Slugger O'Toole

Ireland in control against Kenya

2009-07-04T22:32:40Z

Quick update for Slugger’s cricket fans (I’m working all weekend so it’s a little tardy). After Paul Stirling‘s maiden first class ton yesterday and a welcome return to form for Bray, Ireland pushed on this morning on day two of their opening ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya in Eglinton with West and McCallen adding 43 for the 9th wicket as Ireland posted a competitive 404 in their first innings. West also picked up a couple of wickets as the Kenyans have stuttered in reply posting 239-6 after rain brought proceedings to an early close. With further showers forecast over the next couple of days, Ireland must look to push the game forward quickly as interruptions are likely. Scotland have beaten Canada in a low scoring affair in their first game of the tournament.

Stumps Day 2 of 4, Eglinton: Kenya trail Ireland by 164 runs with 4 first innings wickets remaining. Toss: Ireland
Ireland 403 (111.3 ov) P Stirling 100, Bray 89, Cusack 63; Tikolo 6-80 Kenya 239-6 (76 ov) Kamande 65*, D Obuya 64, Ouma 52; West 2-57

Send Mick to Paris!

2009-07-04T19:42:36Z

Mick will probably have something to say about this tomorrow but, as the top ten [from 25] will be selected in an online public vote, and given that we’re up against some possibly more widely known websites [The White House?! - Ed] And Twitter. And Peter Greenberger of Google. Congratulations to Mick for Slugger’s appearance, for the second time, amongst the great and good finalists of the PoliticsOnline and the World e-Democracy Forum annual list for nominations of the Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics [2009]. Now get over there and vote! Here’s Mick’s pitch for votes in 2006.

Famous Sporting Families, near and far

2009-07-04T19:05:21Z

The appearance of the Williams’ sisters, Venus and Serena, in today’s Singles Women’s Title match at Wimbledon got me thinking about successful sporting families. The feeling of seeing one child reach the pinnacle of a sporting discipline must be a wonderful emotion in its own right, but to witness two- or more- children scale the heights of sporting greatness is surely a feeling which few parents will have the pleasure of experiencing. Some will argue over whether ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’ plays a more important role in developing sporting prowess, and the many examples of children following their parents into a successful sporting career suggests an element of both (of course, it must help to have as a parent an expert coach for life in any sporting discipline, never mind what is naturally inherited.)

On an international level, a number of sporting families spring to mind. The Manning brothers, Eli and Peyton, have both experienced the joy of leading their respective teams to Super Bowl glory whilst occupying the pivotal position of Quarterbacks; the Laudrup, Toure, Neville, Ferdinand and Charlton brothers are just some siblings who reached the top level in football, whilst the Schumacher brothers in motor racing and the Curry and Spinks brothers in boxing all reached the highest stage.
Locally, there’s the Kyles, with Jack regarded by consensus as being the greatest Irish rugby player ever and his sister, Maeve, representing Ireland at the 1956 Olympics in both the 100m and 200m sprints; In gaelic games, the O’Se brothers in Kerry, Bradley brothers in Derry and Cavanagh brothers in Tyrone are but three examples of sporting brothers at the top of their game, whilst the Humphreys, David and Ian, have both represented Ulster in rugby. Then there are, of course, the Blanchflower brothers, Danny and Jackie, and in more modern times the Hunts, Noel and Stephen, carrying the flag for successful Irish soccer siblings, though the place of Joe and Willie Sherrard in Irish footballing folklore is secured as the first brothers to score on international duty for Ireland.
In terms of children following in the footsteps of their successful sporting parents, there’s Muhammed Ali and daughter Laila, Roy Jones Senior and Junior, the Wright-Phillips boys and many more. Fans of college football in the States will instantly recognise the name of Joe Paterno, the legendary coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions for more than 40 years. I can recall an interview with JoePa in which he stated that in his time he’d coached more than 20 sets of fathers and sons in his team.
Those are just some examples, and whilst researching this topic on the web I came across these informative sites which may interest readers (boxing families and sporting brothers.) Feel free to add any more below, particularly on the local scene.
I’ll part with one final reference to a strong GAA family, the Armstrongs. Antrim Gaels will instantly recognise the name of Kevin Armstrong, the county’s famed duel star and recipient of an All-Time All-Star Award. Armstrong played in the famous 1943 All-Ireland Hurling final for Antrim, as well as being a member of the last county side to win the Ulster Senior Football Championship in 1951. His son, Donal, succeeded in following in his father’s footsteps and represented the county at both codes at senior level, playing in the 1989 All-Ireland Hurling final.
Saffron gaels will know that one of the most promising prospects in the county today is one Michael Armstrong, son of Donal and grandson of Kevin. It’ll come as no surprise that the third generation of Armstrongs in Antrim has excelled at both codes, and was one of the main reasons why St. Mary’s CBGS were able to return to Macrory Cup competition this year and reach the semi-final stages, having scored the only goal in the school’s MacLarnon Cup triumph the year before. The triumphant team coach on that occasion? Yes, you’ve guessed it, his father Donal.

