Europe – Page 28 – Slugger O'Toole

Lithuania to choose Campbell’s extradition path

Pete Baker on May 28, 2009, 2:04 am

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At Belfast Recorder’s Court today, Real IRA member and suspected Omagh bomber Liam Campbell was remanded in custody whilst Judge Tom Burgess asks the Lithuanian authorities in which jurisdiction they would prefer to pursue his extradition on a European arrest warrant. Here, in the UK, or in Ireland where Campbell has been remanded on bail with two others since his arrest in January – in connection with an MI5 sting operation which saw Campbell’s brother arrested in Lithuania in January …

Vote Match Europe…

Mick Fealty on May 27, 2009, 9:50 pm

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Of all the voter choice thingies online, I like this one… Vote Match looks for your policy choices, and then in Northern Ireland asks you which parties you incline towards and then grades them against the match on actual policy… It’s not long, but you have to ‘think’… Which is a good thing; no? 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 …

Beginnings of a new southern Sinn Fein…

Mick Fealty on May 26, 2009, 3:40 pm

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One of the things that kind of surprised me was the high rating for Toireasa Ferris in the southern constituency in the Irish Times poll. Bright, young, articulate and (dare I say it, good looking), she is making exactly the kind of waves Sinn Fein needs to create a viable 32 county ‘product’. Harry Magee reports: If you scan through the policy page of her slick website, its major themes are democratic accountability, jobs, families, communities, public services, rural Ireland. …

“a somewhat Jesuitical distinction..”

Pete Baker on May 26, 2009, 2:14 am

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The RTÉ report contains signs of a potential power struggle involving various parts of the Irish arm of the Catholic Church, and the Irish State, in the aftermath of the Ryan Report – noted by Brian here. For the State, as the Irish Times’ Mary Raferty notes, former Irish government Minister, Michael Woods, has been defending the government’s 2002 agreement with the Church [indemnity for the religious orders inolved from all redress claims made by victims in exchange for payments …

“that’s what our party position would be..”

Pete Baker on May 23, 2009, 11:42 pm

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Following David Cameron’s campaign trail commitment on ending the double-jobbing of MPs/MLAs, and the DUP’s Peter Robinson’s elaboration on what DUP MPs will do, the Irish News today had more on the responses of interested parties. According to the DUP spokesman in the report [subs req] – “Over a three-year window, the DUP will phase out multiple mandates.” The SDLP’s Mark Durkan is reported as stating – “If I stand in the next Westminster election, I will be standing on …

Jim Allister set to upset both pro Agreement Unionist parties?

Mick Fealty on May 22, 2009, 8:26 pm

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This election is way too screwy to bet with any confidence on concrete predictions. I’ve heard the estimated size of the TUV vote run from 15,000 to 80,000. But Brendan over at Stakeholder notes that Paddy Power is giving the shortest money on a 60,000 plus haul of first preferences to Jim Allister. That’s certainly above current DUP estimates. And the TUV think it could go significantly higher. If it does break 60k, depending on how the Nationalist race goes …

Potemkin villages

Pete Baker on May 22, 2009, 7:52 pm

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Sharp observation from Mark Devenport as he followed David Cameron around on his one day visit. Enroute to Portadown on the M1 I noticed that eager Conservative and Unionist supporters had parked large mobile billboards with their “Vote for Change” message on a couple of bridges over the motorway. Presumably they hoped the leader would spot them on his way to the factory. It made me think fleetingly of the Potemkin villages supposedly erected in Rusia to impress the empress …

Two Tory MEPs back Jim, er Allister…

Mick Fealty on May 21, 2009, 9:17 pm

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Wrong Jim lads, wrong Jim… Nicholson’s the party’s official horse in the race… My colleague at the Daily Telegraph knows a good small ‘c’ conservative MEP when he sees one, and Allister, it would appear is it: “Northern Ireland is tremendously lucky to have Jim Allister…he is a champion of the whole of the UK, not just for Ulster, a genuine patriot, a tireless defender of our national interests. Jim Allister is Northern Ireland’s best friend in the European Parliament.” …

Jim Allister: rent or mortgage payments?

Mick Fealty on May 21, 2009, 12:54 am

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Slugger hears that Bairbre de Brun is preparing to disclose her European expenses for the last year (at the same time the Speaker of the House of Commons has asked the costs submitted over the last four at Westminster to see if they are ‘reasonable’ – ed) Right, for those of you who missed it, there was this little exchange on the News Letter’s web chat with Jim Allister this morning (I suspect the wily MEP had the measure of …

Are the Greens getting the jitters?

