There are 108 of them. Some of them household names across Northern Ireland, some better known in the local corner of their own constituencies. Some have made (or tried to) their mark as party leaders, others as ministers, or as one of the team working out of the Speakers Office, who have tried in some challenging moments to keep the lid on proceedings in the chamber. So who was it caught your eye this year, either in the chamber, or …
If you’ve missed any of the previous categories so far they are all still open and we’ll continue taking nominations in all categories until just before the judging panel convenes… So, just to remind you there are: Up and Coming Politician; Best Political Blogger; Best Local Newspaper; Best Councillor of the Year; Participation and Involvement ; Best Council (just four nominations); and this week’s Stormont Committee Chair… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the …
In a year when the Executive has spent a significant amount of time not actually working, and where the Assembly’s plenaries have struggled to gain and then sustain the Northern Ireland public’s attention, the committees have been probably been responsible for some of the most useful work done. Albeit most of it unacknowledged and therefore unseen. There is a clear role to be fulfilled by a committee chair – to ensure the smooth running of committees; facilitating engagement with interested …
For years, despite their limited powers, councils were the only democratic representatives you could reasonably expect would retain their jobs from one election to the next. In two years time, 26 councils will be slimmed down to 11, and with it will come considerable responsibilities . The new responsibilities will require a new calibre of local politician. So which of the local councils you know best have been taking on their responsibilities with imagination? Who listens to the local populace, …
That this award only had one nomination last year tells its own story about public participation in Northern Ireland. And yet, as more and more citizens find their voices online, it is crucial that public institutions turn and face the concerns of the public they seek to serve, before rather than after their plans take effect. All too often public bodies undertake consultation exercises simply because they’re demanded by law rather than because of the value it may bring those …
Given there are 582 councillors in 26 councils in Northern Ireland, our problem here should be an embarrassment of riches. Local councillors are often the workhorses of democracy, often undertaking work with the minimum of resources. The majority of them working hard far beyond the metropolitan attention of the Belfast bubble. And yet it is not yet clear what makes a good councillor. Under the current dispensation where councillors have only an advisory role with regard to planning, the practical …
So before we open nominations on the new category, let’s review what we have for local newspapers: – An Druma Mor, not exactly local, but an Irish Language portal which has a heavy emphasis on politics and current affairs… Not absolutely sure it fits the category, but perhaps it should be… (what do you think??) – “The Dungannon News and Tyrone Courier” from, er, Dungannon… – The Andersonstown News, covering new in the west of Belfast for nearly forty years.. …
This award is primarily aimed at those often hard pressed newspapers which serve the hyper local needs of communities, both inside Belfast and far beyond its bounds. At the beginning of the Troubles, some forty years ago, there were more than fifty of them, and they provided the real news for the bigger regional and national titles. It is no coincidence that the decline of local news has been concomitant with the hollowing out of the national press.It’s the place …
It’s our view that the real nexus of political debate is moving inexorably online. In the US and the UK, the line between what’s become known as the commentariat and the bloggertariat is rapidly blurring. We hope our political blogger of the year Award will play a role in identifying (and encouraging) the next generation of big political commentators.Anyone who blogs consistently on Northern Irish politics is eligible: ie they do not have to be based in or be writing …
After a week of nominations in the Up and Coming category of the Slugger Awards, it is interesting (and perhaps instructive) that the two front runners come from outside the main ‘government’ parties, and neither are MLAs, and one is not even a councillor. Ian Parsley started the week as the face of the Alliance party’s relatively successful European campaign, and ended it with a controversial crossing over to Conservatives. Stephen Agnew of the Greens, another who made his mark …
I called into NVTV last Tuesday, just after the launch of their new Blogtalk TV show, and recorded an interview with Carl Boyle… on Slugger, it’s politics and why we decided to run the Slugger Awards… This is the preview… If you’re a blogger and you want to join Carl and the team on the next show, drop him a line… [email protected] We launch a new category on Monday morning, but don’t forget to give us your nomination for the …
With the Assembly moving into its third year of operation, perhaps now is a strange point to ask for nominations for the most up and coming politician. But as all politicians know the future health of any political party depends on their ability to connect with a new generation who have new sets of needs and preoccupations. That means bringing on new voices and or older voices finding new ways to connect.So who were the fresh voices of the last …
Today we launch the Slugger O’Toole Political Awards for 2009. After last year’s roaring success, this is looking like it’s going to be Slugger’s big annual social (we’re holding the awards night on the 24th November), and we’ll be publishing the award categories gradually over the next few weeks. As with the 2008 awards, we are keen to retain an emphasis on positive strokes for our politicians. It’s not that they don’t need a damned good nip on the heels …
