OFMdFM – Page 7 – Slugger O'Toole

“There are sometimes occasions when frank disagreements arise between states…”

Pete Baker on October 17, 2011, 11:20 pm

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After meeting with the Finucane family to discuss the UK government’s decision “to conduct an independent review to produce a full public account of any state involvement in the murder”, rather than open an inquiry under the 2005 Inquiries Act, UTV reports Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore’s comments Speaking after a meeting with the Finucane family on Monday afternoon he said: “There are sometimes occasions when frank disagreements arise between states. “This is one on this occasion.” …… Mr …

“Republicans don’t accept that…”

Pete Baker on October 9, 2011, 2:52 pm

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Despite sitting in a Northern Ireland Assembly that requires Royal Assent to enact any legislation passed, the NI deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd, has told the BBC that he would not be prepared to meet the UK Head of State (Queen Elizabeth II). From the BBC report [John O’Dowd] “There are a number of issues which need to be resolved before such a scenario would arise, including from a republican point of view, we were meeting a family …

Minister responsible for Council reform told by Castle time is over for debate…

Mick Fealty on October 7, 2011, 9:46 am

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None of us should take for granted the benefits of having our politicians work together after years of bloody violence on Belfast streets. But here’s a good example of what happens when someone wants to get something done. If it is a Sinn Fein Education Minister who wants to abolish selection in schools, s/he cannot do so without agreement between both parties in Stormont Castle (aka OFMDFM). Now we are seeing the opposite dynamic in train. Both Sinn Fein and …

In “the spirit of co-operation…”

Pete Baker on October 5, 2011, 4:35 pm

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As the dust settled on the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in May, the BBC reported Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness said that he wanted to see “more realism” from the UUP and SDLP. “I would like to see those parties as well as the Alliance Party working in the spirit of co-operation,” he said. “If Peter Robinson and I can work together, then surely all of those parties can work with us.” If “those parties as well as the Alliance Party” …

NI University tuition fees to be kept at current levels, “subject only to an inflationary rise”

Pete Baker on September 8, 2011, 7:18 pm

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As the BBC reports, Northern Ireland Employment and Learning Minister, Stephen Farry, has confirmed that the bread promised by the First and deputy First Ministers in July, will be on the menu. But we’ll have to wait until Monday to see the details – the NI Assembly being the appropriate place to make such an announcement. [But we need headlines now! – Ed] Indeed. Those details would include whether or not the proposals include students from England, Scotland and Wales. Because there …

Martin McGuinness: “I have been in contact with the PSNI at the top level to register my dissatisfaction and annoyance…”

Pete Baker on July 27, 2011, 10:36 pm

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In a post yesterday, noting the major search operation across Northern Ireland and the arrest for questioning of 5 men in connection with the murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr, I linked to a UTV report quoting “the Deputy First Minister”, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, MP, MLA. “We have to continue to support police in their investigations of any of those actions which taken the lives of any of our citizens – including those members of the police service.” Today, …

Bread, and circuses…

Pete Baker on July 14, 2011, 5:35 pm

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After a third night of attacks on police in nationalist areas across Northern Ireland, the NI First and deputy First Ministers have emerged to warn about some people’s “complacency about the peace process”. From the BBC report Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness met at Stormont Castle on Thursday to discuss recent rioting. Mr Robinson said “as a society we have begun to get a bit careless about how hard won the peace was”. Mr McGuinness said the riots “should shake …

Felicity Huston: “The Civil Service struggles with the idea of independence”

Pete Baker on July 4, 2011, 3:27 pm

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The Detail has three reports based on an interview with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Northern Ireland, Felicity Huston, who is stepping down next month after 6 years in the role. Mrs Huston reveals that, despite her repeated requests, she has not met the Head of the NI Civil Service, Sir Bruce Robinson, in an official capacity since his appointment 3 years ago. From The Detail’s main report Mrs Huston later said there had been incredulity within the Civil Service with the queries in the press …

OFMDFM: “We would ask everyone to give the official the time and space to conduct this work…”

Pete Baker on June 22, 2011, 10:16 pm

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The reaction of our indigenous administration to two nights of violence in east Belfast that was, according to the PSNI, at least partly orchestrated by the UVF in the area and included shootings by still-violent republicans and loyalists? Intensive face-to-face discussions “involving community leaders, police and senior loyalist and republican representatives” [dissenting ones? – Ed], and the subsequent appointment of an un-named “senior government offical” tasked with identifying “areas of concern”. From the BBC report Mr Robinson and Mr McGuinness said they have …

Priestly’s return…

Pete Baker on June 14, 2011, 3:46 pm

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The Northern Ireland Department of Regional Development Permanent Secretary, Paul Priestly, was suspended on full pay in August last year. The former Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Assembly, Sir Jon Shortridge, was appointed by the head of the NI Civil Service, Sir Bruce Robinson, to lead the investigation into Priestly’s role in the NI Water saga – but with somewhat restricted terms of reference. The fall-out from that saga is now being felt in a wider political arena. Sir Jon Shortridge reportedly concluded his investigation in November. …

Cameron: “politics here will need to move beyond the peace process…”

