Parties – Page 38 – Slugger O'Toole

“The department of justice said discussions about the precise source of funding for the HET are continuing…”

Pete Baker on March 21, 2013, 8:45 pm

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The issue of funding the ongoing work of the Historical Enquiries Team, as well as its perceived independence, may be about to become a matter of political disagreement… As the BBC NI home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, reports Hundreds of families have co-operated with the team on the basis that it was acting independently. Many families of people killed during the Troubles, including relatives of some RUC officers, did not want former police officers from Northern Ireland involved in the review …

“the Department had access to all the relevant information and yet…” – redux

Pete Baker on March 19, 2013, 3:46 pm

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In February 2010, when the UK parliamentary Treasury Committee criticised the NI Department of Enterprise, Trade and Industry’s failure to identify the problems with the Presbyterian Mutual Society, the relevant NI Executive Minister, the DUP’s Arlene Foster, dismissed their report as “the shoddiest piece of work I have seen coming out of Westminster for some considerable time.” Three years, £225million in compensation, and 6 disqualified directors later and the Northern Ireland Ombudsman, Tom Frawley, agrees with the Treasury Committee. From the …

“unless it’s because politicians in Northern Ireland want to be able to sue newspapers more readily…”

Pete Baker on March 18, 2013, 3:58 pm

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Some interesting added detail in the News Letter report following up on the story of the Northern Ireland Executive’s failure to consent to the Defamation Bill going through the UK Parliament. To begin with, it’s claimed that it wasn’t the Executive after all… Last Wednesday, the News Letter revealed that the Defamation Bill – the first reform of the UK’s libel laws since the 19th Century – had been blocked from extending to Northern Ireland by Stormont’s leaders. However, the …

Embarrassment over Stormont Executive’s shameful failiure to support UK wide free speech and libel reform

Brian Walker on March 13, 2013, 4:23 pm

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I’m obliged to Jeff Dudgeon for drawing attention to the latest failure by the Executive. It has come to light that the Stormont powers that be failed to agree on bringing Northern Ireland into line with the English Defamation Bill and so bring much needed reform to the libel laws – if the Bill isn’t messed up by confusing the issues with the quite distinct ones of press regulation and the Leveson agenda. No reason was given apparently. The Bill’s main plank is …

Chief Justice offers dialogue with politicians on bail decisions

Brian Walker on March 11, 2013, 11:25 pm

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The Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan has given a rare broadcast interview addressing head on the alleged “perception “of partiality in recent bail decisions. The interview opens a dialogue with the aim of educating politicians – in particular the DUP leadership – in the complexities of bail decisions on the Assembly’s own ground, the Justice Committee. The offer is also open for Peter Robinson to talk to him. The chief justice says nothing new of substance. But he …

ECNI: “where it believes that a public authority may have failed to comply with its approved Equality Scheme…”

Pete Baker on March 7, 2013, 2:37 pm

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As UTV note, the Equality Commission For Northern Ireland have announced that they are “to conduct an investigation into a decision made by Newry and Mourne District council to retain the name “The Raymond McCreesh Park” for a Council-owned play park in Newry.” Here’s Mick’s post on that decision in December last year. From the Equality Commission press release The investigation will consider whether, in making its decision, the Council has failed to comply with commitments made in its Equality …

The political vacuum is compromising the standing of the PSNI

Brian Walker on March 5, 2013, 12:42 pm

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When criticism is made from both directions it’s often said that the subject of the criticism must be doing something right. I suspect that’s what Matt Baggott is thinking now over the rows about recent arrests on both sides of the divide. There is an alternative view of course; he may be getting it wrong across the board. Either way a small storm of whataboutery is blowing. It must not get out of hand. Willie Frazer is a hero to …

“Our job is to express the concerns as we hear them in the community…”

Pete Baker on March 4, 2013, 8:55 pm

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If it’s not Sinn Féin complaining about ‘political policing’, it’s the DUP. Mr Robinson said that trust needed to be rebuilt. “It’s important that the police gain the confidence of the unionist community, or regain the confidence of that section of the unionist community who have lost confidence in the police, by showing that his actions were entirely even-handed,” Mr Robinson said. “Our job is to express the concerns as we hear them in the community. [Good to see both parties are still …

Anti-abortion farce takes over Assembly

Brian Walker on March 2, 2013, 4:20 pm

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How sad and how typical it is that local parties are uniting to impose an unnecessary ban on a non-existent threat. The Marie Stopes clinic has said it will carry out medical, not surgical, procedures only up to nine weeks gestation and only within the existing legal framework of private abortions. They have made it clear they must operate within the NI legal framework and ” want to be regulated.” Fiddling while the place is burning is becoming the Assembly’s speciality. …

Italy: “Unless of course all polls and projections so far turn out to be wrong …”

Pete Baker on February 25, 2013, 5:13 pm

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They’re still counting the votes in Italy… But the early projections are contradicting exit polls predicting, as the Guardian reported, “strong support for alliance led by Pier Luigi Bersani’s Democratic party and bloody nose for Mario Monti”. Not contradicting the bloody nose for the Borg Mario Monti, that is. But Silvio Berlusoni’s centre-right alliance seems to be edging ahead in the Senate, at least… The Guardian is live-blogging the actual results as they come in. Here’s their latest post to date Before …

The shrinking heart of the UUP: A lucky 13?

