DUP – Page 56 – Slugger O'Toole

Unionists highlight Troubles border murders

Turgon on November 19, 2011, 7:42 pm

| Readers 32

The Belfast Telegraph is reporting that at the meeting of government ministers from Northern Ireland and the RoI in Armagh, Arlene Kelly and Danny Kennedy presented Enda Kenny with details of more than 150 republican murders in border areas during the Troubles. They have called on the RoI government to apologise for the fact that the IRA killers were able to escape across the border following these murders. Mrs. Kelly said: …that they should remind the Irish Government of today …

McGuinness: “It’s fair to say [A5 upgrade is] back on track again”

Pete Baker on November 11, 2011, 10:43 pm

| Readers 23

No, really!! Following the Irish Government’s decision to postpone their £400million contribution to the £850million cost of the proposed A5 upgrade, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers announced they would be seeking “maximum clarity on this issue” in talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny, while they were in Dublin today. After the meeting, the NI deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, was accentuating the positive to UTV’s Ken Reid. “It’s far from dead,” Mr McGuinness told UTV. “I think, …

OFMDFM: “It is becoming increasingly obvious this trust is in danger of being eroded…”

Pete Baker on November 11, 2011, 5:34 pm

| Readers 29

Yesterday’s Irish News carried an interesting report of the most recent proceedings of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. It seems that the NI First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, and the then-acting deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, are/were not happy. And they’ve written to the Assembly Speaker, William Hay, to tell him so. First, some background. Back in July 2010, OFMDFM published their “motherhood and apple pie” proposals for the long-awaited Programme for …

There is no reprieve from the grave: rejecting the DUP’s death penalty call

Patrick Corrigan on November 11, 2011, 4:41 pm

| Readers 30

In the midst of a global / European economic meltdown, there are many pressing issues deserving of time for Commons debate. In the week of Remembrance Day, as ex-Serviceman Mark Mullins and his wife Helen commited suicide – apparently out of despair at their poverty and lack of adequate support from the State – perhaps it might be useful to debate why so many old soldiers are left to end up on the scrapheap, with inadequate benefits and inadequate mental health services. …

“The real horse trading [over Justice Ministry] is likely to happen between party leaders…”

Pete Baker on November 8, 2011, 9:03 pm

| Readers 10

And only two parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin have the necessary votes to trade… ANYhoo, as I mentioned during the Sinn Féin ard fheis when the deputy chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Justice Committee, and noted plagiarist, Raymond McCartney complained that “David Ford’s department [of Justice] is like Jurassic Park.” …if Sinn Féin aren’t happy with David Ford as Northern Ireland Justice Minister then they, and the DUP, can always find someone else to agree on… They, both parties, have to agree on someone …

Every little helps…

Belfast Gonzo on October 26, 2011, 2:35 am

| Readers 8

I DOUBT if our Sammy has been down at Writer’s Square lately, or whether he’s been flicking through the pages of Tescopoly – but there’s little doubt he has managed to piss off one multi-national more than our tent-dwelling comrades have. And after reading Tesco director David North’s threats the other day about cutting job creation and investment here if Sammy goes ahead with plans to impose a large retailer levy, I rather sympathise with Sammy. North said last week …

“the overall sense within the party remains one of drift and confusion”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 4, 2011, 2:00 pm

| Readers 79

Lisburn South - UUP councillor Alan Carlisle defecting to join the DUP and pretending to sigin a blank membership form

Five months after the local government elections, and a few weeks before his party conference, a Lisburn councillor has today jumped from one shade of unionism to another. The leaving remarks by defecting councillors are often curious pieces of prose. There are some essential elements. Firstly, there’s a restatement of your sense of purpose to serve the people who elected you despite switching party colours – to help them understand why you didn’t simply resign and allow someone else from …

OFMDFM’s ‘non working’ working group on Cohesion, Sharing and Integration…

Mick Fealty on September 19, 2011, 10:38 am

| Readers 11

Interesting piece from David Gordon which amplifies that point about political indolence in Northern Ireland in the last post. David Ford is complaining that despite assurances from the Deputy First Minister on the floor of the Assembly: “If you are looking for a sign of what I hope will be real progress, you should take heart from the fact that, in the meetings that the First Minister and I conducted with party leaders in the aftermath of the re-establishment of …

“David Ford’s department is like Jurassic Park.”

Pete Baker on September 12, 2011, 8:53 pm

| Readers 10

Apparently, according to BBC NI’s Martina Purdy, Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly, MLA, Northern Ireland Junior Minister Policing Board member, gave “a fiery speech on the Police Ombudsman” at the party’s ard fheis at the weekend. It’s not listed in the party’s collection… [Added by AlaninBelfast …] In the Irish News today, Diana Rusk says he went “off script” when telling the Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, that he “must face down the dinosaurs” in the PSNI. Being “off script” might explain why Gerry Kelly seems to have borrowed his …

“it is a distant aspiration that fails to motivate anything other than occasional nostalgia”

