Environment – Page 25 – Slugger O'Toole

“without a change in material circumstances..”

Pete Baker on July 6, 2007, 10:57 pm

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The new Irish Government Minister of the Environment, John Gormley of the Green Party [Is he still blogging? – Ed], has announced plans for “a major review of archaeological practice and policy as it relates to his department.” – beginning with a seminar in the autumn to draw up the terms of reference for the review. He’s also released a file of documents on the controversial Lismullin henge site at the Hill of Tara, available here [scroll down]. As the …

Flooding blamed on Flying Spaghetti Monster’s ill-temper..

Pete Baker on July 3, 2007, 3:19 am

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Some houses have reportedly been flooded after a river burst its banks in the Cushendall area. [Flying spaghetti monster said to have got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning? – Ed] Pete Baker

Why the sky is blue and other illuminating information..

Pete Baker on July 1, 2007, 5:55 pm

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Iain Dale shakes his head, quite rightly, at the supernaturalist Church of England Bishop of Carlisle who is claiming that the recent floods in England are a supernatural judgement of sorts – “We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused.” – as, no doubt, the recent flooding in Belfast was.. The Bishop has in mind the Equality Act – which other supernaturalists also complained about. No better timing, then, …

Can the Greens get over a muddled start…

Mick Fealty on June 20, 2007, 2:16 pm

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So far the Greens have displayed all the confusion of a small group emerging into the deck of a ship after years in the dark, dank galley below. Yet far from shafting his junior partners in government Bertie Ahern has handed them two senior ministries, and Trevor Sargent a junior minister. That’s half the parliamentary party! Vincent Browne thinks that whilst Bertie will keep them soothed (and keep FF in power till 2017), if the leadership of the party switches …

“Cycling is a natural choice”

Pete Baker on June 18, 2007, 6:29 pm

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It would be unfair to single out for particular criticism any one of the MLAs who participated in the photo-opportunity at Stormont today [Not even the Transport Minister? – Ed] although, over at his blog, Mark Devenport points out that things did not occur quite as pre-reported. But just keep an eye out to see how many of those present today are cycling up the hill to Stormont tomorrow.. and the next day.. [But it’s for charidee! – Ed] And …

“it was decided not to issue a press release at that point because there was so much else going on”

Pete Baker on June 15, 2007, 2:37 pm

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One of the Green Party’s new ministers in government is John Gormley.. and he’s Minister for the Environment. Good news for the Greens? Perhaps, but the out-going Minster for the Environment, Dick Roche has left an unpleasant legacy in regard to the M3 motorway and Tara Hill – recently declared one of the world’s 100 most endangered heritage sites. According to the report, on Tuesday the then-Minister “signed an order for the “preservation by record” of the recently discovered prehistoric …

Now, that’s cabinet responsibility…

Mick Fealty on June 14, 2007, 11:00 pm

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Peter Robinson has come to the aid of Executive colleague Michelle Gildernew who’s been shipping serious criticism from his party colleague and chair of the Agriculture committee, Willie McCrea, for selling off public land: “We have a crazy situation where a couple of weeks ago the Ulster Farmers Union and others were saying we have a crisis here. We have to find the funds for the farm nutrient management scheme. Yet she is attacked when she takes action to do …

Timing, eh?

Pete Baker on June 14, 2007, 6:00 pm

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Something for the Green Party to think about as they sign up to government with Fianna Fáil and the PDs. The European Court of Justice has ruled that Ireland is in breach of EU regulations protecting water quality and has failed to implement pollution-reduction measures in designated shellfish sites around the country. In a ruling published today, the court found that Ireland has failed to fulfil its obligations under the 1979 European Shellfish Directive, under which EU states are required …

“We don`t have the time to go down the route of the comprehensive spending review within government”

Pete Baker on June 13, 2007, 5:55 pm

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Whether it’s “great news for the local farming industry” or “selling off the family silver”, it would have been better to have seen more visible deliberations before yesterday’s announcement that the publicly owned 100 acre Northern Ireland Plant Testing Station at Crossnacreevy is to be sold to cover the costs of meeting an EU deadline on improving environmental protection measures on farms. According to the Agriculture Minister, Michelle Gildernew The minister revealed: “We are selling the land at Crossnacreevy because …

An opportunity to ‘Green’ the Republic’s foreign policy…

Mick Fealty on June 13, 2007, 5:14 pm

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My own take on the Greens going into government over at Comment is Free is rather more upbeat. The Republic’s electorate did not vote en masse for a ‘Green revolution’, nevertheless, if the party were to box smart and leverage the Green issues that are dominating world affairs (or at least outside the bloody conflict zones of the Middle East and Africa), as well as a recognisable environmental gains within the country itself, it might just come out of this …

“local people will have an opportunity to vote for a new centrepiece for Arthur Square”

