![]() |
|
You are here Home | Topics | Parties
SOS - Save Our Slugger!
Help fund Slugger's new software: Or mail it direct to Slugger! You are here Home | Topics | Parties |
November 30, 2004
That showed them, huh?Faced with balancing a budget that is predicted to be £28million short over the next 3 years, local political representatives today walked out of a Southern Education and Library Board meeting refusing to discuss any proposals and threatening to resign. How exactly that will change the situation faced by the SELBoard is anyone's guess.. perhaps they think that £1Billion cheque has already been cashed? Bertie bursts over-optimistic bubbleDespite the optimistic noises from some parties, RTE reports that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has told the Dáil that "he cannot see short term solutions to at least two items in the Northern Ireland peace talks unless parties significantly move their positions."[my emphasis] He also, effectively, rules out the possibility of any deal being reached by Friday, a day that had been, in some quarters, predicted as another 'deadline' - again. Mr Ahern also told the Dáil he could not see an agreement being reached between the parties by Friday. Unsurprisingly, neither Adams nor Paisley thought it worthwhile mentioning this in their statements to the media earlier in the day.
Paisley: it's now or never...The game's still on, but the Doc is doing his Elvis impression with a final redition of It's now or never... But will it all end up in Heartbreak Hotel? Give us you own favoured lyrics for Northern Ireland's latest political song and dance routine? Policing: 82 years of disaffection to end?Sharon O'Neil reports (subs needed) an interesting perspective on yesterday's meeting between Sinn Fein and the Cheif Constable of the PSNI from historian Eammon Phoenix: "Not since 1922 has a Sinn Fein leader discussed policing with an official representative of the Northern Ireland state. "Craig met Collins and a Catholic recruiting committee was set up in Belfast, chaired by Bishop MacRory of Down and Connor to, if you like, select suitable Catholics for the police force. At that time this divided republican opinion in the north and the scheme was eventually blocked by the old unionist minister of home affairs who was in charge of policing, Sir Dawson Bates. "He set out to disrupt the new scheme on the grounds that it would endanger the Protestant control of the police. Therefore the scheme collapsed in 1922. From 1922 until today there has been no republican engagement with the police authorities on the crucial issues of policing. "It has taken 82 years to get to a point where a northern republican leader is meeting the head of the PSNI, the reformed police force, to discuss the broad issue of policing/demilitarisation". And he's sanguine over the chances of a deal being struck: "You have Sinn Fein recognising the reality that qualified Catholics are prepared to join the new force since Patten. "You also have the Sinn Fein recognition of the requirement of the two governments that to be in government Sinn Fein must accept the existing police force – that is the bottom line of Blair and Ahern. "Sinn Fein must be seen to support the law of the land. It is the acceptability of the realpolitik by the new pragmatic leaders of the republican movement". Policing remains an issue for disagreement.The Irish Times has a report by Frank Millar that may hint at a sticking point for a 'deal' which the wider media has, thus far, neglected to mention - the devolution of policing powers. From the briefings, which Frank Millar reports are coming from SF sources, the view is that there will be no devolved policing powers until 2006 - at the earliest. Leaving aside the fact that the DUP are arguing that they, ultimately, will have a veto on whether that eventually happens, the prospect of the policing issue being resolved as part of a wider package in the next week is, IMO, unlikely. Think about it this way - will SF join the Policing Board without their frequently cited demand for 'local politicians in control of policing'? Adams couldn't even admit to discussing policing with Hugh Orde yesterday. Would the DUP accept SF on the Policing Board while refusing to vote for devolved powers because, presumably, of on-going party-political links to criminal activity? The benefits for both parties in putting this issue on the 'long finger' is that they can both fight election campaigns pointing to further 'negotiations' still to come.. that's been the card they've successfully played to date and it's unlikely to be dropped out of the hand just yet. The draw-back for everyone else is that, even if they say 'Aye' - and the schedule for the two governments 'calling it' keeps getting pushed back in the hope that it will be 'Aye' - there will remain at least one issue that will resurface, again and again and again. There is one additional point to raise on the policing issue - should we actually have any politicians 'in control' of local policing? The [edited] article reads - SF insists on local control of policing timetable Sinn Féin would require the DUP to agree to a timetable for the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Stormont Assembly