Pete Baker on August 15, 2011, 4:28 pm

| Readers 78

The News Letter reports some interesting quotes from former senior Provisional IRA member, now an organiser of the Independent Workers’ Union, Tommy McKearney’s new book – The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament. From the News Letter report The ardent socialist, who now organises the Independent Workers’ Union, says that Sinn Fein has become increasingly right wing as it has gone further and further into government at Stormont, where, he argues, “contrary to talk of power-sharing, the [Stormont] administration is almost …

Outreach as a marker of confidence

Turgon on August 14, 2011, 2:00 pm

| Readers 6

Reaching out or attracting others to one’s cause might be considered a friendly and indeed open concept. In Northern Ireland, however, it is often the polar opposite of this. Outreach can be viewed with the gravest suspicion and hostility: indeed it is sometimes regarded as an aggressive act, frequently deliberately aggressive. It is also frequently a marker of confidence even triumphalism on the part of the group purporting to reach out: at least that seems to be the way it …

Another cross community event at a GAA club

Turgon on August 12, 2011, 10:36 am

| Readers 63

I noted the event at Pomeroy GAA club to remember IRA terrorist Seamus Woods previously and Quincey has an analysis of the GAA below. The DUP Chair of the Assembly’s Culture, Arts & Leisure Committee Michelle McIlveen has now entered the debate. From the DUP website: It is simply not credible for the GAA to preside over rules which claim to prohibit sectarianism or involvement in party politics yet allow events like this to take place within property governed by …

Lagan Valley A+E hours reduced

Turgon on August 2, 2011, 5:13 pm

| Readers 33

The first example of consolidation of hospital services has now occurred with the reduction in the opening hours of Lagan Valley’s A+E department. This has produced some comment from the local council but possibly a more measured reaction than might have been expected. The Belfast Telegraph has a typically hysterical headline (not on line) about a bleeding woman sent away from A+E – later discovered to be a lady with a cut finger who was sent to the Royal for …

Belfast Pride: repugnant or still needed after all these years?

Patrick Corrigan on July 26, 2011, 12:45 pm

| Readers 329

The fact that Jim Wells MLA apparently finds me and other participants in the Belfast Pride parade “repugnant” would cause me scarcely a thought if he were not the Deputy Chairperson of the Health Committee at the Asssembly and scheduled by Peter Robinson to take over as Minister for Health in 2013. As reported by the Irish News today (subscription required), in a text message to Pride organiser Simon Rea, Mr Wells – in rejecting an invitation to take part …

Lee Reynolds steps up to Belfast City Council

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 25, 2011, 7:31 pm

| Readers 165

DUP strategist Lee Reynolds answering questions at Slugger Big Election breakfast - photo by Mr Ulster

Back in May at Slugger’s Big Heid Coont Breakfast, DUP strategist Lee Reynolds explained to the assembled crowd how the party’s vote management had worked successfully at the Assembly and local government elections, before admitting that from the tallies he reckoned it had failed him on his attempt to get a seat on Belfast City Council. (Lee was the second candidate to be excluded in Castle district, with first preference votes just shy of half of the electoral quota.) But …

Bread, and circuses…

Pete Baker on July 14, 2011, 5:35 pm

| Readers 14

After a third night of attacks on police in nationalist areas across Northern Ireland, the NI First and deputy First Ministers have emerged to warn about some people’s “complacency about the peace process”. From the BBC report Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness met at Stormont Castle on Thursday to discuss recent rioting. Mr Robinson said “as a society we have begun to get a bit careless about how hard won the peace was”. Mr McGuinness said the riots “should shake …

“encouraged by a small number of people opposed to the peace process…”

Pete Baker on July 13, 2011, 8:00 pm

| Readers 24

Twenty-six people were arrested during last night’s rioting in nationalist areas of north and south Belfast and Londonderry. There were also reports of public disorder in Armagh, and the Dunclug estate in Ballymena. RTÉ lists Strabane, Newry, Ballymena and Armagh city, as well as Belfast and Londonderry. In Londonderry, we are told Sinn Féin Foyle MLA Martina Anderson said the violence was “orchestrated” and described it as “an orgy of destruction”. “Let’s be clear the vandalism and wanton destruction in …

UVF: Peter Robinson and the DUP’s preferred ‘terrorists’?

Blank on July 7, 2011, 9:14 pm

| Readers 388

Today’s Irish News reports a deal to resolve the ongoing dispute in Magheraberry gaol between prison authorities and Republican inmates, meant to have been resolved a year ago, has yet again fallen apart. This time the dispute was unresolved due to intransigence from Peter Robinson and the DUP: Sources say the Department of Justice agreed to the compromise in principle and the proposal was put to OFMDFM. Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is also believed to have agreed …

Ian McCrea, another one who failed to get the memo?

Mick Fealty on June 27, 2011, 2:22 pm

| Readers 103

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

Edwin Poots to reform NI health care?

Turgon on June 8, 2011, 10:19 pm

| Readers 11

Edwin Poots was a fairly competent if at times somewhat undistinguished minister in the last Stormont executive. Since, taking on the Health portfolio, however, there are signs he has started to up his game to a marked extent. Initially he made the politically expedient choice as expected by all and gave the go ahead to the new Cancer Centre in Altnagelvin. Few surprises there. The News Letter today reported the BMA calling for a radical reduction in the number of …