Belfast

Morten Morland’s ‘The Troubled’

| Readers 489

I need to say from the outset that the cartoon above is not mine, but the work of Norwegian cartoonist Morten Morland (@mortenmorland) who produces political cartoons for the London Times, The Spectator and many more esteemed publications. To my mind it captures absolutely the cause of the mindless violence. What does that say about our leadership if even a Norwegian can see this? Below is also a cartoon I did recently which pales in comparison to the work of …

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Belfast’s Festival of Fools: No laughing matter at the ‘Dome of Delight’?

| Readers 108

Earlier this year, organisers at Belfast’s award winning Festival of Fools received news from Belfast City Council’s Tourism, Culture and Arts Unit that they were to be excluded from multi-annual funding. In addition, their annual allocation was reduced from £11,000 (2012) to £6000 (2013). The Festival’s funding from the City Council’s Community Festivals Fund remains unchanged. There’s a memorable scene in one of my favourite films, Anthony Manghella’s Truly Madly Deeply (1990). One of the main characters, Nina, is being drawn …

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After Obama and our #SoWhat politics, what comes next?

| Readers 38

Agenda NI have a piece on the Obama speech worth looking through.. Their conclusion? Northern Ireland, as the President implied, can never take its peace for granted. Neither can such a small country always assume presidential attention. In summary, Obama’s expectation is that Northern Ireland will depend less on external goodwill and take more responsibility for creating a better future.[emphasis added] David McCann writing in his occasional column for the journal.ie put a slightly different twist on it: Where the …

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“We need you to get this right.”

| Readers 55

“We need you to get this right.” – Barack Obama, Belfast Waterfront Hall, Monday 17 June 2013 Thought this deserved a special illustrated note. Perhaps we can carry this alongside us. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Hiding your Publication Scheme defeats the purpose of having one … and raises your costs through needless FOIs

| Readers 57

Publication Schemes are supposed to publicise what information a public body holds and regularly makes available. The Information Commissioners Office have a Model Publication Scheme for District Councils in Northern Ireland, listing the type of information that they must make available. You should publicise the fact that information is available to the public under the scheme. You should make sure the model scheme, guide to information, and schedule of fees are all available on your website, public notice board, or …

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The Sad State of North Belfast’s Riverside

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A bright, cold, day earlier this week saw me head out for a constitutional along what is now rather a pleasant route along the banks of the Lagan past the Odyssey and up to the Titanic Museum. With the hazy afternoon sun making the East Belfast bank of the river look particularly pretty, and the tourist information signs informing me of the Belfast Maritime Trail, I changed my mind and instead turned left at the Lagan Weir and decided to …

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Giro d’Italia 2014 announcement expected tomorrow

| Readers 52

It looks increasingly likely that confirmation of the rumoured plans to start the 2014 Giro d’Italia in Belfast, before heading to Dublin, will be made tomorrow.  As Cycling Weekly reports The Giro d’Italia organiser RCS Sport has a lot on its plate this week, announcing the 2014 start from Belfast tomorrow and dealing with 19 WorldTour teams. The organiser sent an invitation on Friday for the “Official presentation of a new collaboration between RCS Sport and the Island of Ireland.” The presentation will …

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“Sinn Féin councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has called on Belfast Chamber of Commerce President Joe Jordan to ‘stop politicking’…”

| Readers 268

It’s not entirely clear to me why Belfast Chamber of Commerce President Joe Jordan has been singled out for criticism by Sinn Féin Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, but he has been.  Here’s the 11 January press release from the Sinn Féin website Sinn Féin councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has called on Belfast Chamber of Commerce President Joe Jordan to “stop politicking” and unite with political and business leaders to build the city of Belfast. Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said: “Sadly, while others have been …

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Rioting: Northern Ireland Street Theatre

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As the violence over flags inevitably wanes, debates over the legitimacy of loyalist actions will continue. What will be obscured in the discussion is a key feature of rioting in Northern Ireland – namely that it is a controlled performance and creative spectacle. A burning car in the middle of the road is a striking scene, whether watched in delight or disgust. Petrol bombs hang in the air like Chinese Lanterns; fireworks and police vans light up the night sky; …

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Belfast start for 2014 Giro d’Italia? – “Discussions are ongoing”

| Readers 46

It could be some time before we get an answer to that question – official confirmation that cycling’s 2013 Giro would start in Naples only came in June last year.  But there’s been a flurry of activity following a L’Equipe report last night that sources were confirming that Belfast would host the start of the 2014 Giro d’Italia. As the Guardian reported There are strong indications that in 2014 the United Kingdom will host the Giro d’Italia as well as the Tour de France, which …

