Máirtín Ó Muilleoir – Slugger O'Toole

‘Stephen Nolan needs to find the right balance – and not make angry people angrier’

Paul Gosling on June 17, 2019, 7:00 am | Readers 6961

Stephen Nolan needs to find the right balance between allowing people to express their emotions, without making angry people even angrier. The plea was made in the latest Forward Together podcast by Sinn Fein MLA and former finance minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir. “In this often divided society, I think the tone and timbre of the debate has to be respectful,” says Máirtín. “We have to find ways of not feeding the ratings monster, not sectarianising a discussion, which has huge sectarian …

“No Minister should be using any private unsecured email accounts for any official business whatsoever…”

Pete Baker on October 24, 2018, 4:45 pm | Readers 3079

Some, presumably, unintentionally revealing details from the former Northern Ireland Finance Minister, Sinn Féin’s Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, who appeared in front of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Inquiry yesterday. This from his written statement [pdf file] 16. The bundle of documents referred to above appears to indicate that you used the email account [email protected] to discuss, share, transact, or otherwise communicate Executive business and Executive policy; and that you discussed, shared, transacted, or otherwise communicated Executive business and Executive policy with …

Máirtín caught telling “porky pies” in his South Belfast #AE2017 campaign leaflet…

Mick Fealty on May 22, 2017, 3:12 pm | Readers 4032

“Peace is not merely the absence of war but the presence of justice, of law, of order —in short, of government.” Attributed to Albert Einstein Thought I’d start this piece with a useful boss-quote, for a couple of small but intriguing items. First is the news that Sinn Fein’s former Finance Minister not only got his sums wrong on a claim in his election poster, but is going all Boris Johnson and pretending that there’s nothing wrong. In huge lettering …

Quiet Executive cooperation makes part of NAMA investigation go away

Kris Nixon (Belfast Barman) on January 8, 2017, 9:10 pm | Readers 2136

SUNDAY LIFE reports SDLP and People Before Profit walkout from Standards and Privileges Committee in early December over DUP and Sinn Fein voting down referral of Finance Committee members dealings with Jamie Bryson to Assembly Commissioner for Standards, Douglas Bain.

Maírtín, quick to lay into Bell – not so quick for Foster

Kris Nixon (Belfast Barman) on December 15, 2016, 6:13 pm | Readers 4277

Just a curious observation following Finance Minister Maírtín Ó Muilleoir commenting yesterday on the ongoing RHI situation, where he refused to say if he retained confidence in the DUP leader. Quite a stark contrast to when the Finance Minister appeared before the Finance Committee to answer questions raised over the Daithí McKay/Jamie Bryson deep throat situation. When Jonathan Bell began to give Ó Muilleoir a hard time in the witness seat, the Finance Minister was irascible in his replies. Ó …

Máirtín flies a one year budget kite without telling his cabinet colleagues first

Mick Fealty on September 5, 2016, 5:29 pm | Readers 1664

Frenetic start to the week for Northern Ireland’s Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir. At the weekend he was trailed in the media as saying he would try to persuade DUP colleagues to go back to the normal 1 budget a year model to get NI through the Brexit crisis. That’s how most governments do it: Brexit crisis or not. However, despite Fresh Start, Máirtín clearly hasn’t run it past the First Minister. There’s no real block on it, since the reason for doing …

How Sinn Fein only undermined themselves by turning on their own partners in Government…

Mick Fealty on August 29, 2016, 10:33 am | Readers 2277

In case you missed it, here’s my analysis of the debacle up to and following the resignation of Daithi McKay written for and published by the Irish Independent on Saturday. The nine-year government coalition between Sinn Féin and the DUP has been an odd and largely unproductive affair. In spite of the popular Chuckle Brothers routine between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, the positive fruits of that partnership have always been more apparent than evident. And under the skin, relations have often …

“What was the basis of that belief? Where was that belief grounded?”

Mick Fealty on August 23, 2016, 2:55 pm | Readers 2348

Máirtín says he had no knowledge of Daithi McKay’s backchannel with Jamie Bryson until it was published last week, even though the inquiry (which was supposed to be investigating Nama) has, as yet, turned out to be little more than a power play against the then First Minister, Peter Robinson. No political party worth the name mounts such a play without a substantial discussion about the hows, whys and wherefores of such a move. Odd that Sinn Fein would leave Máirtín out of …

Finance Minister says NI left out of Brexit negotiations: UK Gov won’t underwrite current EU funding for NI

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on August 12, 2016, 1:15 pm | Readers 3057

Talking at this morning’s Big Ideas: Festival of Economics at NICVA, Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir indicated that Northern Ireland was being left out of post-Brexit decision making in London. He also felt it was likely the British Government would not underwrite the “half of” current EU INTERREG and PEACE funding, adding that he expected farm payments would “fall off a cliff in 2020”.

Theresa Villiers: “ultimately it is parliament’s decision whether we repeal the 1972 European Communities Act or whether we don’t.”

