“A very unlikely setting to prepare for unity!”

Alex Kane on Sinn Féin’s ‘historic’ Ard Fheis in Belfast. It was an altogether different bunch of rebels last night, an army of united-Irelands, many of whom had travelled a very long way (maybe even passing Prince Charles as he visited this part of his future kingdom) to debate, among other things, a motion calling for the ‘practical planning for Irish unity to begin now’. The conference programme may have referred to the six counties, but the reality was that …

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Final look back at Sinn Féin’s ard fheis

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 …

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David Latimer’s speech: if an opportunity; one he missed completely

Following on from Mark’s blog with Rev. David Latimer’s speech to the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis, I thought an analysis of the speech from a unionist perspective was maybe worthwhile. I have already suggested some possible motives for why Latimer said what he said. However, leaving aside the poor delivery, the preening, the media chasing and anything which might though accurate be described as man playing: why was it nonsense and incorrect? The first reason is simple whataboutery. Whataboutery is …

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Day 2 in the New Republic house #ardfheis – updated with Adams’ closing speech

It’s a damp and overcast day in Belfast. The PSNI are cycling around the outside perimeter of the Waterfront Hall, while the Sinn Féin stewarding team patrol the other side of the fence. A lot of Friday’s delegates are bleary eyed. Stall holders are unpacking their merchandise. The media are crowded around the four audio connections that were wired up overnight in their upstairs annex. Downstairs in the hall, delegates have discussed transport, environment and infrastructure. They’re now into the …

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Some observations from the opening night of the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

Rev David Latimer addresses the Ard Fheis 2011

Metal barriers surround the Belfast’s Waterfront Hall this afternoon. A police landrover sits discreetly across the road. Yellow bibbed security teams thoroughly examine the bags of everyone arriving. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are in the main hall rehearsing their conference speeches using the teleprompter. Earlier in the day, twenty five or so elected representatives and rising stars rehearsed their two minute speeches that will delivered during the “live” section on Saturday when BBC and RTE are broadcasting live from …

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Rev. David Latimer at the Ard Fheis

For those that missed it you can see Martin McGuiness introduce his friend David Latimer to the Ard Fheis and then his speech from 15mins on: Video streaming by Ustream Mick Adds: Blank

Sinn Fein’s options for Presidential candidate…

Well one of the things that’s certain to become clear shortly is who is going to run for President for Sinn Fein. Niall O’Dowd’s tip is Mary Lou McDonald, whereas Fionnan Sheahan reports that Michelle Gildernew, the Fermanagh South Tyrone MP and the former Agriculture Minister is becoming the favourite. I don’t think any of us can say we really know until the announcement, possibly even including the candidate her or himself. The party’s internal centralism has some critical advantages …

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Fine Gael rises and Labour falls in latest Sunday Times poll…

Via World by Storm (since I’m too tight to take out even a daily sub on the Sunday Times) that poll at the weekend. General election results in brackets. Fine Gael 44% (36) Fianna Fail 15% (17) Sinn Fein 13% (10) Labour 12% (19) Greens 2% (2) IND/others 12% (15) Interestingly the biggest change is on the government side with Fine Gael benefiting from what WbS refers to as a mudguard effect. I’d quibble somewhat with that, in that it’s …

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

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 …

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Judge Smithwick: “I take a very, very strong view if he doesn’t [appear].”

The Irish government’s deadline target date for the Smithwick tribunal’s final report is unlikely to be met if former assistant Garda commissioners ignore the tribunal.  From the RTÉ report Senior Counsel for the tribunal, Mary Laverty, said she was at a loss to explain why Mr Carty had not turned up. She said she was aware that he was working in Vienna, but the letters had been signed for with the same name and signature. Judge Smithwick said he was …

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“He is merely behaving as an echo chamber for Sinn Fein exasperation…”

As we wait for the US court’s ruling on the release of the Boston College archive material, it’s worth noting that there have been a number of recent articles in which some interested parties have made their views known. A couple of weeks after a Boston Globe editorial called on the college to release the information requested, a joint op-ed from Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre appeared in the same paper.  Accompanying it was a separate article from columnist Kevin Cullen arguing the same lines.  …

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“We now realise that wasn’t a brilliant idea…”

Newshound transcribes a Sunday World report on the recent removal of a ‘women in struggle’ wall mural at Rockmount Street, Belfast, and its controversial replacement – an advert for Northern Property, a Falls Road-based estate agency.  From the report Tony Donnelly, director of Northern Property, said his office had been inundated with calls about the mural’s removal. He said it had been taken down by Sinn Féin and his company had then erected its ad separately. “We now realise that wasn’t a brilliant idea …

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Quote of the day: “Isn’t this where you used to meet Gerry Adams?”

From David Hare’s spy drama Page Eight, broadcast tonight on BBC2.  A senior MI5 officer, Johnny Worricker, played by Bill Nighy, is investigating the sudden death of his close friend, and Director General of MI5, Benedict Baron [Michael Gambon].  In the aftermath of the death, a journalist, Rollo Maverley [Ewen Bremner], who is also an MI5 operative paid to release information into the public domain, arranges a meeting at an anonymous motorway diner.  The following exchange takes place. [Johnny Worricker]: ” A ‘Road House’?  Rather a come-down isn’t it? …

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“That is just the sort of old boy’s network…”

Given the latest controversy at the intersection of politics and policing, it’s worth pointing to Liam Clark’s comments on a previous disagreement over operational matters.  From the Belfast Telegraph article In a modern democracy, politicians are expected to allow the police the operational independence to follow up whatever leads come up – even if many of them turn out to be false. The alternative would be for detectives to ring up senior politicians and to ask which suspects could be vouched for …

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Ó Muircheartaigh: “I never said I was interested in being a candidate”

GAA commentator Micháel Ó Muircheartaigh echoes Gay Byrne in ruling himself out of the race for the Áras.  From the Irish Times report Mr Ó Muircheartaigh last night announced that he would not be putting himself forward as a candidate but that he was honoured to be asked to run. Speaking this morning, Mr Ó Muircheartaigh (81) said he had been approached by members of a number of political parties – which he declined to name – but that he …

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Questions remain over Lillis release

Given the high-profile campaigning on the case, the Northern Ireland Parole Commissioners’ uncommon statement about their apparent u-turn in re-releasing on licence former Provisional IRA member, Brendan Lillis, fails to address concerns of political interference in that process.  Here’s what the commissioners are reported to have said In a statement they said: “The Parole Commissioners have been tasked with making decisions about prisoners according to established procedures. “All decisions made by commissioners comply rigorously with these procedures and they have not departed from …

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“We were painting out political statements…”

The North Belfast News provides an example from the New Lodge area in north Belfast of what happens when “the guerillas” become “the people in power”, and are “pilloried as ‘traitors’ by their young challengers”. From the North Belfast News The day after the clean-up fresh graffiti was daubed on the walls in the Carlisle area of the New Lodge. The slogans included ‘Oppose British Internment’, ‘Free Marian Price’ and ‘Support the POWs’. “We were painting out political statements and …

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“it is a distant aspiration that fails to motivate anything other than occasional nostalgia”

The News Letter reports some interesting quotes from former senior Provisional IRA member, now an organiser of the Independent Workers’ Union, Tommy McKearney’s new book – The Provisional IRA: From Insurrection to Parliament.  From the News Letter report The ardent socialist, who now organises the Independent Workers’ Union, says that Sinn Fein has become increasingly right wing as it has gone further and further into government at Stormont, where, he argues, “contrary to talk of power-sharing, the [Stormont] administration is almost …

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