Turgon – Page 10 – Slugger O'Toole

MoD offer compensation to Bloody Sunday families

Turgon on September 22, 2011, 10:19 am

| Readers 31

The BBC are reporting that the Ministry of Defence has offered to pay compensation to the families of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday. Following the Saville enquiry and David Cameron’s apology for Bloody Sunday in the House of Commons, the solicitors Madden and Finucane who represent a number of the families wrote to the Prime Minister. They asked the government what steps it was taking to “fully compensate” the families for “the loss of their loved ones, the …

Kingsmills and why Northern Ireland did not end up like Bosnia

Turgon on September 16, 2011, 2:28 pm

| Readers 97

The Kingsmills families have had a number of meetings recently in their attempts to get justice for their relatives murdered by the IRA in 1976. They met David Ford who has apparently promised to press for closer cooperation with the RoI government over the matter. Danny Kennedy who has been involved in the campaign said: “Thirty-five years may have elapsed since that dreadful night and much has changed. One thing that has not changed is the determination of the victims’ …

Protestant and Dissenter: the nonsense of Sinn Fein’s outreach

Turgon on September 14, 2011, 11:13 pm

| Readers 636

Part of Sinn Fein’s pitch at the Ard Fheis was the idea of moving forwards “Towards a New Republic.” Alex Kane has pointed out what he calls the “Jekyl and Hyde” quality of Sinn Fein’s unionist outreach: Adams talked, as did Martin McGuinness the night before, of the need to have a “national conversation on the future of the island” and to win unionists over. But then he adds a paragraph about the “British having no right to be here” …

David Latimer’s speech: if an opportunity; one he missed completely

Turgon on September 10, 2011, 7:23 pm

| Readers 90

Following on from Mark’s blog with Rev. David Latimer’s speech to the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis, I thought an analysis of the speech from a unionist perspective was maybe worthwhile. I have already suggested some possible motives for why Latimer said what he said. However, leaving aside the poor delivery, the preening, the media chasing and anything which might though accurate be described as man playing: why was it nonsense and incorrect? The first reason is simple whataboutery. Whataboutery is …

In praise of the Europa Hotel

Turgon on September 7, 2011, 10:39 pm

| Readers 150

The Europa Hotel is 40 and the BBC are going to do a special programme to mark the official beginning of its middle age. It was famously the most bombed hotel in the world (according to Wikipedia it was bombed 28 times). Practically everyone in Northern Ireland must have been past the hotel and many must have been in it. I have been to a couple of UUP events there years ago; a few work meetings; have had my tea …

One School of Thought Campaign launch open letter calling for Integrated Education

Turgon on September 7, 2011, 6:58 pm

| Readers 52

The One School of Thought Campaign has sent an open letter to our MLAs calling on them to reform education here. The group is pro integration: they call on the Education Minister to: To establish a Commission in this Assembly term. This Commission should be charged with: • Bringing forward recommendations to resolve all the outstanding issues in education; • Ensuring that these recommendations shape a system fit for the 21st Century in which all children learn and are taught …

The IRA campaign: not left wing but sectarian struggle

Turgon on September 4, 2011, 1:49 pm

| Readers 462

There has been a significant amount written about whether or not Sinn Fein is or was a truly left wing political party. In general those within republicanism who have opposed the current policies of SF have accused them of moving away from the political left. The problem is that neither Sinn Fein nor the IRA nor its assorted “left wing” critics have ever espoused a left wing ideology in any coherent fashion. Their analysis has always either ignored or dismissed …

Innocent nurses, landlords and trial by tabloid

Turgon on September 3, 2011, 5:46 pm

| Readers 68

I blogged some months ago about the case of Chris Jefferies who was landlord to Jo Yates. Mr. Jefferies was arrested over Ms. Yates’s murder and then became the target of frenzied media speculation. Essentially it seemed that he was a bit eccentric, had odd hair, was an elderly bachelor and, hence, must be guilty. He was also a leading Liberal Democrat and the local party representatives rapidly distanced themselves from him. After all that Mr. Jefferies was completely innocent …

NI Consumer Council ask OFT to look at price of car insurance

Turgon on September 3, 2011, 3:34 pm

| Readers 325

Both the BBC and the Belfast Telegraph this week ran the story that the Consumer Council have asked the Office for Fair Trading to look at the car insurance market here in Northern Ireland. It appears that the average price for insurance in Northern Ireland is £924 which is apparently a 74% increase in the last two years. For younger drivers the rise has been 112%. Prices are on average 84% higher than those in mainland GB. The Consumer Council …

IRFU urged to play RoI National Anthem at Rugby World Cup

Turgon on September 3, 2011, 10:34 am

| Readers 137

Independent Dublin City Councillor Neil Ring is apparently to table a motion calling on the IRFU to play the RoI National Anthem at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. At away matches only Ireland’s Call is played (and infamously the IRFU decreed that when Ireland played at Ravenhill it was an away fixture). Mr. Ring is confident of getting his motion passed: anticipating the support of FF, SF and independent councillors. According to Mr. Ring: “I would be very …

