NI Executive – Page 17 – Slugger O'Toole

“Run like a huckster’s shop” – Redux

Pete Baker on July 31, 2014, 2:35 pm

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[No change since June 2009, then? – Ed] Have there been any consequences…? A BBC report that the DUP and Sinn Féin have, belatedly, agreed the outcome of the semi-detached polit-bureau Northern Ireland Executive’s June budget monitoring round was met with understandable criticism from the other NI Executive parties. Justice Minister David Ford, who leads the Alliance Party, described the situation as “shambolic” while the Ulster Unionists and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) said they had been kept in the dark about …

Theresa in the Wonderland of the Hallett review

Brian Walker on July 21, 2014, 6:36 pm

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The plainly rushed Hallett Review and the British government response to it raise as many questions as answers. They expose not a carefully planned discreet operation but a terribly improvised muddle in which the left hand ( the PSNI) did not know the full de facto amnesty effect of what the right hand ( the NIO) was doing, and with nobody really holding onto the wriggling baby. The longer term inquiry by the Commons Northern Ireland Select Committee may go on …

Martina Anderson MEP: “and if the British government lifts its ban on Executive access to the EIB…”

Pete Baker on July 17, 2014, 7:49 pm

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No update yet from Sinn Féin on the meeting they chose to trail a couple of days ago between three of their MEPs, led by the Derry Northern Ireland representative, Martina Anderson, and “the Vice-Chairman of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Jonathan Taylor”. But let’s hope they were better briefed than the 15 July press release suggests, otherwise the only reaction is likely to be a rolling of eyes by Jonathan Taylor, Vice-President of the EIB, formerly Director General for Financial Services at …

Peter Hain: “since I was running the place I could more or less do what I wanted to do…”

Pete Baker on June 29, 2014, 5:23 pm

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The former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland [and Wales, etc! – Ed], Peter Hain, has been reminiscing about the good old days… “When I was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in 2005-07, [Prince Charles] was delighted when I told him that since I was running the place I could more or less do what I wanted to do. “I was able to introduce a trial for complementary medicine on the NHS, and it had spectacularly good results, that …

HBO’s Michael Lombardo: “Belfast is not the most cosmopolitan of cities to spend half of the year.”

Pete Baker on June 12, 2014, 10:32 pm

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With so much of some Northern Ireland Executive ministers‘ time and effort [and other people’s money! – Ed] focused on exploiting the international success of HBO’s Game of Thrones to promote Northern Ireland overseas, it’s perhaps unfortunate, but refreshing, that HBO’s director of programming, Michael Lombardo, has given an honest answer to a straight question – as the BBC report here. From the New York Magazine’s Vulture blog The whole production seems so daunting that I didn’t know if an eighth book would …

After the election… Yes but what does it all amount to (if anything)?

Brian Walker on June 7, 2014, 1:16 am

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After the series on party fortunes after the elections an overview is now needed badly The MSM isn’t doing it. Someone should. This is not it. From afar : I’ve no idea why the 50+% odd vote was 15% higher than in England. Any guesses? Where are you Nicholas Whyte? Is there a good analysis of differential turnout that I’ve missed? In the North small earthquake in Chile. Not much has changed politically. Unionist parties ran a race to the right and increased …

For race and community relations, fundamentalism has no answers

Brian Walker on June 2, 2014, 1:32 pm

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The present race row reminds me of a story from the bad old days. To give the camera crews a decent sequence of the Saturday matinee in Derry, a very tall black squaddie used to sprint down Chamberlain St and run the gamut of stones, bricks and bottles from the freedom fighters. Back safe he turned to the cameramen. “There, told you,” he said, breathless but beaming. “The problem of this place isn’t Catholic and Protestant. It’s race!” Black humour …

Personal memories of Sunningdale and the UWC strike – the lost opportunity for a generation

Brian Walker on May 22, 2014, 7:10 pm

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Although I couldn’t attend the conferences they’ve sparked off vivid memories. This was a time when not only Northern Ireland seemed ungovernable but Britain too. At the Sunningdale civil service college in Berkshire we in the media were stuck in the conference annex for days because of the difficulty of getting taxis during the three day week, then in full force. TV had to close down at 10 o’clock each night – it was that bad. In spite of the atmosphere of crisis in England hopes …

