Lord Patten of Barnes speaking in Belfast to mark 20th anniversary of Equality Commission and Human Rights Commission #video

Lord Patten of Barnes addressed an audience in Belfast City Hall last night to mark the 20th anniversary of the Equality Commission and the NI Human Rights Commission. Michael Wardlow finishes his eight years as chief commissioner at the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland today. Deputy chief commissioner Geraldine McGahey has been appointed as his successor.

How often do the parties in Belfast City Hall actually vote together?

One of the great debates, and I use that term loosely, we have had over the past decade in Northern Irish politics is whether the Alliance Party are more nationalist or unionist. Instead of letting Alliance, and the people who vote for them, define what the party stands for, certain elements of the political establishment, in particular political unionism, have gone out of their way to attempt to define Alliance as being somewhere on the spectrum between anti-unionist and pro-republican. …

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Queen’s Hosts Interactive Showcase ‘Global Thinking Locally’ at Belfast City Hall tomorrow

  Queen’s University Belfast will be hosting an interactive showcase event at Belfast City Hall to demonstrate the impact the University has on the community in Belfast and across the globe. The showcase will take place on Tuesday, 30 May 2017 from 10am – 2.30pm in the Great Hall at Belfast City Hall. There will be over 30 interactive exhibitions from a range of Queen’s world-leading experts and researchers showcasing their work under the themes of Future Cities, Healthy Citizens, …

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Why ignore the Ulster Unionist councillor who single handedly ended criminalisation of gay men?

Very good piece from Finola Meredith in the Bel Tel at the weekend re the proposal to have a stained glass window in City Hall to celebrate Belfast’s LGBT citizens: On the surface, then, this looks like a good news story – and a rare moment of forward-thinking in a place known for its backwardness. Poke a little below the shiny, progressive veneer, however, and you soon discover the same old pettiness and point-scoring. For instance, I was astonished to …

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Inside a war of words; outside traffic disruption, flag burning, brick throwing and storming the City Hall

Democracy in action tonight. A decision made (democratically) in a Belfast City Council committee – not with everyone’s agreement but a decision following the procedures nonetheless – was brought to the full council for debate and ratification. While the exchanges could be described as a war of words, a democratic process was followed and a recorded vote taken. The vote 29/21 passed Alliance’s proposal to fly the Union Flag on designated days only over Belfast City Hall (and not over …

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Who needs bus lanes when a flag might block the Belfast traffic?

The Continental Market at the front of the City Hall will be open until 8pm on Monday evening, enticing visitors and shoppers to wander around the stalls and feel good about Belfast. Around the back of the City Hall, a rally will be held at 5.45pm on Monday evening to protest at the likelihood that the full Belfast City Council meeting at 6pm will vote to reduce the number of days that the Union Flag flies from the civic building. …

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Occupy Belfast – a (small) protest about housing

Gerry Lynch mentioned Occupy Belfast in a post yesterday. I called past the front of Belfast City Hall just before 1pm today to see the latest in their series of Saturday afternoon protests. I started asking people who were sitting or standing around the railings if they knew there was going to be a protest, or had heard about Occupy Belfast and what they stood for. There was a mixed reaction, with quite a few people aware of the tents …

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Republicans and loyalists unite to mark centenary of James Connolly arriving in Belfast

SIPTU – the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union – are marking the centenary of the arrival of James Connolly in Belfast to organise dockers and mill workers in an event in Belfast City Hall on the evening of Friday 28 October. Lord Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile will unveil a a portrait of James Connolly by artist Frank Quigley, followed by a panel discussion on the theme of the ‘The Task Today’ looking at “the current needs of workers and …

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Occupy Belfast – rebels without a cause?

Occupy Belfast Fist poster

Occupy Belfast are reclaiming the ‘O’ word in these neck of the woods as they organise a protest “to show solidarity with workers and young people fighting against austerity and for a better future across the world, and to tell our politicians that the fight is coming to them”. Over the weekend, there were hundreds of arrests in New York as Occupy Wall Street protesters were disrupted by the NYPD. Arrests seem unlikely as the Belfast sister organisation plans its …

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The curious incident of the City Hall and its flag-related security breach

City Hall with Union flag flying over it

Around tea time on the 11 July, a bizarre story came to light. A man had found by security in the City Hall overnight, and allowed to leave the building, claiming (according to UTV) “he had been locked in at a function”. It was later noticed – some reports say by a tourist during the day – that the City Hall’s flag/flag pole was damaged. By the next morning – the Twelfth – the Union flag was flying from a …

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Did Ruth Patterson not get Peter’s memo?

cropped DUP logo

The general opinion on Slugger – never mind media commentators and conversations in pubs and livings rooms – has been that the DUP have been edging towards the centre ground. Throughout the election campaign, Peter Robinson avoided criticising the deputy First Minister and generally avoided needling Sinn Fein – and Martin McGuinness reciprocated with his frequent references to “Peter and I”. While pockets remain in the DUP that still articulate their distrust and discomfort at working so closely with Sinn …

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POTD – New Lawn

Rolls of turf prior to being laid in the grounds of City Hall.  The X-mas continental market (food and drink as culture) leaves the grass dead hence the replacement. Moochin PhotomanPhotographer and visual artist based in Belfast. I have facilitated community based workshops with groups as diverse as visually impaired individuals in Dungannn, Travellers across Northern Ireland, Young Offenders and many community groups across Belfast. My work has exhibited extensively here in Northern Ireland in group and individual shows and …

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