Mick Fealty – Page 694 – Slugger O'Toole

Stormont crisis: Policing board to continue

Mick Fealty on October 10, 2002, 12:00 am

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It seems that whatever happens to the Assembly, suspension will not disrupt the Policing Boards, according to the subscription only Irish News: “A surprising outcome of the almost certain suspension will force the 19-member board to dissolve. However, in a technical move, Secretary of State John Reid is expected to immediately re-appoint the same board. The British government is now expected to suspend the assembly on Monday with Prime Minister Tony Blair outlining his views at Westminster during the week.” …

Stormont crisis; who’s the leader?

Mick Fealty on October 9, 2002, 12:00 am

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Though there has been some confusion previously as to what the current status is of the two DUP ministers is exactly; all appears to be clear now (we think). The front page of last night’s Belfast Telegraph, tells us definatively that the DUP quits the Executive, on Friday. Ian Paisley said their pull-out came after David Trimble had rejected a joint initiative. Amid disgruntlement in the anti-Agreement camp, the DUP changed tack to “maximise pressure” on Mr Trimble. The party …

Danny Morrison interviews David Ervine

Mick Fealty on October 7, 2002, 10:25 am

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This is a conversation between two men who both share a very direct style of communication. It’s interesting too because it represents countless other conversations that have abounded since the Belfast Agreement. He talks about the proposed exclusion of Sinn Fein from the Executive When I view the potential for January I’m saying to myself, ”what is it Trimble wants”? How many hoops have people to jump through? What I am clear on is what the Republican Movement and loyalists need …

Stormont crisis; embarassing details

Mick Fealty on October 7, 2002, 9:36 am

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The BBC’s Mark Davenport says Friday’s search of Sinn Fein’s offices at Stormont “appears to represent if not the end of the Agreement then certainly the end of this phase of the peace process.” Today’s Daily Telegraph editorialises along classic Anti- Belfast Agreement lines: “It is clear that Gerry Adams and his colleagues have looked Mr Blair and Bertie Ahern, the Taoiseach, in the eye and seen that the maintenance of the process has become for them an end in …

Danny Morrison on David Ervine

Mick Fealty on October 7, 2002, 12:00 am

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This is a conversation between two men who both share a very direct style of communication. It’s interesting too, because it represents countless other conversations that have abounded since the Belfast Agreement. The interview coincides with the publication of a new biography of Ervine, by Henry Sinnerton. He talks about the proposed exlcusion of Sinn Fein from the Executive �When I view the potential for January I�m saying to myself, �What is it Trimble wants? How many hoops have people …

IRA linked to Castlereagh breakin

Mick Fealty on October 4, 2002, 12:29 pm

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Ananova reports Police believe they have evidence of a link. There’s more detail from UTV. Police deny this was connected to a raid on Sinn Fein’s Stormont office this morning. But the heat is being turned up on both Sinn Fein and the IRA. Jude Collins reacts to the conjecture around this and the Colombian story from a Nationalist point of veiw. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on …

And there’s more

Mick Fealty on September 23, 2002, 12:00 am

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Ian Paisley, erstwhile leader of the DUP, calls for the dissolution of the current Assembly rather than to prolong the current crisis until the new year. Noel McAdam weighs up what it might mean to Trimble. And in the subscription only Irish News, Roy Garland suggests that things may not be as bad as some liberal Unionists currently believe: “Ulster Unionists have signalled they cannot absorb any more fudging and the ball is now with the republican movement. The British …

Ouch!

Mick Fealty on September 20, 2002, 3:42 pm

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Rumour has reached us that one of the assailants in a recent gun attack also managed to put himself into hospital by shooting himself in the ‘privates’ during the get away! For those less familiar with recent events in Belfast, there has been a low level conflict rising between rival Loyalist paramilitaries over the last few weeks. For background, see here. Anyone familiar with the plot line of Colin Bateman’s novel and subsequent film, ‘Divorcing Jack’, or Martin Lynch’s early …

Short Strand protestants..

Mick Fealty on September 20, 2002, 3:10 pm

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Suzanne Breen talks to protestant women in the troubled area in East Belfast, kindly reproduced by Newshound. The three women all live right on the peaceline in the Clandeboye Estate. Jean grew up in the staunchly unionist Newtownards Road area. She has five children and moved into the Short Strand 30 years ago. “Since May our homes have been under sustained attack from loyalists day and night,” she says. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers …

Politician’s weblog

Mick Fealty on September 20, 2002, 3:00 pm

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Interesting weblog by Westminster MP Harry Barnes. This piece is intriguingly titled; IRA plc and Loyalist Limited. Harry is a member of the House of Commons Northern Ireland Select Committee. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Economics.

