Parties – Page 31 – Slugger O'Toole

“Adams isn’t the first person to be arrested in connection with this murder…”

Mick Fealty on May 1, 2014, 5:56 pm

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This is worth sharing more widely… Henry Farrell teaches at the George Washington University in Washington and blogs at Crooked Timber, and has some useful thoughts on the matter… How important is Gerry Adams for Irish politics? Not as important as he used to be. Sinn Fein, his political party, haven’t sought to bury their past association with the IRA’s terrorist campaign, but haven’t heavily emphasized it either. It’s not a vote winner. There have been widespread allegationsthat Adams played a …

If there’s any drama in the #EP14 election it’s going to be the battle for the last seat…

Mick Fealty on April 30, 2014, 1:49 pm

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So, courtesy of Alex Kane, here’s the latest poll survey for the #EP14… From today’s @BelTel. Very similar to polling stuff I tweeted on Saturday morning. Could be an interesting battle. pic.twitter.com/VgH11RY4rm — Alex.Kane (@AlexKane221b) April 30, 2014 Adds: This was a survey of an expert panel of 220, not as I wrongly suggested a poll. So treat it as an intelligent guess rather than an opinion poll. Apologies. Three things stand out for me: One, the small shift between the …

Mr Justice Treacy: “It is evident that ACC Kerr was labouring under a material misapprehension as to the proper scope of police powers…”

Pete Baker on April 28, 2014, 10:09 pm

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The Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, has reportedly said that the police will appeal the High Court decision allowing “an application for a judicial review of the PSNI’s policing of the flag protests in Belfast between 8 December 2012 and 14 February 2013.” From the reported ruling Mr Justice Treacy was less than impressed by Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr’s interpretation of the legal position. As the summary of the judgment notes [added emphasis] The Court heard evidence from [Assistant] Chief Constable Will …

The twin problems of socialised debt and the rise and rise of populism

Mick Fealty on April 28, 2014, 10:33 am

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Professor Tim Bale makes an argument quoted by Harry Wallop in the Telegraph on the rise and rise of UKIP (despite some pretty grim gaffes): …they are articulating a wider feeling that politics has become disconnected from ordinary people. The key to understanding them is their populism rather than their policies. Ukip’s appeal is that they are outside that Westminster elite. Both European integration and the immigration we saw under the Labour government play into that feeling, because those are …

Oh dear, UKIP’s British Jobs campaign poster gaffe

Mick Fealty on April 25, 2014, 9:56 am

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The hunt for British jobs for British workers extends to the Common Travel Area, it seems… ‘British Worker’ on UKIP posters is none other than IRISH actor David O’Rourke UKIP = The gift that keeps on giving! pic.twitter.com/pRwrdlWT6t — Drew McGowan (@TheRealMcGowan) April 24, 2014 Adds: This courtesy of The Dissenter below… UKIP repels all Boarders? 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 …

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 …

Belfast Telegraph’s Are you voting for the wrong party poll, and other political anomalies?

Mick Fealty on April 18, 2014, 1:20 pm

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Right, I am literally just rushing out the door… Can I ask that people take a bit of time out to to complete the Belfast Telegraph’s Local Election party preference poll and then share your experiences (though not necessarily your choices) with us here below. I’ll come back over the weekend and share some of my own. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media …

Trouble at NI21 mill…

Mick Fealty on April 16, 2014, 9:25 am

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Having a good idea (NI21) is not the same as putting it into action… Trouble in Holywood and Clandeboye… Gerry Leddy, who had been involved with the party since its inception almost a year ago, said that he could not tell people to vote for its European candidate, Tina McKenzie, as he had “no confidence” in her. In a message posted on his Facebook page, the former North Down and Strangford constituency association treasurer said that Mrs McKenzie, who is …

“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 …

The route to better government is clear. Why don’t the parties take it?

