Opposition – Slugger O'Toole

More substance [less showboating] can take the opposition out of their splendid isolation

Mick Fealty on January 20, 2017, 12:58 pm

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Having given the media the slip we’re none the wiser over Sinn Fein’s public inquiry flip-flop. Rumour is that Mairtin jumped when Brokenshire signalled he would call one. If the late switch is embarrassing, it gives him the means to set its terms of reference (and keep Finance out of the glare). [Spare a thought for poor Declan Kearney, who was the first SF MLA to mention a Public Inquiry, then had it slapped down as a misspeak, then yesterday after drawing …

Telling detail of #RHI remains the place the political gold lies…

Mick Fealty on December 20, 2016, 8:15 am

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Another Christmas, another crisis? Yes, but this one is different from Stormont’s Christmas crises past. For a start, we now have an opposition. Far from a perfect arrangement. It doesn’t allow the electorate to kick the bums out, as they say in the US, for instance. But it does mean there’s a large group of politicians not solely invested in making government work. Rather, their ability to grow political capital now depends on their ability to: 1, knock big holes in government policy; …

Opposition to focus on Agriculture, Rural Schools and Poverty

David McCann on November 20, 2016, 8:19 pm

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Tomorrow is an Opposition Day at Stormont with the UUP/SDLP parties deciding to focus on EU funding for the Agricultural Sector, Rural Schools and Poverty. Here are the motions they are set to debate; Motion: EU Funding for the Agricultural Sector That this Assembly notes with concern the risks to multiple streams of funding posed by withdrawal from the European Union; further notes that over 70 per cent of all European funding to Northern Ireland falls under the Common Agricultural …

State of the State Report praises the creation of opposition and has concerns about Brexit

David McCann on October 26, 2016, 7:43 pm

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Around this time of year Deloitte release their State of the State report which reviews the performance of the UK government and the devolved administrations. You can read the full report here, but here I wanted to highlight the reports analysis of recent developments in Northern Ireland. The report last year was critical of the stop/start nature of policy making within the Executive and the political impasse that had engulfed Stormont over welfare reform. This year however, the report is …

Stormont Holds Its First Ever Opposition Day

David McCann on September 26, 2016, 9:36 pm

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Stormont Today will be worth a watch to see a little bit of history. The Assembly held its first ever opposition day which meant that for around four hours MLAs debated topics selected by the opposition namely rural bank closures, public confidence after the NAMA revelations and Impact on Women of Changes to the State Pension. Often critiqued for a lack of cooperation, the SDLP and UUP released a joint statement on the latter topic; The first Opposition Day saw a …

The Ulster Unionists and the SDLP need to form a shadow Executive. Otherwise, they face oblivion

Brian Walker on September 16, 2016, 1:50 pm

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In the tradition of political comment for decades without a government, Alex Kane’s analysis of the state of opposition at Stormont concentrates on political positioning rather than the politics of policy. He exaggerates somewhat the achievements of the two- party Executive. Foster and McGuinness have played a blinder in terms of standing together on difficult issues (look at the bringing in of Claire Sugden to Justice, the joint letter to Theresa May, the DUP’s underplaying of the McKay-Bryson story, Sinn Fein …

UUP & SDLP unite to attack clamp down on opposition speaking rights

David McCann on June 7, 2016, 7:52 pm

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Alex Attwood and Robin Swann conducted the first act of co-ordination between the UUP and SDLP as the official opposition in the Assembly today over the DUP and Sinn Fein’s attempts to change rules around when the opposition can lead debates. Speaking jointly both MLAs said; In key votes on Assembly business, the DUP and Sinn Féin have shown both their arrogance and their fear, with a slap in the face for our democracy. “In March, the five parties on …

DUP/SF solidarity facing a formal opposition marks a new Assembly era

Brian Walker on June 7, 2016, 11:45 am

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Yesterday’s Assembly debate on the programme for government framework showed that a new era of some sort has begun. The new government v opposition format of debate worked well, better than it might have. Even more remarkably MLAs stuck closely to the fairly dry topic under discussion.. Nobody made allegations of DUP triumphalism or complained about Sinn Fein passivity towards it. Most notable of all was DUP-Sinn Fein solidarity against Ulster Unionist/SDLP opposition . To describe her “collective approach,” Arlene …

So yesterday was the “New Stormont” Government’s day in the sun…

Mick Fealty on May 26, 2016, 2:24 pm

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So, if Mike Nesbitt and Colum Eastwood had their days in the sun over the previous two weeks, yesterday was the government parties’ turn. Alan has already covered some of the (in my view, necessary) acts of generosity between the two parties. As I argued with Gerry Kelly during the back end of Radio Ulster’s election coverage two parties in coalition is infinitely easier to manage than five (methinks Gerry protested too much at the time). In Health Sinn Fein …

#Soapbox: Northern Ireland has started its first steps into a brave new political world

Soapbox on May 24, 2016, 7:09 am

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Cllr Alexander Stafford is an Ealing councillor, representing the Ealing Broadway ward, and former advisor to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. It is said a week is a long time in politics, and this has definitely been true in Northern Ireland. Just over a week ago the UUP made the decision to reject taking a Ministry and have instead decided to form an Opposition. The SDLP has now also decided to pull away from government and join them …

The Stormont Opposition – how will it work practically?

