Tuesday, September 30, 2008
“Don’t say you weren’t warned..”
OK, so this is probably an over-reaction.. Terrifying? Disturbingly misguided, certainly. As Oliver Burkeman says, “If Obama wins the election, all American citizens will be required to gather in local parks at 6am each morning to serenade their leader in this fashion. Don’t say you weren’t warned.” Indeed. Adds The video, which had been online since the middle of August, has now been pulled. Update But others have reposted it.
Pete Baker @ 07:40 PM
Slugger Awards Flickr group
For our regular contributors to the Northern Ireland flickr group, or anyone who’s handy with a digital camera/cameraphone you’re most welcome to come along next Tuesday and document the evening’s proceedings. We’ve opened up the Slugger Awards Flickr group now, so that if you have any politics related photographs already why not add them now?
Mick Fealty @ 07:11 PM
Twenty Major hangs up his satirical gloves…
Twenty’s not exactly gone, but it sounds like he’s had enough after four years and one day of blogging… Have sympathy with the long distance blogger… Some fairly sober valedictory remarks worth reading… He’s even set up a forum for those regulars who want to carry on without him… I think I met him once, at the bar at the second Irish Blog Awards, just after he’d clinched his book deal. Still don’t really know who he is… But he was (at the very least) a decent conversation starter…
Mick Fealty @ 06:42 PM
Save with Ireland
The BBC’s personal finance department says:
“The emergency decision by the Irish government to guarantee the safety of all deposits in six of its main savings institutions for two years may give UK savers a great opportunity. If you want somewhere secure to put your cash during the current financial crisis, then opening an account with any of the six looks like a very good idea.”
So far the gamble looks like paying off in the short term. What I took to be “a pebble in the stream” may become a veritable flood. Pressure is mounting on the British and other European governments to do something similar. Gordon Brown is repeating the mantra that he’ll “ do what it takes”and is increasing the savings guarantee from 35k to 50k but this may not be enough. He’s plainly reluctant to make a move which comes within a hair’s breadth from nationalising of all British banks. That’s Tuesday evening’s position anyway. Tomorrow is a new day.
Brian Walker @ 03:25 PM
“Substantial amounts of money on consultants..”
BBC NI’s Martina Purdy has been examining the detailed list of MLAs’ Office Costs Alllowances for last year. And she’s noted that a significant number of Sinn Féin MLAs have claimed over £20,000 for, presumably, external “advice and consultancy fees”. The highest use of consultants appears to be by SF MLA Cathal Boylan.. with a bill for £35,245.. It’s all apparently within the scope of the office costs allowance.. but Martina Purdy does pose some interesting questions to be answered.
Pete Baker @ 02:25 PM
“it has never been about a merger..”
At the Our Kingdom blog, Tom Griffin rounds-up the sceptical voices on the proposed UUP/Conservative Party link-up - much as fair deal did. Meanwhile, UUP leader Reg Empey was on Stormont Live today from the Conservative Party Conference and, whilst he was keen to emphasise a positive meeting with David Cameron, he was also stressing that any link-up would not be a merger and that the process was at a very early stage.. He’s also warning of a potential “spike” ahead in unemployment here.
Adds Whether or not the Guardian’s Nicholas Watt’s prediction is accurate, he paints an interesting dynamic in the circumstances.
Pete Baker @ 02:13 PM
Welcome to the Slugger Awards 2008…
We had a great readers’ panel meeting on Saturday night, which significantly over ran the allotted and was very productive. Yesterday we were working with WIMPS up at Stormont grabbing video voxpops from politicians, lobbyists and political insiders. Winners’ night is next Tuesday in the Atrium of W5 at the Odyssey in Belfast, and is free and open to all comers. We’ll gather there from 6pm onwards. It will be the biggest fattest blog meet up, with free drinks and nibbles and we hope with a fair proportion of the great and the good in Northern Irish politics and media thrown in. Make sure you book in advance and ensure you get your place. And this is a blogger’s do, so the style is (un)strictly informal.
Mick Fealty @ 12:00 PM
Gurkhas win test case
Gurkhas have won their test case against the government. They challenged immigration rules which blocked many of them from settling in the UK.
