April 2011 – Page 11 – Slugger O'Toole

“On the face of it, that is slightly disappointing…”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2011, 1:50 pm | Readers 6

The Belfast Telegraph’s Insider column brings us OFMDFM officials Dale Heaney and James McEldowney’s verdict on the Northern Ireland Executive’s delivery, or not, on the Programme for Government 2008-2011. They were appearing in front of the relevant Assembly committee. From the Belfast Telegraph article Mr Heaney argued that, in spite the impact of the economic downturn, ministers “have made, and continue to make, a significant difference to people’s lives”. In introductory remarks to the hearing, he went on: “Delivery reports …

Coalition needs to keep its collective eye on the Brussels game…

Mick Fealty on April 2, 2011, 11:30 am | Readers 3

All politics is local, except when it comes to an Irish banking crisis. As Paul Gillespie notes in today’s Irish Times: Ireland is more deeply entangled with its partners in the European Union as a result of the banking crisis and the measures taken by the new Government to resolve it. That is part of a more general process called Europeanisation by writers on the subject. It makes European issues part of domestic politics. Politicisation of the issues makes them …

Dump d’Hondt: The UUP’s suggestion for improved Executive

Mick Fealty on April 2, 2011, 10:52 am | Readers 42

There are still some folk in the SDLP who see their role (as Mark Durkan undoubtedly did) as the guardians of the institutions set up by the Belfast Agreement. But as we’ve seen with the shift in the rules for the election of First and deputy First Minister’s roles, that’s not a position held anywhere else. The UUP’s Mark Neale looks at the impasse over education and reprises Tom Eliott’s idea that the winning parties ought to be forced to …

POTD – If you can read this…..

Moochin Photoman on April 2, 2011, 9:45 am | Readers 4

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 has been shown in North America and i had my first solo international exhibition in New Zealand. I have been the recipient of a number of grants from the …

#AE11 Open Thread: Fermanagh and South Tyrone (#fst11)

Mick Fealty on April 2, 2011, 9:19 am | Readers 15

Okay, today we drift on from North Antrim to Fermanagh and South Tyrone. There’s a little something in this for the four main parties (it’s too far west for the Alliance and Greens to have any skin in this most westerly game). How will the SDLP vote hold up after Sinn Fein’s successful big heave against the single Unionist candidate last May? Has Tom Elliot energised his local association to stem the turning tide of traditional UUers who’ve been steadily …

You can build your own profile on Slugger…

Mick Fealty on April 2, 2011, 8:29 am | Readers 3

Apropos of making things a little more human here, particularly during the election, some of you may be wondering how some of us have pictures appear when we post whilst others have a generic sideways G. That’s because we’ve built a profile here on Slugger and registered at Gravatar.com to upload said picture. It can be any picture you like, not necessarily a picture of your good self… You can also complete a short biog at the back end of …

A provisional question – Cui bono?

Blank on April 1, 2011, 11:23 pm | Readers 6

In numerous books on the history of republicanism it has been claimed the provisional IRA curtailed operations when Sinn Fein were engaged in electoral contests. The ‘starting pistol’ for our current Council and Assembly elections was fired on 25th March 2011 Since then there seems to have been a sustained increase in failed bombings and hoaxes that mainly affect nationalist areas – those that will have a real republican option not SF; Derry Oldpark Andersonstown Lower Falls The list grows …

Letters from Iceland

Peter Geoghegan on April 1, 2011, 9:21 pm | Readers 22

While Ireland’s mounting debt mountain continues to cause chaos in the Eurozone, I’ve spent the past week in the one country that embraced default back in October 2008: Iceland. Not that Iceland really had much choice about defaulting; the debts of its three privatised banks, Landsbanki, Kaupthing and Glitnir, were almost ten times GDP when the kreppa (or crisis) struck. The big issue in Iceland at the moment should be next week’s referendum on Icesave. The high-interest internet arm of …

“The net point is that Ireland’s lenders retain all the power…”

Pete Baker on April 1, 2011, 9:01 pm | Readers 2

With tensions rising across Europe, in the Irish Times Arthur Beesley maps out the territory as the Irish Government prepares to attempt to tentatively restart the debate on reducing Ireland’s bail-out interest rate. As noted previously, Arthur Beesley has highlighted some of this territory before The Government’s position is not at all strong, so repeated claims that the situation is now so grave as to merit pursuing senior bonds serves to emphasise the requirement for something else to ease the pain. Important …

Keep an eye on Finland…

oneill on April 1, 2011, 7:48 pm | Readers 8

Further to the suggestion mentioned in Mick’s post earlier on today ( “letting” the Republic, Greece and Portugal default), two developing political factors are worth bearing in mind:

A UK Unionist and also confirmed devo-sceptic.
I believe the creation of devolved “governments” in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, along with the corresponding unsolved “English Question”, has weakened that Union.

The present-day Conservative Party would be the national party which would come closest to representing my political beliefs. I have previously belonged to the “Friends of the Conservatives” and the UUP but am no longer connected with either party.

Outside of my Unionism, I consider myself as an economic libertarian, social liberal and secularist- e’g. am pro-choice, anti-schools segregated on the grounds of (parents’) religious beliefs.

