Media – Page 11 – Slugger O'Toole

When is “an independent study” on Irish unification not independent?

Pete Baker on November 21, 2015, 7:54 pm

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When it has been commissioned, under cover, by Friends of Sinn Féin USA, perhaps… Sinn Féin were quick to welcome the recent announcement of the “first-ever economic modeling [of the] economic benefits Of Irish unification” at the Harvard Club in Manhattan. Twice, in fact. An Phoblacht were too. The press release from Sinn Féin MEP, Matt Carthy, “party spokesperson on the campaign for Irish Unity”, welcomed the “independent study which shows that Irish Unity would be economically beneficial for both jurisdictions …

“Sinn Féin achieved a welfare system better than the one in Britain, by an average of £94m per year…” – Redux

Pete Baker on November 17, 2015, 8:32 pm

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Back in February 2015, this was Sinn Féin’s original line on the welfare cuts mitigation schemes agreed at the first Stormont Castle Agreement. …Sinn Féin from 2011 onwards opposed the proposed welfare cuts and insisted welfare protection was absolutely fundamental for all citizens. “That is why Sinn Féin politically campaigned against welfare cuts alongside trade unions and grassroots communities. “This principle guided our strategy during the Stormont House negotiations and why, in December last, when the other four Executive parties …

Terrorist attacks in Paris

Pete Baker on November 13, 2015, 10:54 pm

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PARIS ATTACKS: At least 40 people are reported to have been killed. There have been shootings at, at least, two bars or restaurants, including a Cambodian restaurant, and there have been explosions reported near the Stade de France where the French national football side were playing Germany.

Martin McGuinness: “if the governments move as speedily as we have done, all of this could move very quickly”

Pete Baker on November 10, 2015, 10:46 pm

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After 9 weeks of behind-closed-doors talks, including an exclusive, super-sekrit, meeting in Downing Street with David Cameron, and a less sekrit meeting with Enda Kenny, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers emerged blinking into the light today to inform the waiting press that… “The core of that agreement, the substance, has already been agreed in dialogue terms between Sinn Féin and the DUP,” [Peter Robinson] said. [added emphasis] So they haven’t put it in writing yet, never mind agreed it …

“The first and deputy first ministers held a private meeting with the prime minister in London..”

Pete Baker on November 7, 2015, 12:31 am

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Back to political reality, because some recent posts have been less than relevant. No names, no pack drill. ANYhoo… As the BBC reports, following the Northern Ireland Secretary of State’s declaration that, “I think it is possible that we could have a deal next week“, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers, the DUP’s Peter Robinson and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, met with the Prime Minister in Downing Street today on Friday 6 November. The BBC reports that There is …

Portugal – Redux: “I’m less heartened by the way in which individuals misinterpret other countries’ politics to prove particular political points.”

Pete Baker on November 2, 2015, 5:41 pm

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Make that individuals and political parties… Like David, Sinn Féin had another go at framing the narrative over recent events in Portugal. Unlike David, they didn’t reverse ferret totally change their perspective after reading a random blog post… The initial charge (24 Oct) from the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, TD, was that “Events in Portugal expose anti-democratic nature of EU” …in Portugal we are witnessing the makings of a genuine coup with the unwillingness of the establishment there to …

RedC on Sinn Féin: “The greatest declines are seen among younger voters…”

Pete Baker on October 27, 2015, 3:20 pm

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Following on from Mick’s post, it’s worth highlighting an interesting detail from, Managing Director of RedC, Richard Colwell’s analysis of the poll. Back in December we were recording the highest levels of support seen for Sinn Fein in any RED C poll, reaching a high of 24% of the first preference vote. In today’s poll they secured just 16%, the worst level seen for the party since February 2014. That means that in effect the party has lost 8% support over …

“Provisional IRA members believe the Provisional Army Council oversees both PIRA and Sinn Féin with an overarching strategy.”

Pete Baker on October 20, 2015, 2:48 pm

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The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, has published the assessment of “the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary groups focusing on those which declared ceasefires in order to support and facilitate the political process”. Theresa Villiers’ statement to Parliament is here. The letter to the Secretary of State [pdf file] from the independent reviewers confirming the completion of their assessment is also available. We are satisfied that: i) MI5 and PSNI have engaged fully with us, consistent with their duties and constraints: …

NI Commissioner for Public Appointments: “We just do not have diverse representation on our public boards.”

Pete Baker on October 19, 2015, 4:39 pm

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The new Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland, Judena Leslie, made her first media appearance on BBC NI’s The View last week. And she began where her predecessor left off, criticising the lack of diversity in those public appointments. From the BBC report Northern Ireland has about 1,400 public appointments, ranging from unpaid boards of further education colleges to many high profile paid positions. Women, ethnic minorities and people with a disability are all under-represented on public bodies. Thirty-three …

“in which case, may I be the first to say well done Gerry.”

