Steve McGookin
Baltimore, Belfast
Almost constantly bewildered, but not really surprised.
Articles by Steve McGookin
Trick or Treat For Biden?
As Joe Biden himself said, this coming week will define his presidency. Such a statement might seem an unnecessary hostage to fortune at what’s still a relatively early stage of his tenure, but as he travels to Europe this weekend for the G20meeting in Rome and then the COP26climate summit in Glasgow, the President finds himself beset by connected challenges, global and local.
The Week In Five Points
Tories gather amid shortages and cost of living fears The Conservatives began their first in-person conference for two years this weekend in Manchester, ostensibly in a strong position politically despite ongoing issues surrounding HGV driver shortages and rising energy costs creating uncertainty in the run-up to Christmas. The first military drivers begin delivering petrol to garages on Monday morning, while the furlough scheme and Universal Credit uplift are set to end this week.
The Week In Five Points
Panic Stations The government could decide on Monday to deploy the Army to carry out petrol deliveries after this week saw widespread panic-buying amid supply problems at forecourts across Britain. BP said on Sunday that a third of its stations in Britain had run out.
The Week In Five Points
AUKUS submarine deal leaves France fuming France on Friday recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia after the announcement of a new trilateral security partnership for the Asia-Pacific region meant the Australian government backed out of a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France. The French embassy in Washington said the move was at the request of President Macron and reflected the “exceptional seriousness” of the developments.
The Week In Five Points
Exasperated Biden prompts backlash with vaccine mandate This week, America and the World remembered the events of September 11 2001, and in the wake of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, considered everything that followed from that day. But no sooner had President Joe Biden ended one “forever war” than he has been forced to fight another – the relentless struggle against Covid and the politicization of vaccinations across the country.
The Week In Five Points
US buckles under extreme weather After slamming into the Gulf Coast, bringing record winds and leaving thousands without power, Hurricane Ida left a deadly trail of flooding along the northeast part of the US this week before moving back out to sea. At the same time, massive wildfires continued to rage on the west coast.
The Week In Five Points
Biden faces perfect storm of crises As the Tuesday August 31 deadline looms for the final US withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Joe Biden’s administration is this weekend dealing with a perfect storm of crises, as Hurricane Ida wreaks havoc on the Gulf Coast and the Covid pandemic continues to rage. Not to mention growing pressure on the President and Congressional Democrats to act to protect voting rights.
The Week In Five Points
Taliban tightens grip as Afghan chaos unfolds Confusion continues around the Kabul airport as America’s longest war comes to an end, with many Afghans desperate to escape the country as the Taliban consolidates its takeover. There were heartbreaking accounts of women passing their babies over the wall to US soldiers, and of a 17-year-old footballer who fell to his death from a departing aircraft.
The Week In Five Points
Taliban takes Kabul, returns to power in Afghanistan Almost twenty years after their regime was ousted by US-led forces in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Taliban forces on Sunday entered the Afghan capital Kabul after sweeping through the rest of the country as the United States presence came to “an abrupt and chaotic end”. With Afghan forces’ resistance collapsing, President Ashraf Ghani fled to Tajikistan amid growing fear and uncertainty among the population over immediate next steps.
The Week In Five Points
World gets yet another climate ‘wake-up call’ On Monday morning, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases its latest report. It’s not expected to make uplifting reading.
The Week In Five Points
‘The War Has Changed…’ How the world thinks about Covid appeared to be evolving this week, with increasingly urgent warnings about the power and transmissibility of the Delta Variant and a realization that the pandemic is far from over. In the US, some mask mandates were restored and President Biden moved to require vaccinations for federal employees. Private companies are doing the same.
The Week In Five Points
Olympics opens as Covid concerns continue Amid surreal circumstances, the Olympics is doing its best to be the Olympics. But even in a heatwave, the continuing spread of the Coronavirus is at the back of everyone’s mind, with the Delta variant now the predominant strain across the world. The Tokyo area, meanwhile, remains under a state of emergency. Opposition to the Games was particularly high in Japan—but it was hardly the only country that felt that way.
