“gazing wistfully in the rear-view mirror and shaking a fist at passing traffic.”

In the Sunday Times Liam Fay takes issue with a recent speech by Emily O’Reilly, Ireland’s Ombudsman and Information Commissioner, when addressing journalism students at the University of Limerick.  From the Sunday Times

O’Reilly’s speech was simultaneously over-pessimistic about the future and over-sentimental about the past. Literally and figuratively, journalism has always been a race against time, so penning the profession’s obituary is premature in an age when the opportunities generated by technology change by the week.

New media create new problems, but the general trend is positive. Apart from anything else, increased diversification of the means through which knowledge and opinion are circulated provides a needed counterweight to the writing or rewriting of history by anointed grandees.

The beauty of the information superhighway is that it can accommodate everybody, even those who are parked in a lay-by, gazing wistfully in the rear-view mirror and shaking a fist at passing traffic.

Pete Baker @ 08:55 PM | Comments (19)

“the thoughtfulness became glibness; the intelligence, duplicity.”

A late entry in the occasional TV review of the week competition comes via Will Crawley.  Here’s AA Gill in today’s Sunday Times

Stepping through the story of the cruci­fixion, Adams plainly saw the IRA and his activism cast in the figure of Christ — a freedom fighter sentenced by a cynical occupying power — when, in truth, he was far more obviously and damningly suited to the role of Caiaphas, the expedient political operator willing to sacrifice his own people to maintain an orthodoxy and a grip on worldly power. Inevitably, what it reminded me of was Life of Brian and the squabbling of the People’s Front of Judea: “What have the ­British ever done for us?” It was Adams 0, Christ 1 (own goal).

Pete Baker @ 03:26 PM | Comments (12)

The Conservatives’ moral panic isn’t working

Why is the Conservatives’ poll lead shrinking? One underlying reason not picked up clearly in the polls is that the worst fears projected by politicians and the popular media are not being experienced in people’s lives. However hard they try to duck it, opposition parties are fated to deepen gloom more than raise hopes. Take the core Tory theme of “fixing broken Britain.”  In spite of all the fears of soaring crime,  the magisteral Economist dispassionately walks through the statistical minefield and still finds a dramatic fall. Tax breaks for married couples? They would register no impact on the targeted poor. And if the aim is to blow a dog whistle to entice the moral right, the tax breaks would extend to gay partnerships. One argument for marriage they fail to stress is that the divorced partner normally has access to the children guaranteed, while a non married former partner hasn’t. But this point is evaded as it might be seen as encouraging divorce.  Britain awash with booze? Not much change in 20 years.  However much the politicians bang on about honesty in politics, the old rule stands firm – the closer to the election the less candour we get. 

Brian Walker @ 11:49 AM | Comments (27)

‘educating the youths of the courageous exploits of the Volunteers’

After noting the small attendance at a vigil in Newry opposing those that bombed the city’s courthouse, I will also mention the largeish attendance at an Ógra Shinn Fein commemoration for IRA volunteers - Charles Breslin, Michael and David Devine.

This commemoration was part of an ÓSF Republican Youth weekend:

Sinn Fein Councillors Kieran McGuire, Ruairi McHugh and Brian McMahon, alongside ex IRA POW Paul McGarvey gave the youths an in-depth insight of how each volunteer on the West Tyrone Roll of Honour was killed and succeeded in educating the youths of the courageous exploits of the Volunteers and the sacrifices they had made in their fight for Irish freedom

The Deputy First Minister also contributed:

The main speaker Martin McGuinness gave his account of his memory of the deaths of the volunteers and spoke of their selfless heroism.

Mark McGregor @ 09:14 PM | Comments (33)

‘Micro vigil’

Newry Republican turns a cynical eye to the vigil called in opposition to the bombing of the city’s courthouse.

This irrelevant micro-group had every right to peacefully protest on Friday night but it seems the call for people to come out in force was ignored.

He notes a turnout of around 20, the BBC put numbers at 30 while UTV declared 100.

Adds: as a comparative this protest in support of republican prisoners in Newry in December seems to have attracted similar numbers or perhaps more people.

Further addendum: looking at the prisoner protest I can see a considerable number of people not from the Newry area.