Fair Deal @ 11:47 AM
Two classes of Irish in deposit guarantee gamble
Commentators have woken up to the scale of what the Irish government is doing - already noted by shrewd Sugger contributors - of more than doubling its GDP to offer up to 400 billion euros to all bank deposits, liabilities including retail, commercial and interbank deposits in Irish-owned banks, to take effect immediately and expiring in September 2010.
My hero Peston says: “This has huge ramifications for us. Potentially it puts British banks at a massive competitive disadvantage - especially since other European governments are also taking urgent steps to reassure their citizens that their bank deposits are safe.” In other words, there could be a rush out of British banks and into the six named Irish banks covered by the scheme. The Irish authorities must be praying the guarantees are never called in or else they’d bust the State. They’ll be hoping their move is matched by other European countries pdq.
Meanwhile the Irish Times have a piece that makes the two classes of “Irish” clear. “Aside from the six Irish owned banks, ” other financial institutions, many of which are owned by foreign institutions are not covered under the new scheme. However, they can avail themselves of the Government’s previous Deposit Protection Scheme on sums up to €100,000 (i.e. not necessarily the full value), but the foreign-owned bank must make a request to the Financial Regulator to be covered to this amount.” What will the regulator say if they all come rushing?
Brian Walker @ 10:31 AM
“to reap what are currently unquantifiable, long-term benefits..”
Sir George Bain’s report on the review of policy on location of public sector jobs has been received by the Finance Minister. Brief BBC report here and you can get the full report here. 27 recommendations in total. But there is a caution included in the report’s conclusion.
9.6 We also need to manage expectations. What we are recommending is, in our view, relatively small-scale. We nevertheless believe relocation has the potential to make a positive contribution to the Executive’s overall goals and to help to shape the new Northern Ireland. But implementing our recommendations will require considerable political will. Decisions have to be made, for example, to make upfront investments in the pilot projects, in light of all the known risks, to reap what are currently unquantifiable, long-term benefits. Once those decisions are taken, strong leadership and management, at the highest level, will be necessary to create and maintain the momentum required to implement the pilot projects successfully.
Pete Baker @ 10:05 AM
Replacing the panes
Tom Kelly looks at the role and challenges of women in Ulster politics.
Fair Deal @ 07:59 AM
Irish government throws pebble into the stream
It’s beyond general comment so I won’t even try. But can anybody tell me why in this turmoil the US Congress has to rise for the two days of the Jewish New Year?
Irish government guarantees for deposits seems to have lifted stocks in Dublin for the moment but it can only be a pebble in the stream. Nor are all Irish Banks Irish as the Irish Times reminds us.
“The measure does not extend to deposits or debts in National Irish Nank, ACC, Rabobank or Ulster Bank which are subsidiaries of large international banks.”
For instance, Ulster Bank is owned by the giant Royal Bank of Scotland and National, the Northern Bank in NI is owned by Danske Bank which has netted out of Lehman’s at a cost of a mere $100 million and appears in no worse a position than any other. Meanwhile, Anatole cries: “We’re all doomed”. For some the burden of the bail-out on taxpayers could be too much. For others, the pure marketeers, it’s the wrong thing to do anyway… Meanwhile, it’s headless chickens time down on the money farm.
Update on cross border, cross channel complications. From the BBC story “The department said that the scheme would cover all UK branches of the financial institutions, but that negotiations were under way with the British authorities on safeguards that might be provided to any of the six banks’ subsidiary companies in the UK.” Just to confuse the issue, ThisisMoney reports that “full compensation will not stretch to UK customers of Allied Irish Bank, as it says its UK branches are separately authorised to its Irish parent bank when it comes to compensation. These savings are therefore only covered up to the UK limit of £35,000 per individual. The move will increase pressure on Alistair Darling to increase the UK limit to £50,000 before the end of the year as he hinted during the summer.” “This is by any standards an extraordinary development that may result in an exposure of as much as €400bn for the Irish taxpayer,” said Joan Burton of the Irish Labour party.
Brian Walker @ 06:38 AM
Monday, September 29, 2008
“You don’t have to agree with the other person’s point of view..”
Apparently, the deadlock in the Northern Ireland Executive is “very serious”. Whether that’s serious enough for Sinn Féin to take the ball away walk out of the administration isn’t clear. But a quick note to whoever is responsible for this BBC report.
Sinn Fein say the St Andrews Agreement set May this year as a target date for the devolution of policing powers to the Assembly, although the DUP has said it is not bound by any timetable.