The Week In Five Points
Weather extremes prompt urgent climate warnings Unprecedented rainfall in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands this week led to catastrophic flooding that left almost 200 people dead and many still missing. German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the scene of the devastation and said the world “had to be faster in the battle against climate change”.
Winning people over, without winning
Euro 2020 (held one year late) came to an end with Italy’s penalty shoot-out win against England in the final. The competition caught the public’s attention thanks to England’s most successful campaign since 1966 and the availability of every match on free-to-air television. Outside of England, loyalties have been split across these islands. Many of us follow the “anyone but the English” approach, but this particular England team attracted new supporters over the course of the campaign.
The Week In Five Points
Italy Win Euros In Dramatic Penalty Shoot-Out After days of anticipation with football apparently either “coming home” or “going to Rome,” England came up short in a nail-biting Euros final. England failed to hold onto their second-minute lead through Luke Shaw – the fastest goal ever scored in a Euro final – and when Leonardo Bonucci equalized in the second half, it was a measure of how Italy had come back to dominate.
The Week In Five Points
Anniversaries Aplenty As the “great unfinished symphony” that is the US celebrated its 245th birthday this weekend, the divided nation fell short of the Biden administration’s 70 per cent vaccination target by the July 4th holiday. In a number of US states, the spread of the Delta Variant continues to be a real cause for concern.
Books And Other Things We’re Looking Forward to This Summer
What are you reading this summer? Members of the Northern Slant team share what they’ll be reading – and other things they’re looking forward to over the coming months particularly as COVID-19 restrictions (hopefully) continue to ease. Feel free to share your reading recommendations with us via our Facebook or Twitter page.
The Week In Five Points
Hancock quits in wake of “leaked video” An investigation is to be launched after UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned following the “leak” of video footage from his office which was published by The Sun.
Safe Travels | Northern Slant
When the British government announced its latest travel rules review last week, it promised that next month it would say more about how and when it plans to lift restrictions for fully-vaccinated travelers. The statement came as concerns continue over the global spread of the so-called Delta Variant, which had led the government to postpone the end of its own domestic social distancing rules until July 19.
The Week In Five Points
Like Helsinki Never Happened At the end of a relatively successful road trip reassuring US allies about the viability of 21st Century Democracy, President Joe Biden’s first summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin took place this week in Geneva.
The Week In Five Points
G7 sunk by Brexit blame game Boris Johnson’s first chance as PM to host world leaders and display his concept of “Global Britain” this week in Cornwall ended up being, to put it kindly, a missed opportunity as post-Brexit tensions surfaced with the issue of Northern Ireland yet again at the centre of a diplomatic blame game, or what TD Neale Richmond described as a “jingoistic word salad”.
The Week In Five Points
World leaders gather under Covid’s relentless shadow As the story of what really happened at the Wuhan lab in China becomes more confusing almost by the day, what remains undeniable is the extent of vaccine inequity between the world’s rich and poor countries. With Nepal appealing to Britain for immediate help with vaccines, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to lay out a global target at this coming week’s G7 meeting for vaccinating the world by the end of next year.
The Week In Five Points
Israel Poised For Anti-Netanyahu Coalition Israel looks set to avoid its fifth national election in just over two years – and replace Benjamin Netanyahu as the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister – after ultra-nationalist leader Naftali Bennett appeared close to agreeing to form a “national unity government” with centrist Yair Lapid.
As Trump’s Legal Woes Mount, The GOP Doubles Down
No former US president has ever been charged with a crime. Regardless of how excited some of Donald Trump’s opponents might have become this week at his growing legal discomfort, it’s still far from certain that might change anytime soon. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday night that the Manhattan District Attorney has convened a Grand Jury to decide whether or not to indict the twice-impeached former president, and if so on what charges.