O’Doherty presents Cathal’s story…

2009-07-04T14:02:07Z

JUST about to shoot off to Sligo, but before I head, here’s a compelling interview Malachi O’Doherty conducted with controversial Irish language poet Cathal O Searcaigh. The film Fairytale of Kathmandu presented O Searcaigh as a predatory sex tourist who abused teenage boys in Nepal. O’Doherty asks some searching questions, the answers to which may not satisfy everyone, but this is an extensive first English language broadcast.

Donaldson claimed for movies on parlimentary expenses - Daily Telegraph

2009-07-04T13:13:58Z

The Daily Telegraph are reporting today that Jeffrey Donaldson claimed for watching movies in a hotel room “nearly every time” he was in the capital during a period between 2004 and 2005 when he began sharing a flat with Sammy Wilson.

Mr Donaldson, 46, a married father of two, used his Commons second home allowances to pay for films in his hotel room nearly every time he travelled from Northern Ireland to the capital on parliamentary business.

In total, Mr Donaldson submitted second home claim forms, including receipts, relating to 68 pay-to-view movies.

All of the expenses claims were paid in full by the House of Commons fees office.

Most of the films appeared on the hotel bills as “Room Service 2”, meaning that their nature was not obvious to officials. On one occasion, the item “Room Service 2” was circled on the receipt by Mr Donaldson or staff working for him, and the word “food” written next to it, before the claim was submitted.

Can democracy cope with crises like this?

2009-07-04T11:19:45Z

John Lloyd is a commentator unafraid to hit the counter-intuitive button. He does more in this FT article than bemoan the gap between people and politicians, aggravated in the UK by the MPs’ expenses scandal and in the Republic by the gombeen culture. That democracy is in trouble – in some versions terminal trouble – is now the commonest of ideas among political scientists, coupled with a regret that their warnings have not been attended to. In one of the first scholarly articles to tackle the expenses scandal, for the next issue of Political Quarterly, the political scientist Alexandra Kelso says that “the House of Commons and its MPs have unequivocally failed to tell the public about who they are, what they do and how they do it, in spite of much good advice from many quarters”.

The criticism from scholars is that politicians do not give the public the governance they want. Somewhat contradictorily, they also charge that politicians do not provide what the public needs – even when people do not want what is needed. Experts increasingly believe that even the best of politicians cannot match the world’s challenges, because interest groups and popular attachment to high consumption will defeat them.

So climate change policies are woefully inadequate and there are few ideas around to capture the public imagination. Lloyd’s argument peters out rather in an anti-climax. He seems to be saying there’s an innate wisdom in public opinion, a concept that sounds suspiciously like Rousseau’s “general will”, but he advises politicians to “listen to, learn from and level with these citizens if you want to stay in power – and for parliamentary government to continue.” Well and good but how does this apply to new banking regulations for instance? The public are supposed to be up in arms about the revival of the bonus culture, particularly when they’re supposed to be controlling the banks. How does this translate into action? Too tight regulation with bigger capital deposits ,say, simply postpones the day when banks can increase lending. Perhaps we can grasp the banking problem easier if we ask a question with an ethical content: what do bankers deserve to be paid? Robert Peston helps us steer through those thickets. The answer seems to be: not as much as they think. Their performance levels out at about average between good times and bad. So many public decisions require expertise to understand and to anticipate unintended consequences. Yet this shouldn’t be an argument for losing faith in democracy. There is no excuse in c21 for silly rows over the basic facts of public spending. Government of whatever party should be compelled to disclose the figures. We’re getting near that point with the independent release of govenment statistics but we’re not there yet. Much wider disclosure of information coupled with far wider accountability from politicians and bankers alike, would allow the public to sniff out authentic answers and would I believe stimulate a revival of trust and involvement in politics.