Very suspicious of NI’s Human Rights’ Oligarchy (in particular the NIHRC) and hope to be writing on this topic, as well as wider UK and European political issues.

www.openunionism.com

NI Executive member supplies reference for McGeough

Pete Baker on April 1, 2011, 2:32 pm | Readers 12

The BBC reports from the pre-sentencing hearing of Gerry McGeough – who was found guilty in February of the attempted murder of an off-duty UDR soldier, then working as a postman, now DUP councillor Sammy Brush, in 1981. From the BBC report An unnamed member of the Northern Ireland Executive has supplied a reference for Gerry McGeough ahead of his sentencing. The former IRA member was found guilty in February of the attempted murder of an off-duty UDR soldier 30 years ago. Sammy Brush, …

Celtic Cousins…

Dewi on April 1, 2011, 2:15 pm | Readers 10

The Western Mail has really caught the history bug. We are in the middle of their Welsh History Month. Today Dr Paul O’Leary of Aber discusses Irish Migration to Wales. Well worth a read – some highlights: …These newcomers sometimes received a hostile reception from the Welsh and were refused hospitality at inns. This was not an isolated episode. From the 1820s Irish migrants began to appear in the new and growing industrial settlements of the country. They encountered a …

A rap with policy content…

Mick Fealty on April 1, 2011, 1:17 pm | Readers 4

Now, given I’ve just used Slugger’s bully pulpit to reinforce our Commenting Rules, I am posting this advisedly. It may be a personal attack on the Conservative Secretary of State for Health, but it’s pretty catchy and it has policy content… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

“I think there has been a desire not to delve into anything that upsets the current status quo in Northern Ireland”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on April 1, 2011, 12:30 pm | Readers 58

Head shot of Suzanne Breen and Malachi O'Doherty

Since Malachi O’Doherty took over as the BBC Louis MacNeice Writer of Residence at Queen’s University, he’s embarked on what sometimes seems like a one-man festival of events. Fortnightly meetings of Blog Standard (a kind of Bloggers Anonymous), a book group, interviewing BBC correspondents and presenters as well as local political journalists. This afternoon, it was the timely turn of Robert Peston. But last week, Malachi cosied up to Suzanne Breen, who until its recent demise was the Northern editor …

Why Northern Ireland Needs to Keep Talking about its Past

Gladys Ganiel on April 1, 2011, 12:21 pm | Readers 24

Should Northern Ireland keep talking about its past? In his post today about last week’s conference at the Ulster Musuem, Culture after Conflict, Fitzjameshorse writes somewhat triumphantly: We already know from a previous post that the Churches aren’t overly concerned about playing a part in Conflict Resolution. Neither are Historians who value the historical record above its re-writing for the perceived benefit to Society. And the Arts people feel the same way. It is as if Fitzjameshorse thinks that if …

Fine Gael appoint Minister for Happiness…

Mick Fealty on April 1, 2011, 11:50 am | Readers 41

And, now I’ve heard it all. David Cameron wants a Happiness Index, now Fine Gael (rather belatedly) appoint a Minister for Happiness, the comedian Jarleth Regan. Presser below: An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny, T.D., has announced the appointment of Mr. Jarlath Regan as the Minister of State with responsibility for happiness; a newly created Ministerial role. The announcement follows regular comments and acknowledgments by An Taoiseach and Fine Gael during this year’s General Election that if elected, the focus would …

Time for Europe’s ‘pusillanimous politicians’ to do the right thing?

Mick Fealty on April 1, 2011, 11:07 am | Readers 10

Right, stop me if I’ve got this wrong, but it seems to me that Ireland faces two big problems: bank liquidity; and a debt mountain (which has just got way bigger). In order to service the first, the second (whilst already large due to a massive fall in tax receipts) has been made unfeasibly high (how’s that small panic attack going Robert?). The Economist has an obivious solution, but one that is not going to popular with European heads of …

#AE11 Open Thread: North Antrim (#nan11)

Mick Fealty on April 1, 2011, 10:30 am | Readers 17

Okay, good start yesterday on South Down, now we shift to the very, very north, where a big chunk of the Glens of Antrim are being hived off to East Antrim (#ean11). We’re looking for your thoughts in North Antrim. One of the few things that seem almost certain here is that the SDLP’s Declan O’Loan will lose his seat because of that shift. The other is the possibility that Jim Allister will come back in from the cold… – …

Culture After Conflict: Between Remembrance and Reconciliation.

FitzJames Horse on April 1, 2011, 10:02 am | Readers 26

Ulster Museum 23rd March …Sponsored by Instiute of British-Irish Studies (IBIS) at UCD. Following closely on “Remembering the Future” a CRC event, IBIS held a related event at the Ulster Museum. There were about 200, mostly pre-registered, “attendees” but I noted that many of the well known names on the list did not actually show up. Against a background of upcoming centenaries what exactly can or should the Cultural Community do to foster a positive approach to it all. Chairing …

Uncivil War: a post for today

Turgon on April 1, 2011, 9:51 am | Readers 6

I think today is the day to recycle one of my previous blogs: in it I will examine what strategies might be adopted by unionists if confronted by the dread reality of waking up in a united Ireland; as an alternative they could just pull the covers over their heads. Actually as I have previously intimated I am most dubious that this Sword of Damocles will fall on our heads; still on with the blog. Can I say at the …