ ABOUT ✦The Valley Labor Report is the only union talk radio show in Alabama, elevating struggles for justice and fairness on the job, educating folks about how they can do the same, and bringing relevant news to workers in Alabama and beyond.Our single largest source of revenue is our listeners so your support really matters and helps us stay on the air!Make a one time donation or become a monthly donor on our website or patreon:TVLR.FMPatreon.com/thevalleylaborreportVisit our official website for more info on the show, membership, our sponsors, merch, and more: https://www.tvlr.fmFollow TVLR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheValleyLab...Follow TVLR on Twitter: @LaborReportersFollow Jacob on Twitter: @JacobM_ALFollow TVLR Co-Creator David Story on Twitter: @RadiclUnionist✦ CONTACT US ✦Our phone number is 844-899-TVLR (8857), call or text us live on air, or leave us a voicemail and we might play it during the show!✦ OUR ADVERTISERS KEEP US ON THE AIR! ✦Support them if you can.The attorneys at MAPLES, TUCKER, AND JACOB fight for working people. Let them represent you in your workplace injury claim. Mtandj.com; (855) 617-9333The MACHINISTS UNION represents workers in several industries including healthcare, the defense industry, woodworking, and more. iamaw44.org (256) 286-3704 / organize@iamaw44.orgDo you need good union laborers on your construction site, or do you want a union construction job? Reach out to the IRONWORKERS LOCAL 477. Ironworkers477.org  256-383-3334 (Jeb Miles) / local477@bellsouth.netThe NORTH ALABAMA DSA is looking for folks to work for a better North Alabama, fighting for liberty and justice for all. Contact / Join: DSANorthAlabama@gmail.comIBEW LOCAL 136 is a group of over 900 electricians and electrical workers providing our area with the finest workforce in the construction industry. You belong here. ibew136.org Contact: (205) 833-0909IFPTE - We are engineers, scientists, nonprofit employees, technicians, lawyers, and many other professions who have joined together to have a greater voice in our careers. With over 80,000 members spread across the U.S. and Canada, we invite you and your colleagues to consider the benefits of engaging in collective bargaining. IFPTE.org Contact: (202) 239-4880THE HUNTSVILLE INDUSTRIAL WORKERS OF THE WORLD is a union open to any and all working people. Call or email them today to begin organizing your workplace - wherever it is. On the Web: https://hsviww.org/ Contact: (256) 651-6707 / organize@hsviww.orgENERGY ALABAMA is accelerating Alabama's transition to sustainable energy. We are a nonprofit membership-based organization that has advocated for clean energy in Alabama since 2014. Our work is based on three pillars: education, advocacy, and technical assistance. Energy Alabama on the Web: https://alcse.org/ Contact: (256) 812-1431 / dtait@energyalabama.orgThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry processing, dairy processing, cereal processing, soda bottlers, bakeries, health care, hotels, manufacturing, public sector workers like crossing guards, sanitation, and highway workers, warehouses, building services,  and distribution. Learn more at RWDSU.infoThe American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union proudly representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas. Learn more at AFGE.orgAre you looking for a better future, a career that can have you set for life, and to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself?   Consider a skilled trades apprenticeship with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. Learn more at IUPAT.orgUnionly is a union-focused company created specifically to support organized labor. We believe that providing online payments should be simple, safe, and secure.  Visit https://unionly.io/ to learn more.Hometown Action envisions inclusive, revitalized, and sustainable communities built through multiracial working class organizing and leadership development at the local and state level to create opportunities for all people to thrive. Learn more at hometownaction.orgMembers of IBEW have some of the best wages and benefits in North Alabama. Find out more and join their team at ibew558.org ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Labor Radio previews the April 5 Hands Off rally against the Republican administration in Washington and talks to a local organizer, the results of the April 1 Wisconsin statewide election are in with union-backed victories, how tariffs can be expected to affect the working class, union members are prominent among some high-profile ICE detention and deportation cases, employers at religion-funded groups are looking to get exemptions from unemployment taxes, and Madison protests the Trump executive order against museums, “improper ideology,” and the teaching of history.

