UUP – Page 12 – Slugger O'Toole

NI Assembly Insurers Refuse to Cover Sinn Féin’s Phil Flanagan for Compensation and Costs Awarded in Tom Elliot Libel Case

Pete Baker on January 9, 2016, 8:48 pm

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It’s worth noting to begin with that that refusal is in accordance with advice given to Jack Peel, Deputy Head of Finance, NI Assembly in March 2011 by Karen McLaverty, Vice President, Marsh Ltd, who provide the Assembly insurance broking and risk management services. Nineteen months after libelling the former UUP leader, Tom Elliot, then an MLA, now MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone [since May 2015], the recently deselected Sinn Féin MLA, Phil Flanagan, appeared in Belfast High Court yesterday where he recognised the …

Almost 30% of MLAs not seeking re-election

David McCann on December 23, 2015, 2:22 pm

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A really interesting article by Sam McBride in the News Letter today highlight the number of MLAs standing down at the next election. In his piece McBride points out; Almost 30 per cent of MLAs elected in the last Assembly election are not even standing for election next year – and the turnover in Assembly politicians could end up being as high as 40 per cent. But goes on to say; On top of that, several MLAs who stand for …

Lord Kilclooney: “I am impressed by the way Martin McGuinness has developed in recent years”

David McCann on December 23, 2015, 12:32 pm

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Interesting interview from Liam Clarke with former UUP Deputy Leader, Lord Kilclooney about his relationships with former UUP leaders, his views on Same Sex Marriage and how he views the current Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness. Speaking about him he said; The people who tried to kill me were the Official IRA, not the Provos, but they are all IRA to me. However, I am impressed by the way Martin McGuinness has developed in recent years. His support for the …

Belfast City Council vote to record Planning Committee meetings.

David McCann on December 2, 2015, 11:44 am

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OPEN GOVERNMENT? This issue has been a hotly debated topic since the new Belfast super council was elected in May 2014 and has come before council no less than three times.

However, last night the council voted by the slimmest of margins 28 for to 27 against to allow planning committee meetings to be recorded and made available to the public. The proposal was brought by the Alliance party.

DUP and UUP back Parliamentary Motion on Syria as SDLP oppose it.

David McCann on December 2, 2015, 11:02 am

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SYRIA: Both the DUP and UUP have now confirmed that they will be backing the Prime Minister’s motion on bombing Syria.

Mr Cameron “has intervened, threatening recklessly to destroy a generation of work, in order potentially to gain marginal seats in NI”

David McCann on December 1, 2015, 12:20 pm

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RECKLESS: Interesting report from RTE outlining references to David Cameron’s approach to Northern Ireland during the devolution of policing and justice in 2010 from Hillary Clinton’s advisor Sydney Blumenthal.

The Tampon Tax and how to effect positive change

Soapbox on November 27, 2015, 7:30 am

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TAMPON TAX: Now, I am the last person to be jumping to the defence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. But I have found myself in the most uncomfortable position following Wednesday’s Spending Review.

Osborne takes aim at the Opposition Parties.

David McCann on November 25, 2015, 7:41 pm

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AUTUMN STATEMENT: You have seen the news with commentators and business journalists pouring over Tax Credit changes and cuts to the Bloc Grant, but one cut that really caught my eye was this little gem buried in the Autumn Statement on Page 76 which is benignly titled “Reducing the Cost of Politics”

A Deal Today?

David McCann on November 17, 2015, 10:42 am

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This in from the BBC Political Editor, Mark Devenport hints that we may have a deal but not as comprehensive as some might like; Expectation that politicians may press ahead without resolving legacy issues and welfare cld be dealt with Westminster leg consent motion — Mark Devenport (@markdevenport) November 17, 2015 The SDLP leader, Colum Eastwood had this to say about a possible deal today The SDLP has a high standard for any outcome in this process. After so much …

Martin McGuinness: “if the governments move as speedily as we have done, all of this could move very quickly”

Pete Baker on November 10, 2015, 10:46 pm

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After 9 weeks of behind-closed-doors talks, including an exclusive, super-sekrit, meeting in Downing Street with David Cameron, and a less sekrit meeting with Enda Kenny, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers emerged blinking into the light today to inform the waiting press that… “The core of that agreement, the substance, has already been agreed in dialogue terms between Sinn Féin and the DUP,” [Peter Robinson] said. [added emphasis] So they haven’t put it in writing yet, never mind agreed it …

UUP considering hosting 1916 event in Dublin.