The Week In Five Points
Diplomacy To Address Gaza Crisis The still-uncertain ceasefire in Gaza is set to give way to a new round of diplomacy, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expected to visit the region this coming week after pledging that the Biden administration is committed to dealing with the “grave humanitarian situation”. On calls for a two-state solution, Sec.
The Week In Five Points
Calls Grow For Cease-Fire As Gaza Crisis Escalates The latest outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas entered a seventh day on Sunday and has escalated to its worst level since 2014. With another 42 Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, pressure was growing on the United Nations and the US to press for a cessation in the fighting.
The Week In Five Points
UK elections point to fraught paths ahead This week’s local elections only helped confirm that the four regions of the UK are run by four different parties, each with their own separate agenda and priorities. The Conservatives scored significant victories in the Hartlepool by-election and other former Labour strongholds, as the shift in the “Red Wall” which handed the Tories a general election victory in 2019 showed no sign of weakening.
The Week In Five Points
DUP faces defining moment as it chooses new leader It has been a hugely significant week all across British politics, with another of similar drama to come. In the weekend widely regarded by historians as the actual anniversary of the founding of Northern Ireland, local politics is adjusting to the ouster of DUP leader and First Minister Arlene Foster.
On Eve of 100 Days, Biden Offers Bold Agenda
When Major General William Walker, the first black Sergeant at Arms in the history of the US House of Representatives, announced President Joe Biden’s arrival in the Senate chamber on Wednesday night, it was the first of back-to-back moments of symbolism before the president’s speech had even started.
The Week In Five Points
India grieves as Covid overwhelms hospitals With the tragic situation in India apparently out of control, yet another infection record was setfor a fourth straight day amid a shortage of oxygen and medical institutions on the brink of collapse, governments across the world appear to have realized that any return to normality can only progress at the speed of the slowest country.
'We Are Able To Breathe Again'
In what could prove to be a pivotal moment for accountability in policing across the United States, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts of the murder of George Floyd last May, an event which inspired the Black Lives Matter protests on the streets and around the world. On Tuesday night, a collective sigh of relief greeted the unanimous decision.
The Week In Five Points
World struggles with path back to ‘normality’ Even as the US passed the mark of more than 50 per cent of its population having at least one Covid vaccination – despite disruption to the vaccine pipeline after a “pause” to the Johnson & Johnson rollout – there are worrying signs that the world as a whole is stalling in progress back to a global state of semi-normality.
The Week In Five Points
As violence flares, politicians wrestle with a challenge that seems beyond them On a weekend marking the 23rd anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, we have all been left to consider the consequences of a string of nights of street violence, mainly in loyalist areas in Belfast and across Northern Ireland, which police – who deployed water cannon for the first time here since 2015 – described as the worst rioting for years.
The Week In Five Points
PM set to address foreign travel Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make an announcement on Monday about the latest state of the fight against Covid-19, including how and when foreign travel might resume for Britons – even though the government’s road map indicates that the earliest such travel might re-start is May 17. A number of MPs have already expressed their opposition to the so-called ‘vaccine passports’ the government appears set to trial and which many other countries are also exploring.
The Week In Five Points
Stuck Boat Still Stuck In what seemed like a perfect metaphor for literally everything this week, much of the world’s commercial activity came to an almost grinding halt when a massive container ship became wedged in the Suez Canal, causing a maritime traffic jam of more than 300 container vessels with huge implications for the global supply chain.
The Week In Five Points
Amid vaccine row, Europe sees worrying Covid spikes It was a week of contrasts as the world continues to wrestle with the Coronavirus. As the UK reached the landmark of having half its adult population receive at least one vaccination, the uneven rollout continued across Europe, with further potential disruption over the AstraZeneca vaccine, as the supply row escalated between the drugmaker and the European Commission.
The Week In Five Points
‘She Just Wanted To Go Home’ Britain’s highest-ranking female law enforcement officer, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Cressida Dick, is resisting calls for her resignation after widespread criticism of how Met officers broke up a vigil in South London on Saturday night in memory of Sarah Everard. At the end of the week of International Women’s Day, the situation escalated as police made arrests at the vigil in Clapham Common, near where Sarah went missing on March 3.