as part of any overall deal to restore the power-sharing Executive. This was confirmed last night after the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, held a "useful" first meeting with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Mr Hugh Orde, at 10 Downing Street. Mr Adams emerged from his lengthy talks with Mr Orde stressing the "collective responsibility" of all sides to produce "a comprehensive, holistic agreement", which he said must be "about putting the Good Friday agreement in place". Party sources later told The Irish Times they interpreted this as meaning an agreement "which deals with all the issues, including the arms issue, demilitarisation and policing". Senior DUP sources have made clear in private that they do not envisage the devolution of policing powers within the lifetime of the current Assembly. And reports believed to have emanated from within the DUP about the current British-Irish proposals for restoring the Assembly and Executive have suggested the party believes it has an effective power of veto over when such devolution might take place. That interpretation is supported in turn by Section 17 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which provides that the abolition of any existing Stormont department, or the creation of a new one, must be approved by a cross-community vote in the Assembly. However, when asked if this meant Sinn Féin could in fact have no guarantee as to when, or if, devolution of policing and justice powers would occur, usually reliable sources said "the timetable for devolution would have to be agreed as part of what Gerry Adams has called 'a comprehensive agreement'." The sources confirmed in addition that Sinn Féin requires new legislation to effect further policing reforms it says are necessary to finally implement the full recommendations of the Patten Commission report. Sinn Féin is understood to be working to a projected timetable of between 12 and 18 months, pointing to the creation of a new Stormont policing and justice ministry in the early part of 2006. ...
belfast metropolitan area plan unveiledproposals finally published amid claims not ambitious enough. aims for belfast city centre to be prime shopping area with out of town developments curtailed. easing of electoral register requirementsministerial statement at westminster from john spellar indicates government are withdrawing need for annual re-registration for voters Sinn Féin and the building of consensusThe quality and range of the contributions on The Blanket seems to be rising week by week. Not long ago they carried a lengthy interview with Cheif Constable Hugh Orde and another piece with prominent Orangeman Brian Kennaway. This week, Eoin O'Broin engages with regular critic of Sinn Fein. He contrasts the need to build consensus with a political party with what he sees as the inconsistency of many of its critics amongst dissident Republicans. In particular he hints at the diversity within the party, but the need to agree common policy positions: "Not being a Sinn Féin member Tommy has no idea what positions people took or what work people did on this issue. He also ignores the fact that at the 2002 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis we agreed a substantial and radical policy, which clarified our opposition to privatisations. A position which is now binding on all the party’s elected representatives". “Behind the Blue Door”In light of discussions about sectarianism, this is an excellent piece by the Community Relations Council (2003)that is well worth a read. What Is Sectarianism Anti-sectarianism is a very long word – can we spell it? Copyright Community Relations Council 2003 DUP has to swallow bitter pillDanny Morrison remains sceptical about a deal. Here he uses the literary device of inverting the video of decommissioning scenario to a taped apology from Doctor Paisley. However, he concedes that any fear the DUP will use photographs to embarass Republicans would be outlived by "fresh and daily images of the DUP in a power-sharing executive with Sinn Fein". Is it nearly time to get that metaphorical hat? By Danny Morrison More details have emerged on the proposals to deal with the issue of trust which has bedevilled the peace process from the very outset. Talks sources suggest that by the end of December General John de Chastelain could report that he now has physical proof that the DUP has put all its sectarian bigotry 'beyond use'. In a secret location Ian Paisley has made or will make a video-recorded act of contrition, witnessed by the General and two other independents nominated by Sinn Fein and the DUP. This would open the door to a shadow Assembly in January. Sources say that under the proposals the video would not be shown immediately. Sinn Fein is saying no deal will be made without a film of Ian Paisley apologising. The nationalist people need transparency, said Gerry Adams: "Any deal must be fair and must address to my satisfaction and my electorate’s satisfaction all the fundamental issues that have blocked progress for so long. We need acts of completion, proof of the sincerity of the unionists and that they have turned their backs on discrimination and triumphalism forever." The video of Paisley