Compensation for inquest delays underlines the need for dealing with the past

Brian Walker on May 21, 2014, 12:13 pm

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Yesterday’s landmark compensation awards of £7500 each to the families of six men killed by the security forces means that the logjam of inquests is beginning to cost the state money – money the justice system says it hasn’t got and never will have, to pay for optimum legal accountability for the Troubles. As the Guardian reports: The high court in Belfast ruled on Tuesday that the damages were awarded due to the “frustration, distress and anxiety” suffered by the …

Sinn Féin: “What happened was done with British cabinet approval…”

Pete Baker on May 13, 2014, 6:22 pm

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A few days ago on Eamonn Maillie’s blog, Brian Rowan gravely informed us that, rather than the wild paranoid ramblings of a party desperate to distract attention from their threat to “review” their support for policing if the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, was charged as a result of the investigation into the abduction, murder and secret burial of Jean McConville in 1972, Sinn Féin’s latest outburst is evidence that “we’re not out of the political woods just yet.” The …

Matt Baggott: “Under the Patten architecture, to which all political parties have signed up…”

Pete Baker on May 6, 2014, 5:39 pm

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PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott has rejected Sinn Fein’s claims of “political policing” in the arrest and questioning of party president Gerry Adams. And in doing so he highlights an inconvenient truth for the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister. From the BBC report In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Baggott said the accusation of a “dark side” within the PSNI was one he refuted. “Under the Patten architecture, to which all political parties have signed up, there are numerous ways …

The peace process sceptics need addressing as the governments prepare to intervene

Brian Walker on May 6, 2014, 7:13 am

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People who had to catch their breath over Gerry Adams’ arrest are now be having second wind. The former Labour secretary of state Shaun Woodward has called for a referendum over the heads of the local parties on what sort of mechanism they want to deal with the legacy of the Troubles. This may be commended as an initiative for jolting what remains the sovereign government and its Dublin partner into exercising their responsibilities in a low intensity existential crisis. But …

Robinson: PSNI must not be subjected to ‘bully boy’ tactics

David McCann on May 4, 2014, 10:18 am

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This morning First Minister, Peter Robinson released this statement. The PSNI must not be the subject of republican bullyboy tactics. They must be completely free to follow any and all evidence regardless of where it takes them and to decide free of political considerations whether suspects will be charged or not. He continued; I warn Sinn Fein that they have crossed the line and should immediately cease this destructive behaviour. The inconsistency of the Deputy First Minister is clear for …

Con Politics…

Pete Baker on May 3, 2014, 5:07 pm

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Just saying… [Put… the bunny… back… in the box. – Ed] Pete Baker

“Something, Something, Something, Dark Side…” – redux

Pete Baker on May 1, 2014, 7:02 pm

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More sound and fury from Sinn Féin over the continuing, agreed, questioning of party president Gerry Adams, TD, about the abduction, murder and secret burial of Jean McConville in 1972. This time the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, is recycling a 2011 phrase from his party chairman, Declan Kearney. And, apparently, he has super-sekrit sources… Mr McGuinness, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, told a press conference at Stormont that the arrest of his party leader and “friend” was politically …

Instead of slugging it over the police, the politicians should take responsibility for the past

Brian Walker on May 1, 2014, 6:34 pm

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Does the conspiracy theory work, that Gerry Adams got himself arrested in order to clear his name? Does it square with Martin McGuinness’ charge that the timing is politically motivated? Or are Sinn Fein stunting synthetic rage about the timing in order to make his release an even bigger triumph? Ed Moloney speaking Radio 4 believes there was a logic to the timing of the arrest after the evidence of the Boston tapes, quite apart from elections. However he questions …

Gerry Adams: “I have no recollection of that whatsoever.”

Pete Baker on April 23, 2014, 11:13 pm

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A couple of points to note about the BBC report of the interview with former Provisional IRA member Peter Rogers. From the BBC report An ex-IRA man has made new allegations about Gerry Adams, in which he raises questions about the Sinn Féin leader’s claim to have never been in the IRA. Peter Rogers has alleged that Mr Adams and his Sinn Féin colleague Martin McGuinness ordered him to transport explosives to Great Britain in 1980. Both Sinn Féin men declined interviews …

“Post-nationalist Ireland has arrived.”

Pete Baker on April 13, 2014, 5:21 pm

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[Once more into the breach then – Ed] In yesterday’s Irish News, Patrick Murphy posited three theories to explain what he describes as “the latest dismantling of Irish political and cultural nationalism.” That would be Martin McGuinness, et al, at Windsor Castle in white tie and tails, and the GAA deal with Sky. From the Irish News The first theory suggests that the process has been largely fuelled by Britain’s determination to give political cover to the PIRA’s defeat in a …

“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 …