Mark McGregor @ 07:06 PM | Comments (36)

“It is not the voices of contented old soldiers that the dissidents need to hear now.”

It’s a point he’s made before.  And, for the comprehensively challenged, this time Malachi O’Doherty spells it out in the Belfast Telegraph.  Mis-placed pride and the dirty tackling of dissenting voices will not discourage others from pursuing that “tragic history”.  From the Belfast Telegraph article

Imagine the impact Gerry Adams might have had on Channel Four if he had delivered the insights the producers no doubt expected of him when he talked about Jesus. He might have said he knows what it is like to be fired by a sense of mission and to be touted on by those nearest to you, but that, in the end, he was unable to stick with absolutist, life-sacrificing commitment to the pure ideal; he preferred to settle terms and survive, and, what do you know, he is glad he did. For that is his experience.

But instead he has to keep saying that the Provisional campaign was heroic and good and driven by high ideals and that is a message that has the power to inspire those who want it to continue. He has to argue that it achieved political results, yet it settled for terms that were on offer in 1973. But it wouldn’t matter if he was allowed that conceit if all that was at stake was his own self-regard; if there was no resumed violence. If the IRA campaign was truly finished, Gerry might be allowed the personal fantasy that he fought a good war. But the campaign is back on.

Read the whole thing.

Pete Baker @ 04:01 PM | Comments (32)

Unity Won’t Solve Ireland’s Two Major Problems

[This is taken from A Note from the Next Door Neighbours, the monthly e-bulletin of Andy Pollak, Director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies in Armagh and Dublin]

I believe that in the present circumstances of continued deep communal division in Northern Ireland and deep economic crisis in the Republic, Irish unity is not on the political agenda, nor does it make sense to put it on the agenda any time soon.  I have not heard advocates of rapid moves towards Irish unity put forward any convincing arguments about how political unity would help solve either of these massive problems or the social problems of sectarianism, inequality, poverty and the dangerous marginalisation of young people that accompany them.

Andy Pollak @ 02:09 PM | Comments (43)

“As the slogan says: Citius, altius, slidius, positive discriminatius.”

I’d been looking for an excuse to link to Dara O’Briain’s Guardian Sports Blog.  And this is as good an excuse as any.  This week he’s cheering the Irish bobsleigh team’s kicking Antipodean arse at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver after the Australians’ bid for inclusion threatened the Irish duo’s place in the competition.  Over to you, Dara.

This isn’t the big story of these Games – Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and what may be an incredible men’s hockey final between Canada and the USA tomorrow are – but beneath the hoopla and hype, it was a nice little victory. Gods make their own importance.

Pete Baker @ 11:46 AM | Comments (3)

....and Gerry the peacemaker

After Gerry the prophet it’s back to the more familiar ground of Gerry the peacemaker, this time in the Basque country, filing his latest Leargas blog in CiF .

The impact of the peace process in Ireland is clearly evident in the language used. The resolution, Stand up for Euskal Herria, commits Abertzale Left to using “exclusively political and ­democratic means” to advance its objectives. It seeks to advance political change “in a complete absence of violence and without interference” and “conducted in accordance with the Mitchell principles”. Its goal is to achieve a “stable and lasting peace in the Basque country”.

Is a “ a stable and lasting peace” a euphemism for independence? Is the final arbiter to be ETA which broke a “ permanent” ceasefire a year after it was struck in 2007? Or are the Basque people who elected their first non-nationalist government ever last year to be allowed to decide?  In common with other “historic” communities in Spain, the Basque region and its Basque neighbour Navarra already enjoy widespread self-government including compulsory Basque language rights along side Spanish, and control of the local police. The rough Sinn Fein equivalent party Batasuna was banned after ETA broke the ceasefire.  The aim now seems to be to get it unbanned.  On what terms would Gerry advise?

Brian Walker @ 09:16 AM | Comments (13)

Gerry of Nazareth

While Malachi has documented the rise and fall of graffiti on the Royal’s wall the same pundit still provides a West Belfast review with some panache at Divis Tower:

Gerry of Nazareth. What a wanker

–eat your heart out Banksey.

