northern ireland assembly – Page 5 – Slugger O'Toole

Kearney of Sinn Fein’s “reconcilation” pitch deserves a considered response

Brian Walker on October 25, 2012, 1:28 am | Readers 152

The pitch made within the precincts of Westminster last night by Declan Kearney the up and coming Sinn Fein chairperson, for “national reconciliation within Ireland through uncomfortable conversations” was more than the usual rally cry for exiles and republican sympathisers. It was a pull-together of the Sinn Fein package for the future, carefully and not unattractively wrapped. Cynics will dismiss it as a cracked record and it can be pulled apart (and no doubt duly will be). But cumulatively and …

Is the Parades issue a signal of underlying political drift in Northern Ireland?

Mick Fealty on October 22, 2012, 12:54 pm | Readers 41

So, much to the bemusement of some of the Fine Gael TDs I sat with this morning at the BIPA in Glasgow, Micheal Martin’s accusation that under Enda Kenny the southern government has taken its eye off the ball regarding Northern Ireland seems more than just a little calculated. Yet, there’s also a fairly robust analysis of the kind of things that are rarely described these a in Northern Ireland as a political problem: The Peace Process was always intended …

The Rising of the Undead

Brian Spencer on July 27, 2012, 1:23 pm | Readers 272

Disparate republican militant groups have announced a coming together under a single leadership that has breathed new life into the IRA, promising to bring murder, anarchy and terrorism back to Northern Ireland. Here’s my illustration. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Summer Recess Caption Competition

Brian Spencer on July 26, 2012, 9:35 pm | Readers 55

With the Northern Ireland Assembly many weeks deep into a very generous summer recess I felt compelled to capture the personal and political détente and the legislative freeze with some striking illustrative prose. I look forward to hearing what captions come up. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

The Hain contempt case: a warning to England from Northern Ireland

Brian Walker on May 19, 2012, 11:43 am | Readers 110

It’s worth taking a closer look at the Peter Hain contempt case before it’s written off as a straightforward free speech victory for the metropolitan Mr Punch over the paddywhackery of Northern Ireland’s appointed and politically independent Attorney General. John Larkin QC brought the case against the former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain on the admittedly antiquated grounds of “scandalising the court, “after Hain had made extraordinary remarks in his autobiography about the then Northern Ireland High Court Judge Paul Girvan. …

Cross border education: lay out all the facts please

Brian Walker on April 5, 2012, 12:27 pm | Readers 36

Is this form of cross border cooperation actually divisive? Contrast two stories about the SF led Education department’s plan for a survey of 50,000 “border families “ (i.e. families on both sides of the border) on the takeup of school places by children from the other side. Liam Clarke’s story records the objections of DUP’s Mervyn Storey, chair of the Assembly Education Committee, to SF minister John O’Dowd’s plan on the grounds that the minister “ has lost all sense of …

Whose junket is it anyway?

Mick Fealty on November 25, 2011, 5:28 pm | Readers 8

I’m almost despairing that high politics for us in Northern Ireland now comes down to a row about a trip to San Diego that’s scheduled, er, not scheduled, to happen until it’s been agreed/not agreed by Stormont’s Employment and Learning Committee… The proposed purpose? To examine how research and development linked to universities could help create jobs. San Diego’s not a bad model. Ah well, it seems we don’t need any of that, unless it’s done by the Executive, OFMDFM …

Sinn Fein’s defence of the appointments can’t be the last word

Brian Walker on June 1, 2011, 11:56 am | Readers 13

Well which is it? A Robinson- McGuinness-led joint move to take over the centre ground as well as the “extremes,” or a new wave of sectarian politics? I ask genuinely because I can’t be sure but hesitantly because I fear the sound of grinding axes. The lack of cool analysis so far suggests uncertainty over how to rate SF defiance of unionist sensibilities. Trite reactions like “moving on” are clearly not appropriate and serve only to irritate further. The Sinn …

The Economist – finger on the pulse.

