In a year when the Executive has spent a significant amount of time not actually working, and where the Assembly’s plenaries have struggled to gain and then sustain the Northern Ireland public’s attention, the committees have been probably been responsible for some of the most useful work done. Albeit most of it unacknowledged and therefore unseen.
There is a clear role to be fulfilled by a committee chair – to ensure the smooth running of committees; facilitating engagement with interested outside parties in an open and constructive manner; holding both the relevant minister and officials to account as well as providing a forum for the development of policy and legislation.
So tell us who you think has performed their role better than any other?With your nominations, please try to include:
- A brief account of the qualities your candidate has brought to the job.
- The reasons s/he and their committee have achieved in the last 12 months.
- What you believe are the critical qualities required by a committee chair.
You can make your nominations either here or on the main Slugger site. Be as expansive as you wish, so we can make the best pitch possible to both the reader and judges panels who may not be as familiar as you with your favoured candidate.
A reminder of last year’s winner and commended… And remember it is the quality of your nomination rather than the number of them that’s likely to sway the judges…
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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