Pete Baker on June 12, 2007, 3:26 pm

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The Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie has announced a £16million programme to “transform 14 of Belfast’s main streets and public spaces.” It seems to actually be the implementation of a 2006 Departmental Action Plan. And included in that bill will be £500,000 to be used in commissioning a number of new public artworks.. worryingly, the public will be able to vote on one of those artworks *shakes head*According to the statement the public vote will be for the artwork destined …

Review of water charges passed to independent panel

Pete Baker on June 11, 2007, 6:53 pm

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The Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, is to pass responsibility for the review of water and sewerage services to an independent panel, membership to be announced later. There is to be a particular focus on the costs involved and how those costs will be funded. Under the terms of the review, however, one possible mechanism, privatisation, has already been ruled out. There are also existing contracts to consider. And in the footnotes we find out what the Minister has …

Greens’ price worth paying?

Pete Baker on June 11, 2007, 2:26 pm

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With Fianna Fáil studying a Green Party document, outlining where they believe last week’s discussions broke down, the word is that the conversation between the two parties will continue. Whether that conversation concludes before Thursday is another matter.. Meanwhile in the Irish Times, Stephen Collins points to the Hill of Tara as the kind of major symbolic gesture that Fianna Fáil would “have to do” to secure the Green Party’s support..[subs req] but that At this stage it appears that …

Tara Hill added to World’s most endangered sites list

Pete Baker on June 6, 2007, 8:17 pm

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As predicted in the Irish Times[subs req], today the World Monuments Fund has added the Hill of Tara to their 2008 World Monuments Watch list of 100 most endangered heritage sites[pdf file]. Paul Muldoon’s recent New York Times article is worth highlighting again. The WMF press release also adds Often historic sites suffer in the interest of short-term gains that result in long-term losses. New construction often means destruction of historic places. The 2008 Watch List includes a broad range …

NIO’s ‘no-brainer’ decision for judicial review.. again.

Pete Baker on June 6, 2007, 1:35 am

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David Cairns is no longer with us, but that doesn’t mean the remaining NIO team and, in particular, their boss shouldn’t be held accountable for the decision to issue a notice of opinion to approve planning permission for a major retail development at Sprucefield. That decision is now to be the subject of a judicial review. This will be the second judicial review of a NIO Minister’s decision on this proposal. The first judicial review upheld a legal challenge to …

Environment Minister to review Local Government..

Pete Baker on May 29, 2007, 6:00 pm

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I missed this in all the excitement.. not sure if anyone else caught it either.. ANYhoo.. As noted on their website, on 24th May the NI Executive met and sent a letter to the Speaker’s office detailing what they had agreed[pdf file]. Included in the list was this The Executive agreed that there would be a review of the Local Government aspects of the Review of Public Administration led by the Minister of the Environment. The Minister would prepare proposals …

City of Derry Airport to re-open at midnight

Pete Baker on May 29, 2007, 2:57 am

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Having suspended, provisionally, the City of Derry Airport’s aerodrome licence on midnight of the 24th May due to a “systematic failure of safety management”, according to the BBC report “Throughout the weekend contractors were on site completing a number of improvements” and, following a joint inspection by the CAA and the Airport Authority, the airport’s statement says – “Both parties were satisfied that the airport could re-open from midnight tonight (Monday 28th May).” Pete Baker

Paving over the past

Pete Baker on May 25, 2007, 11:46 pm

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Spotted by Best of Both Worlds. Poet Paul Muldoon, recent interview noted here, picks up on the contrasting approaches from the once-and-future-Toaiseach to two historic sites in Ireland.. the Tara-Skryne Valley – where the discovery of a national monument has meant work on the M3 motorway has, probably only temporarily, been halted – and the Boyne Battle site – where a tourist centre is being built.. to the delight of certain visitors.. It seems strange, to say the least, that …

Nuclear NIMBYism

Pete Baker on May 22, 2007, 3:08 am

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The British government’s white paper on energy, expected on Wednesday, is likely to follow the recommendation of the government’s chief scientific advisor, Sir David King, in October 2005 – “We need indigenous energy sources.. Indigenous supplies include all renewables and nuclear.” Planning changes are also in the pipeline. It is, in fact, a perfectly rational solution to the main public concern about climate change. Politically, however, it remains a sensitive subject.. not least in Ireland. The Secretary of State for …

Sinn Fein’s [amended?] Water Tax policy…

Mick Fealty on April 3, 2007, 10:11 pm

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Just before the elections Sinn Fein berated the Unions (broken, if inadvertantly, on Slugger Radio) for not threatening to take unilateral action to stop Water Rates bills hitting households. At the time it came out of nowhere. Last night, on UTV, Mitchel McLaughlin seemed to put some flesh on its bare bones. El Blogador has more detail. However, if Eamon McCann is to be believed Water Rates were never going to be subject to any serious re-negotiation. Never mind the …