Britain – Page 13 – Slugger O'Toole

“and will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK.”

Pete Baker on July 20, 2009, 7:17 pm

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The Northern Ireland Criminal Justice Minister, Paul Goggins, MP, has launched a 19 week long consultation on proposed new laws “to tackle unacceptable behaviour at sports grounds and events.” NI Sports Minister, Nelson McCausland, MLA, was also at the launch. Consultation document here, and “easy to read” summary [both pdf files]. From the NIO statement. Paul Goggins said: “Our purpose is to help clubs and sporting bodies address unacceptable behaviour by a small minority of spectators who attend events only …

Murdochgate: “It is not, as News International claimed, one rotten apple; it is a culture…”

Mick Fealty on July 16, 2009, 1:06 pm

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BBC Radio Four’s The Media Show yesterday opened with a bit of a ding dong between John Lloyd of the Reuters Institute at Oxford and Anne McElvoy of the London Evening Standard. Lloyd opened with this: John Lloyd – “Whether it was on a modest scale or an industrial scale what some journalists where doing was using their power and their money and the backing of their news organisation to substantially diminish people’s privacy and their civil and human right …

“The worst thing this party could do would be to circle the wagons..”

Pete Baker on July 15, 2009, 10:30 pm

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Brian’s comments notwithstanding, the appropriate response to the latest leg of the Gerry Adams World Tour is one of laughter [Of our children? – Ed] The alternative is to despair. Adams’ newly professed open-mindedness betrays the absence of any viable strategy towards achieving his aspirations, whilst calling on action from the British and Irish governments indicates a dependency on the kind of top-down Process™ which may have delivered Sinn Féin’s support for the police, along with the DUP’s renewed participation …

“we cannot allow old hatreds to fester and renew themselves..”

Pete Baker on July 15, 2009, 2:14 am

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The BBC report focuses on a small element of the statement on Northern Ireland by Taoiseach Brian Cowen to Seanad Éireann, as does the iol report, but the full text is wider in scope. The continued existence of sectarianism, of peace walls and of deep communal divisions in parts of the North is an affront to democracy and to a civilised society. It defies belief that this is continuing in the year 2009. It must be energetically tackled and confronted …

“So why has Sinn Fein become just another nationalist party?”

Pete Baker on July 12, 2009, 6:53 pm

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Invited or not, in yesterday’s Irish News Patrick Murphy had some thoughts relevant to the conversation Sinn Féin’s Toiréasa Ferris professed to want. Starting with the International Representative for west Belfast’s whistle-stop World Tour. From the Irish News article Some see this not so much as politics, more as show business. (You’ve seen the stage show, now buy the CDs: Sinn Fein at Carnegie Hall, Sinn Fein Sings the National Anthem, Your Favourite Christmas Hits with Sinn Fein, Sinn Fein …

Friends of Dave and the political smartness of some cops…

Mick Fealty on July 11, 2009, 2:54 am

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Sorry to keep harping on about what is essentially a Westminster story, but Simon Heffer has an intriguing angle on the kinds of stresses inside the Tory party as a result of their leader’s doughty (and patrician) handling of the #murdochgate crisis: The police may not be interested – though I fail to understand why – but the House of Commons is, and is likely to summon Mr Coulson to ask him, again, what he knew. Not knowing about one …

Murdochgate: A scandal that’s only just beginning…

Mick Fealty on July 10, 2009, 5:01 pm

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If you were watching closely enough yesterday you’ll have noticed that there was a buzz all around Westminster and associated media ports over the revelation that two of Rupert Murdoch’s papers have been conducting regular fishing trips against public figures (some political, some not), and that they had settled with three ‘victims’ for £1 million (or ’shut-the-f*ck-up’ payments as Rick puts in this excellent piece on where all of this is really heading). That’s a public interest story, if ever …

“It isn’t that we’re hugely concerned..”

Pete Baker on July 9, 2009, 2:24 am

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An odd iol report records Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, MP, MLA, repeating what he was told at the North-South Ministerial Council meeting on Monday. There’s an associated Sinn Féin press statement. And this from the iol report Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said his party had called the meeting with Mr Cowen to help keep a focus on political developments in the North during the economic crisis. But he insisted they weren’t overly worried the …

“certain accounting and other powers may have to be left with the treasury..”

