Brian Walker

As I’ve argued before, Conservative plans for a new British Bill of Rights greatly complicate the arguments over a separate NI Bill, whatever some dismissive unionists may think. There is a difference between how they see it and what the context actually is. The problems are ventilated in a report by the respected think tank Justice and reported in the Guardian. The Conservative Bill could in effect be vetoed by the devolved legislative bodies, with NI being a specially awkward …

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The agreement for full free- to- air reciprocity between the BBC and RTE after analogue switch-off in 2012 is thoroughly good news and is in the spirit of the GFA. Will it provide blanket coverage? I assume there will be fewer black spots than with analogue – that’s part of the point of digital. The Irish Times report is too grudging about TG4. I assume this will be greeted with a sigh of relief by the BBC, although it doesn’t …

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Life is binary and it can be mightily difficult to make it converge. Here I pick out comments below the fold about Sinn Fein after the Hillsborough Agreement. I could just as easily have selected DUP-centred references. I link to the full versions. From the horses’ mouth, the leaders speak out. Peter Robinson first, then Gerry Adams. Next, two authoritative commentators have very different takes on the same process, not contradictory exactly but asymetrical. If Henry Patterson and Brian Feeney …

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The Sundays itch with speculation about an April election as the Tory lead dips to below 10%. The man himself, speaking later on a frantic Friday which started at 4.30 a.m. with his redeye flight to Belfast tells the Observer: “ Labour can still win it, I’m absolutely sure of it. “ Next week , we’re told he goes personal and weeps before Piers Morgan as he recalls the terrible loss of baby Jennifer. Meanwhile David Cameron is assailed from …

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I’ve just seen the most amazing moment in a TV interview for years. On the Andrew Marr show Alastair Campbell no less, froze and then almost cracked up when pressed on whether Blair lied to Parliament on WMD in Iraq. Campbell the arch spin meister had no answer. Recalling his well publicised personal breakdown many years ago I almost felt sorry for him. But could it have been a premeditated ” sincerity” plea in a very tight corner? Surely not …

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The Papal broadside on these islands continues, deftly pegged to successive five-yearly ad limina visits to Rome by the national bishops’ conferences. For the Irish it was child abuse scandal and an episcopal revolution. For the English it was about defeating a modest anti discrimination law. Now for the Scots, the Pope puts up a stout defence of Catholic education in “overcoming sectarianism. To which the grand old man of Scottish journalism Magnus Linklater replies: “Up to a point, Your …

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It was good to learn this via the New York Times On Friday a post on the Northern Irish blog Slugger O’Toole pointed out, in Irish, that while the Irish language was hardly at the center of the new deal, Mr. McGuinness — or Máirtín Mac Aonghusa — did mention, briefly, in English, that “We have agreed a process to progress the rights of Irish Language speakers.” What exactly that means, in plain English or Irish, remains to be seen, …

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The expected appointment of Alliance party leader David Ford as Justice minister will speak volumes for the Assembly’s need to step outside its sectarian boxes.The DUP and SF had the sense to realise they cancelled each other out. But high mindedness was stretched only so far. The often despised little “other” had its uses after all. One of them was to deny the job to the leading parties’ communal rivals. Adds At the SDLP conference Margaret Ritchie denounced Ford’s likely …

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With unerring timing on the night of the Hillborough agreement, shadow justice secretary Dominic Grieve’s rejected any sort of NI Bill of Human Rights in a speech in Belfast. He approvingly quoted a NI blogger Owen Polley for pointing out the serious weaknesses in Monica’s approach that probably did for a Bill altogether. But Grieve, highly intelligent and principled as he is and a strong supporter of unionism by the way, went too far in adopting Polley’s characterisation that the …

