Thursday, March 13, 2008
Deal on council numbers?
Despite the recent reduction in the “love in” the DUP and SF may have reached a deal on the number of councils. According to the BBC, a deal is imminent on reducing the number to 11. SF had wanted 7, some of the other parties 15. We do not have finalised information on what the exact boundaries will be though I see the Impartial Reporter is reporting that Omagh and Fermanagh will merge. The final decision on the boundaries will come under Arlene Foster’s remit at Enviroment.
Turgon @ 11:32 AM
And under your hero Turgon we would have had seven.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 11:40 AMI still maintain 11 is a pointless waste of money.
Hell, scrap ‘em all. The Assembly is a glorified council and over represented anyway.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 11:40 AM‘The Assembly is a glorified council ‘
And talking shop. Still better than a shoot out .
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 11:50 AMit’ll be interesting to see what dire names they come up with this time, remember Inner East Council etc.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 12:12 PMKensei
I agree why not go the whole hog and get rid of the lot. Population of NI less than 2 million, do we need two layers at all? A few more MLAs and let us then coordinate services across NI.
Either that or leave well alone.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 12:17 PMIs that about what the British government wanted?
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 12:45 PM“And under your hero Turgon we would have had seven.
Posted by Blackmouth on Mar 13, 2008 @ 10:40 AM”
What an immature post.
Who really cares whether there are 7/11/15 councils? The big decisions will be taken at Stormont, where the problem lies. I never understood the paranoia about nationalists controlling a council. I’ve lived in Unionist and nationalist controlled areas and they were both crap at providing adequate services and charging the earth for doing so to the hardpressed ratepayers.The only thing they might be able to do is implement planning policies (dictated by Stormont) more sympathetically. The only ptasctical difference is that Unionist councils go through the motions of keeping the rates down, and nationalists find ways to pretend they’re really part of the Republic, like taking down symbols- of course using national legislation as their justification.
I don’t care if there are only seven, as long as they are geographically sensible- say six counties and Belfast- or give the Derry wans their own county borough too if it stops their gurning.I don’t care who the mayor is either- he’s a figurehead whose only real power is to dole out the scoops to his preferred visitors.
Memo to all DUPers who will trail this as a great victory- local councils don’t matter, regional administrations do
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:04 PMdarth: ‘...councils don’t matter, regional administrations do’
I’d disagree. Power is used best when it’s spread like manure.
For thirty years we lived in an area controlled by a few unelected British ministers. We’ve been starved of a culture of democracy and that’s been a bad thing.
Now with an Assembly, and an opportunity to re-organise the district councils, we can try and get some power and responsibilites down to as local a level as possible.
I don’t know about you but I like the fact that I can pick up a phone and complain to my councillor, who lives around the corner, that my streets are filthy and that there’s nothing for the kids to do. (And such local issues are more important to most people than many of the things the Assembly deals with.)
In yesterday’s Guardian Simon Jenkins noted that the French were about to elect 36,000 mayors. As he noted, such local democracy (despite its many failings) defends the French against the weight of national bureaucracy.
Give our local councils a chance - with some extra power and a bit of reorganisation - they could do the same.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:22 PM“The only thing they might be able to do is implement planning policies (dictated by Stormont) more sympathetically.”
Now, that’s debatable!!
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:27 PMFor thirty years we lived in an area controlled by a few unelected British ministers.
We still do.
Alastair Darlings’ budget yesterday will have more impact to people here than the wee pretendy student debating society at Stormont.
Taxation,the NHS, real education policy, foreign affairs, defence, budget. All Westminster.
look to David Cameron as our best hope.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:33 PMSurely majordolittle taxation and the budget are actualy controlled by Brussels and the global markets?
With UK defence and foreign affairs covered by the US State Department?
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:38 PM“The only practical difference is that Unionist councils go through the motions of keeping the rates down, and nationalists find ways to pretend they’re really part of the Republic, like taking down symbols- of course using national legislation as their justification”
Feckless, work-shy Fenians again, eh? I’ll bet they still keep their coal in their baths.
Good to see the same old attitudes alive and well. Perhaps it’s time for the Nationalist-contolled super-councils to petition for secession from the union and reunite with our own.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:38 PMpoint taken Nestor
Globalisation and world regionialisation will turn even national parliaments in to mundane administrations soon enough, with the UK still caught trying to please Brussels and Washington.