John Coulter on May 21, 2016, 9:53 pm

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For the first time since 1972, Stormont has a formal Opposition. Author and journalist, Dr John Coulter, outlines how this will work practically and not deteriorate into a primary school playground shouting match. The Stormont Opposition will only work if it is established as a working Shadow Cabinet with Nesbitt become Shadow First Minister, not Leader of the Opposition. At best, Nesbitt’s Opposition can count on his 16 UUP MLAs, 12 from the moderate nationalist SDLP, eight from the centrist …

SDLP pledge to form a “Constructive Opposition”

David McCann on May 19, 2016, 7:45 pm

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The SDLP Leader, Colum Eastwood confirmed that his party would be leaving the Executive and joining the UUP in opposition. In a statement he said; Throughout the course of the recent election campaign the SDLP made a clear promise to the public. We vowed to fight hard to negotiate a credible and progressive Programme for Government which would actually meet the needs of people in Northern Ireland. Our ambition sought to implement specific policies which were designed to stop the …

Foster & McGuinness lash out at the SDLP over opposition

David McCann on May 19, 2016, 3:34 pm

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Arlene and Martin getting their shots in first…. David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs

#SluggerReport on Stormont: “Suspect too much sweet-talk, but never close your mind.”

Mick Fealty on May 19, 2016, 12:08 pm

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Well, Slugger hears that the SDLP parliamentary meeting takes place today at 4pm, so it may be that Brian gets his wish in the timely manner he may be hoping for. We’ll really have to wait and see what precisely emerges. As Brian notes, Newton Emerson has a particularly useful piece in the Irish Times today, in which he notes: …yet suddenly Stormont is transformed. In a matter of days, opposition has gone from a potential mutation in mandatory coalition …

Nesbitt Opposition Statement Fails to Pass the Test

SituationNI on May 12, 2016, 8:38 pm

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“We have now set sail down the path of opposition.” The words of Mike Nesbitt. Words not spoken today but eight months ago, as the Ulster Unionist Party first took the plunge into opposition. Eight months may have passed but little has changed, despite an election and a number of new faces taking to the blue benches of Stormont’s chamber. The murders of Jock Davison and Kevin McGuigan, the latter sparking the party’s initial exit from the Executive, remain unsolved while …

The benefits of an official Opposition and the rush to claim the title.

Kris Nixon (Belfast Barman) on May 12, 2016, 4:28 pm

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Following the 2016 Assembly Election, there is now an opposition in Stormont (or sorts). But why should a party take it, as the UUP have stepped forward to do. For the last number of years, the opposition to the executive, such as it is, has been unofficial, disparate and unruly. The naughty corner at Stormont, with John McCallister, Steven Agnew, Basil McCrea, Jim Allister, David McNarry & Claire Sugden (interestingly, 3 of those were elected to that last Assembly as …

Why an Opposition (if we ever get one) should sit opposite the First Minister

Mick Fealty on May 10, 2016, 7:54 pm

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So, in case you missed it. And whilst we’re waiting for this ‘new’ programme for government, here is the case I made on Radio Ulster’s Election Special with Karen Patterson and Seamus McKee for changing the seating arrangments in the case an ‘opposition’ is ever established. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the …

#SluggerReport: Surely no self-respecting Speaker would consign opposition to the Naughty Corner

Mick Fealty on May 9, 2016, 1:09 pm

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SWAPPING BENCHES: It’s beginning to sound as if we have some kind of editorial position on Opposition. We don’t actually. There are arguments for the smaller parties staying in, not least if you think the result is by and large an endorsement for being in Government.

Without an Opposition it’s likely to be ‘just the same’, ‘status quo forever’ or ‘nowhere fast’

Mick Fealty on May 9, 2016, 10:03 am

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One of the hot topics at the weekend was: should the three mid-size parties go into Opposition? So let’s kick off which some usefully provocative thoughts from Roger McGinty, who argued that in terms of the current status quo of ’embedded sectarianism’… …things could change if the mid-sized parties were brave enough. There are few signs that they possess this bravery. The leaderships of these parties range from the conservative to very conservative in terms of vision, charisma and ability …

May’s #AE16 could be a precursor to a more open and competitive contest in 2020…

Mick Fealty on March 29, 2016, 12:33 pm

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Apart from in West Belfast, there’s not currently much in the ‘big politics’ column for the elections in May. The Lucid Talk figures are remarkably stable (it’s a relatively stable methodology), which doesn’t suggest there’s any kind of democratic tumult. In unionism, there’s speculation about who’ll get Basil McCrea’s seat, his former partner, John McCallister looks set to be squeezed out in a tough three-way battle for two Unionist quotas in South Down, and in East Londonderry Claire Sugden faces …