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2013, 1:08 pm

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So, there’s a lot of people looking at the crisis in the UUP and coming to a conclusion they hope is true. In fact Mike Nesbitt put in decent performance on Spotlight last night, but I think Emmett Doyle is not far from the truth when writes: The Party need to come up with some answers, and fast. With respect to the other MLA’s currently in the Assembly, I would dare say the man and woman on the street would …

“after some people made it clear they were not prepared to make witness statements to investigating officers”

Pete Baker on February 15, 2013, 1:03 am

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An Irish Times hosted PA report adds some interesting detail to the story of the arrest, questioning, and subsequent unconditional release – after being in custody for 36 hours – of Shankill bomber Sean Kelly following the apparent punishment shooting of an 18-year-old in Ardoyne. From the Irish Times report It is understood detectives had been granted an extension to keep [Sean Kelly] in custody for a further period, but then released him after some people made it clear they were not prepared …

A real chance to promote Assembly reform must not be lost

Brian Walker on February 14, 2013, 11:33 am

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Just a reminder if you need it -and you can hardly be blamed if you have noticed. You have until 28 March to submit your proposals to reform the politics of Northern Ireland. The Assembly and Executive Review Committee is carrying out a review of the GFA arrangements which is required by 2015. They are calling for evidence. This could mean you. This task was once a concession to the DUP but is now legally stipulated. So the Assembly …

First Minister issues warning over alleged political connection to punishment shooting…

Mick Fealty on February 14, 2013, 10:06 am

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There’s little to say about this just yet other than to note that the return of punishment shootings in Belfast is hardly a sign of health in the so called peace process. A returning to old ways? The fact that the PSNI are questioning Sean Kelly, the man convicted of the Shankill bomb (and released on licence), will not do much for public confidence either. Indeed, it has already prompted the First Minister to issue the following statement: “The family …

“Items not detected included drugs, mobile phone batteries, scissors and a knife.”

Pete Baker on February 13, 2013, 10:05 pm

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The BBC NI home affairs correspondent Vincent Kearney seems to have gotten hold of a prison service evaluation report of the three month trial of electronic body scanners at Magilligan prison and Hydebank Wood – as a suggested alternative to full-body searches. The Assembly’s Justice Committee is due to discuss the report tomorrow [Thursday]. From the BBC report Items not detected included drugs, mobile phone batteries, scissors and a knife. Nearly 1200 prisoners and prison staff were searched using two millimetre wave …

“Regulation of the internet is not an issue that falls within my responsibility or, indeed, that of any part of our devolved Executive.”

Pete Baker on February 12, 2013, 12:16 am

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For which, I think, we should be very grateful indeed. Not that such constitutional technicalities prevented MLAs, of all parties, from enthusiastically debating a Sinn Féin motion last week calling for the Northern Ireland Justice Minister “to explore the introduction of better regulation of [social networking websites]”. Here’s Newton Emerson’s response in Saturday’s Irish News Worse was to come when Stormont debated social-networking sites, in a session that might as well have been entitled “we support free speech, but”. One MLA …

“a 65% to 17% majority for Northern Ireland remaining in the UK suggests little room for doubt.”

Pete Baker on February 5, 2013, 11:49 pm

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From the conversation on BBC NI Spotlight tonight there are challenges for all the political parties in the results of the polling by Ipsos Mori. But here are the reported results on the constitutional question. Not surprisingly, more than 90% of those who identify themselves as Protestants told the pollsters they wanted to stay in the UK. But on the other side of the religious divide, a substantial 38% of Catholics also favoured remaining within the UK – three percentage …

If Adams is a prisoner of his own past, can he provide a future for Sinn Fein?

Mick Fealty on February 1, 2013, 1:00 pm

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Matt Cooper has a good piece on Gerry Adams, that contingent apology for the murder of Garda McCabe, the longer term problem of political credibility: …it was notable how the man who maintained that he was never a member of the IRA, let alone one of its most important leaders, could take it upon himself to apologise for its actions. What “conflict” had been taking place in Adare when Jerry McCabe was shot dead or how was the case of …

National Crime Agency: What’s in a name?

Pete Baker on January 31, 2013, 4:31 pm

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The local row over the UK’s new National Crime Agency (NCA) isn’t going away. But let’s try to address the issue in a less hysterical manner… Firstly, the body that the NCA needs to be compared with, in terms of the powers to be available to it here, is the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). From the BBC report 28 January. Many of the policing powers being given to the NCA have been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, therefore it has …

Nesbitt concedes unity in a seat that no unionist can realistically win?

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2013, 9:42 am

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So, according to the News Letter, Mike Nesbitt didn’t ask his constituency party in Mid Ulster whether they wanted a Unionist unity candidate, or not. He may not have done much of the longer term math either, or calculated that the principle he’s ceding here is that his party no longer has any designs on have representation at Westminster. As Sam McBride notes, unity candidate or not, this is a nationalist seat in waiting: If the three unionist parties’ votes …