Addition: reader Paddy directs us to this more considered review

Mark McGregor @ 10:35 PM | Comments (39)

“OFMDFM is committed to transparency in all its dealings…”

Northern Ireland’s First and deputy First Ministers deployed an departmental “spokesperson” yesterday to defend their less than transparent approach to their “agreed [] programme for Cohesion, Sharing and Integration” - “The outstanding issues around Cohesion, Sharing and Integration have been resolved and the final draft of the document is being prepared.”  And the same “spokesperson” had this to say on the report from the DUP/Sinn Féin “working group” on parading

“The process on parading was laid out in the Hillsborough Castle Agreement, and we are fully committed to it. “The working group on parading issues have concluded their report and presented it to the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Ministers will consider the proposals on an improved framework for dealing with parading issues. This will inform the public consultation in late March/ early April. “That process includes full consultation on the draft Parades Bill. The Bill that goes to the Assembly will require Executive agreement, and will be subject to further consultation through the Assembly Committee in September.

Except that the “Hillsborough Castle Agreement” had this to say on the “agreed outcomes” of that working group

6. The First Minister and deputy First Minister will promote and support the agreed outcomes of the working group.

And from that document’s timetable

Commencement of the drafting of Bill to implement working group agreed outcomes (working group to assist during drafting process to confirm Bill delivers agreed outcomes) End w/c 22 Feb [added emphasis]

Pete Baker @ 08:23 PM | Comments (0)

Abandon hope

As Alliance continue selecting their candidates for the Westminster election (congratulations Gerry Lynch) it will be interesting to see where they decide to run. While most assume the campaigns are doomed to failure, they will still put people up as in previous years.

Looking back on recent Westminster elections a pattern seems to emerge on where they select for these ultimately fruitless attempts. I’m not sure what that pattern means, if anything.

The last time Alliance put up a candidate in a constituency currently held by Sinn Féin was 1997. They did not stand in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, West Tyrone, Mid-Ulster, Newry and Armagh or West Belfast in 2001 or 2005.

In the SDLP held Foyle they did not contest the 2005 election. They did contest South Down in 2005.

However, they do consistently contest every other seat that had a Unionist incumbent.

Mark McGregor @ 07:13 PM | Comments (30)

P&J devolution: dates and confidence

The Hillsbourough agreement foresees the cross community vote on the devolution of policing and justice as occurring on the 9th of March with power to be devolved on 12th of April. Clearly this is colossally before Lord Morrow’s timetable of not in the life time of this assembly and indeed just as premature for Gregory Campbell’s six months or six years. Once when the DUP were busy telling everyone that they would not be rushed or bounced into devolving P&J and that the Hillsborough Agreement put them under no obligation, they explained that devolution would only occur when there was sufficient community confidence.

One of the tests of community confidence was to be a resolution of the parading issue. The deadline for the vote on devolution is now less than two weeks away and yet we have seen no sign of the report of the parades working group which apparently reported to McGuinness and Robinson three days ago. The drafting of the bill to implement these agreed outcomes has supposedly already started. The draft bill is to be published in late March / early April. This is clearly after the vote on P&J and possibly even after it has been devolved. Therefore it seems most unlikely that any supposed victory for unionists over parading will be one of the things to ensure adequate community confidence.

In addition although immediately after the Hillsborough Agreement there were some meetings between the DUP and the loyal orders, there has been little evidence of any appetite by the DUP genuinely to assess community confidence. The strategy on tackling sectarianism has not been released either; instead there have been secret meetings, talk of the clever device and silence on the substance of the agreements. All this is somewhat shaky ground on which to build community confidence let alone assess it. Unless of course community confidence does not matter any more or unless the clever device really is that clever.

Turgon @ 06:57 PM | Comments (31)

Platform for Change launch- what next?

