david ford
“The department of justice said discussions about the precise source of funding for the HET are continuing…”
Tweet The issue of funding the ongoing work of the Historical Enquiries Team, as well as its perceived independence, may be about to become a matter of political disagreement… As the BBC NI home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, reports Hundreds of families have co-operated with the team on the basis that it was acting independently. Many [...] more »
Alliance Party Conference preview #apc13
Tweet The Alliance Party returns to La Mon Hotel on Saturday for its annual conference. Back at the beginning of December, Alliance’s role in the Belfast City Hall flag decision – and the subsequent intimidation of elected representatives and damage to property – perversely looked like overall it might boost the party’s support. However as [...] more »
“Items not detected included drugs, mobile phone batteries, scissors and a knife.”
Tweet The BBC NI home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney seems to have gotten hold of a prison service evaluation report of the three month trial of electronic body scanners at Magilligan prison and Hydebank Wood - as a suggested alternative to full-body searches. The Assembly’s Justice Committee is due to discuss the report tomorrow [Thursday]. From the [...] more »
David Ford: Ideological differences not being handled inside the SDLP…
Tweet John Manley has an interview with David Ford in today’s Irish News. Much of it what you might expect, but Mr Ford is clearly taking the opportunity to throw out a long line for nationalist voters (traditionally an area of poor returns for the party). If there was ever a time for them to [...] more »
Governing alcohol consumption: Who are the winners?
Tweet “Excuse me mate, the only reason you could possibly want to go into this club is to get drunk as a skunk, so get back in the car.” A Belfast taxi man has confidently told me that people in his profession are the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to what’s happening on [...] more »
NI Justice Minister: “While this area will obviously require careful handling in Northern Ireland…”
Tweet Some Northern Ireland MPs have united in opposition to suggested proposals to extend the UK Government’s powers to monitor people’s phone, email and internet records. Some don’t appear to have an opinion… Although there does seem to be some dispute about the actual proposals themselves. Meanwhile, as the BBC report, the UK Government has actually consulted on [...] more »
“That would require approval by the justice committee, the executive and by the assembly as a whole”
Tweet According to the BBC report’s headline -”Justice minister may look into the rehiring of RUC officers”. Well, he may. At issue, apparently, are the unknown number of former RUC officers in the 399 staff currently supplied by a recruitment agency for temporary employment, as civilians, by the PSNI. Apparently, again, “Sinn Fein has asked the Northern [...] more »
Justice Minister: “grandstanding and chest beating seen in the Chamber” on mandatory sentences call
Tweet As the BBC reports, yesterday in the Northern Ireland Assembly, by 44 votes to 41, MLAs called on the NI Justice Minister, Alliance Party leader David Ford, to “introduce legislation to impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for people who are found guilty of violent crimes against older or vulnerable people”. The motion was agreed despite opposition [...] more »
Hostage taking in NI prisons
Tweet Since his election earlier this year Jim Allister has become something of a bête noire for justice minister David Ford. It was Allister who first exposed the possibility of changing the symbols of the prison service and dropping the term “Her Majesty’s Prison” resulting in Peter Robinson’s slap down for Ford. Allister also highlighted [...] more »
“David Ford’s department is like Jurassic Park.”