Brian Walker on April 13, 2014, 12:46 pm

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Nuff history – Ed. Thanks to Alan and Chris Donnelly for presenting significant data on how Northern Ireland is faring. The third CRC Peace Monitoring Report by Dr Paul Nolan reads authoritatively, quite depressingly and utterly unsurprisingly. At around the same time, some polls have been published which broadly reflect the results but with the odd chink of light showing through. This post as much as anything is a plea for better qualified analysis and fuller discussion about this evidence …

“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 …

Ipsos- MRBI Poll: Fine Gael and Fianna Fail leveling out…

Mick Fealty on April 3, 2014, 11:31 pm

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Just a quick one, the Irish Times poll figures have some interesting if minor changes in the party fortunes in the south… …when undecided voters are excluded – compared with the last Irish Times poll was: Fine Gael, 25 per cent (down five points); Labour, 8 per cent (down one point); Fianna Fáil, 25 per cent (up three points); Sinn Féin, 21 per cent (no change); and Independents/Others, 21 per cent (up three points). The core vote for the parties compared with the …

“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 …

#LE14: Rising tide of populism likely to damage Fine Gael and reward Sinn Fein…

Mick Fealty on April 2, 2014, 3:06 pm

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Former Fianna Fail spad Gerald Howlin’s take on the Red C Poll is worth reading in the Examiner today (if only for some useful historical context): A new seismic shift is under way. It is far greater than any that is gone before and it is far from over. It is still unclear if the general election of 2011 was the main shock or its precursor. Fianna Fáil’s once vast stock of political capital is irretrievably scattered. Labour’s is in …

Belfast City Council: “what happened on Saturday evening is a clear breach of our terms and conditions of hire.”

Pete Baker on April 1, 2014, 4:16 pm

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The News Letter has an updated comment from the spokeswoman for Belfast City Council about the (Provisional) IRA commemoration at Whiterock Leisure Centre on Saturday night. From the News Letter report Belfast City Council says a republican event in one of its leisure centres was clearly in breach of terms and conditions, after critics objected to use of a Sinn Fein banner, replica weapons and paramilitary flags. The event, in Whiterock Leisure Centre on Saturday, was strongly condemned yesterday by …

Seamus Mallon: “No gobbledegook peace-nik speak, no motherhood and apple pie…”

Mick Fealty on March 31, 2014, 9:12 pm

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Tom Kelly in the Irish News today makes a point worth re-iterating in the case of Seamus Mallon: Mallon is an erudite, eloquent but earthy politician. Listeners immediately get what he is saying. There’s no gobbledegook peace-nik speak, no motherhood and apple pie sweet nothings and certainly no pan European fudge eulogising about Franco-German love ins. Mallon like Seamus Heaney does his digging with language. And he did it in spades on the aptly named programme “For the record- Seamus …

OFMDFM: “open and transparent…” – redux

Pete Baker on March 29, 2014, 4:44 pm

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Via The Irish News. As UUP leader Mike Nesbitt says, “We’re not North Korea…” [Thankfully… – Ed] ANYhoo… The UUP leader has welcomed a recent (27 March) decision by the Information Commissioner (not yet online) that the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers were wrong to refuse to release the results of market research, that they had commissioned, into the proposed Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Centre (PbCRC) at the site of the old Maze Prison. From the UUP press …

Lo is aiming high but needs to figure how not to frighten our jumpy ethnic horses…

Mick Fealty on March 24, 2014, 5:30 pm

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Interesting comments from Brian Feeney and our own Gladys Ganiel on Sunday Politics… In short, Feeney thinks Alliance will suffer in Belfast but it will bring Anna Lo nationalist votes outside its own natural area. Gladys doesn’t think it’s worth the burn to their base. She could be right. In today’s Irish News Tom Kelly, who spent a bit of time at the Alliance Party conference reckons, that even as a short term tactic it has the capacity to tie …

Face it – Anna Lo and the Alliance Party are the only show in town

Brian Walker on March 22, 2014, 3:51 pm

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Anna Lo’s remarks show how Alliance can still impale themselves on the old cleft stick. Anna tilted in the right direction but overbalanced, provoking a bit of electoral frothing at the mouth by the usual suspects. Never mind. She must be doing something right to attract 240 Slugger comments even if many of them are private chats as usual. Personally I welcome a bit of overbalancing in a progressive direction for a change. Who doesn’t like Anna for heavens’ sake! The party’s best bet is …

Fianna Fail sets 2019 as a target date for running in NI elections

Mick Fealty on March 22, 2014, 7:08 am

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And so it seems that Fianna Fail is to put its money where its attention has been for some time: Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has confirmed his party’s intention to stand for election in Northern Ireland in 2019. “I’ve set that as a target to field candidates,” he said. The party passed a motion from Donegal North East and Dublin Bay South delegates without debate – it called for active and serious participating and engagement in the political process …