Turgon – Page 18 – Slugger O'Toole

Leadership debates and the need for leadership

Turgon on April 23, 2010, 9:52 pm

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So the Northern Ireland leaders’ debate has been and gone: Ours was remarkable only for how badly everyone seems to feel Margaret Ritchie performed, though on specifics like the economy Gerry Adams would make the lost city of Atlantis seem like a well known commercial centre. He can only be specific on his not having been in the IRA: a subject he is as specific on as the fact that he sang “Always look on the bright side of life” whilst in gaol. Adams it seems can only be specific when telling lies. What was amazing was that all Reg Empey could say was that those who vote for him do not believe Adams. Peter Robinson did not even remark on Adams’s comment which from the man who once railed against Sinn Fein was scarcely believable.

This author has not written a biography and will not be writing one.

The battle in the Dreary Steeples

Turgon on April 23, 2010, 12:47 pm

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Elections in Fermanagh and South Tyrone can be pretty grim affairs with the spectre of the sectarian head count never far away. There is a certain inevitability in this due to the relatively closely balanced sizes of the two communities and the fact that during the Troubles and indeed the Border Campaign, right back to the 1920s; Fermanagh and the neighbouring parts of Tyrone were stalked by terrorism. Throughout the constituency’s recent history there have been frequent pacts from one side or the other. Michelle Gildernew has held the seat now for two terms and until the agreed unionist candidate was finally settled, it seemed inevitable that she would win for a third time. With Rodney Connor emerging as the united unionist candidate this certainty has evaporated and there is a real chance that the seat could revert to unionists.

Connor is a genuinely good candidate: originally from Castlederg (hopefully Fermanagh people will not hold that against him) and the former chief executive of Fermanagh council, in which post he had a track record of serving the whole community to a very high standard. It is difficult to characterise him as a bigot or a narrow sectional candidate. He has made a major issue of the need FST has for full time representation at Westminster and has been at pains to pledge to be a champion for the whole community.

This author has not written a biography and will not be writing one.

The CUs election and Rowan Atkinson

Turgon on April 20, 2010, 3:57 am

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Mr. Bean is one of Rowan Atkinson’s greatest comic creations. Wikipedia describes the character well as follows: “ (he) is a slow-witted, sometimes ingenious, selfish and generally likeable buffoon who brings various unusual schemes and connivances to everyday tasks…. The humour largely comes from his original (and often absurd) solutions to problems and his total disregard for others when solving them, his pettiness, and occasional malevolence.” (Most of you must have worked out where this is going)Of all the politicians …

Some thoughts on North Antrim

Turgon on April 17, 2010, 4:36 am

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The TUV’s election campaign is now in full swing with 10 candidates contesting seats. The media have focused on the recent spat in the courts between Ian paisley junior and Jim Allister over the DUP’s election literature. Clearly the most attention vis a vis the TUV is on North Antrim. Most in the media seem to regard it as a close contest and the DUP certainly seem to be taking it very seriously despite claims here on slugger and elsewhere …

DUP: tides and momentum

Turgon on April 15, 2010, 3:20 am

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I blogged a few weeks ago that the DUP ship seemed to be steadying, albeit at a much lower position in the water than it was previously. Since that there have been a couple of additional holes have appeared: one from the latest revelations by the BBC’s Newsline; the other, larger one, from Robinson’s rather ill judged and highly ill tempered response. These wounds themselves are unlikely to be fatal. However, it is almost impossible to escape the conclusion that …

Norman Baxter calls for new investigation into Jean McConville’s murder

Turgon on March 31, 2010, 4:57 pm

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Norman Baxter may not be running as the candidate for Fermanagh / South Tyrone but his article in today’s News Letter is a damning attack on Gerry Adams and the IRA over the murder of Jean McConville and the whole nature of the IRA’s campaign: Some extracts: If we are to believe the confession of the self-proclaimed Brendan ‘The Dark’ Hughes, somewhere a group of self-appointed rulers of darkness decided to abduct, execute and hide the earthly remains of Jean …

McFarland leaves UUP

Turgon on March 31, 2010, 3:11 am

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The BBC are reporting that Alan McFarland has left the UUP. Apparently he is unhappy regarding the UUP / Conservative link. He stated: “With the recent confirmation of candidates, including the imposition of a Conservative candidate in my own North Down constituency, it is clear that the party is determined to continue down the Conservative road,” “I do now wish to join them. I am sorry to leave a party that contains many good friends, and greatly regret that events …

The DUP, British generals and the workers paradise of North Korea

Turgon on March 26, 2010, 11:16 pm

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The classic criticism of the British generals during the First World War was that they persisted with the same tactics when they were failing. Time after time there was an initial artillery barrage and following that a mass attack where the troops were set over the top to their deaths before the machine guns of the German defenders. A number of semi revisionists have suggested that it was far from that simple and that in actual fact the generals tried …

Some PMS savers to get something (but not a lot)

Turgon on March 24, 2010, 4:53 pm

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The PMS savers seem set to get some money. Well actually 12% of their original investment and only for those with over £20,000 in the savings scheme. In addition a creditors committee is to be set up. The News Letter is reporting the reaction of various local politicians: Ulster Unionist MLA for North Down, Leslie Cree, said the small savers have been “entirely left behind”. “The fact that only ‘some’ people will receive help is entirely unacceptable.” DUP MP William …

UUPs failings: TUV opportunities?