The Week In Five Points
Anger over Covid Budget ‘snub’ for nurses Protests greeted the government’s Covid recovery Budget this week as it was proposed that NHS staff should receive just a 1% pay increase. There were demonstrations across the country, along with warnings of strike action and an exodus from the service, while the move was widely described as a “slap in the face” for employees who have sacrificed so much during the past year of the pandemic. An NHS budget cut. No new support for social care.
The Week In Five Points
Johnson sets out ‘roadmap’ to normality As the UK’s “unprecedented” vaccine rollout continued, Prime Minister Boris Johnson published his long-awaited “roadmap” out of lockdown, saying he hoped the current restrictions would be the last.
The Week In Five Points
Texas struggles with response to unprecedented weather event For the people of Texas it has been a week from the dark ages as a slow-rolling catastrophe of power failures played out across a state devastated by deadly winter storms in what could prove to be one of the most costly events in US history.
The Week In Five Points
Trump acquitted as GOP falls in line over insurrection The United States Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump on the single impeachment charge of inciting insurrection. Seven Republican Senators voted with the Democrats, but the eventual 57-43 vote was not sufficient to find Trump guilty and potentially bar him from holding public office again.
History at stake as impeachment trial begins
On Tuesday, the United States Senate convenes in the same building that was stormed a month ago in a violent attack that left five people dead and terrorized those caught up in it. Senators will gather to weigh accountability for the events of that day, and – perhaps of greater long-term significance to American politics – whether they will set a precedent that allows a President to threaten a co-equal branch of government with the aim of overturning a legal election.
The Week In Five Points
Government sticks to May vaccine target In light of questions this week over the efficacy of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine in , the UK government said it was optimistic that everyone in the country over 50 years old would be offered their initial vaccination by May. More than 12m people in the UK have already been given their first injection.
The Week In Five Points
Vaccine row overshadows tragic Covid milestone Britain’s death toll from Covid-19 passed 100,000 this week, more than the number of civilian deaths recorded during World War Two. The UK is now the fifth country – and the first in Europe – to exceed 100,000 deaths; after the US, Brazil, India and Mexico.
The Week In Five Points
The world marks a grim anniversary One year ago this week, the Chinese city of Wuhan entered an unprecedented lockdown that would last 76 days, as the global threat from the newly-emerging Coronavirus began to become apparent. "Wuhan is the safest city in China.
From the big lie to a great undoing
When Donald Trump departs Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC early on Wednesday morning, surrounded for the last time by the trappings of military symbolism – “Dictator cosplay” as MSNBC’s Joy Reid called it – he will leave with the lowest approval rating of any president, having been impeached twice and with a trial pending in the Senate that could see him banned from ever again holding public office.
The Week In Five Points
US on edge ahead of inaugural With less than 100 hours to go until the inauguration of America’s new president, Washington DC is in a state of military occupation, with many more US troops in the nation’s capital than are currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
The Week In Five Points
US on edge after Trump incites attempted coup As the House of Representatives prepares to move forward this week with attempts to remove Donald Trump from office, arrests and charges are under way for a number of his supporters who stormed the Capitol Building in Washington DC on Wednesday.
Looking For A Soul To Steal
Forgive the mixing of musical metaphors, but tonight, Georgia is on everyone’s mind. The southern state that is home to 39th president Jimmy Carter and was narrowly won by Joe Biden in November’s presidential election – the first time a Democrat had taken the state since Bill Clinton in 1992 – is currently the centre of America’s political universe ahead of two much-anticipated run-off elections that will determine control of the incoming Senate.
The Week In Five Points
As Covid numbers grow, confusion over vaccines, schools Britain ended a week where 50,000 new daily cases of the virus has now become the norm amid widespread confusion over the plan for vaccine distribution and uncertainty over whether schools should be re-opening. Even as the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine was approved – and will be rolled out starting on Monday – the government appeared to change its approach on administering patients’ second shot.
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