Hearts fan convicted of breach of the peace but not assault over Neil Lennon incident

Turgon on August 31, 2011, 7:55 pm

| Readers 64

Hearts fan John Wilson has been found guilty of breach of the peace for an incident during the Hearts vs. Celtic match at Hearts’ Tynecastle stadium on 11th May this year. The jury of seven women and eight men deleted the reference to making a sectarian remark from the charge relating to breach of the peace, and that the offence was aggravated by religious prejudice. They returned a not proven verdict for a second charge, which alleged Wilson assaulted Mr …

Electricity prices: differential between GB and NI has worsened since Single Electricity Market

Turgon on August 28, 2011, 5:42 pm

| Readers 346

Mick has already done a piece on the rise in electricity prices in Northern Ireland. In May Jim Allister asked a series of questions about electricity pricing here: Question: Mr Jim Allister (TUV – North Antrim) To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment how the average cost of a household electricity bill in Northern Ireland compares to the average bill in Great Britain. Answer: The average household electricity bill in Northern Ireland during 2010 is estimated at £496 …

Row over opening changing rooms in Bushmills

Turgon on August 25, 2011, 5:55 pm

| Readers 85

The official opening of new changing rooms at the Dundarave Playing Fields in Bushmills was postponed last night due to a protest by local people. The Chair of Bushmills council, independent (former SF) councillor Padraig McShane, was due to conduct the official opening of the facility. The specific objections to Cllr. McShane seem to be due to his recent attempts to twin the council with Gaza and also remarks he is said to have made about the Twelfth in Ballycastle …

NI Human Rights Commission and Council for Minorities clash over racism

Turgon on August 24, 2011, 11:52 am

| Readers 86

Mark Devenport has a very interesting entry on his blog on the BBC. The United Nation’s Committee for the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination has been taking evidence in Geneva from various UK pressure groups, including a number of Northern Ireland-based lobbyists. The Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission are in disagreement over whether or not to regard sectarianism as a form of racism. In May, the NI Human Rights Commission …

Special advisor pay: as opaque as ever

Turgon on August 24, 2011, 10:25 am

| Readers 33

The News Letter has an interesting item on the pay for special advisors (SPADS). These advisors are picked by the minister and the normal process of competition is not followed: that may well be fair enough and certainly occurs at Westminster. Unlike Whitehall SPADs, however, the pay for the Stomont’s SPADs is not published: rather salary bands are published; the maximum a SPAD can earn is now £90,000. That £90,000 figure is interesting as it is a rise from £82,531 …

Prosecutors ask for Dominique Strauss-Kahn case to be dismissed.

Turgon on August 22, 2011, 9:24 pm

| Readers 7

The BBC are reporting that New York prosecutors have asked for the case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be dropped. Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers have maintained throughout that any sexual encounter was consensual: “We also maintained that there were many reasons to believe that Mr Strauss-Kahn’s accuser was not credible…. Mr Strauss-Kahn and his family are grateful that the district attorney’s office took our concerns seriously and concluded on its own that this case cannot proceed further.” Ms Diallo’s lawyer Kenneth Thompson …

Row between Parades Commission and LOL District No. 6

Turgon on August 21, 2011, 2:24 pm

| Readers 55

During last week the ongoing row between the Parades Commission and the Orange Order came up again. In April Rev. Mervyn Gibson, minister of Westbourne Community Presbyterian Church and Orange Order’s District Number 6 Chaplain complained when the Parades Commission specified that only one hymn “Abide with Me” be played whilst bands marched passed St. Mark’s Catholic Church on the Lower Newtownards Road. Mr. Gibson stated: “It breaches our religious liberties. They have banned the playing of Christian hymns in …

Convicted NoW journalist claims phone hacking widely discussed at paper

Turgon on August 16, 2011, 8:59 pm

| Readers 3

The furore over the News of the World phone hacking had seemed to be dying down. However the BBC are now reporting that former NoW journalist Clive Goodman wrote a letter alleging that hacking was widely discussed at the newspaper. Goodman was appealing against his dismissal by the NoW following his conviction for phone hacking. However in the letter to News International’s Head of Human Resources copied to Les Hinton, News International’s then executive chairman, and Stuart Kuttner, the then …

Zombie War filming in Glasgow

Turgon on August 15, 2011, 11:57 am

| Readers 10

Following on from my Book Thread, more high brow culture: The BBC are reporting the start of filming in Glasgow of what is probably the most important piece of cinematic culture ever: World War Z the film of Max Brooks’ book of the same name; subtitled An Oral History of the Zombie War. There are some concerns whether the film may sanitise the terrible war between mankind and the zombies. I also have concerns that Brad Pitt might not be …

Another Bookish Thread

Turgon on August 14, 2011, 6:35 pm

| Readers 17

We have not done a general thread about books for a very long time. I did one two years ago. I have just finished Kafka’s The Castle: I think I have now read most of his stuff. Metamorphosis was probably my favourite along with the In Penal Colony. Actually all Kafka is fairly heavy going: I tend to read a page or two and then stop for a think; the blurb explains part of the problem is a German literary …