The Great Girona Gold Hunt

Another post in an occasional series on maritime history. Blueprint’s short run may have finished but tonight BBC NI are showing what looks set to be a fascinating programme in the BBC 1 9pm slot – The Great Girona Gold Hunt – and here. Forty years after discovering the wreck of gold-laden warship from the Spanish Armada on Antrim’s treacherous north coast, Robert Stenuit dives the site again and reveals the intrigue behind the recovery of the greatest haul of …

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Still waiting for the Unionists…

The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body still cant’ get Unionists to come along, but Gary Kent, reporting from Wexford, reckons that that is only a name change and year away. The group of bank bench parliamentarians met as usual, but with our former Secretary of State for Wales, etc. in the chair (he hasn’t gone away you know)… The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body today in Wexford agreed a fairly bland motion on continuing progress in Northern Ireland which Tory MP Robert Walter described …

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Maze matters

Edwin Poots has confirmed that the £70m earmarked for the Maze could be re-assigned to other departmental priorities if the decision is not to proceed with the new stadium. This could help address the Olympic cuts in lottery funding as well as the Ulster-Scots and Irish language strategies the Executive has to produce. Derry City FC have already an idea of how they can spend £5m of it and are getting support from local MLA’s. Lee Reynolds

The Un-Enlightenment continues..

When out-going Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, complained of a “growing hesitation” to reference religious belief in public debate I argued that “the only issue of matter is whether any argument put forward is rational.” As this recent case proves supernatural beliefs can conflict with necessary medical treatment. And there is an attempt to influence public policy in this area. As this Irish Times report notes, the author of Health Research Board-funded report from Trinity College Dublin’s Irish School of Ecumenics – …

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Lisbon Treaty could be tighter than thought…

Not talking about the Lisbon treaty is clearly not working. According to a Red C poll in yesterday’s Sunday Business Post, “support fallen from 43 per cent in February to 35 per cent”. As the only ‘mainstream’ party actually against the treaty, Sinn Fein have an opportunity to develop some strong political capital here. Although that’s likely to be a slow feed. The paper reports that: “Farmers have turned against the treaty, while Fianna Fáil voters, men and younger voters …

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South is a proxy not substitute for NI’s own market penetration…

OUr politicians having recently cleared the burden of having to seek renewed democratic mandates for a further three years have a breathing space to make something happen in the economic space. The financial conference next month is thought to be much smaller than that originally planned (credit crunch is taking up most of the US’s intellectual slack just now), but it could be seen as an opportunity to begin conversations that might lead to some important new relationships. But before …

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World Malaria Day

It was World Malaria Day on the 25th of April. The statistics on the frequency of infection are absolutely staggering with 300 to 500 million new cases per year and 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths, mostly amongst children in Sub Saharan Africa. This is a major impediment to development in the region as well as a tragic loss of human life and a cause of indescribable distress to families.The traditional treatment was chloroquine, which was fairly effective until the 1960s, …

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“When people get caught up in lies, they have to continue with the lies.”

Despite the pre-broadcast coverage, Peter Taylor’s Age of Terror programme on the Enniskillen bombing didn’t uncover much more material than most already knew. And yet the fact that the deputy First Minister felt the need to issue a denial of the claims made in the programme in advance of the broadcast was in itself revealing. As Malachi O’Doherty asks here All Taylor really told us about McGuinness is that he was a top Provo. It is what we knew. Logically …

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Professor Bill Clarke dies

During my time at the University of Ulster, I came into contact several times with the Campus Provost, Bill Clarke. I found him a gracious, fair and thoroughly decent man, who could always be relied upon to come to a reasonable conclusion in any situation. Both the Irish News and Belfast Telegraph are reporting that he tragically passed away yesterday, after collapsing at a graduation event at the Police training college. I know he will be greatly missed by many. …

