Parties – Page 83 – Slugger O'Toole

“when the DRD Minister brings his proposals to the Executive”

Pete Baker on February 18, 2010, 10:55 pm

| Readers 6

On 4th February the Northern Ireland Regional Development Minister, Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy, was suggesting that he would not be imposing the £91million pound revenue savings identified by NI’s independent utility regulator in its final determination on NI Water’s Price Control 2010-2013 (PC10). Which makes this 11th February press release from the NI Finance Minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, all the more interesting. Mr Wilson stressed the need to ensure that the NI Water Company operate as efficiently as possible. …

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

Pete Baker on February 18, 2010, 5:16 pm

| Readers 27

As indicated by their questioning of the relevant minister at Stormont, the UK Treasury Committee’s report on the illegally operating Presbyterian Mutual Society [PMS] is highly critical of the NI Department of Enterprise, Trade and Industry. Not that it’s likely to be of much comfort to the shareholders. The Guardian picks up on the relevant criticism in the report John McFall, the committee’s chairman, said a regulatory gap in Northern Ireland left mutuals exposed to the credit crunch. Regulators told …

“In advance of any Ofcom decision on this advertisement…”

Pete Baker on February 18, 2010, 4:28 am

| Readers 1

The BBC reports a potential wrinkle in the Northern Ireland Executive’s Office of the First and deputy First Minister’s planned propaganda campaign on what emerged from Hillsborough – which doesn’t mention any suggested side-deals. From the BBC report Ofcom said broadcasters should not transmit the advert without clearance. A spokesperson for the regulatory body explained that under the Radio Advertising Standards Code, “special categories” of advertisements “must be cleared centrally” by the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre before they can be …

“the Commission does not accept this as a genuine effort to increase human rights protections”

Pete Baker on February 17, 2010, 8:44 pm

| Readers 10

Having apparently failed to notice the publication of the NIO consultation paper on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland in their annual report to government – despite issuing a statement at the time – the NI Human Rights Commission, operating cost £1,766,407, has published its considered response to the consultation. From the NIHRC statement The NIO consultation paper is an inadequate response to what should be in a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The Commission believes the consultation: …

Nesbitt resigns from Victims’ Commission to run in General Election

Pete Baker on February 17, 2010, 7:41 pm

| Readers 10

The legal challenge to the appointment of four Victims Commissioners continues, and now there is a vacancy on the Commission. Former television presenter Mike Nesbitt has resigned after being selected as the UUP nominee for UCUNF general election candidate in Strangford. His candidacy has still to be ratified by the joint UUP/Conservative selection committee. Pete Baker

“and I intend to get therapy.”

Pete Baker on February 17, 2010, 5:49 pm

| Readers 41

Monday’s Irish News spotted the quote of the week from Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in the interview with Ryan Tubridy. On being “told” “around 19 – 96” that his father was an abuser, the re-selected Sinn Féin candidate for west Belfast said “I got professional help and I intend to get therapy.” Don’t forget to let us know how that works out… Pete Baker

“It is hard not to feel a certain sense of pity for Sinn Fein over this issue..”

Pete Baker on February 16, 2010, 5:47 am

| Readers 25

Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, MP, MLA, has reprised his role as spokesman for the UK government by announcing a further four year funding of the Irish Language Broadcast Fund ahead of any official statement. Just as he did in 2008. It’s still a reserved matter. ‘The Blog’ had the ‘scoop’ this time. The level of funding, £3million per year, is the same as the previous announcement in 2008 – which means it’s a decrease in real terms – and …

“In the event of the failure of mediation, recourse to independent adjudications and procedures”

Pete Baker on February 13, 2010, 2:40 am

| Readers 12

With Sinn Féin and the DUP now trading statements and counter-statements on the future of parades ahead of any “agreed outcomes” of that working group there are couple of pieces of information worth bringing ‘above the fold’. From a BBC report we learn Meanwhile, it has emerged that two advisers have been appointed to the group. They are Presbyterian minister Mervyn Gibson, a prominent Orangeman, and Sean ‘Spike’ Murray a prominent republican. Both men sat on the Ashdown Review team …

What are the DUP’s terms to avoid the forced resignation of Peter Robinson?

Mick Fealty on February 13, 2010, 12:39 am

| Readers 17

Before you head off for the weekend, have a look at Sam McBride’s exclusive in this morning’s News Letter… PETER Robinson signed a post-dated letter of resignation as First Minister to secure his party’s support for policing and justice.. This is significant on two levels. One, it suggests that if the party doesn’t get the deal it wants, Robbo is toast. And second, it removes the power to unseat the party leader from the Assembly group where we know he …

And another one bites the dust…

Mick Fealty on February 12, 2010, 6:52 pm

| Readers 4

Hmmm there goes Deirdre… She was no fainting Violet, but now Senator de Burca is gone (from the Seanad as well as from the party whip) the Greens in the Republic’s government must be wondering what’s next? Veronica has a great review over at Irish Election on how it all went so badly wrong for the Greens and for their leader, John Gormley. Nothing describes it so succinctly as the problem of the Poolbeg incinerator. But the real killer has …

“There has to be a consensus found on education”