Pete Baker on July 8, 2009, 9:12 pm

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In the Irish Times Frank Millar has some further information on what the Northern Ireland First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, proposes to do about the devolution of policing and justice powers – after the NI Executive is “shown” draft legislation, as mentioned here. Including this interesting suggestion. Speaking after talks with British prime minister Gordon Brown at Downing Street yesterday, Mr Robinson warned that substantial funding issues – a shortfall which the DUP leader estimates at around £600 million …

PMQs live at Westminister…

Mick Fealty on July 8, 2009, 3:57 pm

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PMQs In Northern Ireland questions. Jo Swinson saying that we need a Bill of Rights as part of GFA… Jeffrey Donaldson, says, no thank you… doesn’t mention the fact the Catholic church specifically was not keen on it either… Live on BBC Parliament… 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. …

NI First Minister to meet Gordon Brown

Pete Baker on July 7, 2009, 3:18 pm

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The impact on the property market of the apparently to be co-ordinated disposal of assets by NAMA will be of particular concern to investors in the illegally operating Presbyterian Mutual Society. According to the Belfast Telegraph report, disposing of PMS assets at current market values would result in a loss of £50million. Meanwhile the Irish Times reports that Northern Ireland First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, is to meet “Prime Minister Gordon Brown today for talks in London about the …

Not so diverse on NI Bill of Rights after all, apparently..

Pete Baker on July 2, 2009, 4:04 pm

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According to an Irish Times report, the House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has been told of overwhelming and increasing support – 83% “believe it is important” – for a NI Bill of Rights that includes “social and economic rights, such as the right to work, health, an adequate standard of living and accommodation”. The source of this information? A survey commissioned by the NI Human Rights Commission. There’s little other detail of the actual survey itself, I hope …

County Armagh brothers surrender £5.7million of assets

Pete Baker on July 1, 2009, 5:34 pm

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Three County Armagh brothers, who had £8.2million worth of assets seized in 2007, have agreed to surrender property and other assets worth £5.7million to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). From the BBC report. Soca said that the men had made millions from years of cross-border fuel smuggling. The assets they handed over include 12 homes in Belfast and south Armagh, three offices and building land both in NI and in the Republic of Ireland. Monies totalling more than £870,000 …

We’re racist because we’re so friendly…

Mick Fealty on June 26, 2009, 6:53 pm

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Matthew Parris reckons nowhere is quite like Belfast in terms of it’s sheer social solidarity. In fact we’re so solid with one another that Belfast is the most well catered for city in terms of local swimming pools because back in the seventies and early eighties when many of them were built it was physically dangerous for people to turn up at the wrong pool in the wrong place. I remember a mate with unmistakeably Irish fore and surnames having …

Sshh.. don’t tell anyone..

Pete Baker on June 26, 2009, 12:26 am

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Announcing the signing of a contract to build four new schools previously, the fact that it is being financed through a Public Private Partnership was relegated to the ‘Notes to Editors’ in the official statement by the Northern Ireland Edcuation Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caitríona Ruane. Yesterday the NI Education Minister “cut the first sod” on “the site of the new £3.5million accommodation” of one of those schools, St Mary’s Primary School, Portglenone. This time there’s not even a ‘note to …

“damages the ability of the press to hold people in positions of power to account”

Pete Baker on June 25, 2009, 1:26 am

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As the Belfast Telegraph reports, there’s an Early Day Motion tabled in the name of John McDonnell, secretary of the National Union of Journalists’ parliamentary group, on the topic of “Protection of Journalists’ Sources”. That would be in response to that recent court ruling. Full text of the Early Day Motion That this House regrets that many police forces fail to recognise the importance of a journalist’s right to protect his or her sources; believes that the protection of confidential …

“Like a drunk being thrown out of the pub they have spat on the floor…”

Mick Fealty on June 23, 2009, 2:48 pm

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So John Bercow. How did that happen? Moments of revenge are best served cold. This rushed out hot meals on wheels dish is, I suspect going to burn Labour. At the start of this debate, Iain Dale made it transparently clear, that the last person on earth the Tories wanted as Speaker was Bercow. Now, I can see why they thought it might have been a pleasing outcome. The odious triumphalism of some parts of the Tory press, would goad …

“we cannot put submarine cables near disputed border regions.”

Pete Baker on June 22, 2009, 7:15 pm

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Mick has mentioned the battle of the backyards that erupted over Project Kelvin. And if the incinerator discussion lacked a convenient place to stick a flag on, the argument over Kelvin proved readily amenable to our local politicians, and others, taking predictable sides. But, as the new cable comes ashore at Portrush before being routed to a tele-house/data centre in Londonderry, it’s worth pointing to the reported comments of Derek Bullock, Vice President of Network Operations Hibernia Atlantic, at a …

“I call on the IFA to reconsider their partitionist and negative position..”

Pete Baker on June 18, 2009, 7:32 pm

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Apparently it’s not just the Irish public who are unpatriotic, it’s the Irish government too. Of course the criticism, by the Irish Farmers’ Association, of the Department of Defence’s awarding of a €350,000 contract to a non Bord Bia Assured chicken processing company outside the Republic [Crossgar Poultry] hasn’t gone unnoticed.. From Sinn Féin MLA Willie Clarke “At this time of economic hardship we need a greater degree of support and harmonisation across Ireland in order to assist our indigenous …

Slugger makes the British Library archive…

Mick Fealty on June 16, 2009, 8:04 pm

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Hmmm… not sure what this adds up to, since they seem to be missing the vast majority of Slugger’s first seven years, but it’s good to know we’ll be preserved for posterity…. 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