Robinson trying to solve Drumcree

2009-07-04T11:08:43Z

The News Letter and Belfast Telegraph are reporting that First Minister Peter Robinson has offered to meet the Orange Order and Garvaghy residents in an attempt to solve the Drumcree dispute.

The News Letter quotes Robinson saying:

“I have written to both the Orange District and resident’s group in good faith and I hope that they will feel able to respond in a positive manner.
By demonstrating a commonsense approach, I am certain that we can find a way through this issue. I will do all I can to help progress this matter to a consensual conclusion, but I would be equally content if in the preliminary discussions the two parties agree on some other approach or arrangement which might meet reach the outcome that everyone in Portadown and indeed throughout Northern Ireland wishes to see.”

The Grand Master of Portadown district gave the intervention a warm welcome though Brendan McKenna of the Garvaghy residents association seemed more cautious.

“a campaign of intimidation..”

2009-07-03T20:04:50Z

No one has yet been charged in connection with the attack on the City Church in the Holylands area which sheltered Roma families after they left their homes. But, following the arrest of three men, including the law student son of a leading QC who appears to sit on the GAA’s Anti- Doping Hearings Committee, and despite the police reportedly saying at the time that there was “no indication of a racial motive to the vandalism”, Policing Board members are now apparently concerned about the accuracy of the initial reporting. From the Irish Times report.

Sinn Féin board member and MLA Alex Maskey said he was in the City Church the morning after the breaking of the windows and watched CCTV footage showing the attack and the attackers. He believed the incident was “allowed to get out of hand, partly driven by media assumption that this was part of concerted, sinister racist intimidation”.

Of course, that assumption was also evident in statements by the SDLP, the UUP and the DUP. But, although the Alliance Party came close, none were as definitive in their identification of those responsible as Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey.

“This attack is a new low for those racist criminals engaged in a campaign of intimidation against ethnic communities here in the south of the city.”

My first parade of the season

2009-07-03T19:14:51Z

To get myself warmed up for our 12th outing I went along to an Orange Parade in my home town of Crumlin tonight. I lasted half of the 2 hours scheduled, mainly because I got bored. The occasion was the opening of the Arch in the Village which has appeared in recent days. I’ve never been a fan of the thing and it certainly isn’t a work of art being more designed to last than for any aesthetic quality.

I fell in with a bad crowd at the outset, Parades Commission monitors, there because of concerns raised by local residents over the route and the fact last year one of the bands stopped outside a pub to give a rendition of the Sash to punters.

The PSNI presence in the village while visible wasn’t huge but the addition of a mobile CCTV jeep didn’t set an early scene of normality. It may have been due to a bottle thrown at a previous parade which injured a participant.

Things started with the lodge members assembling on the road for speeches and prayers made over a dodgy PA - I couldn’t hear a word. They then formed up - 1 band and 75 odd people, mainly older men, and almost exactly half the numbers they declared on their form to the Commission.

They set off watched by a crowd barely numbering 20 and got a few waves from friends outside the pubs on the Main St they passed. As they turned to head to the outskirts of the village I realised I was more bored than anything else and headed back home for a beer.

So a largely inoffensive and harmless occasion? In the main.

That brings me back to the one of the reasons the Parades Commission were there - as this parade returns to its starting point it, like almost every parade in the village, inexplicably veers off just before reaching its destination and will march down two residential streets which won’t have very many supporters living on them. It then returns to the main road before finishing at the Orange Hall. A pointless addition that along with the pretty awful arch are probably the only big negatives I can see in this parade - beyond disagreeing with the ethos and spirit of the organisation involved that is.

