Now that the starting gun has been fired by the PM, what are some of the key races to pay attention to locally. There are quite a few and as this is Northern Ireland the health warning comes with the importance of the right candidates being selected to stand in the right constituencies. North Belfast Currently held by DUP Deputy Leader, Nigel Dodds Majority; 5,326 (Note this was with UUP and other Unionist parties out of the race). Dodds has …
Former DUP MLA and Culture Minister, Nelson McCausland has made some interesting comments to the News Letter in response to Arlene Foster’s engagement with the Irish Language Community. Former Culture Minister Nelson McCausland yesterday told the News Letter that an inclusive cultural Act “could well be the way forward”. He added: “It would recognise that there is more than one indigenous minority language in Northern Ireland and more than one cultural tradition.” Mr McCausland believes a culture Act could help …
Sinn Fein Chairperson, Declan Kearney made an address today to the Derry and Antrim Easter commemoration in the Loup, County Derry. In his remarks he put the blame for progress in the talks on the DUP and the British government. I have highlighted a key passage. The DUP and British government remain in denial that the political landscape has changed. They both refuse to ‘get it’. “The last two phases of talks show no evidence they are serious about resolving the …
Brian WalkerFormer BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London
The Sinn Fein Leader in the North, Michelle O’Neill gave a bleak assessment today over where we are politically. Taking aim at the DUP and the British government she criticised their approach towards the talks; “We have been here five weeks during which time Sinn Féin has been fully engaged. We believe in the institutions and we have been working to restore them and to rebuild public confidence in them. “However, to date there has been no measurable progress. And at …
Observed from London, the political atmosphere at home is surreal. The volume of comment on the talks is in inverse proportion to hard information. Expectations of agreement by Good Friday are so low that the local media can barely be roused from torpor. Emergency action for feeding the Stormont cats occupied more space in the Belfast Telegraph the other day. Further emergency action to fund the regional government must be taken within a week followed by the crunch decision to …
Robin Swann became the Ulster Unionist Leader yesterday. He candidacy was unopposed. He delivered his first speech as leader to the few hundred delegates gathered at the party’s AGM in South Belfast. On a single Unionist Party; So to those who seek a single unionist party, I ask them to consider carefully the consequences of such an outcome. A single unionist party would limit choice, stifle debate and quickly result in the depletion of Unionist votes at the ballot box. …
Showing good timing and a big bunch of confidence, a warm house for Unionists in a united Ireland within the EU has been imagined once again by Matt Carthy of Sinn Fein. Political positioning, based solely on opposition to Irish unity, is unsustainable. Although he can hardly expect an immediate favourable response, his pitch is directed towards the other participants in the interparty talks. People in Belfast, Derry or Fermanagh need answers to everyday social and economic problems. As the …
In an interview with Sky News on the eve of the resumed interparty talks, Gerry Adams addresses familiar charges levelled against him by more than unionists. In a move clearly designed to win greater trust, the Sinn Fein president is at pains to deny that he is raising the bar so high as to guarantee that the talks will fail, with the ulterior motive of abandoning the Assembly and exploiting Brexit to pursue a strategy of Irish unity based …
Not before time, a detailed talks plan agreed between the two governments has been presented to the Assembly parties and will form the basis of talks over a 10 day period beginning tomorrow. Brian Rowan, former security correspondent and Assembly candidate, has got sight of it and has summarised it in EamonnMallie.com As I’ve been arguing for weeks this is the essential move if the talks are to stand any chance of success. At worst it shifts part of any …
“ The morning after the Brexit vote, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party said that “the constitutional question has been reopened, and we now have people who were content in Northern Ireland thinking again about a united Ireland” Has this development become the new driver of politics or is it still in the background? At this moment the answer cannot be known. Yet it has set the climate for the interparty talks which resume on Monday. The words come from …
It’s an Orwellian situation when Sinn Fein claim they “ want to achieve the full implementation of all outstanding commitments made over a 20-year period” in just a few more weeks ; the DUP say they would return to the Executive “ without pre-conditions,” implying they won’t address Sinn Fein’s conditions in advance; and to cap it all, the secretary of state claims there’s “ no appetite for another election”. Well, Sinn Fein has news for him. In a hardening …
The Irish government are fond of reminding us that that they and the British government are co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. I’ve always understood a guarantor in financial terms as the person responsible for ponying up if the debt isn’t paid. Well, the north is going further and further into the red financially as well as dearg le fearg (red with anger) at lack of any meaningful progress and the guarantors don’t seem to be fulfilling their responsibilities. Secretary …
Only the most basic information has emerged so far out of the set piece statements from the parties. Arlene Foster’s offer of a return to the Executive “without pre-conditions” and do sensible things like passing the budget was never going to be enough to draw in Sinn Fein, whose whole position was all about setting conditions. If she was ever going to give satisfaction on matching Sinn Fein’s unmanageably long list of demands, why not give some specific declarations of …
“Sinn Fein opposed to any extension of Stormont talks ahead of Monday’s deadline – ‘We will bury our friend tomorrow and move directly from his graveside to do our utmost to get Assembly restored’ Speaking in Newry on the eve of Martin McGuinness’s funeral, the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has been talking the talk of ultimatums. Lest anyone thinks Sinn Fein has been distracted this week, he disabuses them of the idea that the immediate period of mourning for …
So what’s the legacy? His contribution to underlying peace not war was essential, certainly. In the welter of well- rehearsed comment yesterday we can be thankful that there was no suggestion of regression, rather the opposite from the likes of Gerry Kelly. But in politics? To adapt Ian Paisley jnr’s tribute “It’s not how you start your life that’s important, it’s how you finish.” While this is arguable – surely the whole life matters? – Martin McGuinness’s life finished with …
The imminence of triggering Article 50 has at last woken up the British government to the reality of the threat to the Union. In a reported forthcoming tour of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to explain a negotiating position that has seemed to ignore them, propping up support for her “beloved Union” has become Theresa May’s priority. Her first line of defence will be to convince the massed ranks of critics that a “hard Brexit” is a misnomer which does …
It’s finally here, the bill for the proposed Irish Language Act. This is the estimated cost from Conradh na Gaeilge, the umbrella group for Irish language speakers and organisations advocating for legislation to protect the Irish language from capricious political attacks and to promote it resolutely as per the Good Friday Agreement and The St Andrews accord. The good news is that this estimate, put together by the organisation advocating for the legislation is a fraction of the price tags …
Yesterday Mike Nesbitt addressed the UUP Executive for the final time as party leader. In his speech he focused on his 5 year leadership and had a few shots at the DUP. His full speech is available on the News Letter website. He made some points about the general attitude of Unionism arguing; Unionism needs to engage more. There is no point complaining the White House and the USA are biased, if the only voices they hear are Irish nationalist …
Former BBC journalist and manager in Belfast, Manchester and London, Editor Spolight; Political Editor BBC NI; Current Affairs Commissioning editor BBC Radio 4; Editor Political and Parliamentary Programmes, BBC Westminster; former London Editor Belfast Telegraph. Hon Senior Research Fellow, The Constitution Unit, Univ Coll. London