Pete Baker on May 18, 2009, 9:36 pm

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On Stormont Live today, BBC NI’s Dublin correspondent Shane Harrison reported back from the European, and local, elections campaign trails in Ireland, pointed out the difference between there and here, and commented on Sinn Féin’s chances. Pete Baker

The [EU election] week that was

Pete Baker on May 15, 2009, 4:13 pm

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BBC NI political editor Mark Devenport reviews the week that was on the European election trail – featuring, amongst others, the dissenting Ulster Unionist MP.. and those dangerously slippery rocks.. Pete Baker

Beware photo-ops on slippery rocks

Pete Baker on May 12, 2009, 9:39 pm

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On Stormont Live today, Jim Fitzpatrick and Mark Devenport had some fun with the video of a less than surefooted Sinn Féin launch of Bairbre de Brun’s election campaign at the Belfast Waterworks. Where was the Waterworks Health and Safety officer? Almost a “Kinnock”, indeed. And, as the man says, it’s on YouTube.. [Well, it is now – Ed]. Unlike the party’s official Election Broadcast.. Pete Baker

“It is better to have the IMF imposing tough reforms than the EU”

Pete Baker on May 6, 2009, 1:41 am

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In the Irish Times Jamie Smyth gives an illuminating account of press briefings German-style before going on to provide an informative interpretation of current political thinking in Germany on EU affairs. 1) Berlin thinks a Yes vote in Ireland is the most likely result of an October referendum due to the economic crisis. But it is concerned the Government is not doing enough to prepare for a second vote. 2) There are grave fears Czech president Vaclav Klaus will chair …

Citybeat Slugger slot on Europe

Mick Fealty on May 5, 2009, 10:31 pm

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Tonight (in fifteen minutes) we are mostly talking about Europe… It’s pretty obvious that by comparison with their European counterparts, Europe is about the last thing on any local politicians minds… Though all parties love having their photos taken, whether it is the DUP at a May day fair in Carrickfergus, or Bairbre de Brun having her photo taken at the National Ploughing Championships, sheep, cows and pigs are the photo op of the day for our MEPs and prospective …

Euro Election Round up…

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2009, 4:19 pm

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In the end Declan Ganley managed to round up a full 200 candidates in time for his party’s campaign launch in Rome yesterday, which unlocks that €200,000 in funding he was looking for… Ganley himself is given a fair chance of taking a seat in Ireland North and West, but it is not clear whether the appeal will travel beyond the peculiar bounds of Irish politics…- The Alliance Party leader has warned against the Euro elections locally turning into another …

Unionism needs to get in tune with the zeitgeist of today’s European Union

Mick Fealty on April 30, 2009, 6:43 pm

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Eamon McCann’s been reading what sounds like a fascinating book by a man who was a player during the early, and most traumatic years of the Northern Irish troubles… Eamon buys the argument that Unionism could to get itself off the tribal hook, and into an attractive, and fashionable space. He quotes Robert Ramsey here: “To me, the most important aspect of the development of the Ulster Scots identity is that it would take (unionism) out of the internationally damaging …

“All three have since taken up new ‘peace and reconciliation’ roles.”

Pete Baker on April 30, 2009, 6:36 pm

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Ahead of today’s court ruling on the decision to cut public funding of the Conflict Transformation Initiative the Irish News brought news of three of the scheme’s more prominent employees – one of whom can be seen here. From the Irish News [subs req] Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the Conflict Transformation Initiative’s (CTI) three most prominent loyalist employees have all stood down from their posts. Ex-UDA prisoners Billy “Twister” McQuiston and Colin Halliday along with loyalist spokesman and …

“in relation to matters held sacred by any religion..”

Pete Baker on April 29, 2009, 8:11 pm

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Future Taoiseach spotted this first and noted the suggested amendment by Labour Justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte. The Irish Times reports that the Irish government’s Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern proposes to insert a new section into the Defamation Bill, stating: “A person who publishes or utters blasphemous matter shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to a fine not exceeding €100,000.” And “Blasphemous matter” is defined as matter “that is grossly abusive or …

“Our people may be British, but our cows are Irish…”

Mick Fealty on April 29, 2009, 6:05 pm

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Who would say such an outrageous thing? Ian Paisley, of course… Jonathan Powell has some brief thoughts on the significance of the mutual membership of the EU for Ireland and the UK: The border between Ireland and the UK just came to mean much less once we were both in the EU. This was particularly brought home to me when Ian Paisley, the fire-breathing DUP leader, came to see Tony Blair in the midst of the 2005 Foot and Mouth …

For the record…

Mick Fealty on April 29, 2009, 3:52 pm

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My old mucker Naoise’s been mentioned in a Seanad debate, and gets another mention in the Irish Times, drawing praise from Micheal Martin for his ‘stand’ against Libertas’ ‘scare-mongering’ campaign… Not everyone in Fianna Fail is half so happy with Mr Nunn’s role in John McGuinness’s coup last weekend (nice pic of John and the lovely Mary from Deaglan here) on the Late Late Show… It’s thought that certain sections of the party were planning a counter attack based on …