Media – Page 18 – Slugger O'Toole

“a claim on behalf of Mr Green against Sinn Féin has been registered with the Fair Employment Tribunal…”

Pete Baker on April 8, 2014, 3:03 pm

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When Sinn Fein’s political director at Stormont, Leo Green, failed to appear at the party’s Ard Fheis in February, both Mr Green, whilst confirming that he was no longer their northern political director, and the party were keen to play down suggestions of a dispute. As Liam Clarke noted at the time Green said he had renewed his membership of Sinn Fein on January 24 and that he had not left over any single issue. We are none the wiser except that this …

“the electoral prospects of individuals are not strictly a relevant factor when weighing the public interest in the disclosure of information…”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2014, 3:29 pm

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Another week, another ruling by the Information Commissioner that the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers acted against the public interest in refusing to disclose information in response to a FoI request. The request, from the News Letter, was for disclosure of OFMDFM’s corporate risk register – a list of the issues “causing concern” within OFMDFM. As the News Letter report notes of the commissioner’s decision …the Information Commissioner, the watchdog which enforces the open government law, has dismissed …

Belfast City Council: “what happened on Saturday evening is a clear breach of our terms and conditions of hire.”

Pete Baker on April 1, 2014, 4:16 pm

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The News Letter has an updated comment from the spokeswoman for Belfast City Council about the (Provisional) IRA commemoration at Whiterock Leisure Centre on Saturday night. From the News Letter report Belfast City Council says a republican event in one of its leisure centres was clearly in breach of terms and conditions, after critics objected to use of a Sinn Fein banner, replica weapons and paramilitary flags. The event, in Whiterock Leisure Centre on Saturday, was strongly condemned yesterday by …

OFMDFM: “open and transparent…” – redux

Pete Baker on March 29, 2014, 4:44 pm

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Via The Irish News. As UUP leader Mike Nesbitt says, “We’re not North Korea…” [Thankfully… – Ed] ANYhoo… The UUP leader has welcomed a recent (27 March) decision by the Information Commissioner (not yet online) that the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers were wrong to refuse to release the results of market research, that they had commissioned, into the proposed Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Centre (PbCRC) at the site of the old Maze Prison. From the UUP press …

“when a major political leader tells such an obvious falsehood about a defining part of his life…”

Pete Baker on March 25, 2014, 9:42 pm

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Also for the record, Ed Moloney has responded to Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams’ attack on the Boston College oral history project. From Ed Moloney’s blog I don’t intend to spill a lot of ink responding to Gerry Adams’ recent statement taking yet another swipe at the motives of those who were interviewed and who did the interviewing for the Boston College oral history archive. That is because I have already answered a very similar charge from Mary Lou McDonald. …

Ivor Bell charged in connection with Jean McConville abduction and murder

Pete Baker on March 21, 2014, 8:36 pm

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The BBC are reporting that Ivor Bell, who was arrested earlier this week, has been charged in connection with the abduction and murder of Jean McConville in December 1972. From the BBC report Ivor Bell, 77, who was a senior leader in the Provisional IRA in the 1970s, was arrested at his home in Andersonstown on Tuesday. He has been charged with aiding and abetting murder and membership of the IRA. He is expected to appear in court on Saturday. …

OTR scheme review judge named, and NI Affairs Committee launches inquiry

Pete Baker on March 11, 2014, 10:01 pm

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Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey might well think “it would’ve been better to have left the issue alone” [I couldn’t possibly comment… -Ed]. But that’s not happening. Today the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Theresa Villiers, informed the House of Commons that “the Rt Hon Lady Justice Hallett DBE has been appointed to conduct an independent review of the administrative scheme to deal with so-called ‘on-the-runs’”. The terms of reference of the review are: to produce a full public account of the operation and …

“Just to confuse matters, some elements of the tale of the On The Runs appear to have been hidden in plain sight.”

Pete Baker on March 1, 2014, 4:26 pm

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BBC NI political editor Mark Devenport with, perhaps, the best description of the mechanism used to address the issue of on-the-runs. From Mark Devenport’s BBC blog While republicans insist unionists knew all about what was happening to the On The Runs, that is not strictly true. Senior PSNI officers answered some questions posed by Northern Ireland Policing Board members and the scheme got a glancing reference in the voluminous Eames-Bradley report on dealing with the legacy of the Troubles. But when former …

David Cameron: “We will appoint an independent judge to produce a full public account of the operation of this administrative scheme…”

Pete Baker on February 27, 2014, 3:56 pm

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The BBC reports that the Prime Minister David Cameron has announced a judicial review of the operation of the controversial administrative scheme to deal with so-called “on the runs” which was highlighted in the recent collapse of the John Downey case. From the BBC report Mr Cameron told a Downing Street press conference: “I agree with the first minister of Northern Ireland that after the terrible error of the Downey case it is right to get to the bottom of what happened. …

“The Government communicated back the response to Sinn Fein via a letter from the Northern Ireland Office…”

Pete Baker on February 26, 2014, 2:23 pm

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Via the Guardian politics live-blog. Worth noting the written ministerial statement from the NI Secretary of State, dated yesterday, which details the mechanism of the on-the-runs administrative scheme [added emphasis throughout] The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mrs Theresa Villiers): On 21 February, Mr Justice Sweeney ruled that an abuse of process had taken place in the prosecution of John Downey for offences relating to the Hyde Park bombing which took place on 20 July 1982. Mr Downey was part …

“a challenging project for which there is no agreed international framework…”