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PSNI needs recruitment drives says Terry Spence

| Readers 66

Terry Spence was featured on Radio 4’s Saturday PM news show and he aired some serious concerns about the ability of the Police Service of Northern to hold the peace in the context of continuing violence. His concerns were not about the manner in which the police have been confronting the rising violence, but about the ability of the police going forward in terms of numbers and resources to deal with the growing two-pronged threat profile. He noted that over …

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4 Corners Festival & the Irish Churches Peace Project

| Readers 554

Five minutes of prayer around Belfast City Hall was the most public Christian response to the flags issue in Belfast. With the carols about the ‘Prince of Peace’ sung at Christmas, what else should the church be doing to bring peace and stability to the situation? The church’s role in the Troubles will long be a subject of debate with accusations of a lack of leadership weighed against individual grassroots peacemaking and relationship building. Planned long before the protests began, …

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“It was like Belfast in the 1970s out there”

| Readers 38

So far I’ve only found one mention of Belfast (or Northern Ireland) in this morning’s Daily Mail. [free at the airport – don’t judge!] On page 13 a neighbout was describing a Facebook party that had got out of control next door to his house in Essex: It was like Belfast in the 1970s out there. It was terrifying. There were hundreds of people out to cause trouble. 1970s? How out of touch … Maybe GB aren’t paying attention to …

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The danger of an impotent Assembly

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The litany of ritual condemnation in  yesterday’s Assembly debate could have been spoken any time during direct rule.   There is no hint here of a responsible government trying to get on top of events. Just a wringing of hands in an Assembly, impotent, riddled with its own contradictions, waiting for the trouble to burn itself out. For another night the initiative is surrendered to the streets. No MLA  of course  shares any measure of responsiblity. Perhaps that’s unfair. Perhaps for the moment …

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Aaron and Brian’s Sunday View: Flags and a Visit of an old friend

| Readers 52

This week the news was dominated by two events, the vote on reducing the number of days that the union flag is to be flown at Belfast City Hall, which has been flown at City Hall since it opened on 1906 and the visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The vote brought an angry call from the unionist community which led to people protesting on the streets which consequently turned violent. This has caused damage across various parts …

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May the Lord in his mercy be kind to Belfast

| Readers 62

No doubt the flag furore is being debated all day on Radio Ulster which thankfully I haven’t heard, But I was impressed by a calming interview with Gregory Campbell on the Today programme at 7.43 a.m.(Sadly the BBC archive service has declined. We used to be able to access all items separately on the Today running order but this is no longer possible, so you’ll have to move the cursor along on the whole programme recording to find it). However …

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Unionist violence after flag vote…

| Readers 55

AS predictably as night follows day, unionist protesters have turned to violence after tonight’s City Hall vote to restrict the flying of the Union Flag to designated days. Trouble erupted in and around the City Hall itself, but is right now spreading to other areas, noteably East Belfast. A number of police have been injured, and two female officers taken to hospital. You can leave reports of any trouble you observe below. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

Who really leads the DUP..?

| Readers 49

“THERE is new political space developing in Northern Ireland,” Peter Robinson told the South Antrim DUP at the weekend. “It is the DUP’s aim that unionism will own it and lead it.” But it can’t. Tonight, “the new political space” will be seen at the front of the City Hall, where I doubt those mingling in the Christmas Market will care too much about any flag flying above them. Round the back, will be the “old” political space, full of …

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What do you want from Belfast in 2020?

| Readers 97

On Friday we’re holding the first of two #DigitalLunch sessions in partnership with the social enterprise, Artemis, in advance of an event they are holding in Stormont next week, which in part will show case some of the work they’ve been doing in Belfast schools. The purpose of Friday’s #DigitalLunch is not to have yet another infertile argument about policy or political instruments or even arguments about whether we ought to be following the shared future or separate but equal …

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“It’s a manifestation of social control by people who were able to act with tacit impunity…”

| Readers 98

In the Christian Science Monitor, Jason Walsh has a clearer view than most of what is “deliberate, almost formalized cultural chest-thumping”. Even among many who are glad that the Troubles have ended, blame is beginning to point toward the structure of the peace process itself, specifically how it attempted to defuse the conflict into a culture war. While the Troubles’ zero-sum political conflict – between the competing ideas of a united Ireland and a United Kingdom – has ended, what remains …

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