Lee Reynolds

Defeat in Glasgow East is apparently another line in the sand for Gordon Brown’s leadership of the Labour Party. There are many questions about the Roman Catholic vote in the constituency and even complaints of anti-Catholicism in the Labour Party. Meanwhile the Conservatives leader David Cameron will be holding an event in a Roman Catholic church as part of their campaign. It is also an area that Iain Duncan Smith has done much work in through his social justice initiative. …

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The 2006 Irish census shows the largest nationality to settle in the Republic are the British, almost double the Polish population. Similar to the British emigration pattern in France it is to the countryside that they prefer to settle. The Central Statistics Office commented: “The characteristics of UK nationals tend to be similar to those of the Irish population.” Lee Reynolds

The home of the caretaker of an Orange Hall has been targeted for the third time this year in the village of Kilrea. It is claimed that the PSNI took 1 hour and ten minutes to respond to the victim’s 999 call. Lee Reynolds

The homes of a DUP councillor and his son have been singled out for attack. At 78 year old Woolsey Smith’s home a window was smashed and a noose left outside. Meanwhile, graffiti was painted on his son’s home. Local DUP Councillor Smith believes it was carried out by Unionists opposed to power-sharing. Both victims have been involved in a recently publicised row in the Bethany Free Presbyterian church between pro and anti-Paisley factions. Lee Reynolds

In the Henley by-election the Conservatives retained Boris Johnson’s seat comfortably but the big news story is that the Labour Party lost its deposit and was beaten into fifth by the Green Party and the British National Party.The result at the last general election in Henley was: Conservative (Boris Johnson): 24,894 (54%) Liberal Democrat (David Turner): 12,101 (26%) Labour (Kaleem Saeed): 6,862 (15%) Green (Mark Stevenson): 1,518 (3%) UKIP (Delphine Gray-Fisk): 1,162 (3%) Turnout: 68% Lee Reynolds

The Roman Catholic Bishops in Northern Ireland have criticised the Education Minister, Catriona Ruane, over her handling of school selection procedures. They say the minister has created an atmosphere of: “fear, uncertainty and instability” They also want all parties to work together to resolve the matter. Lee Reynolds

Yesterday Peter Robinson announced a new three pronged strategy for the DUP commencing in the autumn. It intends to establish a British Unionist Academy with the tasks to: “promote the unionist culture and the advantages of the Union; encourage unionist learning in the community and provide a forum for unionist strategising and policy-making” The Academy will have a particular focus on young people. It will also establish a British Cultural and Equality Unit to provide legal advice to organisations and …

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Gordon Brown faces another Westminster rebellion from backbenchers, this time over the third reading of the Planning Bill tomorrow. This would appear to be the third significant rebellion in almost as many months. Discipline seems to be falling apart in the Parliamentary Labour Party. In this case there is no talk of deals with other parties rather the Labour backbenchers are being worked similar to the 10p tax band but how should a smaller Westminster party handle such potential opportunities? …

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Albert Reynolds and John Major were granted the Freedom of Cork by the Council for their role in the peace process yesterday. To mark the ceremony three Union flags were flown from Cork City hall along with the Irish Tricolour. John Major descibed the gesture as a sign of progress. Three Sinn Fein councillors (and one socialist councillor) boycotted the ceremony on instruction from party headquarters. A SF councillor called the flying of the Union flag a disgrace and the …

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Apologies for the lack of blogging in the past while, I was experiencing the joys of New England on a family holiday. So I missed most of the Sinn Fein wobble and the 42 days vote. To make up for it here are belated thoughts about 42 days and the DUP over on the OurKingdom blog. Lee Reynolds

The IFA President Raymond Kennedy believes the Maze site is no longer an option for a new stadium and expressed his personal preference for an Ormeau Park site. Lee Reynolds

Sir Reg Empey is hoping to attract Scottish University graduates to jobs in Northern Ireland and the Republic’s Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe is hoping to attract Northern Ireland teachers to the Republic. Lee Reynolds

Win or lose an Antrim man will be setting legal history as the first person to be prosecuted for not registering to vote. There are an estimated 200,000 people not registered in Northern ireland Lee Reynolds

Rena Shepherd has been appointed as the new Parades Commissioner replacing David Burrows (removed following a successful court challenge). Following that debacle, it appears the NIO has returned to form and chosen another appointee with NIWC connections. The statutory duty sets out that the the Parades Commission “as a group are representative of the community in Northern Ireland”, the NI membership of the Parades commission is now 5 females and 1 male. In terms of political activity, two have played …

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With the Government intending to consult about the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities my latest thread on the OurKingdom blog outlines my perspective on the Northern Ireland experience of trying to draft a Bill of Rights. Whatever the lessons for a UK-wide process, the final Forum report has put the NIHRC in an extremely difficult position. It is up to them to produce proposals based on the Bill of Rights Forum report. However, in the absence of a consensus and …

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Two homes were attacked in Twaddell Avenue last night. There have been more incidents in the first 18 weeks of this year in that area than in all of last year. The most recent attack has been condemned by both SF and the DUP. Most interface violence is now described as ‘youth-led’. However, it is no comfort when you have your windows put in that it was a ‘youth’ rather than a ‘paramilitary’. While the investors visit it is essential …

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A source has claimed to the BBC that the DFP appraisal of the Maze plans believes the £100m price tag is a significant underestimate. The real costs would be: “…at least tens of millions of pounds higher” Lee Reynolds

Catriona Ruane is considering the use of a transfer test as an interim measure with a steadily reducing proportion of Grammar school intake based on the test. If true, this proposal manages to combine the worst of both the present and proposed system, a test based on proportions rather than passing grade plus selection by postcode. It would appear to me to fall into the trap that Unionists so often fell into in the past, get together those of a …

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Responding to Michael Bloomberg’s call, First Minister Ian Paisley said today: “Outsiders pulling down walls will accomplish nothing but when those on both sides of the wall mutually come to agreement and say we are taking down these walls, then we will have won a great victory and I look forward to that victory being sealed over and over again in these areas where there has been great trouble in the past days.” How can such local agreements be achieved? …

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The credibility of the Maze report is in question after it was revealed that the DCAL Permanent Secretary Paul Sweeney would not sign off on the final report. The size and associated costs seems to be a major stumbling block to economic viability: “To spend at least double the revenue just to insert an extra 8,500 seats in the plan doesn’t make financial sense” Lee Reynolds