Sinn Féin have repeatedly claimed that the St Andrews Agreement set a deadline of May 2008 - despite what the actual agreement stated. Whilst the DUP have consistently pointed to the conditional nature of the timing. But the real reason behind the current crisis is worth focussing on.
Pete Baker @ 08:52 PM
Unionist Councillors Veto ‘Freedom’ Move for ‘Goodwill’ Reverend
Unionist councillors in Limavady have vetoed a move to give the Freedom of Limavady Borough to a Protestant clergyman hounded from the town 20 years ago following his decision to shake hands with a Catholic priest and attend the re-opening of a catholic church which had been bombed by loyalists. Rev. David Armstrong subsequently received death threats from loyalists and faced a backlash within his presbyterian church, leading to his decision to leave the town. He is now an Anglican Minister in County Cork.
Ulster Unionist/ Conservative Party? councillor, Edwin Stevenson, commented last week of the proposed gesture, “This is something that unionists in the town will be very angry about.”
Chris Donnelly @ 06:58 PM
“as in cirrus clouds on Earth..”
Just as the Jules Verne burns up in our atmosphere there are more wondrous images from the NASA Mars Phoenix lander. Beginning with sunrise on the lander’s 101st day on Mars - where the snow may well be general too.. They’ve also photographed some clouds on Sept. 18, 2008, during early afternoon hours of the 113th Martian day of the mission - “The particles in the clouds are water-ice, as in cirrus clouds on Earth.” [image below the fold] So, terraforming then?
Pete Baker @ 06:01 PM
Devil in the detail?
David Cameron has admitted that there are some difficulties in established the future UUP/Tory relationship. Devenport seems to focus upon where Sylvia Hermon stands. Lord Trimble’s intervention seems to have contributed to some electoral and relationship concerns. The subtext seems to be the Conservatives looking for a full merger with Ulster Unionists happier with what has been described as the CSU/CDU model. Chekov argues the jitters are natural and Mark Devenport suggests a large financial carrot for the UUP, up to £40K to spend in each constituency in advance of the Westminster elections.
Fair Deal @ 03:30 PM
“Destroying our immune system..”
DUP MLA, Iris Robinson, who chairs the Assembly’s Health Committee, appeared on Stormont Live today only to talk about the Health Minister’s announcement on prescription charges. But the notable part of the interview was her interesting, if un-scientific, view of the problems caused by the over-proscribing of antibiotics [1min 40secs in]
“We’re not handing out antibiotics the way we used to, and I’m glad of that, because we’re destroying our immune system[‘s ability] to face up to other difficult bugs around.”
Of course, it’s probably entirely coincidental that the actual explanation of the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections involves the process of evolution - as explained in this 1995 article in the US Food and Drug Administration’s magazine.
The increased prevalence of antibiotic resistance is an outcome of evolution. Any population of organisms, bacteria included, naturally includes variants with unusual traits—in this case, the ability to withstand an antibiotic’s attack on a microbe. When a person takes an antibiotic, the drug kills the defenseless bacteria, leaving behind—or “selecting,” in biological terms—those that can resist it. These renegade bacteria then multiply, increasing their numbers a millionfold in a day, becoming the predominant microorganism.
ANYhoo.. here’s the interview..
Pete Baker @ 02:55 PM
Ex prisoner on ‘Breakout’...
For a programme with very little political content the Breakout programme has generated a fair amount of controversy. Fair Deal’s dealt with Ann Marie Hourihane’s piece in today’s Irish Times. But Grassy Noel points in that thread to an excellent piece from ex Republican prisoner Anthony McIntyre who provides some ‘insider’ context on the main characters.
Mick Fealty @ 02:02 PM
“We don’t go in for political knee-cappings..”
SDLP MLA, and European candidate, Alban Magennis, with a valiant defence of the comments after the Fermanagh by-election by his party colleague, and political assistant, Cllr Niall Kelly aka blogger The Belfast Stoop. Of course, the party faces other problems. There’s also an interesting, if brief, point made about blogging and political discussion [approx 3mins in].
