ciaran ward
As seen in:
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Slugger O'Toole
Covers:
Data protection, cybersecurity, culture, psychology, international relations
Author “In Complete Circles” & “Square Routes”, Performance poet, Mastermind contestant, spaghetti westerns, progrock & stone circles
Insta: @ciaranward42
Articles by ciaran ward
Energy Sector in New Zealand: Reviewing 2024 and Looking to 2025
Introduction New Zealand's energy sector experienced the first year of the new coalition Government's policy workplan in 2024. The Government's legislative focus is to enable regulatory settings for industry development and investment, rather than the Government making direct investment into the sector.
Misremembering the 1970s half a century on…
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ICO fines the PSNI £750,000 following spreadsheet data breach…
Although not exactly hot off the press, as the fine was announced back in early October, but what has been described by the independent review “Protecting from Within” as: the most significant data breach that has ever occurred in the history of UK policing, not only because of the nature and volume of the political history and context that sets the backdrop of contemporary policing in Northern Ireland and therefore the actual, or perceived, threats towards officers, staff and communities...
ICO fines the PSNI £750,000 following spreadsheet data breach…
Although not exactly hot off the press, as the fine was announced back in early October, but what has been described by the independent review “Protecting from Within” as: the most significant data breach that has ever occurred in the history of UK policing, not only because of the nature and volume of the political history and context that sets the backdrop of contemporary policing in Northern Ireland and therefore the actual, or perceived, threats towards officers, staff and communities...
BOOK REVIEW: TOM JOAD & ME BY OWEN O’NEILL…
Tom Joad and Me is the debut novel from veteran comedian, poet, playwright, occasional actor and Cookstown native Owen O’Neill. Set in the early to mid-1970s the novel is narrated by young Emmett McCrudden who flees his violent alcoholic father and the onset of sectarian conflict in the small Tyrone town of Carricktown to re-invent himself in London.
Telling people where to go in Northern Ireland (quite literally)…
I was intrigued to find a recent feature in the Metro newspaper promoting tourism in Northern Ireland. ‘Awe-inspiring’ UK destination full of natural beauty spots with flights from £30 | Metro News For those unfamiliar with this publication it’s a free daily paper available from public transport hubs throughout England Scotland and Wales. Its local claim to fame was when the DUP took out a controversial double front and back page ad endorsing the leave vote in the EU referendum.
Telling people where to go in Northern Ireland (quite literally)…
I was intrigued to find a recent feature in the Metro newspaper promoting tourism in Northern Ireland. ‘Awe-inspiring’ UK destination full of natural beauty spots with flights from £30 | Metro News For those unfamiliar with this publication it’s a free daily paper available from public transport hubs throughout England Scotland and Wales. Its local claim to fame was when the DUP took out a controversial double front and back page ad endorsing the leave vote in the EU referendum.
Marking the Solstice: Ireland’s Ancient Stone Circles…
With the winter solstice and shortest day of the year rapidly approaching it’s worth remembering the old traditions which predate any concept of Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam, unionism or nationalism – specifically neolithic (meaning literally “new stone”) stone circles and other prehistoric constructions which were built specifically to align with the rising or setting sun on solstice day.
PSNI on the Information Commissioner’s naughty step. Again…
Hot on the heels of the major data breach in August of this year when thousands of officers’ personal information was accidentally leaked via a spreadsheet, the PSNI has once again found itself on the naughty step and received a slap on the wrist from the Information Commissioner following revelations of personal information having been unlawfully shared by the PSNI’s Extradition Unit (EU) with the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Once more unto the data breach…
Following on from Brian’s two recent OPs on the PSNI data breach(es), I’m all too familiar with this sort of thing, having worked in the Freedom of Information/Data Protection field for many years and conducted countless training sessions to bored, disinterested attendees who would rather spend the hour and a half watching paint dry than be lectured about the nuances of the GDPR or why they should always lock their computer screens using the “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” key any time they leave their desks.
Ryan-off-air, LateLateGate and Marty’s car…
In over 100 years of its existence, the Irish state is no stranger to scandal. Such incidents in the past have mostly involved politicians, businessmen/women, priests or bishops. But now we have the unprecedented situation of the national broadcaster at the centre of the latest outrage.
Transatlantic Blonde on Blonde…
Is it mere coincidence that two former political leaders on either side of the Atlantic, both big, blonde and boisterous find themselves on the naughty step at the same time? And in a further coincidence, another former populist leader has just exited the stage for good. Silvio Berlusconi – an outspoken, controversial business tycoon who became premier of Italy arguably paved the way for the Trump presidency.
“How far do you live from the English border?”
One summer in the 1990s while I was a student I did what many other students do and crossed the Atlantic for gainful holiday employment. I spent a hot, humid festival season amidst the mosquito-infested lakes, pine forests and flatlands of rural Michigan where I slaved away scrubbing pans and mopping floors in the kitchen of a children’s summer camp with a number of other students from Slovakia, the Netherlands, England, Australia and Canada.
A Snake banisher comes of age…
It’s that time of year when the Easter eggs have been in the shops since about early January, the daffodils (some of which have been in bloom since early January – which may or may not be a consequence of climate change) set the place alight with yellow and pubs throughout England’s green (and yellow) pleasant land celebrate a famous British saint adopted by Ireland – and I don’t mean Jack Charlton.
Passing the port in stormy weather….
