Monday, October 26, 2009
Slugger Awards: MLA of the Year…
There are 108 of them. Some of them household names across Northern Ireland, some better known in the local corner of their own constituencies. Some have made (or tried to) their mark as party leaders, others as ministers, or as one of the team working out of the Speakers Office, who have tried in some challenging moments to keep the lid on proceedings in the chamber.
So who was it caught your eye this year, either in the chamber, or on television? Who kept their nerve whilst others around them were falling apart? Which maverick made the parliamentary tedium of some of the last year still worth tuning in? Who was the star player in your favourite set piece?
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.
Make your nominations below. 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.
Mick Fealty @ 07:59 AM
Anna Lo for standing up to racism.
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 11:02 AMDawn Purvis and Anna Lo for sticking their necks out over our stupid abortion law.
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 03:36 PMRoy Beggs Junior , UUP MLA from East Antrim for his tireless work in the constituency. He must do 80 + hours each week.
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 04:23 PMIan Parsley
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 04:49 PMJohn O’Dowd for education role, leadership at time of Stephen Carroll murder and being a damn good public speaker - stands out from all the rest in Sinn Féin/
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 07:37 PMSadly I was away visiting family all day, so I missed some of the nasty cracks here. For which my apologies.
This thread is for nominations, so please keep your remarks on topic and civil. We want to hear who you think has done a good job and why.
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 10:14 PMsorry Mick, I’m drawing a blank…
give it to the green party. Why? the ice age
Posted by on Oct 26, 2009 @ 10:33 PMJohn Dallat for his constituency work and his advocacy of the Magilligan-Greencastle ferry.
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 01:56 AMMargaret Ritchie for standing up the the UDA, SF and the DUP. She is also the strongest voice around the Executive Table for a shared future.
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 06:35 AMI concur with Patricia Derry
Margaret Ritchie for being the only executive minister who is brave enought to stand up to Robbo and advocate strongly for a shared future.
For her continuing fight for better social housing for all.
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 10:07 AMAlex Attwood for totally reinventing himself over the past 12 months. Leading the Shinners a merry dance at the Assembly and Executive Review Committee, tying them up in knots over the ‘at all times’ veto on justice, coining the ‘no Nationalist need apply’ tag. And for being a general pain in Willie Hay’s neck.
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 10:49 AMMargaret Ritchie is the clear front runner. She stood up to the UDA and Peter Robinson and has an actual agenda for addressing inequality in housing and for pushing the agenda on a shared future.
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 04:47 PMtom elliot for speaking against the morally wrong definition of a victim within the ofmdfm (long before jeffrey did)
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 04:55 PMDeclan O’Loan has fair come onto his game in the past 12 months or so. As the SDLP led the way on the economy warnings in their New Priorities paper Declan fairly took the ball and ran with it. Very good on the civil service equal pay too. And with impeccible timing he got their with the £2bn black hole before McNarry and forced Wilson into an admission. And the clear animosity between him and Junior is a joy.
Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 @ 07:45 PM“Declan O’Loan has fair come onto his game in the past 12 months or so. As the SDLP led the way on the economy warnings in their New Priorities paper Declan fairly took the ball and ran with it. Very good on the civil service equal pay too. And with impeccible timing he got their with the £2bn black hole before McNarry and forced Wilson into an admission. And the clear animosity between him and Junior is a joy.”
A lot of what Declan says is indeed a “joy”
Posted by on Oct 28, 2009 @ 11:46 PMNelson McCausland for exposing SDLP and SF sectarianism on his stance of attending a Roman Catholic Mass. In this age of freedom of expressiona and religion no person should be made to conform an areligious position in order to appease liberal facism
Posted by on Oct 29, 2009 @ 12:02 AMI would like to nominate Paul Maskey for MLA of the Year as well as my previous nomination as Chairman of the year.
I live and work within Paul Maskey’s constituency. Paul has a very visible presence within the West Belfast constituency and is well known in the area for his hard work and dedication to his role as a local representative. I have had reason to contact him on a number of occasions for help on issues with my work life and my personal life and I have found him both very accessible and willing to help. I have tried to contact another local MLA (from another party which I shall not mention) and I got no results whatsoever. I think this place needs more politicians like Paul Maskey.
Posted by on Nov 03, 2009 @ 10:35 PMNelson McCausland for MLA of the year? Good lord.
My vote is for Anna Lo of the Alliance Party for her work against racism against the loyalists of South Belfast.
Margaret Ritchie is a close second.
Posted by on Nov 03, 2009 @ 11:04 PMJohn McCalister for being an early visionary in suuporting the UUP’s strategy to bring real politics to Northern Ireland and the links with the Conservative Party.He is a hard working MLA represents his constituency and never ceases in picking up on important issues and in his opposition to Sinn fein/DUP stitch ups.
Posted by on Nov 04, 2009 @ 10:11 PMCarmel Hanna - for getting out whenever she knows the body politic is rotten and not worth the while hanging about in and working for.
A vote for her hard work and judicious behaviour. At least she can sleep easily knowing she’s not playing ‘let’s pretend politics’ while drawing down an exorbitant salary for doing nothing.
Like what happened when the Assembly’s executive didn’t meet for 6 months.
Posted by on Nov 06, 2009 @ 06:46 PMJohn O’Dowd - best live speaker
Anna Lo - confronting racism
Posted by on Nov 06, 2009 @ 07:23 PMWho’s John McCalister? Are you taking the piss?
Posted by on Nov 06, 2009 @ 11:03 PMMargaret Ritchie, for standing up to UDA etc etc, clearly a great politician.
Posted by on Nov 06, 2009 @ 11:35 PMI would give it to Basil McCrea for his stance on education, I feel he has pressed ahead well on the issue. This is coming from a now ex Sinn Fein voter - well done Basil.
Posted by on Nov 07, 2009 @ 12:15 AMMartin McGuinness for his unequivocal stand in the aftermath of the Masserene barracks killings.
Time will pass and the shortcomings of the current Executive will fade from memory, as will the particular performance of individual MLAs which have led to their nomination above.
But McGuinness’ strong leadership in this regard stands way above anything else achieved by any other member of the Assembly in the past year.
Posted by on Nov 08, 2009 @ 02:18 PM