Turgon on March 24, 2010, 1:00 pm

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Cometh a Westminster election: cometh UUP incompetence. It seems that the two go hand in hand; always helped of course by that master of the UUP debacle Lord Trimble. Trimble, not content with destroying the party he inherited from Jim Molyneaux, now that he is a Tory, seems determined to repeat the same feat on the CUs. Clearly of course Lord Trimble cannot manage this accomplishment himself. However, he seems to have a willing cast of assistants, possibly more of …

The DUP: a steadying ship?

Turgon on March 22, 2010, 1:00 pm

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There is a little bit of the feeling of a phoney war to the election campaign at the moment. The candidates are being chosen but the battles at the moment are mere skirmishes as compared to what is to come. Clearly all can change and much will but as the process goes forward at the moment it is looking, on the unionist side, as if the DUP’s position is getting stronger rather than weaker. The DUP are managing to put …

Unionist Pacts: the recriminations begin

Turgon on March 21, 2010, 10:17 pm

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As the likelihood of an agreed unionist candidate for both Fermangah South Tyrone and South Belfast recedes so the blame game seems to be beginning. Jim Allister has noted that the TUV can claim to be innocent in this argument. The DUP and CUs, however, are both in the process of getting their retaliation in first. The DUP of course are far from innocent in the past of the charge of being vote splitters. However, this time they do seem …

NI football national anthem

Turgon on March 16, 2010, 2:14 am

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According to the News Letter Phil Coulter who wrote Ireland’s Call is open to writing a new song for the Northern Ireland football team. Unsurprisingly the suggestion of a new anthem appears to have somewhat polarised political opinion though Kenney Donaldson of the UUP seems to have started the proposal. Of course if God Save the Queen was replaced for the NI football team, it might set a precedent for other sporting organisations as suggested here on Ulster Times. TurgonThis …

PMS: new moderator; same story

Turgon on March 16, 2010, 1:50 am

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Last week Liam Clark’s column in the News Letter again addressed the issue of the Presbyterian Mutual Society. The new moderator elect Norman Hamilton has again suggested that: “We really do care about what happens to you but we can’t fix it.” The current moderator Stafford Carson of course conveniently forgot (or mentally reserved) the high value properties which the PCI owns and clearly has no intention of mortgaging, let alone selling to help the PMS savers: instead stating that …

UUP and P&J: battles, unicorns and the Northwest passage

Turgon on March 15, 2010, 11:03 pm

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The dust has settled on the Policing and Justice vote and as Mick and others pointed out, despite the UUP’s decision not to support the vote there seems to have a conspicuous absence of the sky falling in on anyone’s heads. Now with the advantage of a little time it might be worth looking (somewhat less hysterically) at possible reasons why the UUP made the decision they did and what if any the political ramifications of these decisions may be.The …

Arlene Foster offers to stand aside

Turgon on March 15, 2010, 4:09 am

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The BBC are reporting that Arlene Foster has said that she would stand aside for an agreed unionist candidate to take on Michelle Gildernew in Fermanagh / South Tyrone at the general election. Foster said : “…if I do step aside or need to step aside for a unionist unity candidate it’s something that I will do because it’s in the better interests of unionism.” “It doesn’t mean necessarily that I wouldn’t want to be there on occasions, but if …

Martin McGuinness and aggressive lecturing

Turgon on March 9, 2010, 1:17 am

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Sinn Fein and the CUs seem none too fond of one another at the moment. The BBC are reporting that a CU delegation went to see Martin McGuinness in his office. Accounts differ but Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly (who was not there) claims: “Early in the meeting Fred Cobain stated that he wasn’t at the meeting with Martin McGuinness to listen to anything the deputy first minister wanted to say, Martin correctly pointed out that if that was the case …

Time for the DUP and UUP to think the unthinkable?

Turgon on March 8, 2010, 2:00 pm

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The stated policy of all the unionist parties is to move from the current status of mandatory coalition under D’Hondt to one of voluntary coalition. There are perceived to be enormous advantages to having a more normalised system of government with proper power sharing within the confines of a cabinet with collective responsibility. Collective responsibility is almost impossible to ensure with the current system as there is no real disincentive for a party to disagree with its coalition partners as …

Shaun Woodward: “the idea of pardons being given is complete nonsense”

Turgon on March 8, 2010, 3:04 am

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Suzanne Breen in The Sunday Tribune has a report on anti agreement republican Gerry McGeough who is due to be tried for IRA membership and the attempted murder of UDR soldier Samuel Brush. It is claimed that Sinn Fein has provided the names of 216 on the run terrorists and that 47 have been granted pardons to allow them to return home without fear of prosecution. Vincent McAnespie was also charged with the attempted murder of Brush and weapons’ possession. …

Gerry Kelly: “a British problem”

Turgon on March 7, 2010, 12:00 am

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Mark is covering the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis below and there are various speeches on the Sinn Fein website. One from Gerry Kelly is interesting. Kelly has never seemed much in to unionist outreach. However, even by his standards this speech is non conciliatory. At the end he came out with “…it wasn’t an Irish problem, it is a British problem in Ireland.” He seems to be ignoring the fact that Sinn Fein signed up to the Belfast Agreement which …