Commission gets marching orders…
THE Police Ombudsman has said the Parades Commission should produce agreed maps of parade routes it makes determinations on, in order to avoid any ambiguity. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Belfast Gonzo
Westminster and Northern Ireland…
THE DUP have been keen to have meetings held of Westminster’s Northern Ireland Grand Committee meet in Northern Ireland, and could perhaps get their way if the SDLP are not opposed to the move. If plans to allow Orders in Council to be amended (rather than just be passed or dumped) succeed, would this mean primary legislation for NI actually being debated meaningfullyl in NI? If amendments to laws were permitted, surely the local parties (aside from Sinn Fein MPs, …
What drives Michael O’Leary..?
RYANAIR chief Michael O’Leary reveals the secret of his success… “All this Freudian angsty crap of ‘Where did it all start?’ I didn’t have a lot of money. I wanted to make money pretty quickly. I got lucky and made money. That was it. I do it now because I’m competitive. I want to stuff it to BA.” Because it’s English? “We love tilting at the English, have done it for about 700 years, but we’re only getting our own …
Shoukris expelled from UDA…
AS Andre’s court case takes a twist, it’s announced that the Shoukri brothers have just been kicked out of the UDA. More later… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Poker club reopening after raid…
LOCAL poker fans might be pleased to learn that the Cavendish Club looks set to reopen, after it was shut down by police a few months ago. Whether the legalities have been clarified is another matter… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
After Patten, ethnic quotas for British police..?
IN a speech to be given later today, Commission for Racial Equality chairman Trevor Phillips is likely to call for positive discrimination in favour of Muslims applying to join the police in Great Britain. In fact, he’ll describe it as a matter, not just of fairness and equality, but an issue of national security. Mr Phillips will cite the 50:50 recruitment policy the PSNI uses to further his point – which is a tad ironic, given that the 50:50 rule …
Trail to America…
THE News Letter had a supplement on Thursday, Ulster-Scots: Trail to America, which told the “epic story of settling in the New World”. Any US Sluggerettes wanting to learn more about the 1718 movement of Scots-Irish to America might want to visit this website, while the earlier settlement of Scots in Ireland is detailed here. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Church opposes integration in education…
THE Government’s ‘shared future’ policy has come under attack from the Catholic Church, which believes that integration would undermine the Catholic ethos in education. While the Church may regard integrated education as “offensive”, demand for it is nevertheless growing, and while no Catholic child is ever likely to be denied a place at a Catholic school, hundreds of children are denied places at integrated schools every year. Despite its own policy, the Government’s support for mixed education is at best …
FIFA removes Irish penalty rule…
THE Sindo reports that FIFA is about to make a textbook U-turn and announce that players for Northern Ireland won’t have to carry a British passport any longer and an Irish passport will thus be regarded as valid to demonstrate a player’s eligibility. So everybody wins… especially the mystery NI player who refused to carry a British passport! Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Orange man develops Brown nose…
LATER this week we could well be in for a show of sycophancy on an unprecedented scale, as Chancellor Gordon Brown (who wants to be Prime Minister) visits Northern Ireland. With Secretary of State Peter Hain currently waging a rather shameless PR campaign to become Deputy Prime Minister, expect the permatanned one’s orange nose to develop an unhealthy ‘Brown’ tint. Unionists might welcome the interest of a prudent Scottish Presbyterian in full Union flag-waving mode, not so sure about nationalists, …
Sister doing it for herself..?
MICK has previously noted the emergence of a small left-wing group that has split from Sinn Fein called eirigi. Correct me if I’m wrong, but is that Sinn Fein MEP Mary Lou McDonald’s wee sister on their website, with former SF Dublin organiser Stewie Reddin (sp?) also pictured? Just asking. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Plan to change Northern Irish law-making…
THE LibDems and Tories are proposing that the undemocratic way Westminster legislation for Northern Ireland is introduced should be changed. At the moment, it’s through “take it or leave it” Orders in Council – basically, Westminster laws are either passed for NI without any amendment, or they’re ditched. The new plan would mean laws could be amended, which would be an improvement, but one wonders why this is happening now… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
: Still sectarian…
WE’RE more sectarian than ever, reported Suzanne Breen on Sunday (although the research she quotes has been challenged). Anyone who watched the Northern Ireland episode of I Predict a Riot on Bravo TV the other night might be inclined to agree that political peace doesn’t equate to an absence of tribal hatred. UPDATE: A major campaign to prevent violence on the streets of north Belfast this summer and stop children engaging in ‘recreational rioting’ has just been launched. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
LibDems fail to stick by word again…
THE Lib Dems have done a U-turn on academic selection in Northern Ireland. It’s the latest about-turn from a useless LibDem lord on Northern Irish issues. What was the bribe from Labour this time? Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
DPP’s a waste of time..?
HAS anyone ever been to a DPP meeting? Precious few have, according to the Tele. An expensive facade of accountability?Policing Board Deputy Chairman Barry Gilligan told the BBC: “It seems to me that if you’re motivated enough to ring radio phone-in programmes or if you’re with your friends in the pub talking about vandalism or complaining about police response times, you have the responsibility to make the extra effort and attend a DPP meeting.” Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Hi boy, listen tae this…
TALKBACK in five minutes will be live from Ballymena, with, no doubt, plenty to say about the usual ‘Ballymena’ topics – sectarianism and shopping. And don’t forget funny accents, dopey DUP councillors excusing the bigotry that does occur and angry republican callers lambasting the entire town to feel some kind of collective guilt. One-dimensional analysis that reinforces the stereotype again, or will there be any surprises this time? Imagine Dunseith finding something positive to say about the town! Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
Alerts causing traffic chaos…
A SERIES of bomb alerts are currently causing traffic chaos in Belfast. With commuters anxious to get home to watch the first World Cup match, expect the congestion to continue. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com
St Patrick’s Day report, Part 3…
THE third and final unedited instalment of a confidential report on Belfast’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations continues below…UTV Live: lunchtime report The lunchtime UTV news report featured a brief (1 min 10 sec) report from City Hall, where crowds were beginning to gather for the procession. It pointed out that this was the first time that BCC had organised the event and that it was intended to be inclusive. The report highlighted the ban ‘on drink and flags’, but did …
St Patrick’s Day report, Part 2…
THE St Patrick’s Day report wouldn’t fit in one blog entry, so it’s continued below…6.5 Coverage in the lead up to St Patrick’s Day The symbols issue dominated the substantive coverage of the event. The issue of inclusiveness also occurred frequently, although this tended to be tied to the issue of symbolism rather than receiving coverage in its own right. The multicultural dimension of the event and the depiction of the day as a family day out both received less …
Secret St Patrick’s Day report – in full…
“THIS year’s St Patrick’s Day Carnival in Belfast was not a fully inclusive event, but neither was it an exclusive, intimidating one,” according to a key study of the Council’s efforts to provide a cross-community celebration of our national saint. The North Belfast News has apparently got its hands on the confidential report by Queen’s University’s Institute of Irish Studies on our disputed St Patrick’s Day celebrations. Belfast City Councillors now have their own copies to study – which points …