Parties – Page 87 – Slugger O'Toole

Why Liam Adams has MANY more questions to answer…

Mick Fealty on January 15, 2010, 3:36 pm

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Whilst I share Suzanne Breen’s analysis that the mainstream media have been ignoring the myriad questions arising from her investigation of Liam Adams, I don’t necessarily share her righteous indignation about the switch of focus over the holiday period from Mr Adams (and his political brother), to the domestic misfortunes of the First Minister. There are many good reasons for that switch, not least the possibility of rudely taking down an unpopular (amongst the press at least) First Minister. And …

Any other ‘slips of the mind’ to declare?

Pete Baker on January 15, 2010, 12:54 am

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On Tuesday the Irish News reported that “Prosecutors have asked police to pass on demands that Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and his niece stop talking to the media about the alleged abuse carried out by his brother.” The, not unreasonable, request was made by Liam Adams’ legal team. In his latest post on This Blog Gerry Adams goes over his version of events again. Including another declaration of ignorance about Liam Adams’ involvement in Louth Sinn Féin. “While I …

“To investigate any impropriety on the part of the officer and elected representatives”

Pete Baker on January 14, 2010, 10:12 pm

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The BBC reports details of the external inquiry to be held by Castlereagh Borough Council into the awarding of the lease for the Lock Keepers Inn to Kirk McCambley, and Iris Robinson’s involvement in that process. The report also states Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Mrs Robinson has resigned as an MP, MLA and councillor. The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly told the BBC that her decision would be formally announced to MLAs next Monday. Earlier on Tuesday, …

“Nor have the real actors been slow to catch on to the situation and take full advantage”

Pete Baker on January 14, 2010, 7:46 pm

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In todays’ Irish Times, David Adams has some thoughts on journalism and The Process™ For a long time now the mainstream media in Northern Ireland has been acting as though its primary responsibility is to the survival of the peace process – and by extension the professional lives of its major players – rather than to reporting without fear or favour. At first glance, this may seem like a laudable position to adopt. However, in practice it has meant that …

On the previously un-apparent instability in Unionism…

Mick Fealty on January 14, 2010, 4:18 pm

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It’s been my own view that the last four years have been about a subterranean crisis within nationalism, unionism is now about to have a much more out front breakdown of their own. Over on Comment is Free I’ve argued that whatever the cause, Irisgate has changed the underlying political game in Northern Ireland. Whether by default or design, Sinn Fein have scored an away goal against a top of the table side, and as a result, everything has changed. …

More trouble ahead for the DUP at the weekend?

Mick Fealty on January 14, 2010, 1:46 pm

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It looks like I’ve been picking up similar rumours to Eamonn… I’ve lost count of the number of groundless whispers about the private lives of one or two senior DUP representatives, but I’m now getting similar hints from pretty reliable sources within the party itself that one of the English Sundays has a story… Still, please treat with the utmost caution both in the story itself and how you comment below. None of us are invulnerable to the laws of …

“what I told him was that sometimes they are better not doing publicity”

Pete Baker on January 14, 2010, 5:39 am

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As Brian has pointed out, “..silence has its risks”. Although, given his crass utterances yesterday, I’m sure the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, MP, was grateful to receive Northern Ireland Executive Junior Minister Gerry Kelly’s advice on commenting publicly on events. Sinn Fein junior minister Gerry Kelly urged against any comments that might unsettle the negotiations and claimed he had warned Mr Woodward against commenting publicly. “I had a meeting with Shaun Woodward on Tuesday and what I …

“Lord Carlile, the official reviewer of terrorism laws, said today a change in the law was needed”

Pete Baker on January 13, 2010, 10:54 pm

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The Guardian reports on a “ruling today by the European court of human rights against the unlawful police use of counter-terrorism stop and search powers” under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 The sheer scale of the stop and searches has made clear that these counter-terrorism powers – under which police are supposed to be searching for “articles that could be used in connection with terrorism” – have become another tactic in daily police encounters with the public, regardless …

“You can also buy a bar of Stormont fudge.”

Pete Baker on January 13, 2010, 6:37 pm

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In his Irish Times sketch piece Deaglán de Bréadún appears to suspect there’s confectionery in the air. The devolution of policing and justice from London is not an issue that keeps any ordinary citizen in Northern Ireland awake at night, but it is a deal breaker for Sinn Féin, who could pull the whole house down if they don’t get their way. The Northern parliament is also known as the House on the Hill and at the gift shop you …

“We have to close that vacuum..”

