Thursday, February 21, 2008
“any lengths to avoid making difficult decisions..”
Interesting point made by one of the Victims Commissioners designate, Mike Nesbitt, on Let’s Talk tonight. Apparently he has been meeting, and making representations on behalf of, victims.. but he has been officially cautioned that he should not do so as he has not, actually, been appointed yet. To which, unlike the response by the panellists on the programme, the correct response is - quite right. His designated post has no legal standing because the “damaging fudge” of four commissioners instead of one is not matched by the legislation. Adds BBC report here.
Pete Baker @ 11:16 PM
lib2016 (aka Brian Feeny of Blogsphere)
“I don’t like unionists”
Go on! Really? Never noticed…
Pete Baker
back on thread- who was advising the chuckle brothers on all this? In Scotland the Lord Advocate is a member of the executive and is on hand to prevent cock ups like this. Who is there in NI to keep our executive lawful?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 09:44 AM“stop the nonsense about the mafia and/or fascism because that’s what democracy is all about”
Easier said than done, lib. It’s discussed at length in committee at Westminster (and perhaps in the Dáil) but it would appear that the police (and presumably other elements of the justice system) still require political clearance before they can do the work we expect of them.
Conversations with civil servants indicate that those who work in justice are very apprehensive about the consequences of appeasement beyond NI whereas others bask in the glow of the process that has ‘rewarded’ us with the Chuckle Brothers.
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 10:21 AM“What did we think you were up to at the back of the Lodge or around the 19th hole?”
lib, could you not be more inclusive? We’ve had complaints from the smaller parties at Stormont that the Chuckle Brothers and their flunkies agree the Executive agenda in advance.
Where do the ‘pan-Nationalist’ gatherings take place? The 19th hole? Another poster in another place recollected an encounter he had in a Derry Hotel some years ago. He claimed that the then Catholic bishop ‘chaired’ a gathering of Derry nationalist councillors in advance of council meetings. It sounds a bit like a Chuckle Brothers convention.
Talking of the 19th hole, there have been accusations that this could be where some developers, planners, politicians and their cronies assemble to ‘resolve’ important local planning matters.
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 10:35 AM“Apparently he has been meeting, and making representations on behalf of, victims.. but he has been officially cautioned that he should not do so as he has not, actually, been apppointed yet.”
Any member of the public can do that so why not Mike Nesbitt?
Is it just a matter of time before he becomes Lord Nesbitt?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 10:41 AMI wondered about that too, Nevin, and, since he is not an employee, who has the right to officially caution him?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 11:25 AMNevin,
I have had private indications from people who were actively involved in planning disputes long before 1970 that’s the way the North was run. And someone mentioned earlier in this thread that the Catholic hierarchy found golf and bureautic ability a speedier way to success than all that religious stuff.
The first information came from private unionist sources whom I would not betray and the second is common knowledge, though the scandal about the Hierarchy being far too close to the Catholic merchantile is being tackled at last. Don’t take the joke about unionists too seriously. I have admitted that a unionist need not always be a ‘bad person’, ;-)
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 11:33 AM“that’s the way the North was run.”
So what’s different now, lib? ;)
Would you not prefer the ‘mercantile’ to the paramilitary mafia ‘nouveau riche’? ;)
PS I support your desire to ‘protect your sources’. Who’d talk to us or, say, David Gordon and Kevin Magee, if we revealed their names?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 11:47 AMNot asking Nesbitt or McBride this morning on GMU if they are being paid yet was a badly missed opportunity. And as someone has said, who is to stop anybody talking to anybody?
And what has Mike Nesbitt actually been doing? writing letters to hospitals. to make what point? that a ‘victim / survivor’ should receive preferrential treatment or somethign? that’s an interesting one.
And when that old fool Kelly said - ‘pay them compensation’ why didn’t someone tell him that these 4 guys will not have the power to make compensation payments. that is a job for another commission altogether - the Eames / Bradley mob.
And (i like my Ands today) since the fool Peter Hain initiated the process of establishing the Victim’s Commissioner surely the legislation belongs at Westminster and not the Assembly so who exactly are Margaret Ritchie and Arlene Foster going to contact?
Lets Talk was bloody awful - but that’s only in keeping with BBC in NI these days.
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 01:06 PM“What about fact that 29% young people in Northern Ireland have attempted suicide because of their sexual orientation”
Wouldn’t have thought that 29% of young peeople have attempted suicide let alone due to sexual orientation. Got a source?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 02:40 PMWell spotted Dewi. I think that statistic should be: one in five of those young people who have attempted suicide did so because of their sexual orientation (or, more accurately, because of society’s failure to accept their sexual orientation).
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 02:53 PMBrendan
I thought the same too when I heard Patricia McBride on GMU too-- and she also appeared to suggest that some of the victims commissioners weren’t actually working on a full time basis but as they were available.
I was very surprised that Mike Nesbitt was on Lets Talk last night at all because clearly someone in his position which is essentially equivalent to s senior civil servicel role is not going to be in a position to talk from his own political perspective or say anything that anyone could take issue with. A poor choice of panellist but for all of that he came over as personable. He is however a greenhorn with the victims stuff. waffling about the social economy and writing letters to hospitals etc. I didn’t think that was the job of the victims commission but to assist with framing higher level strategic objectives. Should he be acting on an advocacy role for individual victims as opposed to signposting people to existing organisations better placed to do that such as the victims groups, or local citizens advice bureau etc
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 04:10 PMDoes that make it any better? It’s an utter disgrace that anyone would have no choice but to kill themselves over any kind of bullying be it homophobia, racial or just bog standard nastyness.
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 04:12 PMAndrew Muir
Name one out sportsman or sportswomen in Northern Ireland. Answer = zero.
Actually, I know a gay golf professional in NI. So that’s one, anyway.
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 05:58 PMWho is the gay golf professional in NI? If he’s out then should be able to name him.
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 07:45 PMAndrew are you able to name one straight sports professional in NI? How do you know for sure? and, for that matter, who gives a shit except for those gay people who are on the constant lookout for issues which offend?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 08:20 PMMaybe we are offended because you give us so much to be offended over. It’s well known that homophobia is the last bastion of the racist biggoted knuckledragger. I find it especially ironic to see nationalists haranging gays for making themselves maryters. Whats wrong no room on the cross for non-republicans?
Posted by on Feb 22, 2008 @ 10:23 PM