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Air Ambulances

The charity seeking to provide air ambulance services in Northern Ireland and neighbouring parts of the RoI seems to be confident that it can get up and running with its service by June 2009. The service they envisage seems quite impressive with a doctor and paramedic in addition to the helicopter crew. This seems to be a similar level of provision to that offered by the London air ambulance. Exactly how such a system would operate here remains to be …

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A Unionist Irish Language Act

This is a blog aimed at stimulating debate and does not really even reflect my own views on this subject which are quite fluid. In addition these views do not in any way reflect TUV policy. By the way, I am not so deluded to presume to be in a policy making role: I am sometimes consulted on the policy for the evening meal and that is about the limit of my policy making. However, the Irish Language is something …

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“will actually lead to the loss of this man`s life..”

In the current dispensation the reports of the apology from the Sunday World to Freddie Scappaticci – who took action against the paper following a report which referred to his current living arrangements and medical condition, which was covered by an injunction he secured amid fears that his life could be under threat in the aftermath of the murder of Denis Donaldson – and their payment of his legal fees of £30,000 and a £10,000 donation to a charity are …

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“an exceptional but justified step in the circumstances..”

As the BBC report here, Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, MP, has agreed to a request from Environment Minister Arlene Foster, MLA, to delay the local government elections – scheduled for next year – until 2011. The Notes to Editors in the statement points out that “An Order in Council under section 84 (1) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 will be required to make the postponement.” Of course, if elections threatened to change anything.. Adds As announced …

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UK Labour’s fading light…

There’s six days until the London Mayoral election decides the contest between Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson (I should be on the ground Twittering for Brassneck). Certainly the Tories are pushing the idea that its outcome will be a weather vane for the outcome of the general election. Certainly they have had huge help from Andrew Gilligan at the Standard, who’s anti Ken spin on every single story is unremitting. Boris is being kept in check by hawk eyed Australian …

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JOurnalism and the peace process…

Cian’s picked up on an interesting thought arising from Garrett FitzGerald’s recent assertion that there had been editorial timidity when dealing with ‘terrorists’ both during the Troubles and after. FitzGerald is rather gently taken to task by former Irish Times editor Conor Brady for suggesting the paper had acquiesed to Gerry Adams denial of IRA membership. There are shades here of the argument outlines in Ed Moloney’s provocative essay from Lives Entwined II, Peace process and Journalism. Although Moloney does …

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Knowledge is power – redux

Buried in John Waters’ wordy belated birthday tribute to Emperor Constantine Pope Benedict XVI in today’s Irish Times [subs req] are some points worth noting. Not the comparisons of Christianity to Islam, “a very real form of obscurantism”, nor the references to “pseudo-rebels [who] seek to mollify and court [Islam]”, and not even the “secular media analysis, [of Benedict as] a stop-gap and a throwback, a “reactionary”, a “right-winger”, an obscurantist”, nor the accurate descriptions of media distortions of some …

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“poorly judged and tasteless”

A couple of days ago I was presented with a copy of the Gown by a fairly outraged student, and I have to say that I wasn’t all that impressed by their attitude to a Queen’s student, no matter what he did or did not do, being found dead. Chekov isn’t impressed either. Michael ShillidayI used to write and get paid, now I read and don’t. Former UUP staffer, currently living in London. @mjshilliday

Family jobs

About 100 MPs yesterday put on record their family members paid from Parliamentary allowances. The number of Robinsons on the list is attracting national attention. Peter Robinson, and his wife Iris, who is also an MP, have turned politics into a real family business Michael ShillidayI used to write and get paid, now I read and don’t. Former UUP staffer, currently living in London. @mjshilliday

Advance notice of Parades Review report..

The Strategic Review of Parading in Northern Ireland chaired by Paddy Ashdown was announced a year ago and, although it appears that their report isn’t due for publication until next week, some details are already being reported. It is thought it favours splitting the processes of mediation and ruling when a dispute cannot be resolved. March organisers will be asked to give notice to their local district council 35 days before their planned event. If mediation failed, the dispute would …

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