Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) – Page 41 – Slugger O'Toole

Digital Switchover and TG4/RTÉ coverage improvements

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on September 1, 2012, 5:11 pm | Readers 387

In a just under two month’s time, analogue television broadcasting will have gone for good in the UK and Ireland. During September the English Tyne Tees region will switchover to digital, leaving a coordinated transition in Ireland during October. In short: Analogue transmission of BBC Two will cease on 10 October and the frequency will be used to broadcast the BBC’s Freeview multiplex (bundle) of channels. Freeview set top boxes/TVs will need to be retuned. Analogue transmissions of BBC One, …

DUP proposal to grant freedom of Lisburn to the Orange Order

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 28, 2012, 9:32 pm | Readers 279

At tonight’s monthly meeting of Lisburn City Council, Alderman Givan (DUP) proposed that the contribution of the Orange Order throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland be recognised by conveying the Freedom of Lisburn on the organisation. [I recorded a quick interview with Paul Givan after the council meeting ended.] The freedom of the city is usually only given once per council term. Blind water skier Janet Gray, cardiologist Frank Pantridge (who pioneered the portable defibrillator), Olympic gold medallist …

Lord Maginnis resigns from UUP after failing to secure Mike Nesbitt’s resignation as party leader

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 28, 2012, 2:42 pm | Readers 149

UUP gavel

The News Letter’s Sam McBride has neatly [Ed – and quickly] summed up the state of the failing failed relationship between Lord Maginnis and Mike Nesbitt. A set of email exchanges outline Maginnis’ demands for action following his perceived humiliation, and Nesbitt’s offer (early this morning) to hastily restore the whip to prevent Maginnis’ resignation statement this afternoon. One email sent by Lord Maginnis to Mr Nesbitt on 17 August after a meeting between the two men said: I, having …

Irish News now sells more full price copies than Belfast Telegraph

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 24, 2012, 8:25 am | Readers 580

local paper mastheads Belfast Telegraph Irish News News Letter

The latest set of audited circulation figures for Irish newspapers were published yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. While the ABCs show some minor growth in portions of the local industry, they still highlight an overall year on year decline. The most startling finding is that the Irish News has overtaken the Belfast Telegraph in terms of the number of copies sold each day at the full ‘basic cover price’. However, the Belfast Telegraph’s circulation has not plummeted as …

Two bidders for Belfast Local Television Licence announced

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 14, 2012, 4:08 pm | Readers 117

Two bidders have submitted applications to Ofcom to run a local television channel in Belfast: Northern Visions and Made in Belfast. If one of the candidates is successful, a local channel 8 would go live during 2013 on Freeview (as well as being carried on cable and satellite) and would cover Greater Belfast and Lisburn. This morning, Ofcom announced the list of 51 applicants pitching for the 21 local digital television programme services (L-DTPS). While some licences appear to be …

Roy Greenslade on hacking, Leveson, Murdoch, the local press and dissidents

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 10, 2012, 10:45 pm | Readers 111

After a break of a decade, Roy Greenslade was back talking at Féile an Phobail on Thursday lunchtime, lecturing in the Falls Road library about the built up to and impact of the Leveson Inquiry. Mark Simpson introduced the journalist, ex-editor, commentator, academic and wearer of braces who has written for every national paper in London and who splits his time between Donegal and Brighton. He spoke for around 35 minutes before taking questions from an audience seeded with characters …

West Belfast Talks Back: Gorgeous George and Gregory didn’t fall out over comments belittling the Robinsons

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 9, 2012, 12:24 am | Readers 364

audience not in support of Quinn at West Belfast Talks Back

West Belfast Talks Back – George Galloway talks about Féile an Phobail’s annual West Belfast Talks Back event returned to St Louise’s College on the Falls Road this evening. A panel of George Galloway, Gregory Campbell, Ruth Dudley Edwards and Gerry Kelly. Yvette Shapiro chaired. Next year the organisers should issue her with a fog horn to drown out members of the audience who want to deliver lectures rather than ask precise questions. Impersonator John McBlain provided the warm up …

journalist ≠ campaigner?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 6, 2012, 6:10 pm | Readers 187

There was an interesting – though overly lengthy* – session on Human Rights and Journalism in St Mary’s College at lunchtime today as part of this year’s Féile an Phobail. A panel of Mandy McAuley (BBC Spotlight), Steven McCaffery (Deputy Editor PA The Detail) and Chris Moore (the Detail UTV) was chaired by Amnesty NI’s Patrick Corrigan. While human rights were on the edge of much of the discussion it was rarely the central point. As well as talk about …

McDonnell, Long, Campbell and Paisley Jnr will sleep easy for another three years …

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 6, 2012, 5:55 pm | Readers 47

In a highly understandable piece of political tit for tat, the Liberal Democrats have delayed their support for Parliamentary boundary changes in response to the Tory’s contribution to the slow death of any House of Lords reform. (The proposed boundary changes to Westminster constituencies were judged to have favoured Conservative MPs.) Alasdair McDonnell, Naomi Long, Gregory Campbell and Ian Paisley Jnr will breath a sign of relief as this buys them another opportunity for re-election in 2015. As Mark Devenport …

Sheriff Poots “opened up from an upstairs bedroom” to scare away intruders – can you ever take the guns out of politics?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 27, 2012, 3:30 pm | Readers 321