The Stormont gravy train has a fair bit of nest feathering to continue, uselessly for another year or so though.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:46 PM“The only thing they might be able to do is implement planning policies (dictated by Stormont) more sympathetically.”
Now, that’s debatable!!
Posted by Nevin on Mar 13, 2008 @ 12:27 PM
Depends is wee ian a local councelor as well
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 01:54 PMI hope they extend the community veto thing to local councils (although I would have veto for the top 2 communities of unionist, nationalist and unaligned to cover areas where there is no unionist/nationalist to speak of, like North Down) to stop them trying to errect flags and change names and other worthless frippery.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:06 PMI hope, for God’s sake that they don’t gerrymander Belfast as was originally proposed.
It is ludicrous to give, for example, planning powers back to local councils but then not allow Belfast to plan for the whole city.
I fear, though, that having a 50:50 sectarian split will prove more important to the Assembly (specifically to nationalist members) than actually providing the most sensible area in which to plan, co-ordinate and provide public services.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:10 PM‘Perhaps it’s time for the Nationalist-contolled super-councils to petition for secession from the union and reunite with our own. ‘
You mean ‘unite’ with the Republic. You cannot reunite with a Republic which has only existed since 1949 . I have a gut feeling that the Assembly will prove to be a house of cards . And I don’t mean of the comical variety.
Not that either the DUP or SF will try to collapse it but it will become obvious soon enough that it will be unable to legislate on those matters which can make a difference to NI’s future economic prosperity. In addition differences between the parties over security devolution will split whatever small trust has been created .
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:16 PMI meant reuinite with our own people, Greenflag.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:30 PMour own people?
Yea; we certainly don’t want any of themmuns about the place.
For shame!
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:39 PMWhy shame Joe - when Darth’s post above clearly demonstrates that they still see us as beneath them. I’m all for reaching out the hand of friendship but there’s only so many times you allow it to be bitten.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:51 PM‘I meant reuinite with our own people, Greenflag. ‘
As long as you are aware that the ‘people’ of the Republic now includes many who were not born here including Poles, Chinese , Brits, Lithuanians , Latvians and even some of ‘themmuns’
A 29 or 30 county Republic can be just as successful as a 26 county one .
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 02:56 PMI know that also Greenflag. You referred to reunite in my original post as somehow reuniting with the Republic which did not exist when we were partitioned. I pointed out that I meant reunification with our people that we had been partitioned from.
Joe seems to think that I should prefer to continue to live alongside people who view me as less than them rather than want to live with people (irrespective of relgion or nationality) who will view me as equal.
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 03:01 PM‘but there’s only so many times you allow it to be bitten.’
The white washed crow soon shows black again. Unionists can’t help it . It’s pre ordained . They have to bite. It’s been forced on them . That’s why there is an NI . An NI could not exist otherwise .
For Nationalists and Republicans to expect anything else is naive . So either you work with it and make do or you ‘bite’ the only real alternative !
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 03:01 PMSome say this is a victory for the DUPs- bollocks! the DUPs never knew what they wanted. All throughout this process the DUPs never once put in a position paper that stated a preference. They always hedged their bets - abit like their manifestos.
Lisburn Village Council - controlled by the jnr minister Alderman Gnome MP MLA, supported a seven council model. The great barrister from Nth Down Cllr Weary MLA as NILGA head honcho strongly supporter 15.
Paisley - couldn’t care less because none of his family were on any councils.
So there you have it - DUP confusion leads to compromise again with the Shinners. SF had a clear position position 7, even the UUP had a clear position 15, so DUP with no rationale go for the mean, the medium and the middle - 11.
But how many commissioners for local government services will we get. 4 times 11 times Jeffries age divided by Ian jnr’s salaries by Arlene’s mileage allowance and then some
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 03:04 PMWe haven’t even finished the first page of comments and have gone from a discussion on local councils (number and latterly effectiveness/importance thereof) to melodramatic shite which basically boils down to using hyperbole to dress up bigoted statements with no more meaning than “Aren’t them prods all bastards?”
For christ’s sake get out more!
Posted by on Mar 13, 2008 @ 03:07 PM