The Federal Unionists Network (FUN for short) is an informal association of federal unionists and allies organizing to support each other in strengthening unions, improving agencies, and building solidarity across the federal sector of the labor movement. Adam Pelletier is a local organizer with FUN and spoke with Mark Dunlea and Benno Greene for Hudson Mohawk Magazine about organizing a rally to protest President Trump's massive layoffs of federal workers at the Federal O'Brien Building in Albany on Friday, March 14, at 5:00 PM.

Seachtain na GaeilgeSeachtain na Gaeilge used to run for one week but because it was so popular it was extended. It now runs annually from 1 March to 17 March – St. Patrick's Day. Is í Seachtain na Gaeilge an ceiliúradh is mó den Ghaeilge agus Cultúr na hÉireann ar domhan. Bhí an oiread sin ráchairt uirthi gur síneodh amach chuig coicís í. Bíonn sí ar siúl ó 1 Márta go dtí 17 Márta - Lá Fhéile Pádraig, achan bhliain.Seachtain na Gaeilge was founded in 1902 by Conradh na Gaeilge as part the Gaelic  revival of that time. Initially Seachtain na Gaeilge was limited to the island of Ireland but today it is now a global phenomenon and the largest celebration of our language and culture here and overseas.Seachtain is an opportunity to celebrate our native language and culture and to enjoy it all.  I was lucky to attend the Belfast launch in An Cultúrlann on the Falls Road last week. I certainly enjoyed it. It was a great event. Bia blasta agus ceol milis. You could tell a new generation is here to take the language movement forward with confidence.  To read what's on in the festival, go to Seachtain na Gaelige le energia or cnag.ie Death of Dafyyd Elis-ThomasNext week the funeral will take place in Cardiff of Dafyyd Elis-Thomas the former leader of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh independence party, who died in February. Forty-four years ago Dafyyd was an MP in the British Parliament where he played a pivotal role in the 1981 hunger strike.Bobby Sands commenced his hunger strike on 1 March 1981. He was to be followed in the weeks and months that followed by other blanket men. Five days after Bobby first refused food Frank Maguire, the Independent Republican MP for Fermanagh South Tyrone suddenly died of a heart attack. Following days of intense discussion, it was decided by Sinn Féin to stand Bobby Sands in the by-election. Harry West was the Unionist candidate.When the result was announced on the 9 April in Enniskillen's Technical College - “Sands, Bobby – Anti H-Block/Armagh Political Prisoner – 30,492; West, Harry – Unionist – 29,046” – history was made and the political landscape on the island of Ireland changed forever. Bobby was elected with a majority of 1447 on an 87% turnout. 