Pete Baker on June 27, 2016, 7:22 pm | Readers 1771

Andy’s valiant attempt at providing clarity on the role of the devolved institutions in the UK’s withdrawal from the EU doesn’t appear to have worked for some of our local representatives. The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, couldn’t have been clearer. “In the weeks and months ahead we will be working with both the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on all these matters,” [Theresa Villiers] told BBC’s Sunday Politics show. “But ultimately it is parliament’s decision whether we …

Orange Order rates relief: £8.12m. (Twaddell policing costs: £24m, and counting… )

Kris Nixon (Belfast Barman) on June 23, 2016, 2:05 pm | Readers 1688

At the NI Assembly on Monday, Christopher Stalford received an answer to an assembly question directed at Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, the Finance Minister, as to the rates relief statistics for Orange Halls. The response tells us that since April 2006, the Orange institution has saved an estimated £8.12 million by being exempt from paying rates. During this time, of course, the DUP used the much criticised ‘Petition of Concern’ mechanism to block a Sínn Fein bill which would have enabled amateur sports clubs (such …

“My colleague Mr Girvan described this entire mess as a “dirty scheme”: do you agree with that?”

Mick Fealty on October 18, 2015, 8:49 am | Readers 1534

It may be that Mairtin has had second thoughts, possibly after reading Slugger… “Attempts to score cheap political points totally miss the real purpose of the inquiry which is to investigate allegations of corruption and possible conflicts of interest. “Instead of trying to use the inquiry as an opportunity for party political grandstanding, all members should be working together to get to the truth of this major public interest issue.” Quite. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has …

Cartoon – ‘Dodgy emissions…’

Brian Spencer on September 24, 2015, 12:19 am | Readers 1165

The Stormont Committee for Finance and Personnel yesterday voted for Approach One, they would hear in public evidence from the lone loyalist blogger. Most of the pexceedings were taken up with the oral presentation, but Máirtín Ó Muilleoir asked an important question towards the end: who are the sources behind the detailed information? Adding that he would like to bring them before the Committee. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information …

Jonathan Bell: I will bring a campaign to South Belfast like “you have never seen”

David McCann on February 20, 2015, 1:32 pm | Readers 3389

On Wednesday night the DUP’s newly minted candidate for South Belfast launched his campaign to become the new MP for South Belfast. In the middle of all hustle and bustle of the Four Winds I caught up with the candidate, Junior Minister, Jonathan Bell. To start with I wanted to know why the DUP thought that South Belfast was so ripe for change? Bell told me that when you look at the last local election results it is clear that …

Máirtín Ó Muilleoir: Changing attitudes in Stormont and determined to change South Belfast in May

David McCann on January 7, 2015, 6:59 pm | Readers 2968

It’s never easy to fit in time for an interview with one of Northern Ireland’s most active politicians. Always on the move, the new Sinn Féin MLA for South Belfast, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir met me at the Welcome Organisation on the Falls Rd last night to talk about his views of Stormont and the upcoming elections in May. I began by asking him about stepping down as Mayor of Belfast last June. I recalled my impression of that night in …

“We, Too, Sing Belfast” … perhaps subtitled “We, Too, Snap @NewBelfast!”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on December 18, 2014, 6:07 pm | Readers 698

364 days, an estimated 2,000 engagements, thousands of handshakes, around 25,000 tweets, and goodness knows how many selfies … that was a year in the life of Máirtín Ó Muilleoir as Lord Mayor of Belfast. I’m sure many people rolled their eyes or tutted when they heard that the Lord Mayor had agreed to allow a professional photographer to follow him around. From August 2013 through to June 2014, Donal McCann captured images wherever Máirtín Ó Muilleoir went, including travelling …

Vision for Belfast unveiled by Lord Mayor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir who promises to “remain relentlessly positive” about the city this year

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 31, 2013, 11:10 am | Readers 275

When Máirtín Ó Muilleoir returned to Belfast City Council after an absence of fourteen years he must have hoped that it would be a changed place. His book – Belfast’s Dome of Delight – documents his journey as the “novice ambassador from the independent republic of Anderstown” to the council chamber as the nationalist (and in particular Sinn Fein) presence on the council grew. Sinn Fein’s offices in the council were bombed by the UVF in May 1994. The election …

“Sinn Féin councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has called on Belfast Chamber of Commerce President Joe Jordan to ‘stop politicking’…”

Pete Baker on January 14, 2013, 10:45 pm | Readers 268

It’s not entirely clear to me why Belfast Chamber of Commerce President Joe Jordan has been singled out for criticism by Sinn Féin Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, but he has been. Here’s the 11 January press release from the Sinn Féin website Sinn Féin councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has called on Belfast Chamber of Commerce President Joe Jordan to “stop politicking” and unite with political and business leaders to build the city of Belfast. Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said: “Sadly, while others have been …

“Not always possible to align the democratic and the retail calendars…”

Mick Fealty on December 11, 2012, 12:33 pm | Readers 42

First sign of any sort of kick back on the Alliance, the SDLP and Sinn Fein came from President of the Chamber last night, Joe Jordan who criticised the timing of the vote (rather than the vote itself), and the widespread unrest in and now way beyond the city.. It fell to Mairtin O’Muilleoir, a businessman himself and often an overt champion of local business interests on Twitter responded to similar queries on Sunday when he tweeted: @danzer_b agreed but …

“are you serious?” – redux

Pete Baker on May 6, 2012, 4:47 pm | Readers 473

Having taken umbrage previously at the sight of the Union flag on a bit of turkey in his local Asda store, the now Sinn Féin councillor, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, is bemoaning the lack of eggs “produced locally” in Sainsbury’s. Or so he claims… [He has photographic evidence! – Ed] Indeed. As he says in the Andersonstown News How did I know the eggs weren’t local produce? That was easy: every box had a mini-Union Jack. [In Sainsbury’s!? – Ed] Of course, “we’re not part …