David McCann on November 6, 2015, 7:18 pm

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Chris Page from the BBC reports this story; The Ulster Unionist Party is giving “active and positive consideration” to holding its own event in Dublin next year for the hundredth anniversary of the Easter Rising. The party leader Mike Nesbitt says the event would be held “not to celebrate, but to challenge the causes and consequences of the Rising”. He says Ulster Unionists over recent years have gone to Grangegorman Cemetery in Dublin, where British soldiers who died in the …

Cartoon – ‘The ghost of Peace Process past’

Brian Spencer on October 31, 2015, 12:30 pm

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PEACE PROCESS RULES: The parallel between Robinson and former First Minister David Trimble has been made, and it is plain to see. We know how Trimble’s career ended, and that ghost hangs over the ongoing debacle.

Wilson: The Lords Yell ‘Up The Workers’

Soapbox on October 29, 2015, 12:07 pm

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The recent Tax Credit vote in the House of Lords has caused some controversy. Writing for Slugger, the DUP MP, Sammy Wilson talks about the vote and how other parties in Northern Ireland have approached this issue. Following Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour Leader you’d have expected the cries of ‘Up the Workers’ to be ringing through parliament from the Commons. Yet this week it was the lords, ladies, barons, earls and bishops in the upper chamber raised the workers …

Martin McGuinness: “…it is not conducive to getting a good outcome.”

Pete Baker on October 28, 2015, 4:29 pm

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Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness doesn’t appear to have had much to say today about the behind-closed-doors talks at Stormont – apart from telling the BBC’s Chris Page The timeframe for a deal in Stormont’s inter-party talks is “days, not weeks”, the deputy first minister has said. Martin McGuinness said he believed a deal was “achievable” and that the talks process was “intensifying”. Still, it’s good to see Sinn Féin on the same page as the Prime Minister, David Cameron, at …

Tax Credits, The Lords and Local Politics

David McCann on October 28, 2015, 12:47 pm

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A battle has broken out between the DUP, UUP and Sinn Fein over the votes in the House of Lords concerning changes to the Tax Credits system that the Conservative government plan to bring in. First up was the DUP; Whilst DUP Peers voted against the #taxcredits cuts, 7 Northern Ireland Lords were leaping to the Tory tune. pic.twitter.com/qXx5HufYNl — DUP (@duponline) October 27, 2015 Then Sinn Fein had a pop (though this did back fire slightly on social media …

What does the future hold for the UUP?

Soapbox on October 27, 2015, 9:08 am

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Craig Harrison writes for us about his views of the UUP conference and its future Anyone who was near the recent UUP conference will have gotten the distinct impression that this is a party in a confident mood. This confidence has its roots in the perceived vindication brought with the independent assessment of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland, and a renewed self-assurance that leaving the Stormont Executive was the right thing to do. If the buzz around the room wasn’t a …

Mike Nesbitt, the UUP’s resurgence and sea battles

Turgon on October 25, 2015, 12:00 pm

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I began thinking about this blog a few weeks ago just when the UUP first left Stormont but never go round to finishing it. As time has gone on though its accuracy seems to be to be increasing especially in view of Nesbitt’s speech which Alan has covered below. Five years ago I did a blog about the UUP and the Battle of the Nile. In brief at the Battle of the Nile Admiral Nelson divided his forces and attacked …

Confident Mike Nesbitt challenges UUP party faithful on cold spots like same sex marriage and Irish #UUP15

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 24, 2015, 5:33 pm

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REVIEW of the Ulster Unionist Party conference, at times self-indulgent as the party celebrated their success at Westminster but with an emphasis on how they are distinct from other unionist parties. Challenges to the party faithful about being on the wrong side of history over attitudes on same-sex marriage, some policy ideas and reassurance from the Shadow Secretary of State.

Something quite profound has shifted here, and more so within unionism than nationalism…

Mick Fealty on October 22, 2015, 5:50 pm

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So where does this all leave Unionism? Well, plainly not everyone is in the same place Gregory Campbell was last night. The brutal truth of all of this is that the DUP did not want to leave office over this, or almost anything else. In the blame game it is always unionism’s fault, so staying in situ was always Peter Robinson’s plan of action. Then along came Mike Nesbitt, who, no doubt having seen the term “Head of IRA Intelligence” …

DUP and Sinn Fein vote down Jim Allister’s SPAD bill

David McCann on October 13, 2015, 9:38 pm

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Jim Allister is back with a SPAD bill (not that one) this piece of legislation would have placed a cap on pay and the number of SPADs that can be employed. Northern Ireland currently spends over £2 million per year on SPADs which is double the cost of Scotland and three times that of Wales. A few months ago Jim Allister wrote for Slugger setting out his case for reform of the system. Alas it appears that business as usual …