Pete Baker on June 9, 2011, 4:12 pm

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After yesterday’s Joint Ministerial Committee meeting in Downing Street, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, was in Northern Ireland today. The Belfast Telegraph has an article on NI by the Conservative Party leader. And his address to the NI Assembly is here. Some sections worth highlighting – for the benefit of certain members of the Northern Ireland Executive… Whether you serve here as a Minister, a member of a committee or as a backbench member, all of you carry the responsibility …

“the First Minister, deputy First Minister, Attorney General and I have therefore agreed…”

Pete Baker on June 1, 2011, 3:31 pm

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The Northern Ireland Attorney General, John Larkin, has been complaining about his lack of powers of supervision over the Public Prosecution Service since he was appointed in May 2010. It was, he said at the time, “something that should be urgently looked at”. The NI Justice Minister, David Ford, responded on 7 June 2010 that he intended “to start discussions with the First Minister and deputy First Minister on whether the relationship the law sets down between the new Attorney General and …

“resulted in it being promotional for the First and Deputy First Ministers and their respective political parties.”

Pete Baker on May 27, 2011, 5:06 pm

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As the News Letter reports, the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has ruled that an OFMDFM radio advert – part of a £20,000 advertising campaign, in February 2010, promoting the Hillsborough Castle Agreement – was “political advertising” in breach of the Communications Act 2003. The ruling upheld a complaint made about the advertisement by the leader of the TUV, Jim Allister. It’s worth taking the time to read the details of the ruling provided by Ofcom in their broadcast bulletin [pdf file] Conclusion on “public …

“It will be 2012 at the earliest before we can say whether Northern Ireland’s unemployment rate and levels have peaked.”

Pete Baker on April 13, 2011, 3:16 pm

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As the BBC reports The number of people claiming unemployment benefit last month reached 59,000 – a rise of 100 on the previous month. That means unemployment has reached its highest rate in 13 years. And it’s worth noting from the Northern Ireland Labour Market Report April 2011 [pdf file], that that’s an increase of 3,300 over the year. Employment The number of persons in employment in the period December 2010 – February 2011 was estimated at 779,000. This estimate was up …

“On the face of it, that is slightly disappointing…”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2011, 1:50 pm

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The Belfast Telegraph’s Insider column brings us OFMDFM officials Dale Heaney and James McEldowney’s verdict on the Northern Ireland Executive’s delivery, or not, on the Programme for Government 2008-2011. They were appearing in front of the relevant Assembly committee. From the Belfast Telegraph article Mr Heaney argued that, in spite the impact of the economic downturn, ministers “have made, and continue to make, a significant difference to people’s lives”. In introductory remarks to the hearing, he went on: “Delivery reports …

“We are going to proceed with the Altnagelvin extension [] and that’s the end of the matter.”

Pete Baker on March 29, 2011, 9:31 pm

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The Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers’ separately declared commitment to reverse the NI Health Minister’s decision to postpone the funding of a new radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin hospital is yet another populist move without regard to budgetary considerations – this time just ahead of an election. It also undermines the position of the smaller parties at the NI Executive table and the authority of the Executive itself. From the BBC report Mr Robinson said it could be overturned on the …

“The [Justice] department dissolves on 1 May 2012 unless…”

Pete Baker on March 29, 2011, 3:54 pm

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As BBC NI political editor Mark Devenport reminds us, one of the oddities of our current ‘indigenous’ arrangements is that we can be fairly sure of one outcome of this election for the Alliance Party. As long as at least one member of that party is returned to the NI Assembly it’s virtually guaranteed that they – most likely David Ford – will be the next NI Justice Minister. As Mark Devenport points out. Yesterday, on Inside Politics, I presented the first …

OFMDFM’s Contested Space Programme

Pete Baker on March 12, 2011, 5:01 pm

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No, not that sort of space programme… Maybe more like this sort of ‘space‘. ANYhoo… Late on a Friday afternoon seems an odd time for the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers to be announcing a 3-year £4million scheme which targets just “six pilot areas”. That works out at around £220,000 per ‘pilot area’, per year. You can build a lot of fences for that sort of money… Although, they don’t appear to have defined those ‘pilot areas’. The timing is even odder …

“it’s something that certainly never happened under the stewardship of Tony Blair or Gordon Brown.”

Pete Baker on March 7, 2011, 8:14 pm

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The visit by the British Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, to Stormont today may have come as a surprise to the press [and the NI Labour Party… – Ed], but the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers were ready with their latest whinge. Apparently the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, isn’t prepared to meet them just to listen to their special little pleading. From the breakingnews.ie report Also accusing the coalition British government of backtracking on financial commitments made during the peace …

“the guiding principle for our final budget.”

Pete Baker on March 5, 2011, 11:27 pm

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Some points to note about the final budget as presented to the Assembly. From the Northern Ireland Finance Minister’s statement. Also, the Executive has agreed to introduce a measure of over-commitment on both the current and capital side. The overcommitment of £30 million per annum on both current and capital is really a ’self-help’ facility, made possible by better financial management across the public sector and the many revenue generating opportunities identified by departments. I believe that, in this context, …