Platform for Change’s website is a bit shaky at the moment – oversubscribed already perhaps? – but Conall tells us the launch went well. The Bel Tel gives it a fair wind. Its progenitor Robin Wilson has laid out the stall in an op ed piece. Elsewhere some time ago, Robin explained the ambitious aim of replacing entrenched sectarian politics with a vision of a voluntary coalition that shouldn’t excite basic insecurities. Time will tell whether this is the platform round which people and politicians exasperated by the status quo can group. It’s a neat blend of the challenging and the reassuring. The broad concept is basically a further projection of the three-stranded model we have already. Now you can hurl terrible charges at the Platform, like it’s visionary and horrors! -soft left-sounding but actually it’s pretty step-by-step consensual in approach and style. This is huge relief as it heads off the terrible danger of plunging straight away into obscure ideological disputes.

Brian Walker @ 05:52 PM | Comments (17)

Swingeing criticisms of MI5 restored in Guantanamo torture ruling

A major review of MI5’s accountability and trustworthiness looks inevitable after an historic move in the courts right at the end of the week. The missing paragraph 168 of the English Court of Appeal’s ruling in the Binyam Mohamed torture case has been restored in slightly amended form. Lord Neuberger’s stinging judgement is now spelt out in full, that MI5 has a “dubious record” on human rights and torture, and has “an interest in the suppression” of information about the treatment of former terrorism suspects.  The court acquits ministers of bad faith in supporting MI5 denials and withholding evidence. And in the words of the Lord Chief Justice the appeal judges reject any idea that they were nobbled by the government into censoring their own judgement in the first place. The immediate question is, when did MI5 know that the Americans had changed their interrogation techniques ; when did they know it and were they complicit in torture in the Mohamed case and others? Adds In a flurry of goverment reaction, Gordon Brown has annnounced that MI5’s revised guidelines will be published soon; the Foreign secretary has denied that MI5 tell lies;  and the Home Secretary has turned down a public inquiry on the grounds of ongoing police investigations and a review by the Intelligence and Security Committee of MPs appointed by the PM. 

Brian Walker @ 03:58 PM | Comments (8)

Six Nations Weekend 3

Fixtures for the weekend:

Friday
Wales 20-26 France
Saturday
England 16-20 Ireland
Italy 16-12 Scotland

Huge game for young Mr Sexton at Twickenham tomorrow. Tonight I’m expecting the normal boring kicking and forward dominated game at Cardiff…..(I hope - can’t put up with a game like Wales v Scotland)
Anyway, here’s O’Driscoll on tomorrow’s centre battle.
And the Times on Wales V France
I’ll update the scores and prediction results over the weekend…....off to town to practice my French…
Prediction update - a clear leader with Mrazik on 17 (full) points, FBFO second on 16.

Dewi @ 02:37 PM | Comments (14)

Labour sitting by the river whilst the spin machine goes into overdrive…

I think it probably signifies something significant that two confident old players like Iain and Guido are trying to spin an imminent call for the next British general election. Will Straw at Left Foot Forward has five reasons why we might still be heading for a May 6th election:

Mick Fealty @ 12:58 PM | Comments (1)

Some Royal Society Stamps

The BBC hosts a neat, but unembeddable, audio slideshow on a new series of commemorative Royal Mail stamps marking The Royal Society’s 350th anniversary year.  Ten eminent scientists are featured starting with the Honourable Robert Boyle - who was born at Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford, on 25 January 1627.  Missing from the list is the Ingenious Mr Robert Hooke.  Possibly because his only known portrait, held by the Royal Society, was allegedly, destroyed by his long-term rival Sir Isaac Newton when Newton became the Society’s President in November 1703 - 8 months after Hooke’s death.

Pete Baker @ 12:52 PM | Comments (16)

“Should we eschew any cause or proposal…”?

Interesting point raised by former South African Minister Kader Asmal in the Irish Times report on his inaugural lecture at Trinity College’s Centre for Post-Conflict Justice.

“The question that must be answered is whether the most important political consideration is the need to maintain the unity of the power-sharing executive? Should we eschew any cause or proposal, even the proposal for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland . . . that may lead to inter-communal differences in the executive?”

Is that “the most important political consideration”?  Certainly seems to be… And not just by the political parties/governments.  The other question for the “Centre for Post-Conflict Justice” is, is it already too late?

