SpAd Bill

Allister on why we need further reform of SpAds at Stormont

Soapbox on August 11, 2015, 10:52 am

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The leader of the TUV, Jim Allister MLA is proposing a private members bills to reduce the number of SpAds at Stormont. Writing for Slugger, he sets out his case for reform of the current system After successfully piloted a Special Advisers Bill through the Assembly to remove convicts as SpAds, I have now drafted a further Bill to do three things – (i) reduce the number of SpAds, (ii) cut their salaries and (iii) ensure they are subject to …

McCann meets… Alex Attwood MLA

David McCann on March 11, 2014, 12:18 am

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I met with the SDLP’s candidate for the upcoming European elections, Alex Attwood up at Stormont to discuss his views on Europe, Nationalism, SDLP and the Executive. When we began, Alex told me about the impact that his parents, particularly his mother had on his politics of looking after others and standing up for the democratic way of doing things. These values that he was taught as a child informed his later choices as a student when he joined …

#RuthPatterson: Would I shed a tear, No.

John Ó Néill on August 1, 2013, 4:41 pm

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At one level, social media and politicians don’t mix. At another it merely allows them to share their innermost thoughts with us, with the unfortunate effect of making us all stupider by having read them. Yesterday, Ruth Patterson responded to a post from Brian Ulsterman on Facebook as below. [I’ve updated this with the full text and image, I’d originally …