Belfast Gonzo

A FEW weeks ago I wondered which loyalist area would be bought off… sorry, would benefit from an ‘economic package’ before the marching season gets serious, in order to keep a lid on things. Well, it’s Sandy Row (obviously), where the protest against Catholic residents took place recently. So is this another case of the Government buckling under the threat of violence, trying to create circumstances for a more peaceful summer or politicians genuinely wanting to help a deprived area? …

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ALMOST a century of tradition could come to an end if the Orange Order votes to break its historic link with the Ulster Unionist Council, according to the News Letter. Billy Kennedy writes: Lagan Valley DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, a former Assistant Grand Master of the Order, believes it is now time for a breaking of the link. “The Order, by not being aligned with one particular party, can play a much stronger and positive role in trying to achieve …

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THE Irish Labour Party seems to be popular in Northern Ireland today. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

GERRY Adams Bodenstown 2004 speech is here, for those interested. The Sinn Fein President said: “Our objective is clear – to restore the political institutions and end the crisis in the process. “Consequently, Sinn F�in is pressing for a comprehensive and holistic package, which deals with all of the outstanding matters in a way that is definitive and conclusive. “In our negotiations with the governments, and in our efforts to achieve a package of measures, which will secure progress, we …

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BROADCASTER Barry Cowan has died. This giant of BBC Northern Ireland was the first voice of Talkback, which has paid tribute to his work today. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

IT’S ten years to the day since the Loughinisland massacre, an atrocity carried out by the UVF that still carries sad memories for many, and appalled the rest of us. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

YETI, the last four-legged survivor of the 1982 Hyde Park bomb blast died last month at The Home of Rest for Horses in Speen. This is one of my first real memories of the ‘Troubles’. As a seven-year-old kid, I was more into football than the news. But I remember well wondering why anyone would want to blow up horses, and being upset at the TV news describing how bits of people and animals had been torn apart by the …

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A FORMER ANC prisoner who is now chief of Johannesburg East Rand’s Metro Police has told South Armagh republicans to prepare themselves to become involved in policing. Robert McBride also echoed Dennis Kennedy’s words the other day, saying that there could be no real truth and reconciliation until the peace process has gone beyond the point of no return. He said: “We had a truth commission in South Africa because we had brought closure to the tragedy of the past …

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DERRY people are so brainy that the high-IQ boffins in Mensa have decided to hold their annual conference there. The Belfast Telegraph reports: “In May 2003, Derry came top in the BBC’s Test The Nation show, which assessed the IQ of people throughout the UK.” For the sake of completeness, I feel I should point out that the Derry wans came joint fifth, alongside Belfast, this year. The Tele added: “The show also revealed that Northern Ireland was the most …

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SLUGGER regular Paul A Fitzsimmons wants to know what the IRA thinks about his ideas for independence. Maybe it would be prepared to accept an Independent Republic Of Northern Ireland? Oh, the IRONI of it all… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

A METHADONE prescription scheme is to be extended into the Eastern Health Board area, after a trial run in Ballymena. The Bible-belt town has suffered badly from the problems associated with ‘skag’ over the past decade, and the methadone substitute programme seems to have had a degree of success. A shame then, that we were the last part of the UK or Ireland to adopt methadone. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

THE tired old metaphor of the elephant in the room/on the doorstep/in the BBC studio has been resurrected by Dennis Kennedy and Brian Feeney. Kennedy argues that the Government’s elephant – an massive issue right in front of your eyes that you still ignore – is ongoing paramilitary activity, while trying to seek a way forward on Truth & Reconciliation. Feeney’s elephant is the Sinn Fein vote in the Republic, which may have an impact on business here in future. …

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BRITISH and Irish agencies have carried out a massive crackdown on fuel smuggling in the Republican heartland of South Armagh. Fuel laundering and smuggling in the area has been a source of finance for the IRA in the past, and such an operation would have been unheard of before the ceasefires. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

SCOTLAND looks set to get its own Parades Commissioner, in order to give communities a bigger say on where and when they take place. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

BELFAST commuters are being urged to get on their bicycles by the City Council in the Travelwise NI Bike2Work day tomorrow. The Council now has a few bays in the city centre to lock bikes to, and there are some cycle lanes throughout Northern Ireland. However, from a cyclist’s point of view, facilities for cyclists – to get to work or for pleasure – are pathetic compared to almost any other European city I have visited. The attitudes of drivers …

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JOHN Gilliland’s 36,270 votes (6.6%) were the best result for a non-tribal candidate in a European election since 1979, when Oliver Napier received 39,026 first preferences (6.8%) for Alliance. This raises some interesting questions. For a start, is this a base worth building on? Is there potential for a true centre coalition, which would presumably result in the demise of individual parties? Was this a one-off experiment that, while achieving something, didn’t do enough to justify following through on? Or, …

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MICHAEL McGimpsey is predicting that the DUP will make a deal with Sinn Fein come the autumn. While he thinks the DUP prefer to hang until after the 2005 Westminster election, he thinks the Government will apply pressure to have at least an interim arrangement (such as a version of the DUP’s ‘corporate governance’ model) before the end of this year by leaning on the DUP and “rehabilitating” Sinn Fein. On the other hand, for a party not participating in …

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ANYONE who enjoys a pint down at Cutter’s Wharf in the summer will be able to watch the first local university boat race on the Lagan this weekend. Trinity College, Dublin and Queen’s University, Belfast will be hoping to capture some of the spirit of the Oxbridge race when they take to the river at 2.30pm on Saturday. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

STILL no breakthrough on the Garvaghy Road. If no resolution is found, how long will it be before the Drumcree protest becomes more traditional than the parade? Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

THE UVF is being blamed for pipe bomb attacks on Sinn Fein members’ homes. If true, it’s another blatant breach of the group’s ceasefire, no matter what definition you choose. The UVF is also active in Randalstown, where three incendiary devices were left under cars today. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com