Pete Baker @ 10:46 AM | Comments (8)

Some BBC cuts make sense but no need to overdo it

The niggardly Times view of impending BBC cuts is largely self -serving although they’ll deny it. The idea that selling off Radio 1 and closing BBC3 could produce cuts in the licence fee is absurd. Almost all content on BBC3 and 4 is repeated on the main channels and is then commercially versioned for channels like Dave. Cutting services hardly adds value for money, particularly those which the mass of younger licence fee payers enjoy and pay for. The BBC is a victim of its own success, although some high profile mistakes like ridiculously excessive pay have been a gift to critics. A pruned BBC website could actually improve it. Adds Following a comment below I’ve slightly reworded this to make clear that the news sites aren’t among those being cut. But the core BBC News site itself is an overrated headline service largely redeemed by the specialist blogs. It doesn’t compare with many of the developing and still largely free newspaper sites.  The plan to provide new highly visible links from the BBC site to other local news providers should boost hard pressed local reporting at a crucial time.  Provided that is, the local press take inspiration from new BBC initiatives like Democracy Live and revive textual reporting of local affairs. 

Brian Walker @ 10:12 AM | Comments (18)

Stormont role over human rights disputed

Do Stormont, Holyrood and Cardiff Bay have a say in a UK Bill of Rights?  Read the politics and the answer must be yes. Read the law and you get tangled between strict constructionists like Austen Morgan a Derry born, London based lawyer and sometime Trimble adviser and the recent Justice report, claiming that the GFA requires formal approval for a UK Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. Morgan repeats Pete’s point that the Agreement did not “ provide” for a local Bill.  His verdict on the NI Human Rights Commission is typically scathing.

Brian Walker @ 09:04 AM | Comments (1)

TUV councillor apologizes for comparing police officers to the Gestapo

According to the BBC, a statement recently released by the TUV includes the following passage.  “Considering some of the extreme comments made in the past about the police by DUP leadership figures, we take no lectures from the DUP, but commend Alderman Calvert for acknowledging that his remarks were inappropriate.”

David Crookes @ 11:21 PM | Comments (22)

Eddie McGrady to stand down

The BBC have just announced that Eddie McGrady has announced that he is not going to stand in South Down at the Westminster election. The speculation is that the new SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie will stand; Sinn Fein have already selected Catriona Ruane.

Turgon @ 09:27 PM | Comments (85)

“Our society has a tragic history of violence.”

Mark asked “Why?” Kieran Doherty, aged 31, was reportedly bound, stripped and shot on the outskirts of Londonderry on Wednesday.  Because they can would seem to be the simple answer.  After all, that’s all the reasoning others previously required.  And they can all still, apparently, “look back on their IRA involvement with pride.”  The BBC has some additional background

In November 2009 Mr Doherty gave an interview to the Derry Journal newspaper in which he claimed he had been approached by the security service MI5 while trying to set up a cigarette manufacturing company. According to the paper, he was repeatedly turned down for a licence by Revenue and Customs and was then approached by an MI5 agent. “I think the whole thing is a set up in order to try and recruit informers,” he told the newspaper. In January this year, Mr Doherty again contacted the same newspaper after the PSNI searched his home. The search came after 500,000 euros worth of cannabis was found in a house in County Donegal. Mr Doherty told the newspaper that he had no involvement with the drugs and that the house belonged to a Republican prisoner whom he had met in Portlaoise prison. It is understood that Mr Doherty was jailed on a robbery charge.

On UTV Live the Sunday Tribune’s Northern Editor, Suzanne Breen, stated that she had met Kieran Doherty in 2003 when he was “O/C Real IRA prisoners” in Portlaoise Prison and that it was her understanding that he had remained an “active republican” on his release.  Suzanne Breen also identified the “Republican prisoner” who owned the house in Donegal as Seamus McGreevy - who recently committed suicide while fighting extradition to Lithuania on attempted arms smuggling charges as the result of a sting operation involving MI5, the garda, and Lithuanian police.

Pete Baker @ 09:26 PM | Comments (34)

Why?

Those responsible for the murder (did they think it an execution or justice?) of Ciaran Doherty have yet to account for themselves and their reasoning for permanently removing this man from his child, family and life.

While speculation is ongoing in many places the only thing we know for sure is his death, the grief of his family and now speculation on ‘reasons’.

Mark McGregor @ 08:27 PM | Comments (99)