Pete Baker on September 28, 2015, 3:23 pm

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Aided and abetted by the right-wing nationalists of the Independent Greeks, Alexis Tsipras has been returned to power in Greece at the head of a New Syriza “experiment” to implement the EU bail-out, and associated austerity measures, that the Old Syriza experiment was once elected to oppose. Given the contortions Tsipras has put his party, and his country, through it was interesting to see the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, quick off the mark to congratulate Tsipras [on his chutzpah? – …

Portadown Times gets pinged for not disclosing provenance of DUP commissioned poll in Upper Bann

Mick Fealty on September 25, 2015, 5:03 pm

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And as the week closes, here’s an interesting wee bit of business for the UUP leader Mike Nesbitt in Upper Bann… The Portadown Times published results from what it said was an “independent” poll ahead of May’s general election. But it failed to acknowledge that the survey had actually been commissioned by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Mr Nesbitt said the article “appears to have skewed” the election result. The article suggested that the gap in support between the DUP …

Gerry Adams: “Even if I’m wrong [about the continued existence of the Provisional IRA…]”

Pete Baker on September 14, 2015, 7:16 pm

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PROVISIONALS APPEAR THEN DISAPPEAR: It’s not the Provisional IRA structures that are the immediate cause for concern. It’s the involvement of those ‘structures’ in the events leading up to, and including, the murder of Kevin McGuigan, and the continued denials which have followed.

Is Corbyn “pulling an Enda” in retreating from that live Marr interview…

Mick Fealty on September 14, 2015, 3:56 pm

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MEDIA PLAN, WHAT MEDIA PLAN? Corbyn did not feel it to be necessary and was worried about a possible conflict with a constituency event. Some of his team, however, believed it was a mistake not to do Marr because of its agenda-setting potential.

Labour’s New Leadership…

Pete Baker on September 12, 2015, 12:44 pm

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Tom Watson has been elected deputy leader [not worth a bucket of warm piss? – Ed] on the third count and, as expected, Jeremy Corbyn is now the new leader of the Labour Party having taken 59.4% of the vote in the first round. Phil Rogers has a breakdown of voting by category – full party members, affiliated (trade union members) and registered (those who paid £3 to vote). Labour leadership election result by category of voters pic.twitter.com/5lSWU3johL — Phil Rodgers …

“Perhaps we will wake up on Saturday afternoon and find it has all been a bad dream.”

Pete Baker on September 6, 2015, 1:21 pm

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Ahead of the election of their new leader, in the Guardian Andrew Rawnsley samples the mood, of despair, among the moderates of the parliamentary Labour Party. Labour MPs, as a collective, are still getting their stunned heads round what is happening to their party. Because the hard left had been fought – and apparently crushed – so long ago, it simply did not occur to them that it might revive, least of all in the person of a 66-year-old colleague who …

Con politics… – redux

Pete Baker on September 5, 2015, 6:43 pm

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The caption may not be as perfect a fit this time round, but you should get the gist… Just saying, again… [Put… the bunny… back… in the box. – Ed] Pete Baker

“Those who the police believe ordered and implemented the murder of Kevin McGuigan are mainstream not mavericks.”

Pete Baker on September 2, 2015, 1:42 am

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Via Newshound. And for the, apparently, hard of understanding. Suzanne Breen hones in on the important detail at the heart of the current political kerfuffle. From Suzanne Breen in the Sunday Life The North has plunged into a political crisis, the Stormont institutions are on the brink of collapse, and unionist and nationalist politicians are bickering as though the peace process never happened. It may be argued that the events leading to this chaos matter not a jot to people in the Republic. IRA …

There are lessons from Northern Ireland for the SNP’s row over Nick Robinson and the BBC

Brian Walker on September 1, 2015, 1:49 pm

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The row between the BBC’s outgoing political editor Nick Robinson and the former Scotland first minister Alex Salmond reminds me of experience in Northern Ireland during the Troubles where there was a similar lack of fundamental agreement about the political destiny of the country. Nick’s row arose out of questions he put to Alex at a news conference towards the end of the referendum campaign. The SNP were playing down the theme which turned out to be the clincher in …

“The real story is not the existence of some skeleton structure, but the sound of gunfire…”

Pete Baker on August 27, 2015, 3:02 pm

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It’s not the still-extant Provisional IRA structures that are the immediate cause for concern, although “stupid” questions could, and should, be asked about their ultimate purpose, it’s the involvement of those Provisional IRA ‘structures’ in the events leading up to, and including, the murder of Kevin McGuigan, and the continued denials [of that reality! – Ed] which have followed. As I mentioned previously …a key element in the recent events under investigation, which I noted previously, [is] the Provisional IRA investigation into …

Tánaiste: “This is an insidious threat to Northern Ireland’s future as a healthy, stable democracy, and therefore a threat to the whole of this island.”

Pete Baker on August 25, 2015, 7:00 pm

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Brian’s weariness at another political crisis notwithstanding, it would be a mistake to dismiss reaction to recent events as a “kerfuffle”. There are legitimate concerns, and two men have been murdered. The Irish Justice Minister, Fine Gael’s Frances Fitzgerald, has asked the Garda Commissioner for a “fresh assessment” of Provisional IRA activities to take into account “what the PSNI have been learning about any PIRA structures as a result of [the rigorous investigation being carried out by the PSNI into the …