The UTV website is reporting a statement in response to yesterday’s statement from the UDA expelling Andre and Ihab Shoukri. Which provides an answer to the question posed at the end of this assessment of the situation by the BBC’s Vincent Kearney.. to which I’ll just add the two items I noted in the comments on the previous thread – the comments of Judge Burgess at the trial of Ihab Shoukri on the dropping of UDA/UFF membership charges.. and the …
I’m grateful to David Vance for flagging up this spectacular figure for public sector’s share of economic output. Now before we get a chorus of CJ Haughey’s phrase ‘failed political entity’, ‘failed economic entities’ don’t pull in many ‘buyers’ either! 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
Interesting line from Mark Devenport who asked Sammy Wilson whether the linking of education reforms to the November deadline for a deal put pressure on his party, Wilson answered, yes but… The ‘but’ being that it could not alter the party’s bottom line re the conduct of the IRA. Indeed he criticised the Secretary of State for incentivising the pro education reform Sinn Fein to ‘miss’ the requirements for meeting that deadline. Meanwhile at Bodenstown Gerry Kelly again called for …
No mention of his Britishness debate in the only NIO statement on Gordon Brown’s visit today. Instead, they’ve set out a carefully co-ordinated one-two from the Prime Minister and his Deputy Prime Minister Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile this PA report has the responses from local party leaders, et al, to their discussions with Gordon Brown.. with the DUP seeming keenest to emphasise his, potential, future role in goverment. Updated …
From the Belfast Telegraph, Eamonn McCann with a forensic review of the evidence given during the legal challenges to Peter Hain’s appointment process used for the Parades Commission as well as the High Court ruling and, following Peter Hain’s objection, the subsequent Appeal Court ruling.. and gives a scathing assessment of the NIO’s involvement: The fact that what happened may have been within the law shouldn’t be allowed to obscure the political truth of the matter, that the NIO has …
Is unrealistic, of course.. but this is part of an ongoing pattern I have to say. The Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland has now dictated decreed decided that unless there is unanimous agreement on the business for the assembly there will be no debates scheduled. Given that Sinn Féin are boycotting debates on any subject unrelated to forming an Executive that would seem to narrow the agenda somewhat. But, along with Peter Hain’s earlier extension of the …
The BBC report that the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, continues to make it up as he goes along. Well they don’t say that exactly but that’s what’s happening. Extending the initial assembly run until the 5th July may not seem significant, and will likely only provide the DUP with a chance to gloat, and Sinn Féin an opportunity to stamp their feet – as both will now do – but it’s another example of …
Owen Bowcott in the Guardian yesterday notes that Maria Eagle, “revealed that the long-promised curtailment of academic selection would not come into force if local politicians agreed to restore a fully functioning Stormont assembly and executive by the deadline of November 24″. Aha. That looks to be a more convincing stick than vague muttering about joint authority. As Mitchell Reiss noted at the weekend: “…there’s a larger sense that decisions will be taken by people other than Sinn Féin or …
Following the deadlock over who would chair Hain’s Committee, and after a long hard weekend of struggling to find a way forward, the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland has appointed the two deputy Presiding Officers of the asembly [the DUP’s Jim Wells and Sinn Féin’s Francie Molloy] to chair his committee. Presumably Francie Molloy won’t have a problem with that? [But will they alternate, or chair the meetings jointly? – Ed] Alternate, it would seem. Update What …
The BBC report that the case against Ihab Shoukri has been dropped due to lack of evidence and the prosecution is not appealing the decision. He has been on bail for almost 3 years and had faced four charges of membership of both the UFF and UDA between February and July 2003 and of professing to be a member of both outlawed organisations between 14 May and 28 May 2003. But the comments of Judge Thomas Burgess, who was previously …
UTV report that the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, has won his appeal against the High Court judgement on the appointments procedure used for the Parades Commission, despite one of the Appeal judge’s description of the NIO decision-making process as bizarre during the case. More details here. I’ll add the judgement when it’s online. Update It was a 2 to 1 majority verdict. Updated The Appeal Court ruling can be found here More Reading it …
Alex Kane in his Newsletter column last Saturday was clearly unhappy about the way his party had gotten itself tied into (if only by association, rather than by any executive connection) “all sorts of conspiracy theories involving spooks and ‘those who have agendas of their own’” that arguably has dragged Republican politics through the mire in the last year and a half.By Alex Kane I was interviewed on Wednesday’s TalkBack, about the state of the UUP/PUP relationship following the shooting …
Following yesterday’s failure to agree who should chair Hain’s Committee, as noted here, and the initial reaction by the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, “The parties must urgently resolve this issue.”, Peter Hain has issued another statement, and what looks suspiciously like another deadline,”I want the parties to reflect carefully on this over the weekend and I have asked my officials to make contact with them to see where we can establish common ground. We will need …
Matthew d’Ancona interviews the former British Foreign Secretary (that comes with the plushest private offices in Whitehall) Jack Straw in the more modest surroundings of the Leader of the Commons. But that appears to be somewhat deceptive, since: …the office of Leader of the House has been considerably beefed up. He will be responsible for Lords reform and the promised overhaul of party funding, cleaning up the system and generally reinvigorating the polity. In short, the 59-year-old MP for Blackburn …
Another day, another failed attempt to agree on who should chair Hain’s Committee the Preparation for Government Committee. The options noted yesterday appear to have fallen through, including the one whereby the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, would appoint someone himself. Update NIO Statement from Peter Hain [Peter Hain or Pontius Pilate? – Ed] Other reports here and hereWhile the other parties are blaming the DUP for the deadlock, it’s worth pointing out that the …
As I suggested might happen, Hain’s Committee the Preparation for Government Committee has tried again.. and failed again to select a chairman.. but they may have failed better. Or as the BBC report puts it “The Preparation for Government Committee remains deadlocked but there is more chance of reaching compromise”. Same time tomorrow, then?The options for a chairman of the committee under consideration are – One idea under consideration is allowing the two deputy speakers Jim Wells of the DUP …
UTV report that Daily Ireland is suing the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister for £3million in lost advertising revenue [another rates hike in the offing? – Ed] and, according to the report, the Equality Commission are backing the County Court action, although the case may have to move to the High Court due to the amount being claimed.. Hmm.. I’ll admit to not knowing the comparable advertising rates, but £200,000 a month seems a lot to …
Or not.. If the first meeting of Hain’s Committee the Preparation for Government Committee is an indication of the prospects of an executive being formed then we can look forward to a prolonged period of further direct rule. As the Alliance Party leader David Ford, one of only two party leaders who took a seat on the committee, said – “If they cannot even agree on how to chair a meeting, what hope is there that they will agree to …
Regarding the latest hiccup in Irish jurisprudence, I’m with Simon: ie, the political consequences for the Republic’s election are still hard to discern. If the ruling coalition continues to take a battering on other things, this episode may weigh heavily on their credibility in a crisis. But, as Fionna has argued, the policy issue at the heart of this crisis should not go away. Continue reading at IrishElection.com. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on …
While I have already noted the latest U-turn by the Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, on the off-again/on-again assembly, it’s worth detailing the events, as related by Gerry Moriarty in the Irish Times[subs req]. Over the space of 45 minutes on Thursday he received two phone calls from the NIO, the first telling him there was no assembly business next week, the second telling him there was.. and between those calls there were also two …