ADDS: I should also note as positives - there are no attempts beyond the Arch to decorate or claim the Village with flags, there was no colour party or flags displayed during the march, of the few supporters only one a small child was waving a flag, the band was a restrained Silver Band and as they passed the pub where the previous Sash playing occurred only a single drumbeat was heard (I don’t know if that was voluntary or a PC detirmination)

John Henry Newman: one step enough for me

2009-07-03T14:14:13Z

Pope Benedict XVI today recognised the healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan in 2001 as a miracle resulting from the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God John Henry Newman. So with that slightly bonkers preamble, Cardinal Newman’s progress to sainthood seems assured. The former Oxford don and Anglican rector turned Roman Catholic prelate went on to found University College Dublin, a role which the college handsomely acknowledges. His idea of a university valiantly tried to reconcile the teaching of Revealed Truth with open enquiry rather than creating a narrow theological seminary. For that, Newman deserves much praise. In the mid C19, the idea of English ( but not Scottish) universities dominated by clergy was only starting to retreat, as in his beloved Oxford, so this was a seriously progressive move. It paved the way to the foundation of the great municipal universities which broke the Oxbridge duopoly. But Newman’s original ambition was just a bit more than today’s UCD acknowledges. It was to turn the Dublin college into the main place of learning for all Catholic “gentlemen” throughout the then United Kingdom. It never got to first base. This was never one of Cardinal Cullen’s aims.

not in a position to make available all the relevant material to PPS for the purposes of disclosure”

2009-07-03T12:08:03Z

According to the BBC report, Larry Zaitschek, the New York chef who was charged with aggravated burglary, assault and imprisonment of a police officer and of having information of use to terrorists following the Castlereagh burglary in 2002, will not be brought to trial. The theft of Special Branch files at the Belfast Headquarters of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and subsequent allegations of a Sinn Féin spy-ring, led to the suspension of the NI Assembly. Needless to say the Slugger archive contains useful nuggets, from an early note of the investigation in 2002, to a timeline of events up to December 2005 following the revealing of Sinn Féin’s former Head of Administration in the Assembly, Denis Donaldson, as an informer and his eventual murder. And in January 2006 a post on “conflicting narratives” noting a Guardian report of the then Secretary of State Peter Hain’s refusal to open up intelligence files to clear the air after the Stormont affair or to give a full public explanation of who was spying on whom and why. He wasn’t the only one ushering everyone along from a moment of governmental memory loss. There’s even a coherent theory on the events of the time. From today’s BBC report.

The PPS said it had decided to drop the case against him because he would not receive a fair trial. They took the decision after the police said they could not make all relevant material available to the PPS. The police said this material did not originate from either them or the security services.

“Despite the efforts of the PSNI, we are not in a position to make available all the relevant material to PPS for the purposes of disclosure,” a police statement said. “Consequently, the PPS have concluded that Mr Zaitschek could not receive a fair trial and PSNI are in agreement that a prosecution could not proceed in those circumstances.”

Adds The BBC have the full text of the police statement. And In the comments zone, Gonzo points to his look at the “unhealthy rivalry” between elements of the police and security services. Also worth noting Brian Rowan’s short report.

Text of police statement

The PSNI has pursued a rigorous and thorough investigation into the events concerning the aggravated burglary at Castlereagh Police Station which occurred on March 17 2002.

All materials and evidence gathered during the course of that investigation and known to the PSNI were properly presented or revealed to the public prosecution service who initially concluded that the test for prosecution was met.

Recently, other material (which did not originate from the PSNI or the security and intelligence agencies) was drawn to the attention of the PSNI. This was relevant to the facts at issue and the PSNI agreed was such that its disclosure would be necessary in order for Mr Zaitschek to receive a fair trial.

Despite the efforts of the PSNI, we are not in a position to make available all the relevant material to PPS for the purposes of disclosure.

Consequently, the PPS have concluded that Mr Zaitschek could not receive a fair trial and PSNI are in agreement that a prosecution could not proceed in those circumstances.

Robinson backs Larkin

2009-07-03T11:18:59Z

The BBC are reporting that Peter Robinson has backed John Larkin for Attorney General. So of the “lot of things” that could happen, at least one seems to have gone. I wonder what was second on Ian Jnr’s list.