In 1981, the FBI raided the New York apartment of a 27-year-old Englishman who they believed had been commissioned by the Provisional IRA to murder a unionist politician. On Free State today, Aaron Edwards continues his journey inside the psyche of unionism and reveals the details of that extraordinary story. He talks to Dion and Joe about unionism's reluctance to change. The goodies and baddies might be different but the attitude is the same. Is it a philosophy or a state of mind? Aaron also talks about his next gripping book and Joe manages to achieve the impossible and rudely interrupt himself.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CS Lewis wrote that there would be no better to place to live than Northern Ireland ‘if only I could deport the Ulstermen'. On Free State today Joe and Dion talk to the world-renowned historian Aaron Edwards about the predicament of unionism today. Is unionism a philosophy or an anxiety? Do unionist politicians have a strategy or are they trapped by parochialism? Edwards talks about his own upbringing on the hardline loyalist Rathcoole Estate in Belfast and why every victory gets turned to defeat.Free State with Joe Brolly and Dion Fanning is a Gold Hat Production in association with SwanMcG.For more on Free State: https://freestatepodcast.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starmer Waiving The Rules. According to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer his government is looking at "every conceivable way" to prevent me and at least 300 other people from receiving compensation for wrongful arrest and imprisonment in the 1970s. This issue of compensation arises from the decision by the British Supreme Court in May 2020 that the Interim Custody Order (ICO) or internment order issued against me was unlawful. Internment was demanded by the Unionist government in 1971 and imposed by the British on 9 August that year. It had been used in every decade since partition in 1920. Internment saw thousands of armed troops smash their way into nationalist homes to arrest 342 men and boys. They were dragged from their beds and many were beaten. Fourteen – the Hooded Men - were subjected to days of sustained torture. 25 people were killed in the following four days. In Ballymurphy in west Belfast eleven local citizens, including a priest and mother of eight, were killed by the Paras in the Ballymurphy Massacre.  Five months later the Paras attacked an anti-internment march in Derry and killed 14 people. Bloody Sunday was another of many dark days in the conflict. In July 1972 another five citizens, this time in Springhill, were killed by the British Army. They included another priest and a thirteen-year-old girl.Leonard Peltier - Going HomeLeonard Peltier is a native American activist. He has spent almost 50 years in prison in the USA for a crime he has always denied and which many, including some involved in jailing him, have long believed he was innocent of.  A short time before he left office US President Joe Biden commuted Leonard's life sentence to one of home confinement in his tribal homeland in North Dakota. Leonard is due to be released on 18 February.

About Dave O'Toole: I'm a retired trade union organiser. I favour progress and development and I'm not a fan of environmentalism.   00:00 Introduction to Individual Liberty and Environmentalism 01:03 Guest Introduction: Dave O'Toole 01:53 Skepticism Towards Environmentalism in Trade Unions 02:25 The Threat to Oil and Gas Workers 04:14 The Pushback Against Net Zero Policies 06:18 Luxury Beliefs and Climate Change 12:20 Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil 20:53 Net Zero Legislation and Its Impacts 31:32 Critique of Multiculturalism and Environmentalism 34:24 Union Perspectives on Job Security 36:35 Debating Left-Wing Ideologies 39:25 The Crumbling of the Woke Left 43:21 Strategies for Climate Realists 49:00 Legacy Media vs. New Media 58:01 Environmentalism and Enlightenment Philosophy 01:01:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts https://x.com/DavidJOToole https://substack.com/@davidjotoole Extinction Rebellion: enemies of the working class: https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/07/15/extinction-rebellion-enemies-of-the-working-class/ ========= AI summaries of all of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summaries My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

The film, television, and theater industries were represented by some of the largest unions in the United States, and in the late 1940s, with the full cooperation of Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan, organizations like the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Values sought to root out what they deemed the communist threat in entertainment. Unions from other industries were also targeted, and a narrative that communist infiltration was the true root cause of contemporary labor conflicts was embraced by a number of American politicians. Narrated by Rebecca Naomi Jones and featuring Thomas Doherty, author of Show Trial: Hollywood, HUAC, and the Birth of the Blacklist.  Image: Strikers on the picket line at Warner Bros., in the early morning hours before violence broke out, October 5, 1945. Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images The Wreckage is part of the American Jewish Education Program, generously supported by Sid and Ruth Lapidus.