Pete Baker @ 01:54 PM
“...violence as a cheery caper”
Ann Marie Hourihane reviews the Breakout programme. She concludes that:
“But viewers of Breakout were left asking if there is no spectacle the Protestant people of Northern Ireland will not have to endure to make republicans feel better about themselves. Is there no victory dance, be it ever so puerile, that they are not going to be forced to witness? There’s a real danger that the IRA is going to bore the rest of us to death. But even Free Staters know the name of one person murdered by the IRA. Watching Breakout, that name kept on reverberating through the twinkling orgy of machismo: Jean McConville. Jean McConville. Jean McConville.”
Fair Deal @ 08:58 AM
Northern Ireland sitting on its public sector cushion, isn’t immune unfortunately…
The financial crisis has exposed a big area of weakness in Northern Ireland’s post-Troubles’ resources-strapped journalism (except for the BBC)– economic coverage, unless it’s about business handouts or purely about the impact on people’s pockets. This mean fears and anxieties can be inflated and people can be caught unprepared. Less scrappy reporting and more consistent context and background are badly needed but I see little prospect of it happening. Somebody on the Irish Times business newsdesk obviously felt the need to inquire how the North was faring and commissioned this pull together of recent specialist comment. Reported by the Irish News, a fortnight ago, the piece reports Michael Smyth of the University of Ulster’s comments that:
“Northern Ireland is in much better economic shape than it realises but is in danger of talking itself into a recession”. As we’ve noted before, it has “the benefit of a public-sector-driven economy to cushion it from the worst effects of the credit crunch and global slowdown. New research shows British taxpayers have subsidised public-sector spending in the North by an estimated £57 billion (€71.8 billion) since 1985/1986. The research shows that, in terms of the amount of money allocated by the UK treasury, public spending per head in the North is £2,254 higher than in England.” Smyth warns that public expenditure growth will slow in Northern Ireland over the next three years. He believes one of the biggest impacts on consumer confidence has been the “unremitting media coverage of recent economic turmoil”. Smyth is highly critical of some of the media messages.
“Comparisons with the 1980-1983 deep recession or the Great Depression of the 1930s have been made in a very irresponsible manner. ‘If you say it loud enough and often enough they will believe you’ was one of Mrs Thatcher’s favourite sayings,” he says.
However another report isn’t so sanguine or as keen to shoot the messenger.
Ulster Bank Northern Ireland PMI report for August produced further evidence that economic conditions were continuing to deteriorate. Richard Ramsey, Northern Ireland economist with Ulster Bank, said the number of new orders fell for a ninth consecutive month during August. He said there was a particularly sharp drop in the level of new orders recorded in the manufacturing, construction and retail sectors.
Brian Walker @ 08:25 AM
UUP to abolish prescription charges
Michael McGimpsey has moved to implement a manifesto commitment (PDF, pg 8) to scrap prescription charges.
Michael Shilliday @ 08:16 AM
“History is like a knife..”
The report in the Sunday Tribune on the Oireachtas Select Committee on Education and Science report on teaching modern Irish history contains a compelling argument.
History teachers said they avoided Northern Ireland because it “can raise discriminatory attitudes in class and name calling”. There was little support for introducing it in the classroom, they said.
Other reasons given by teachers for avoiding the subject were they felt they lacked knowledge of the subject and believed they could not compete with the information the students got from their communities and families. [added emphasis]
But the report warns this will have to change. “If students do not learn about modern Irish history in a school context, will they be skilled enough to interpret what they see in the media outside school?” it asks.
Pete Baker @ 08:10 AM
Sunday, September 28, 2008
“It will start as a point of light with a trail..”
As I mentioned previously, Jules Verne is almost ready for its close-up.. Or as the BBC report puts it,
Europe’s biggest, most sophisticated spaceship is about to bring its six-month mission to an end by plunging into the Pacific in a ball of flames.
And if you can’t imagine that, they have an animation of it too. You can track the last moments of the ATV-1 here. And, don’t worry..
Mike Steinkopf, the mission director for re-entry, says a “safety zone” has been drawn in the south Pacific some 2,700km long by 200km wide. “We issue a notification to the air traffic and maritime authorities to make sure there are no planes or boats going through that zone during our re-entry time,” he told BBC News. ... “We expect the solar panels to break just two-and-a-half-minutes after the entry into the atmosphere; and then we will have fragmentation of the docking adaptor, protective shields and other structural elements,” explained Mr Steinkopf. “Nevertheless, statistically speaking, there will be about 30% of the overall vehicle that may reach the ocean, but only in bits and pieces.”
Adds The ESA ATV blog has photos.