Mick Fealty on September 20, 2002, 12:29 pm

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James Kelly in the subscription only Irish News, is getting fed up with the seemingly endless series of constitutional crises, and suggests that NI Plc is being seriously neglected in all the furore. Meantime, out in the real world away from the political hothouse, voices are being heard protesting about the political stranglehold which is choking economic growth here. One such voice is that of Jim Berry, a specialist on planning and development at the University of Ulster. He is …

More on the UUC meeting…

Mick Fealty on September 20, 2002, 12:06 pm

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The Guardian editoralises boldly: The immediate villains of the piece are anti-agreement campaigners inside the Ulster Unionists, led by two MPs, Jeffrey Donaldson and David Burnside. They hold out the unacceptable and un realistic prospect of devolution without Sinn Fein. Unionists should recognise that by rejecting Mr Trimble, they would also be rejecting Northern Ireland’s opportunity to run its own affairs. By contrast, Mr Trimble’s record is commendable. He took the bold step of swinging mainstream unionist opinion behind the …

Polictians weblog

Mick Fealty on September 20, 2002, 12:00 am

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Interesting weblog by Westminster MP Harry Barnes. This piece is intriguingly titled; IRA plc and Loyalist Limited. Harry is a member of the House of Commons Northern Ireland Select Committee. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Adams on Blair’s vision…

Mick Fealty on September 19, 2002, 4:42 pm

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In an interview with Andrew Cawthorne, Gerry Adams praises Tony Blair’s vision: The strategic vision, I think, which marked Tony Blair’s involvement in this process some years ago and which was part of bringing about the Good Friday agreement, part of all of the changes which have flowed, has not been reflected in the actions of his Secretary of State over the last 18 months. In the more immediate term, John Reid has announced the formation of an action group …

Nationalist backroom

Mick Fealty on September 19, 2002, 11:37 am

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The SDLP rarely get a share of the headlines, but Mark Durkan’s visit to the Shankill has certainly bought him plenty of column inches, here, here and here. However he followed up with an attack on Jeffrey Donaldson’s article (see here), saying: If Ulster Unionists give Jeffrey Donaldson a role in Agreement politics, it “would be like trusting Sellafield with environmental safety’ Speaking of the upcoming UUC meeting, he comments: …we do know is that every single strategy that he …

Unionist backroom

Mick Fealty on September 19, 2002, 11:08 am

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Public insults are part of the stock in trade of all NI political parties, with the possible exception of the SDLP the Alliance party, and the Women’s Coalition. Steven King’s extraordinary headline in last night’s Belfast Telegraph, Scumbaggery feeling squeeze, should be read within that context. In fact the message within the article is much more outreaching than the headline implies. He quotes from a recent book by Henry Patterson, to warn Unionists of the dangers of ‘hoping that the …

Adams on Blair’s vision

Mick Fealty on September 19, 2002, 12:00 am

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In an interview with Andrew Cawthorne, Gerry Adams praises Tony Blair’s vision: “The strategic vision, I think, which marked Tony Blair’s involvement in this process some years ago and which was part of bringing about the Good Friday agreement, part of all of the changes which have flowed, has not been reflected in the actions of his Secretary of State over the last 18 months”. In the more immediate term, John Reid has announced the formation of an action group …

More Catholics than Protestants support the Police

Mick Fealty on September 18, 2002, 12:46 pm

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Extraordinary headline, but one borne out by this study for the BBC. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Adams: let’s hear it for the Union

Mick Fealty on September 18, 2002, 12:14 pm

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Gerry Adams calls for dialogue on the advantages of the Union. It’s hard to gauge how well such a proposal has gone down with Unionists themselves, though some have suggested that this is part of a ‘good cop – bad cop’ strategy, with Adams being good and others playing it tough. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and …

Interface; who’s to blame?

Mick Fealty on September 11, 2002, 12:00 am

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Maybe that’s too big a question. What about, who started it? Or even, who continued it when they could have stopped? Although it seems from Alan McQuillan’s recent statement that the current trouble is being driven by dissident loyalists, the truth is this trouble exists in a very nasty continuum. The defence you’ll hear from some Loyalists is that there is nothing in the GFA for them. They then go on to invoke the logic of the IRA’s ‘armed struggle’, …