party conference – Page 5 – Slugger O'Toole

Sammy Wilson’s #dupconf routine – complete with doubtful gags about SF’s Long Creche

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 26, 2011, 4:26 pm | Readers 224

Sammy Wilson’s speech was billed as ‘finance’, but was in reality his usual mid-afternoon comic turn to pick up the spirits of the delegates who were still in the hall. You can hear the full 20 minute routine over on Audioboo (mp3 download). In one section about 5 minutes in, he was commenting on the recent Sinn Fein Ard Fheis in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall. He referred to the crèche – labelled by Sinn Fein (rather than Sammy) as ‘Long Crèche’ …

Peter Robinson: “If we want a better society it can’t be ‘them and us’.”

Mick Fealty on November 26, 2011, 1:35 pm | Readers 258

Wordle of Peter Robinson's party conference speech

Here’s the full text of Peter Robinson below. Few impressions are it was long, but I suspect that’s because he wanted to take his time to talk to his party and his base, before making the key pitch to the rest of us, which is we back a shared future, not the equal but opposite version so obvious in the must derided and criticised Cohesion, Sharing and Integration document… For those awake at the time, this was a senior theme …

TUV Conference – from “a thorn in their flesh” to “a great big cactus inside their shirts”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 19, 2011, 9:48 pm | Readers 78

The TUV held there annual party conference in Cookstown today. I wasn’t there, but offer some snippets from the speeches (or highlights of speeches) emailed through from the TUV press office. There was practically no online activity around the conference – and the non-attendance of former candidate David Vance probably dampened the volume of tweeting. Party President William Ross opened the conference by addressing the party’s continued existence: I am sure that some are surprised to see us still alive, …

And the new SDLP leader is…. Alasdair McDonnell! (updated with graph, audio and speeches)

Mick Fealty on November 5, 2011, 5:01 pm | Readers 185

Alasdair McDonnell is new SDLP leader

In contrast to Newcastle February 2010 (aye, just last year), which felt like the beginning of a process (disappointed Alasdair supporters muttering darkly into their soup), this feels like the end of a process. Alan will shortly bring you audio of tonight’s speeches, but judging from each of last nights speeches the hustings process seems to have enhanced the stature of all four men. And this afternoon there seemed to be a determination not simply to tolerate the result but …

Margaret Ritchie signs off as leader

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 5, 2011, 3:46 pm | Readers 16

Margaret Ritchie outgoing leader speech

Margaret Ritchie addressed the SDLP conference on Saturday afternoon. Ostensibly introducing a panel on Creating Jobs Supporting People, she reflected that she first entered politics to serve people. Outgoing @sdlplive leader Margaret Ritchie addressing SDLP conference (mp3) She pointed to a “return to poverty” and a new phenomenon of “middle income poverty”. She described “the onslaught of Tory Welfare Reform” as “a major money-saving exercise at the expense of those at the bottom”. David Cameron says “We’re all in this …

SDLP Conference – Friday night is hustings night #sdlp11 (with audio from hustings speeches)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 4, 2011, 10:43 pm | Readers 39

It’s dark in the large room hosting the SDLP conference. So dark, that I can’t see my laptop’s keyboard. Delegates are seated around circular tables – wedding style – in the Shaws Bridge Ramada Hotel. The tables at the front are pretty empty, while delegates loiter around the back wall like teenagers at a youth club. There’s a general spirit of disinterestedness amongst some delegates this evening – the leadership is dominating everyone’s thinking. The illumination is dull, and so …

SDLP go to the polls this weekend – a look at the voting process as Attwood becomes the bookies’ favourite #sdlp11

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 2, 2011, 10:00 am | Readers 34

Margaret Ritchie SDLP leadership campaign promotional balloon - Let's Make History

SDLP delegates go to the poll this weekend to select a new leader to succeed Margaret Ritchie. Party HQ will be busy selecting suitable triumphant music for the winner to enter the hall to on Saturday evening around 5pm. This morning, Paddy Power lists the odds 11/8 Alex Attwood 7/4 Patsy McGlone 3/1 Conal McDevitt (though Paddy Power spell his name incorrectly) 6/1 Alasdair McDonnell Votes will be physically cast at this weekend’s conference. Each branch has one voting delegate …

Green Party NI conference, the visit of Alex Attwood, and criticism of MLAs who can’t read or believe the speeches written for them

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 31, 2011, 9:05 am | Readers 146

Steven Agnew at gpni11 conference

I encountered a confidence within the Green Party in NI at Saturday’s conference. Their conference attendance was a tad smaller than the Workers Party event on the other side of Belfast. While the party was relieved to have Steven Agnew elected in Brian Wilson’s vacated seat (running against Wilson’s wife who was standing for Alliance) they were disappointed to only return three councillors in the local government elections. Speaking to @greenpartyni”s @StevenAgnew after their party conference (mp3) The party has …

Look back at Workers Party NI conference (including audio)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 30, 2011, 8:30 am | Readers 220

Table at Workers Party northern conference 2011

John Lowry welcomed around 100 delegates and union representatives to the Grosvenor Hall in Belfast. The northern conference of the Workers Party isn’t a policy-setting body. Lowry said that the party is making preparations for the next local government and Assembly elections to ensure “there is a vibrant socialist alternative”. About two thirds of attendees are older men. But there are pockets of young/middle aged and a handful of women. The past twelve months … Comrades, friends and guests … …

Workers Party conference on Saturday

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 28, 2011, 11:30 am | Readers 23