While the dissident non-conformist republican groups are amid a rebranding exercise, there was a reminder this morning that paramilitary groups aren’t the only ones with guns that are willing to use. DUP Health Minister and Lagan Valley MLA Edwin Poots has admitted to firing warning shots out of a bedroom window to ward off potential intruders one night in early June. The Belfast Telegraph reports: Police said they were investigating the incident which happened in the early hours of June …

“Non-conformist republican groups” merge under banner of the “IRA”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 26, 2012, 10:33 pm | Readers 199

Under the banner of the “IRA”, the Real IRA, Republican Action Against Drugs (RAAD) as well as smaller groups often referred to as Óglaigh na hÉireann have formed a “unified structure under a single leadership”. They will be “subservient to the constitution of the Irish Republican Army”. Only the Continuity IRA remains outside the new partnership. Up to now politicians have tended to belittle the dissident threat, pointing to its fragmentation. Consolidated factions under a single brand will surely raise …

“it appears that we are in a situation where the Kirk can no longer command high public regard and influence”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 3, 2012, 6:40 pm | Readers 128

grand orange lodge of scotland seal

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland wasn’t the only loyal institution speaking out today. [See Mick’s earlier post about grand secretary Drew Nelson’s speech to the Seanad in Dublin.] The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland have issued a vote of no confidence in the Church of Scotland as they publish their annual resolutions that will be read out after the religious service that follows the Twelfth parades. It is a sad reflection that, in today’s society, many Protestants now consider …

Martin McGuinness signs off from Westminster with a speech, finishing off a week of “handshake fatigue”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 29, 2012, 10:53 am | Readers 95

An Phoblacht front page for July edition

We are emerging from a conflict that resulted in lives being lost and families being devastated. I genuinely regret every single life that was lost during that conflict and today I want every family who lost a loved one to know that your pain is not being ignored and I am willing to work with others to finding a way to deal with our past so that we can complete our journey to true reconciliation. A quote from Martin McGuinness’ …

That’ll be twelve pounds fifty please …

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 22, 2012, 10:05 am | Readers 132

BBC Hearts and Minds

After years of providing material for Thursday night and Friday morning posts on Slugger, BBC NI’s Hearts and Minds aired last night for the last time. [Ed – Not quite the last: it has one last swansong on BBC Parliament at 4pm on Sunday afternoon] While waiting for Sinn Fein’s Ard Comhairle to shake hands on the Ts and Cs of Martin McGuinness protocol for meeting the Queen, there’s just enough time to watch the last episode on iPlayer. Classic …

Policy-making in the age of austerity: a case for more speed, more consensus, more politics?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 14, 2012, 9:33 am | Readers 691

A trio of organisations published a report this morning on Policy-making in the age of austerity. [Link to download PDF report] The Consultation Institute, Stratagem and Objective Corporation used Northern Ireland as a case study to examine how the current consultation fatigue could be overcome with more meaningful, timely and useful processes. The report’s authors outline four challenges to current patterns of policy-making: expenditure constraints (“cash shortages can render existing policies unworkable and hasten the time when they need to …

Martin McGuinness is to resign as MP to concentrate on being deputy First Minister

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 11, 2012, 2:36 pm | Readers 77

At lunchtime, Sinn Fein announced their timetable to end double jobbing at Westminster and the Assembly. The BBC explain: The Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is to resign as MP for Mid Ulster to concentrate on his job at Stormont. Sinn Fein’s four other MPs are to resign from their assembly seats as the party seeks to end ‘double-jobbing’. Party president Gerry Adams said this would avoid triggering a string of Westminster by-elections. So a Mid Ulster by-election expected in …

Who’s in charge: PRs or journalists?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 8, 2012, 4:06 pm | Readers 170

The News Letter’s Ben Lowry was written an interesting opinion piece highlighting the jarring interface between reporters, PRs and in particular the government press machine. It sits well alongside Mick’s earlier post about the Hearts and Minds’ discussion around Stormont ‘nationalising’ its own images. [Ed – Is that new media talking about mainstream media talking about really old media?] Quality journalism costs money, and without readers who dip into their pockets to pull out some coins, most newspapers would disappear. …

I want Presbyterians to be …

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on June 1, 2012, 9:00 am | Readers 285

In the end, this year’s Presbyterian General Assembly was less headline-grabbing than the recent Church of Ireland Synod. However the outgoing and incoming moderators did tackle some good issues in their addresses on Monday evening. Last weekend I wrote a short opinion piece to accompany Thursday morning’s News Letter coverage of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. As a distraction from the referendum posts, I reproduce it here. Given that this is Slugger, no doubt, whether you’re …

Plotting school attendance rates in Lisburn and Newry

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on May 29, 2012, 6:56 pm | Readers 116

Lisburn and Newry school attendance - using data gathered by The Detail

Over the weekend, The Detail published details about school attendance in Northern Ireland using 2010/11 attendance data for every primary and post-primary school that was released by the Department of Education in response to their Freedom of Information request. Quoting some of The Detail’s findings: The average pupil attendance across all schools in Northern Ireland in the last school year was 94%. However, our analysis of the department’s figures shows that the attendance levels for at least 20,914 pupils fell …

Sinn Féin ard fheis – failed motions – ambassadors, abortion, Household Charges and China

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on May 28, 2012, 4:29 pm | Readers 83

Out of 176 or so motions in the clár, just twelve failed to get the support of Sinn Féin’s ard fheis. None of the failed motions had been proposed by the central party Ard Chomhairle. Kudos to Sinn Féin for publishing a list of motions on their website and updating their status as the voting proceeded in batches throughout the weekend. In many ways, through its use of streaming over many years and its ‘live’ web updates of speeches and …