Tweet Apparently, according to BBC NI’s Martina Purdy, Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly, MLA, Northern Ireland Junior Minister Policing Board member, gave “a fiery speech on the Police Ombudsman” at the party’s ard fheis at the weekend. It’s not listed in the party’s collection… [Added by AlaninBelfast ...] In the Irish News today, Diana Rusk says he went “off script” when telling [...] more »
“there are these enormous delays and they are holding up cases at all levels”
Tweet The BBC reports comments by senior judge, Mr Justice Hart, criticising the lack of “properly resourced” and “properly organised” forensic science facilities in Northern Ireland. From the BBC report The judge said: “There is an entirely unacceptable and unjustified and indeed gross delay on the part of the relevant authorities in dealing with the [...] more »
Questions remain over Lillis release
Tweet Given the high-profile campaigning on the case, the Northern Ireland Parole Commissioners’ uncommon statement about their apparent u-turn in re-releasing on licence former Provisional IRA member, Brendan Lillis, fails to address concerns of political interference in that process. Here’s what the commissioners are reported to have said In a statement they said: “The Parole Commissioners have been [...] more »
Brendan Lillis freed – despite David Ford’s ‘best professional advice’
Tweet Brendan Lillis has been released from his detention without charge – despite the Life Sentence Review Commission and Justice Minister, David Ford, claiming his continuing detention was legitimate. more »
David Ford: “as minister my decision has to be bound by the best professional advice I can be given.”
Tweet Having met with various interested parties, and despite the advice from Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, David Ford, has rejected calls to free former Provisional IRA member Brendan Lillis on compassionate grounds. From the BBC report Mr Ford said he had taken “an active interest” in the case and had sought additional independent [...] more »
McGuinness: “I trust that David Ford will take the right decision…”
Tweet Having interfered in an ongoing police investigation last week, this week the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, MP, MLA, doubles up by giving the NI Justice Minster, David Ford, some legal advice. From the BBC report “There can be no doubt that Brendan Lillis is seriously ill and does not [...] more »
Life Sentence Review Commission deny Brendan Lillis release
Tweet There’s an ongoing campaign for the release of former Provisional IRA member, Brendan Lillis, on compassionate grounds. But the BBC report that the Life Sentence Review Commission have just confirmed the Prison Service’s view that there were not sufficient grounds to justify his release. From the BBC report Republican prisoner Brendan Lillis will not be released on [...] more »
Legal Aid Fees Dispute: “It’s a farce.”
Tweet More on the ongoing legal aid fees dispute. UTV reports that just 18 out of 500 law firms in Northern Ireland have said they are willing to work under the disputed new pay rates. A Department of Justice spokesman said: “Copies of the list of firms willing to undertake criminal legal aid work is available [...] more »
The Legal Aid Problem – it isn’t going away you know..
Tweet In this mornings paper copy of the Belfast Telegraph [sorry not on the interweb at time of writing] Deborah McAleese writes, “A high profile solicitor [DG Bell] who broke ranks in the legal aid dispute has dramatically withdrawn his offer to work for reduced fees amid allegations of bullying in the increasingly bitter battle [...] more »
“nor does it sit comfortably with the transparency expectations of a modern society”
Tweet As the BBC reports, in response to a written question from TUV leader, Jim Allister, MLA, the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, David Ford, has revealed that, in the last 4 years, there have been 4 ‘super-injunctions’ granted in Northern Ireland - that is, court orders made “prohibiting publicity on the granting of injunctive relief”. From the [...] more »
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Books
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Books: Listening to Van Morrison…
Tweet Great little review of Listening to Van Morrison by Griel Marcus… It’s a short book, not a biography or a career survey, but an attempt to follow those moments in Morrison’s music, as he’s made it from his first records with Them, from Belfast in 1965 to the present day, when something happens that [...] read our review »
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“I loathe Ireland and the Irish.”
Tweet In the Irish Times, Brian Cosgrove takes up temporary residence in An Irishman’s Diary in the hope that, with the lifting of European copyright restrictions on James Joyce’s major works, a greater familiarity with Joyce’s ”sometimes ruthless realism” may change the nature of the “annual Edwardian charade” that is Bloomsday. From the Irish Times The devastating cultural [...] read our review » -
What Ireland did right (and what it needs to do)…
Tweet It is difficult to believe now that one country recently sent 19 delegations to Ireland to study how well our economy was managed. The revelation that our model of economic management featured positively in political and economic discussion in countries including Estonia, Greece and Scotland may also come as a surprise. As we survey [...] read our review »
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