Workers Party SECT ARIA NISM election poster

Update – new post now published looking at the content of the morning session at the Workers Party conference on Saturday. They haven’t gone away you know! The Workers Party Northern Ireland conference takes place in Belfast on Saturday while counters in other parts of the island will be transferring presidential votes. (The Green Party conference is also running on Saturday.) With a wide variety of socialist/left-leaning parties competing with each other for scarce votes in May’s elections, the Workers …

Green Party conference: nuclear power, environmental governance, and a visit from Minister Attwood

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 25, 2011, 9:00 am | Readers 36

Update – post covering the content of the Green Party conference now published, including audio of the speeches and debates. Environmental governance and nuclear power … these nearly seem like clichéd themes for the Green Party NI to discuss at their annual conference next weekend. While the two leaders’ speeches will no doubt cover other aspects of Green Party policy, including economic and social issues, the main thrust of the agenda is focussed on traditional ‘green’ topics. SDLP Environment Minster …

Tom Elliott’s speech to #uupconf and a quick interview

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 22, 2011, 10:48 pm | Readers 52

UUP gavel

Tom Elliott walked into the hall to begin his leader’s speech to strains of Arcade Fire’s Ready to Start. A fine sentiment, though the song’s first line may not be UUP policy! Businessmen drink my blood / Like the kids in art school said they would / And I guess I’ll just begin again / You say can we still be friends … All the kids have always known / That the emperor wears no clothes / But to bow …

UUP Conference … short, sweet, Secretary of State spoke, an Orange Lodge scolded

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 22, 2011, 7:40 pm | Readers 77

UUP gavel

Any UUP delegates scanning Saturday morning’s papers over breakfast might have choked on their cornflakes when they realised that the Irish News had devoted the best part of a page to UUP conference news, while there was absolutely no mention in the Newsletter! And the date wasn’t 1st April. The UUP Conference kicked off about 10.15am in Armagh City Hotel. In the absence of the (Anglican) Archbishop of Armagh, Rev Andrew Forster opened in prayer. The local constituency chairman, Councillor …

Suddenly everyone wants to be an Ulster Unionist!

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 22, 2011, 6:17 pm | Readers 6

Fearghal McKinney chairing a panel at the UUP conference

First it was the Secretary of State Owen Paterson … … and then SDLP vice-chair Fearghal McKinney. Everyone wants to be branded as an Ulster Unionist at their conference this morning in Armagh! Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast)Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about cinema and theatre over at Alan in Belfast. A freelancer who writes about, reports from, live-tweets and live-streams civic, academic and political events and conferences. He delivers social media training/coaching; produces podcasts and radio programmes; is …

UUP conference preview – #uupconf (and a preview of what Tom won’t say in his speech!)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 21, 2011, 9:00 am | Readers 16

What do you think Tom Elliott should say in his UUP conference speech on Saturday? I began last year’s UUP conference preview post with a fantastical vision of a Barcamp-style UUP ‘un-conference’, complete with delegate-suggested sessions. I also imagined the delegates writing Tom Elliott’s speech by scribbling suggested sentences on post-it notes and then knitting the fragments together in a “sensible and compelling order” to produce his address. This year I tried to go further and asked attendees and panellists …

Round-up of the PUP conference (including audio from speeches)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 16, 2011, 9:00 am | Readers 238

Billy Hutchinson speaking after taking over as PUP leader

The Progressive Unionist Party’s annual conference was held on Saturday morning in the large conference room in City East this morning. About 60 people attended. This year exhibitors hadn’t been invited, curtailing a conference revenue stream, but also keeping the focus on party business. I’ve a theory that most party conferences are identifiable from a photo of the back of delegates’ heads. This morning’s conference was dominated by older men, though some younger people and some women were present. As …

PUP conference preview

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 14, 2011, 9:32 pm | Readers 17

On Saturday, the Progressive Unionist Party will hold their annual conference. It’s been a year of change for the PUP. In the May elections, neither the PUP’s leader Brian Ervine nor independent Dawn Purvis won a seat in the Assembly. Instead the East Belfast loyalist mantle seemed to pass across to Sammy Douglas, who had been approached by and agreed to stand for the DUP. In the local government election, both PUP councillors retained their seats with John Kyle in …

Final look back at Sinn Féin’s ard fheis

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on September 11, 2011, 9:15 am | Readers 118

I’ve only been to the Sinn Féin ard fheis twice. Eighteen or so months ago the coffee area outside the main hall in Dublin’s RDS resounded with the voices from across the south of the island. But northern accents were scarce, and as a visitor it heightened the feeling of being an outsider and in a minority. This weekend, the situation was reversed. While the theme was ‘a new republic’ and ’32 county thinking’, the accents floating across the concourse …

Sinn Féin’s Ard Fheis this weekend in Belfast #ardfheis … kicking off party conference season

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on September 6, 2011, 8:45 am | Readers 20

Sinn Fein Gerry Adams shadow at 2011 manifesto launch

Update – Sinn Féin launched the clár (agenda/timetable) for the Belfast Ard Fheis this morning. Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill and Belfast Lord Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile spoke briefly afterwards about the conference coming north, the value of bringing in external guests to speak (including Rev David Latimer – see below), an overview of some of the themes that will be covered in the motions. I also asked whether the issue of Sinn Féin supporting an Irish Presidential candidate would be …

Liberal Democrat leadership U turn to support NHS?

Turgon on March 12, 2011, 9:37 pm | Readers 3

I mentioned the Liberal Democrats and their potentially Faustian Pact with the Tories last week. This weekend saw the Liberal Democrats spring conference. One of the motions carried was about the proposed reforms to the NHS in England. The Liberal Democrat rank and file seem very concerned about effects of the possible changes. The motion carried included this part: Conference welcomes our Coalition Government’s commitment to the founding principles of the NHS: available to all, free at the point of …