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If the introduction could win it, Seamus Heaney’s eloquence in promoting Londonderry’s bid to become UK City of Culture in 2013 would see it home. It seems to me that the omens are encouraging, in that the 400th anniversary of the building of London’s Derry could be read as a symbolic handover of cultural authority from London’s 2012 Cultural Olympiad. And if the omens good, so too is the etymology: Doire is the oak, as is ilex, but another word …

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Although eight of the last UK polls show the Conservatives failing to win an overall majority, the extent to which the parties are still in denial over the possibility of a hung parliament in amazing. Part of it is about refusing to contemplate anything but total victory, but genuine fears of imminent disaster lurk in the background, with the markets plunging the UK into financial crisis the moment the exit polls are declared at 10 o’clock on election night. The …

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The Taoiseach Brian Cowen gave a better than ritual answer to Labour leader Eamon Gilmore’s question in the Dail yesterday, making clear that he had no “predetermined destination in mind” for the GFA. Always useful to be the honest broker when times are fraught. Mr Gilmore Is there too much hand-holding in this process? Mr Cowen “I do not see at any time how the Government could fulfil its obligations by stepping back in the process. The Government should be …

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Eamonn McCann who has covered every aspect of Bloody Sunday from that day to this, foreshadows publication of the Saville report on March 22. Whether the date will be met or a further delay will be caused for the government to proof read it for human rights, security, getting the page numbers right, the general election etc etc remains to be seen. Eamonn now admits he was wrong at the time to ascribe the motive for the 1 Para operation …

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At PMQs, Gordon Brown said in answer to the ritual question to list his engagements said that he “would be in contact with the NI parties later today”. What does this mean? Wake up MSM! 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 Coll. …

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If you want an exhilarating meditation on death, read Philip Larkin’s Aubade, rather than the Pope’s mumbo jumbo about the magisterium. No trick dispels. Religion used to try, That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade Created to pretend we never die… But like Terry Pratchett I’ve a sneaking sympathy for the Anglican Church and wary respect for the Roman Catholic variety at its best. But why is it that in some of the biggest ethical issues of our time, the churches rely …

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Thanks to Gonzo for his Trimble/Kane post. I take it Trimble is signalling that Cameron will not encourage any faint unionist hopes that he’ll back a voluntary coalition and try to rewrite the GFA. His mention of Jonathan Crane links it to the Conservative centre. I don’t understand why Bobballs is ” confused.” Trimble explains at length that any change to the system can only be “organic” viz_ David Trimble On the project your test is whether Cameron will back …

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Stephen Farry an MLA with a relevant academic background and a member of the Alliance party which is likely to provide the Minster for Justice, has argued recently for “a new focus on finding local solutions (that could make NI) become world leader in aspects criminal justice”. No harm in aiming high Stephen, so I thought I’d list a just a few of the J&P topics that confront a proudly restored Executive and Assembly, with a Justice minister in post. …

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UTV’s Ken Reid has heard hints of a more comprehensive deal. It is likely they will make a will make a statement confirming they are determined to press ahead and that they have reached agreement on the handling of parades and the Irish language.” “I wouldn’t rule out the appearance of the British and Irish Prime Ministers at Hillsborough Castle.” “It is also likely that by the close of play on Monday Peter Robinson will be back as First Minister …

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From the Indy, as the drama Mo is about to be aired: “ Gordon said he was deeply sorry about Mo’s condition, but he went much further. He said she could have achieved so much more if circumstances had not conspired against her. He also made it clear that he regretted the frostiness that had developed between them. It was surprising; not the sort of thing you would normally expect from Gordon.” He said something similar about his long feud …

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In the week of the Afghanistan conference, Portadown-born Captain Doug Beattie MC makes a vigorous soldier’s defence of the Afghan operation that , agree with it or not, makes more sense than 1,000 pieces of politics- speak. The Afghan Army is promising he says, unlike the locally recruited police This would be like taking a police recruit from Crossmaglen in south Armagh, then getting him to patrol in Crossmaglen. Imagine all the local pressures he would be under from republican …

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