Owen Paterson

Owen Paterson: “It is difficult for the Government to make further progress on a Bill of Rights in the absence of this consensus”

Pete Baker on November 23, 2010, 11:53 am

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I linked in passing last night to the speech by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State at the British Irish Parliamentary Association meeting in the Isle of Man. And as Mark Hennessy notes in the Irish Times, he had some important points to make on the troubled NI Bill of Rights. From Owen Paterson’s speech The Government remains committed to maintaining human rights protections in Northern Ireland The previous Government’s consultation on Next Steps on a Bill of Rights revealed deep divisions …

Owen Paterson: “This is absolutely pathetic…”

Pete Baker on November 20, 2010, 4:44 pm

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The Northern Ireland Executive met on Thursday, although you’d be forgiven for not noticing. Not that there aren’t plenty of items which are, or which should be, on their agenda. Most pressingly the still-to-be-agreed draft NI budget. And as economist Neil Gibson told the Assembly this week “I want to be clear that what’s in front of us is challenging,” [Mr Gibson] told members of the Finance and Personnel Committee. “I don’t want to underplay how hard it’s going to be to make savings, but …

Owen Paterson: “it is appropriate that the First Minister and Deputy First Minister first discuss that with me”

Pete Baker on November 10, 2010, 7:05 pm

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Just in case there was any doubt, during Northern Ireland Questions in the House of Commons today, the NI Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, took the opportunity to set out the new ground rules for the NI First and deputy First Ministers. Interestingly, it was in response to what appears to have been an attempt by former NI Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, to provide a false pretext for a meeting between OFMDFM and the Prime Minister – where budgetary concerns could then be raised. Here are the …

Owen Paterson: “I don’t know what planet they’re living on.”

Pete Baker on October 20, 2010, 8:04 pm

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That was Northern Ireland Secretary of State Owen Paterson’s reported response to the reaction of our special little pleaders to the outcome of the UK Government’s 2010 Spending Review. And he has a point. The NI First Minister, the DUP’s Peter Robinson, claimed the cuts were ‘worse than feared’ . But his party colleague, and NI Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, has stated that “Whilst the level of budget reductions we are facing is unwelcome, and will present a serious challenge, it comes as …

“However we can’t invite ourselves…”

Pete Baker on October 15, 2010, 12:00 pm

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Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness, was quick to claim a victory for OFMDFM’s “united case” after NI Secretary of State Owen Paterson said “Having had discussions with the treasury, we are confident that having spent £9.8bn since 2005, that by 2017-18, we will be on track for Northern Ireland to have spent £18bn.” But economist John Simpson was already looking at the potential small print Economist John Simpson told the BBC that he believed a total of £14bn will …

“It is irresponsible to make ill-informed comments about areas which are not your responsibility.”

Pete Baker on October 5, 2010, 9:26 pm

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As DC noted in the comments zone of Brian’s post on our special little pleaders, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Owen Paterson made an interesting pitch during the Conservative Conference fringe event on NI today. With a number of NI Executive ministers present, Owen Paterson argued that the “British taxpayer should not continue to subsidise segregation” in NI, and he highlighted segregated education here as a particular example of “a criminal waste of public money”. Speaking to UTV in Birmingham after the event NI …

Owen Paterson: “the momentum is increasing further…”

Pete Baker on September 23, 2010, 1:33 pm

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That would be the ‘momentum’ of the Ministerial Working Group on the troubled Presbyterian Mutual Society which met, again, yesterday. From the Northern Ireland Secretary of State’s statement Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mark Hoban came to Belfast for the first time in his ministerial role to attend the meeting. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Owen Paterson MP chaired it. First Minister Peter Robinson, deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, NI Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment Arlene Foster and Minister of State …

Owen Paterson: “It was a huge pleasure to be part of this great sporting occasion”

Pete Baker on September 20, 2010, 1:05 pm

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Worth noting that yesterday Conservative MP, Owen Paterson, became the first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to attend the All-Ireland Senior Football Final at Croke Park. After the match between Down and Cork, Mr Paterson said: “It was a huge pleasure to be part of this great sporting occasion. “I really appreciated the warm welcome extended to me and Julian King, the British Ambassador to Ireland, from GAA officials and fans. “It shows, once again, how relations between the …

“the ball is in Sinn Féin’s court”

Pete Baker on September 8, 2010, 7:20 pm

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Interesting to note that the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, told the NI Affairs Committee that he had had discussions with Sinn Féin about what would be required for them to take their seats in Parliament. And, as the BBC reports The Secretary of State has said that he has asked Sinn Fein for an alternative text to the oath of allegiance to allow their MPs to sit in Westminster. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has previously said that a …

“Gerry Adams and his organisation are now fully absorbed into the apparatus of British rule in Ireland…”

Pete Baker on August 9, 2010, 12:07 pm

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The BBC reports that Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, has rejected a Sunday Times report that talks were being sought with “dissident republicans” through intermediaries despite opposition from the Irish government. Meanwhile, Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, has said it’s “not a stunt” to seek talks with “the political groups linked to some armed republican faction”. Or with “criminal gangs whom [they] consider has links with MI5″? His former speech-writer Jonathan Powell apparently agrees. Although those Adams is reportedly seeking talks with …

“We are fully aware of the urgency of this matter…”

Pete Baker on July 21, 2010, 4:31 pm

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The BBC reports on a meeting today chaired by Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, and attended by NI First and Deputy First Ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson, Northern Ireland Minister Hugo Swire and Mark Hoban, financial secretary to the Treasury. The topic? The troubled Presbyterian Mutual Society. From the NI Secretary of State’s statement Speaking after the meeting, Mr Paterson said: “Both before and since the General Election, the Prime Minister and I have …

Owen Paterson new NI Secretary of State

Pete Baker on May 12, 2010, 4:54 pm

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Eamonn’s tweeting that the Conservative Party’s Owen Paterson has been appointed as the new Northern Ireland Secretary of State. Bye, Shaun… Adds BBC report. And The News Letter. Pete Baker