Another decade has passed and my passport is due for renewal this year. A great deal has happened since 2013 – both in my own personal life (which I won’t go into) and within the wider world – which I won’t dwell on either as it’s been covered extensively both here and elsewhere. But of course one particular event which has affected people’s choice of passport(s) cannot be ignored.
Should we boycott the World Cup?
You wait years for a world cup and four come along at once.
The trouble with drama - Part 2: The big screen…
This article is the second and final part of my exploration of NI Troubles-related dramas. As Part 1 looked mostly at TV productions, Part 2 takes a look at the big screen. 2 out of 1001 On my bookshelf I have an old 2007 copy of 1001 Movies To See Before You Die which I found for a song at a charity sale. Of the 1001 films referenced, two are set in Northern Ireland. The first is one is Odd Man Out (1947), the tale of Johnny McQueen (James Mason), a wounded IRA man on the run in Belfast.
The trouble with making drama - Part 1: The small screen…
While I was watching Bloodlands the BBC drama series starring Jimmy Nesbitt as a bent PSNI detective, it occurred to me that a new sub-genre of post-Troubles legacy drama has effectively emerged. Like similar serials such as Line of Duty or The Fall, Bloodlands is not specifically about politico-sectarian conflict, but this theme is inevitably lurking in the background with regular references to past events involving paramilitaries.
Houdini, the Teflon Taoiseach and the Polytetrafluoroethylene Prime Minister…
So following an apparent pyrrhic victory in the party confidence ballot and notwithstanding the damning conclusions of the long-awaited “FINDINGS OF SECOND PERMANENT SECRETARY’S INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGED GATHERINGS ON GOVERNMENT PREMISES DURING COVID RESTRICTIONS” (better known as the Sue Gray report) Boris Johnson lives to fight another day. Partygate is simply the most serious in a long line of scandals which have dogged Johnson over the years.
The untapped tourist potential of Tyrone…
Having recovered from being effectively a no-go area for tourists for the best part of three decades Northern Ireland now has much to offer the discerning visitor. Although I seem to be one of the few people on the planet who have never seen Game Of Thrones, the show seems to have worked wonders for the local tourist industry now that places like the Dark Hedges and the Giants Causeway have become popular must-see destinations.
What’s with the Accent?
Having lived in England for several years if I had a pound for every time someone on hearing my accent asked me “what part of Scotland are you from?” I’d certainly have a few extra quid in the bank. Now I’d understand this if I spoke with a strong north Antrim accent which clearly has a strong Scottish influence due to both geographical proximity and centuries (if not millennia) of inter-mingling – but I don’t.
Rebuilding the human factor…
Events of the past two years have demonstrated that thanks to modern technology and the increasingly individualistic nature of modern western society it’s now perfectly possible, especially if you live in an urban area to go for days and even weeks on end without any meaningful contact with other human beings. We can do our supermarket shopping online and have the groceries delivered to our door by an anonymous delivery driver on a zero contract.
Playing New Games Without Frontiers…
As we’re all too aware in our own small corner of the world, politics and sport can often be a toxic mix. But in the light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the combustion of sporting and politico-economic interests was inevitable. George Orwell famously described sport as “war minus the shooting”. The same principle applies today with many governments using it as a propaganda weapon.
Nostalgia - the double-edged sword…
The nostalgia industry has become something of a lucrative business. There are now entire TV channels dedicated to repeats of old shows where (if you have time on your hands) you can spend all day watching the likes of Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch or The Sweeney. There are radio stations which only play golden oldies.
Brave New Post Lockdown World: Same Office, Different River?
In the early 2000s, TV viewers were invited to see the funny side of the drudgery and monotony of the white-collar workplace.
Haunting Of Queen’s University Halls?
Back in the 1990s when I was a first-year student at Queen’s I lodged in one of the brutalist Soviet-style 1960s tower blocks known as the Elms halls of residence located just off the leafy Malone Road.
Notes from the outer regions…
Having lived in London for over 20 years now I’m always careful not to bring back too much of the local currency when I return from trips home. I’m referring of course to the regional banknotes produced by Danske Bank, Ulster Bank, First Trust and Bank of Ireland.
Freedom to express, but not freedom to incite?
Western liberal democracies pride themselves on the right to freedom of expression. But social media has within the last decade or so had a profound impact on the possibilities of political expression. The suspension of Donald Trump’s access to Twitter, Facebook and now YouTube following the assault on the Capitol on 6th January has opened up a new debate on whether this ban is contrary to the right of free speech.
Throwing a Scammer in the Works…
I’m sure many of you have received an unsolicited phone call asking about that alleged car crash you were supposedly involved in (or Microsoft (allegedly) telling you you’ve got a bug on your PC that needs fixing) or an email from someone asking you to deposit a large sum of money into your account – or a message purporting to be from your bank, HMRC or Netflix – with numerous spelling and punctuation mistakes, upper and lower case letters in the wrong places, and in some cases written in the...
Taking back control of our personal data in a post-Brexit world…
Much has been written and debated about the impact of Brexit on the movement of people and goods. But relatively has been written about the flow of data post-Brexit. “Take back control” was a slogan used by the Leave campaign. But this apparently didn’t include taking back control of one’s own data. Remember the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook scandal – and in a separate case – Leave.EU receiving a £45,000 fine in 2019 from the Information Commissioner for unsolicited marketing?
The Past Was Certainly A Different Country… But That’s Entertainment
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” (British novelist LP Hartley, 1953) In the months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the subsequent Black Lives Matter demonstrations, a whole new debate has opened up on how we should perceive the events and actors of the past. History is undoubtedly awash with shameful events.
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