This holy defender of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church labored in the final days of the Byzantine Empire, when, pressed on all sides by the Turks, the Emperor in desperation sought union with (or rather submission to) the Papacy in hopes of obtaining aid from the West. It was St Mark who stood almost alone to prevent such a disaster to the Faith.   He was born in Constantinople in 1392 to devout parents. He received a thorough education and seemed destined for a secular career, but at the age of twenty- six he abandoned all worldly claims and became a monk in a small monastery in Nicomedia. Soon the Turkish threat forced him to return to Constantinople, where, continuing in the monastic life, he wrote a number of treatises on prayer and the dogmas of the Church. In time he was ordained priest, then, at the insistence of the Emperor John VIII Paleologos was made Metropolitan of Ephesus. The Emperor also prevailed on him to join the delegation which traveled to the Council of Florence to consider the reunion of the Orthodox Church and the churches under the Papacy. (Saint Mark went as exarch of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria, who were unable to attend.)   The Greek delegation included the Emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople. All, including Metropolitan Mark, began with great hopes that a true union in faith might result from the Council, but as the sessions proceeded, it soon became clear that Pope Eugenius and his theologians were interested only in securing submission of the Eastern Church to the Papacy and its theology. The Metropolitan spoke forcefully against various Latin dogmas such as the filioque and Purgatory, but the Greek delegation, desperate for western aid, bowed to expediency and agreed to sign a document of Union which would have denied the Orthodox Faith itself. Saint Mark was the only member of the delegation who refused to sign. When the Pope heard of this, he said "The bishop of Ephesus has not signed, so we have achieved nothing!"   When the delegation returned to Constantinople, the signers of the false Union were received with universal condemnation by the people, while Metropolitan Mark was hailed as a hero. The churches headed by Unionists were soon almost empty, while the people flocked to the churches headed by those loyal to Orthodoxy. Saint Mark left the City to avoid concelebrating with the Unionist Patriarch. He was exiled by the Emperor to Lemnos, but was freed in 1442. He continued to oppose the Union until his repose in 1444. In 1452 the Union was officially proclaimed in Constantinople, but the hoped-for Western aid was not forthcoming, and the City fell to the Turks in 1453.

This holy defender of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church labored in the final days of the Byzantine Empire, when, pressed on all sides by the Turks, the Emperor in desperation sought union with (or rather submission to) the Papacy in hopes of obtaining aid from the West. It was St Mark who stood almost alone to prevent such a disaster to the Faith.   He was born in Constantinople in 1392 to devout parents. He received a thorough education and seemed destined for a secular career, but at the age of twenty- six he abandoned all worldly claims and became a monk in a small monastery in Nicomedia. Soon the Turkish threat forced him to return to Constantinople, where, continuing in the monastic life, he wrote a number of treatises on prayer and the dogmas of the Church. In time he was ordained priest, then, at the insistence of the Emperor John VIII Paleologos was made Metropolitan of Ephesus. The Emperor also prevailed on him to join the delegation which traveled to the Council of Florence to consider the reunion of the Orthodox Church and the churches under the Papacy. (Saint Mark went as exarch of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria, who were unable to attend.)   The Greek delegation included the Emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople. All, including Metropolitan Mark, began with great hopes that a true union in faith might result from the Council, but as the sessions proceeded, it soon became clear that Pope Eugenius and his theologians were interested only in securing submission of the Eastern Church to the Papacy and its theology. The Metropolitan spoke forcefully against various Latin dogmas such as the filioque and Purgatory, but the Greek delegation, desperate for western aid, bowed to expediency and agreed to sign a document of Union which would have denied the Orthodox Faith itself. Saint Mark was the only member of the delegation who refused to sign. When the Pope heard of this, he said "The bishop of Ephesus has not signed, so we have achieved nothing!"   When the delegation returned to Constantinople, the signers of the false Union were received with universal condemnation by the people, while Metropolitan Mark was hailed as a hero. The churches headed by Unionists were soon almost empty, while the people flocked to the churches headed by those loyal to Orthodoxy. Saint Mark left the City to avoid concelebrating with the Unionist Patriarch. He was exiled by the Emperor to Lemnos, but was freed in 1442. He continued to oppose the Union until his repose in 1444. In 1452 the Union was officially proclaimed in Constantinople, but the hoped-for Western aid was not forthcoming, and the City fell to the Turks in 1453.

A short story of a pro-Union industrialist trying to preserve his business in the Confederacy.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon.   But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable burials in Northeast Georgia

Daniel interviews veteran educator, unionist and former political director of the United Federation of Teachers, Paul Egan. We discuss his nearly ten year tenure as the United Federation of Teachers' political director -- from the Bloomberg and Cuomo years to the De Blasio years. Egan dispels the tabloid controversies.