Dewi on May 14, 2011, 7:55 am | Readers 33

I’ve subscribed to the Economist for twenty years. It’s wonderful on the Kurds in Turkey, the latest PNV election results in the Basque Country and anything happening in Quebec. Yesterday it gave us the honour of an article: The double act continues. You get: “In elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly on May 5th, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein consolidated their positions as the biggest unionist and nationalist party respectively. The DUP’s Peter Robinson (left) and Sinn Fein’s …

The ‘end’ of community designation and the ‘rise’ of incumbency…

Mick Fealty on March 29, 2011, 9:01 am | Readers 41

There’s an interesting piece by Fionnuala O’Connor in today’s Irish News. In it she notes that underneath the commonplace ‘wisdom’ that there is no functional difference between the offices of First and deputy First Minister lies a more profound political reality: …it will matter very much indeed if Sinn Fein comes out of the election as the largest party and can nominate Martin McGuinness to be the next First Minister. It will shift, irreversibly, the underlying psychology of the north. …

West Tyrone may keep its’ independents #ae11

Aldous Duke on March 10, 2011, 6:52 pm | Readers 55

West Tyrone’s independent MLA Dr Kieran Deeny may have decided to step down from the Assembly, but I can reveal that there will be at least one independent candidate standing in the constituency. Speaking to Omagh District Councillor McGowan on Wednesday afternoon for a story that ran in today’s Ulster Herald, he confirmed that he will “definitely” run for the Assembly. A well known public figure in the Omagh District, McGowan has sat on Omagh District Council since 1985 and …

Declaration of independents?

Aldous Duke on November 18, 2010, 1:37 pm | Readers 8

In a conversation with independent West Tyrone MLA Kieran Deeny this week, he revealed that he has been approached by a number of people from various constituencies considering running for next year’s Assembly elections under the independent banner. First approached six months ago, he confirmed that he has already held talks with a number of these people in previous weeks and was set to meet two more this week. None are sitting MLAs, but from what I could gather most …

The Assembly – struggling to face cuts reality

Brian Walker on October 25, 2010, 9:06 pm | Readers 6

In the interests of Slugger’s ” better politics campaign”, I sat through the on line coverage of the special Assembly debate on the cuts. (Note the lack of a full report on the MSM). MLAs were united on three things: that the British government had broken their promises, that MLAs themselves had to unite to do something about the cuts ; and three – and this one wasn’t deliberate – that no one had much of an idea what that …

Dual mandate (council/MLA) bill passes Consideration Stage – but what are party plans for next spring?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 12, 2010, 10:50 pm | Readers 80

Dawn Purvis’ private member’s bill got through its Consideration Stage this evening and now moves on to the next stage of its arduous journey into the statute books. Update – you can now read the Hansard transcript or watch the proceedings through BBC Democracy Live. In short the NIA Bill 7/09 Local Government (Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill removes the possibility of people holding a dual mandate to serve as an MLA at Stormont and also sit on their local council. It …

Hello DUP. Is anybody at home?

Brian Walker on September 5, 2010, 11:53 am | Readers 4

Have I missed something over here in London or am I the only one to be struck by the absence of the smack of firm leadership in the DUP? There’s been plenty of noise from the engine room but precious little sense of direction from the bridge at time of tension over rejectionist republican activity, the post-Saville agenda, waiting for the spending axe to fall, and the publication of the FMDFM Cohesion strategy. Since when, silence. And no clear, driving …

Implications for Assembly election?

Blank on May 7, 2010, 11:47 am | Readers 3

While this election can’t predict the outcome of next years’ Assembly election it may give some pointers to possible target seats and vulnerabilities. Most constituencies seem to indicate no change likely but the following show some possible change: Fermanagh South Tyrone – possibility of SDLP dropping sole seat and a SF gain North Antrim – TUV target seat from DUP South Antrim – big hitters weren’t on field but one of the SDLP/Alliance could be vulnerable to UUP gain Upper …

The prospects of voluntary coalition

Kilsally on May 5, 2010, 2:16 pm | Readers 148

Video: Peter Robinson on improving devolution Voluntary coalition seems to be a shibboleth connected with Jim Allister and TUV but in reality all three Unionist parties would prefer voluntary coalition with some form of qualified majority voting put in place to enable a more normal form of Assembly inline with Wales & Scotland which would include a formal opposition, compared to the mandatory coalition we currently operate where nearly all the parties are in government and will remain in government …