Pete Baker on January 13, 2010, 5:29 am

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The BBC reports Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward’s comments after meeting the Irish foreign minister, Michael Martin, in Dublin [Shaun Woodward] said: “It’s a very important time for all unionists to realise that now is the time to complete devolution. “There is an urgency which is why this needs to be addressed in these coming days and weeks.” Mr Woodward said dissident republicans who attacked a police officer last week were exploiting the “vacuum” in the process. “Very …

Balancing the [Executive’s] Books

Pete Baker on January 12, 2010, 7:24 pm

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The BBC reports that NI Finance Minister, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson, has outlined “how £367m is going to be cut from the NI budget next year.” Mr Wilson said water charges would continue to be deferred in 2010-11, at a cost of £213m to the executive. The Department of Health faces cuts of £113.5m and the Department of Regional Development faces cuts of £80.3m. As long as there is jam for tea… This Politics Show report is from May 2009. …

As the dysfunctional semi-detached polit-bureau wends its way into history…

Mick Fealty on January 12, 2010, 2:17 pm

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One of the things, I guess, that will be taxing most of our new readers from elsewhere is why does a crisis around one political leader potentially threaten the nature of the whole settlement? In an op ed for the London Times today, I’ve sketched the outline the plot of the political power play that’s been going on underneath these top line events. In effect, the supposed partners in OFMdFM have been engaged in a (to put it very crudely) …

“Now I think he’s acted in the best interests of the party..”

Pete Baker on January 12, 2010, 4:15 am

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I don’t think the BBC’s Jim Fitzpatrick was there when Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams declared his ignorance about his brother Liam’s membership of Sinn Féin, not to mention his ignorance of Liam Adams being “Chairman of Louth [Sinn Féin] Comhairle Ceantair” as far back as June 1996. But the “skitter” did have Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly in the Stormont Live studio today. Here’s the transcript. Jim Fitzpatrick] “Of course the DUP isn’t the only party where personal issues have …

Acting First Minister’s First Question

Pete Baker on January 12, 2010, 12:32 am

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A couple of short clips of events in the Northern Ireland Assembly today, via BBC NI’s Stormont Live. Below the fold Speaker Will Hay informs the Assembly that DETI Minister Arlene Foster is to act-up as the interim NI First Minister. And here is the acting NI First Minister, the DUP’s Arlene Foster, making her first short statement and answering her first question in the role – there a slight glitch in the recording at the end, but listen out …

“For my part, I did not know that Liam was a member of Sinn Féin.”

Pete Baker on January 11, 2010, 6:47 pm

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Were there any journalists present when Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams made his declaration of ignorance noted by the BBC? Did they ask any questions? Were any answers offered? Here’s the Irish Times report of Gerry Adams’s declaration of ignorance “The party in its statement on this acknowledged that Liam was a member of Sinn Féin,” Mr Adams said yesterday. However, he added: “For my part, I did not know that Liam was a member of Sinn Féin. I did …

Chancerism?

Pete Baker on January 11, 2010, 2:49 am

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Splintered Sunrise suspects so. In terms of the peace process, Proconsul Woodward has come out batting strongly for Peter. There are noises from the PSF corner, on the other hand, threatening to collapse the Assembly if the devolution of policing and justice isn’t agreed this week. Obviously the Shinners have been deeply annoyed by the statement of DUP kingmaker Lord Morrow that the issue won’t be agreed within the lifetime of this Assembly. Given that P&J is an issue that’s …

An Insider’s view: Sinn Féin has become “bloated, slow and predictable…”

Mick Fealty on January 11, 2010, 2:27 am

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The excellent Sinn Fein – Keep Left blog has (see also Neil at The Beautiful Room) published a document prepared by Killian Forde and sent up to the leadership after the local elections in June last year… It was, we understand, completely ignored by the party’s leadership… Which is a shame for them, because instead of it remaining a private report, it has gone public… In essence, he argues that the party is driven not by an independent party structure, …

“Sycophantism in any organisation is dangerous – in a political party it is cancerous.”

Pete Baker on January 10, 2010, 7:53 pm

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Máirtín tries to pour some oil on the troubled waters of Dublin Sinn Féin following the resignation of Cllr Killian Forde. And dropping from 7 councillors to 4 on the city council in the space of 6 months, or as Jim Cusack notes from 10 after the 2004 elections to four now, is choppy weather indeed. Meanwhile, the newly liberated Cllr Forde has been talking to the Sunday Tribune [Added link to Sunday Tribune article]. Speaking exclusively to the Sunday …

“that same glorious tradition of self-indulgence”

Pete Baker on January 10, 2010, 4:15 am

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Whilst someone is telling Brian that Sinn Féin “will in effect pull the plug on powersharing next week” – and news that the party intends to table an emergency motion in the Assembly asking the Northern Ireland First Minister to answer questions about recent allegations suggests they’re in a trouble-making mood – in the Irish News Patrick Murphy provides some useful clarity on Sinn Féin’s latest manufactured “crisis” [further background here]. “With only a few exceptions in Irish history, republicans …

“The leadership of the party appeared to not recognise or were unwilling to accept..”

Pete Baker on January 9, 2010, 6:22 pm

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An iol report confirms the news Mick noted last night, Sinn Féin Dublin City Councillor Killian Forde has resigned from the party. As the report notes, “He is the third city councillor to resign from Sinn Féin.” And, Dublin Sinn Féin Chairperson Eoin Ó Broin said it had become clear in recent times that Killian Forde was “in the wrong party”. On his blog, the newly liberated Cllr Killian Forde agrees As people within the organisation will know I had …