Pete Baker on February 24, 2014, 3:43 pm

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Despite having agreed “a detailed timetable” at a North South Ministerial Council in October 2012 “to bring in new laws for the mutual recognition of penalty points in both jurisdictions” The Ministers agreed the detailed timetable for the drafting, passage and enactment of parallel legislation, north and south, by 31st December 2014 to allow the mutual recognition of penalty points across Ireland. The timetable was agreed at today’s North South Ministerial Council Transport Meeting in Armagh, where Minister Varadkar met with the …

Sochi Olympic success

Pete Baker on February 23, 2014, 6:31 pm

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Heh. Some wonderfully humorous choreography in evidence at the Sochi 2014: Winter Olympics closing ceremony. It made me laugh out loud. They wouldn’t have had long to arrange it… [Photograph: Barbara Walton/EPA] As the Guardian live-blog adds, For anyone who slept through the opening ceremony, here’s a reminder of the failed snowflake-ring, and its tongue-in-cheek recreation this evening. Performers sing as the Olympic rings are presented during the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics. Photograph: Yuri Kadobnov/AFP/Getty Images Performers …

Cunningham changes plea on Northern Bank robbery money-laundering charges

Pete Baker on February 18, 2014, 4:48 pm

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65-year-old Cork-based financier Ted Cunningham has re-joined the list of those convicted as a result of “Operation Phoenix”, a huge cross-border investigation into the December 2004 Northern Bank robbery – “involving anti-terrorist units, fraud squads and the Criminal Assets Bureau.” His original 2009 convictions, and his 10 year sentence, were overturned on appeal in 2012, after the Irish Supreme Court ruled that certain search warrants used had been unconstitutional. As an Irish Independent report noted at the time The three-judge [Court of Criminal Appeal] quashed …

Aventas: “These scandalous attacks orchestrated by a small group of criminals and their equally criminal sponsors…”

Pete Baker on February 12, 2014, 3:15 pm

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As the BBC reports, Lagan Cement Group has suffered damage of more than 1m euros (£820,000) in three separate attacks. The attacks followed the announcement that Lagan was buying, subject to approval, Rooftiles in County Fermanagh from the Aventas Group. The arson attacks at Lisburn, County Antrim, Comber, County Down, and Carrigtwohill, County Cork, are reported to have occurred since the Feb 4 announcement of the sale of Rooftiles, which is based in Derrylin, to the Lagan Group. The Aventas …

Solar Dynamics Observatory: Year 4

Pete Baker on February 11, 2014, 5:00 pm

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Four years after its work began, and following last year’s three years in three minutes, Nasa have released another wondrous short video of a year of selected solar activity as viewed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Video via Nasa Goddard. Full-screen viewing recommended. Stunning. [Credit: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory. Music: Stella Maris courtesy of Moby Gratis] The sun is always changing and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is always watching. Launched on Feb. 11, 2010, SDO keeps a 24-hour eye on the entire disk …

United Ireland’s struggle against gay rights wins RTE damages

Brian Walker on February 4, 2014, 6:45 pm

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Is it defamatory to accuse opponents of same sex marriage of homophobia? Or are they fairly exercising their consciences in declining to recognise equality with heterosexuals? Irish Times columnists are on opposite sides of an argument which is part of the Republic’s slow emergence into the modern era. Sadly though the columnists haven’t gone head to head over it yet; let’s hope they do. The issue arose when John Waters and Breda O’Brien, both Irish Times columnists as it …

NI Justice Minister: “I trust that the executive will recognise that it is the right decision, and that I was right to make it”

Pete Baker on January 31, 2014, 4:46 pm

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In the aftermath of the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers/Executive/Assembly/Policing Board members semi-detached polit-bureau’s kerfuffle over the NI Justice Minister’s proposed changes to the criteria for the next Chief Constable, Liam Clarke reveals some significant correspondence on the matter. Firstly, the Chief Executive of the NI Policing Board, Sam Pollock, tries his hand at herding cats to put some manners on members of the Board. In his letter to Policing Board members, Mr Pollock wrote: “I am disappointed in the …

“Residents also protested outside the local Sinn Féin offices…”

Pete Baker on January 26, 2014, 5:03 pm

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As the BBC reports, local residents have continued their protest against the planned £70million redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast. From the UTV report Around 100 residents took part in a demonstration on Saturday afternoon. They say they are now considering taking legal action. One woman said: “The main thing is the height of it, it’s going to be about 129ft and right around the whole outskirts of the houses.” A man said: “It’s an absolute monstrosity. The residents …

UK Prime Minister: “Let me reassure the right hon. Gentleman that there is absolutely no question of an imposed solution.”

Pete Baker on January 22, 2014, 3:13 pm

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As the Belfast Telegraph reports, and followed up by the BBC. For the benefit of the more excitable commenters [and politicians! – Ed] among us, the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, spelt out the political realité on the Haass proposals during PMQs in the Commons today [Added Permanent link]. Mr Nigel Dodds (Belfast North) (DUP): Does the Prime Minister accept that the remarks of the Irish Foreign Minister about the Haass talks and the possibility of some kind of intervention by …

Matt Baggott to step down as PSNI Chief Constable

Pete Baker on January 22, 2014, 12:41 pm

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Having been appointed, unanimously, by the Northern Ireland Policing Board in August 2009, PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott is to step down from the post. And, apparently, he is to retire from policing after a 37-year-long career. His contract was due to end in September 2014. Presumably he will remain in position here until then… From the BBC report He took up the job as head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in August 2009 and his contract ends in September 2014. …