Brian Walker

Tonight, the Guardian reveals details of the suppressed evidence which may open the door to hundreds more legal actions by victims of News Group. So says the Guardian in a huge scoop about the Murdoch press. They rushed it on to the website rather than saving it for the first hard copy edition. Do they fear an injunction or contempt of court action? The story continues: The payments secured secrecy over out-of-court settlements in three cases that threatened to expose …

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So Martin Lindsay is to retire as editor of the Belfast Telegraph in September. Having served nearly 50 years in the business man and boy, Martin gives to lie to the notion that only spring chickens can respond to the formidable challenges of a 24/7 news agenda and the internet – and now the recession. The Tele still manages to straddle demographics, communities and technologies and make some money that up to now at any rate has helped to keep …

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I have veteran Indy commentator Bruce Arnold to thank for raising the impact of the German constitutional court’s ruling on the tortuous Lisbon Treaty ratification process. As with most landmark judgements, people are cutting their own favourite slice of it. But basically, what it means is that the German President may sign the Treaty provided the Bundestag signs off on each of the changes. As the German Basic Law has no provision for referendums, this is the German way of …

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There’s an end of an era feel to the news of the death at 93 of Robert Mcnamara US Defense Secretary for most the Kennedy –Johnson presidential terms and the architect of the Vietnam War. He’s an example of how very clever people can be very stupid and not only in hindsight. Mcnamara tried to atone but never quite admitted he was wrong about Vietnam from the start. Still, on the execution of the war, the absorbing documentary movie The …

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The north-south ministerial council transacted some real business yesterday. You’d not be far wrong if you think NAMA sounds like a baby’s cry. In fact, it’s the Republic’s state bailiff for recovering what’s left of encumbered property assets. In one good, practical piece of north-south co-operation, the Republic’s government has pledged to take account of the disastrous impact deep discounting could have on the North’s fragile property market. Green Party minister Eamon Ryan suggested in recent weeks that up to …

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Free of his Policing Board constraints, Denis Bradley has made a curious contribution to the “National Question.” In its United Ireland campaign in the US and NI (with more in Westminster from Gerry Adams on Tuesday), he urges Sinn Fein to stop attacking Fianna Fail. Sinn Fein is attempting to be the primary champion of a united Ireland and a normal political party at one and the same time. It can be a champion or it can be a normal …

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John Lloyd is a commentator unafraid to hit the counter-intuitive button. He does more in this FT article than bemoan the gap between people and politicians, aggravated in the UK by the MPs’ expenses scandal and in the Republic by the gombeen culture. That democracy is in trouble – in some versions terminal trouble – is now the commonest of ideas among political scientists, coupled with a regret that their warnings have not been attended to. In one of the …

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Pope Benedict XVI today recognised the healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan in 2001 as a miracle resulting from the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God John Henry Newman. So with that slightly bonkers preamble, Cardinal Newman’s progress to sainthood seems assured. The former Oxford don and Anglican rector turned Roman Catholic prelate went on to found University College Dublin, a role which the college handsomely acknowledges. His idea of a university valiantly tried to reconcile the teaching of Revealed …

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Not the least of Peter Robinson’s headaches is what to do about Ian Paisley junior. As happens so often, the son is a poor imitation of the father, sharing his father’s worst traits of behaving in turn like a bully and a martyr. Like the father, the son has defied a court and a Speaker. But times have changed. Ian senior the raucous outsider challenged a hard-pressed establishment. These days, Paisley senior’s creation the DUP is an essential part of …

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Perhaps this is Peter Robinson’s idea of hardball negotations over funding the transfer for justice and policing powers, but it looks like stalling for the sake of it to me. Does anybody know what’s going on? Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ …

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“We have a deficit reduction plan for the next Parliament.” At last Gordon Brown has conceded -though through clenched teeth – that Labour cuts would come in the unlikely event of their winning the next election. And by the way, he always “tells the truth,” he insisted to the BBC’s Nick Robinson. Everyone had been yelling at him that he was spoiling a not bad Labour story and blunting his attack on the Conservatives by refusing to concede this. Next, …

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Rumbles of republicanism, disenchantment with the Parliament or just bad timing, six days after Holyrood has risen for the summer? Whatever the explanation, the MSM’s stories of the Queen’s attendance to mark 10 years of the Scottish Parliament were as one – what a disgrace it was that a third of MSPs of all parties failed to show up. The Scotsman printed all the names of the errant members. The Telegraph’s rabidly Holyrood sceptic Scotland corr was apoplectic. Likewise it …

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As far as I can make out, Malachi’s comment in the Bel Tel is the first response to the consultation on the consultation on Eames Bradley which I fear will be seen generally as a long kick upfield into the very long grass. I’m a middle- of- the- roader on Eames-Bradley myself. I don’t see the benefit in a major Truth Commission exercise, and I’m certain that most individual case files cannot be publicly revealed for many years at least …

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Noel McAdam in the Bel Tel heightens expectations of a breakthrough over devolving justice and policing in Gordon Brown’s summons of FM and DFM to Downing St this afternoon. Only problem is, there are doubts about Peter Robinson’s attendance. Is this a hard “No, no, no” or just a signal of reluctance? We should know by lunchtime. To the BBC, the DUP spokesman is distinctly sniffy about a mere invitation from the PM. What is a devolved First Minister think …

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It was the New York Times through straightforward reporting, who first revealed the facts that “mission accomplished” in Iraq was the hollowest of claims. And it’s the NY Times again that casts serious doubt on the permanent effect of General Petraeus’s surge. Tomorrow (Tuesday) US troops hand over most combat duties to the Iraqis. And by the end of 2011, the Americans are due to have pulled out altogether. Rod Nordland gave a preview of his report on the Today …

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Some words of cheer and others of warning from Mike Smyth the plain-speaking University of Ulster economist whose presentation to the Intertrade Ireland conference, Ive dipped into, after being alerted by Liam Clarke in the Newsletter. Nothing too surprising in it, but the cumulative effect is salutary. (BTW, like me you can view the speech and download the powerpoint but it would have been great if video services at the event had loosened the camera shot on Smyth to include …

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I’m exploiting my privileges to rework my response to Pete’s interesting thread on Patrick Murphy’s article in the Irish News, “Irish history tends to be a rerun of same events .” Does Murphy’s honestly argued piece reveal wider disenchantment with the whole Assembly experience among thinking nationalists? I hope not. He makes a rod for his own back by overrestricting his definition of democracy and overplaying the role of history. He asks for instance: Do nationalists benefit by having nationalist …

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Nuala O’Loan praises the PSNI’s improving record and makes the orthodox and I believe, the correct case in saying that the Human Rights Act gives protection to the police as well as those who confront them. She quotes a senior police officer. The [Human Rights] Act in an everyday policing context uniquely brings protection both for those state officials charged with upholding the rights of the state against deviant individuals, and for individuals who might be vulnerable to the misuse …

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I may be counting my chickens, but I suppose at this time of year we ought to be grateful that the massed ranks of the righteous on both sides aren’t making too much of a demonstration out of Armed Forces Day. The Newsletter seems to be making its point on line. Whoops, I’ve just caught up with the Portadown demonstration of just wrath. We’re a long way off from the ideal, that national flags should be treated as just that, …

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The Roma who fled from Belfast face a worse fate back in Romania, journalists following up the story conclude. The Times’ David Sharrock finds them back in poverty-striken Batar and asks: Just how terrified must the Roma families in Belfast have been to choose this over their imperfect lives in Northern Ireland? Florin Fekete returned on Monday with his wife and two sons. “There is no work here. Life in Belfast was good, we had really good times but I …

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