Pete Baker on February 12, 2010, 3:59 am

| Readers 4

The BBC reports UUP leader Reg Empey’s comments this evening – “If we can deal with parades, why can’t we deal with education? And we are looking at this as a litmus test of whether the Executive is going to be capable of taking on any more powers”. Video courtesy of UTV From the BBC report On Thursday, Sir Reg said: “The Ulster Unionist Party has long stated its concerns at the dysfunctional nature of the Executive, and we are …

Enda breasts another leadership crisis…

Mick Fealty on February 11, 2010, 8:16 pm

| Readers 3

Hmmm… So George Lee, the brightest star in Fine Gael’s firmament last year has gone. In his trail some degree of disarray, although the party now say they are backing Enda for the foreseeable future after a marathon love in at Leinster House last night. While Lee’s getting it in the neck for being nothing so much as a flaky public sector journo, Enda’s the one with the serious long term problem. Miriam Lord in today’s Irish Times notes the …

And at the heel of the hunt we are suffering from crisis fatigue…

Mick Fealty on February 11, 2010, 7:05 pm

| Readers 9

Nice piece of sampling from Malachi on a Belfast street. I’d say it added up to a quiet approval of the Policing and Justice deal, a degree of ignorance of what it was all about, and probably most worrying from a professional politicians point of view, a strong feeling of general disengagement from the whole show up at Stormont… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the …

Appeal Court hears challenge to ruling on “smoke filled rooms” deal on Victims Commission

Pete Baker on February 11, 2010, 5:02 am

| Readers 14

When, in June last year, the Belfast High Court ruled against the legal challenge to the appointment of four Victims Commissioners by then-First Minister, Ian Paisley Snr, and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness – who were not subpoenaed about their un-documented and witness-free meetings, in office, about the eventual appointments – Mr Justice Gillen argued that “the process of joint decision making which will command public trust and confidence is a fragile flower which requires careful tending”. The appeal against …

The question Ritchie and McGlone must answer: What is the SDLP for?

Mick Fealty on February 10, 2010, 8:23 pm

| Readers 27

On Twitter last night Eamonn quoted Martin McGuinness’s quip that the SDLP and the UUs are now the grumpy parties. Certainly his own ‘firm’ has more politicians who pass the fabled beer test than perhaps any other party in Northern Ireland. But I am not sure I would describe the mood at the Slieve Donard last weekend as grumpy. It was, in fact, a party of two quite discernible camps and, by Sunday afternoon, they were both in quite different …

“You may have identified these leaders already…”

Pete Baker on February 10, 2010, 5:31 pm

| Readers 3

In the Irish Times Newton Emerson identifies the “six-point structured negotiating framework” of The Process™ available at “the new Conflict Transformation Initiative from the University of Portadown (Lurgan Campus).” 4. Identify Solutions Once you have identified the leaders, the problem and the opportunities, you have already identified the solution. However, you might still need to remind the leaders to take this opportunity to solve the problem. This is where the media can be useful, because everyone enjoys stories about goats …

“Let me take this particular issue away..”

Pete Baker on February 9, 2010, 11:50 pm

| Readers 5

When the Speaker informed the NI Assembly yesterday that Peter Robinson had decided to return “to exercise the functions of the office of First Minister”, a point of order from the SDLP’s Alex Attwood – calling for the publication of legal opinion which Peter Robinson has stated clears his name – was met with short shrift, “Those are matters for the First Minister to deal with.” As the BBC noted. However, today in the Assembly, Alex Attwood was back. This …

“He was subsequently executed and buried in an unmarked grave”

Pete Baker on February 9, 2010, 6:31 pm

| Readers 2561

The Provisional IRA’s “P O’Neill” has been briefing selected members of the press again. Or as Brian Rowan puts it in the Belfast Telegraph, “the man I met yesterday no longer functions as P O’Neill, but he still speaks with all the authority of the republican leadership”. They’ve suddenly remembered they ‘disappeared’ somebody else. Joe Lynskey, described as a “senior IRA intelligence officer” in the Irish News which reported “it is believed that Mr Lynskey had a relationship with a …

“It will be made up by 3 MLAs from the DUP and 3 from Sinn Fein.”

Pete Baker on February 9, 2010, 2:55 am

| Readers 16

According to BBC NI political editor Mark Devenport’s blog Tonight we are expecting the announcement of the 6 strong parades working group. It will be made up by 3 MLAs from the DUP and 3 from Sinn Fein. I haven’t yet got all the names but I wouldn’t be surprised if Gerry Kelly and Nelson McCausland are members. Which would make that “co-chaired working group” more obviously a continuation in negotiations after the fact… They have until the end of …

McGlone: “I don’t care if Robinson and McGuinness are friends…”

Mick Fealty on February 8, 2010, 6:57 pm

| Readers 77

I’ve been on the road ever since spending the weekend with the SDLP at the Slieve Donard, so I’ll be writing up general impressions up tomorrow. For me (others may well disagree) the most interesting speech was that of the new deputy leader, not least for its direct (if rather folksy) style. Patsy McGlone certainly sounded like he was up for a fight. His speech, laced in places, with a cold Catholic morality, was an attempt to differentiate his party …