“Mum angry as son denied Irish-language school place”

2009-07-03T09:14:55Z

Simon Doyle in today’s Irish News carries the story of a family who are angry about not getting a place in the Irish language stream in St. Catherine’s Armagh (subs needed).

The school has decided to limit its intake into the IME stream to 25 pupils per year, a figure which falls far short of the number of children emerging from IME in north Armagh, anyone with that figure should get in touch.

I have spent sometime speaking to pupils and parents on this situation and there is alot of frustration, anger and a sense of betrayal. Many have indicated that for them, IME means 4-18, not 4-11.

The finger is being pointed at the usual suspects, Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta and the Minister of Education, though given that it appears to be a decision of the school’s board it is not immediately apparent what they can do with respect to Coláiste Catríona - they could however formulate an immediate plan to establish an independent Irish language secondary school in Armagh.

Above all the finger is being pointed at the Catholic Church, the most capable of all the Irish language’s opponents. The arguement being that the church has permitted the stream only in order to control the growth of IME. That is a charge they that will have to answer.

Most Irish speakers, activists and parents of Gaelscoil pupils take a pragmatic view as to whether stand alone schools or streams in English medium schools are the better option. My view is that by default stand alone schools are the better option but I would prefer to see a IM stream that not to have IME in an area at all.

In addition, I believe that in certain areas, the numbers may not be able to sustain a stand alone school longterm and that in areas of high social and economic deprevation the task of setting up a stand alone school can be very difficult.

However, the Coláiste Chaitríona debacle has delivered a death blow to arguements that streams are a good idea in themselves. One simply cannot depend on schools nor the Catholic Church to allow the streams to grow naturally and not interfere.

UPDATE : Readers may be interested in this story from the Irish News earlier in the week concerning the children of non-English speakers in IME.

Shortlist for Chief Constable

2009-07-03T08:23:01Z

The shortlist of applicants to succeed Sir Hugh Orde as Chief Constable has been revealed Adds Belfast Telegraph report. And BBC News profiles the five candidates.

One of the five is Bangor man Jim Gamble who is chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
Also in the running is Bernard Hogan-Howe, chief constable of Merseyside.
The remaining three candidates are Jon Stoddart, chief constable of Durham;
Paul West, chief constable of West Mercia;
and Matt Baggott, chief constable of Leicestershire.

Junior’s position is untenable

2009-07-03T08:17:03Z

Not the least of Peter Robinson’s headaches is what to do about Ian Paisley junior. As happens so often, the son is a poor imitation of the father, sharing his father’s worst traits of behaving in turn like a bully and a martyr. Like the father, the son has defied a court and a Speaker. But times have changed. Ian senior the raucous outsider challenged a hard-pressed establishment. These days, Paisley senior’s creation the DUP is an essential part of a new establishment. Paisley junior’s increasingly wild lunges at that establishment uncomfortably implicate the DUP. Ian og may have had a case in refusing to disclose a source (though the validity of his story is much less clear than Suzanne Breen’s), but to threaten a nominee for attorney general was a self indulgence too far.

The DUP MLA accused the barrister of “flippant and nasty” remarks when his alleged desire for custody was likened to brandishing a whip before Formula One boss Max Mosley. He also said: “John will come to regret the day he said those things.”

. What does that mean? That John Larkin would no longer acceptable to the DUP as Attorney General because he crossed Paisley junior in court? I hardly think so. It is Ian jnr who will come to regret the day he said those things. These remarks are incompatible with his membership of the Policing Board, where he is sitting on the interview panel to appoint the new Chief Constable. Although affable enough and by no means without talent, Ian junior behaves like a spoiled boy, a privileged son. This has created strains within a party which long ago ceased to be its founder’s creature. His resignation as junior minister during the Seymour Sweeney affair exposed the father and seems to have hastened the end of the reign. The DUP’s big challenge now is to ensure that the name of Paisley will not be on the candidate list for North Antrim. The old man ‘s notion of standing again may be a desperate bid to save the situation but is hardly realistic. If the party can’t quash the idea of a dynastic succession, they know very well that they risk losing the seat, not out of political principle but because of an unwarranted assumption of personal privilege that offends the egalitarian soul of Bible Protestantism. More than that, it is an offence to democracy.