apologising would be held by the head of the International Commission on Decommissioning until March. Paisley's film would then go on general release and Sinn Fein would agree to a new power-sharing executive with the DUP. There is a real danger, of course, of the whole choreography being thrown into disarray should the Independent Monitoring Commission report adversely on the Reverend Ian Paisley’s activities. Just two months ago Paisley made an outburst against ‘Romanist journalists’ for not being truly concerned about his health and actually wishing him ill. In the film Ian Paisley is expected to apologise for his contribution to the conflict, beginning with his threatened march into Divis Street in September 1964 to remove a Tricolour from the windows of Sinn Fein’s election headquarters. That sparked off rioting in which hundreds of nationalists were injured and scores arrested. He goes on to express regret for his counter-demonstrations against the Civil Rights Movement which also led to violence; his founding of the Ulster Protestant Volunteers; the death of Jimmy Dempsey in September 1969, caused by his supporters trying to invade Iveagh and Broadway; his membership of the Ulster Workers Council's committee which organised the intimidation and bloody violence during the UWC strike against power-sharing (the irony!); his involvement with the UDA which provided paramilitary muscle during the second violent strike in 1977; the Carson Trail rallies and middle-of-the-night demonstrations of loyalist firepower; his establishment of the 'Third Force'; his support for the Ulster Clubs; and his involvement in founding Ulster Resistance, some of whose members imported illegal weapons to kill hundreds of Catholics. Yes, Paisley says, 'Sorry'. If all sides were required to prove their sincerity then the above precondition could be legitimately demanded of Paisley. On the other hand, there are demands which are designed to be impossible or mischievous or designed to stymie political progress whilst laying the blame for failure on one’s opponent. I can live with unionism being in denial about its contribution to the conflict, either directly or as cheerleaders to state and loyalist paramilitary violence. Patronising as it sounds, unionists need our help, which is why republicans agreed to the amendments of Articles 2 & 3, the Patten Commission, and devolution, among other concessions. I do not know if the IRA is prepared to allow an act (or acts) of decommissioning to be filmed as transparent proof that the act had actually taken place. I don't believe that this demand from unionists is legitimate, don’t believe that it is or represents actual proof of total decommissioning. For that matter, I don't believe that it will be the end of unionist demands or that it will settle unionists given that it is the political project of republicanism and the trend towards Irish unity which ultimately unsettles them. If a photo or video is taken it will certainly become public and be used by the DUP for electoral advantage and to lord it over the UUP in terms of, "Look what we got and you didn't!" Republicans would be even more depressed than Ulster Unionists! Despite all that Paisley says about not wanting to humiliate anyone, he will parade the photos as the symbol of surrender. However, that satisfaction would be short-lived and a one-off regardless of how many times he hits playback. It would be short-lived against the fresh and daily images of the DUP in a power-sharing executive with Sinn Fein, symbolising and signalling a dramatic betrayal by Paisley of his entire political life, radically changing the political complexion of the North and putting the union on a slippery slope. But, as I said last week, I cannot see Ian Paisley sitting in government with the SDLP never mind with 'Sinn Fein/IRA'. (Or has the DUP dropped that phraseology in the past week?) The real stumbling block, as I am sick of saying, is not arms but the politics of power sharing: power sharing - the antithesis of the meaning of 'Northern Ireland'. First published in the Andersonstown News on Monday 29th November 2004 Slowly changing landscapeSound analysis from John Murray Brown this morning. He perceptively refers to long term development of this process, and George Mitchell's observation that "if Mr Paisley had not boycotted the negotiations [1998] there would probably not have been an agreement". So was the boycott a positive move to allow the Agreement to take shape, or simply a straightforward protest? November 29, 2004 Leading ArticleThe Times 30.11.04 Power and responsibility After 40 years of violence and an utterly dispiriting sequence of derailed peace initiatives, the odds against a breakthrough in Ulster in a given week will always be slim. Expectations must nonetheless be managed, and Downing Street has been managing them hard of late. This was the Prime Minister’s task yesterday when asked about talks held in London between Hugh Orde, the Northern Ireland police chief, and Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president. Tony Blair affected an air of weary detachment and acknowledged that “all the possibilities are there” before insisting: “Whether it happens or not is not up to me.” “It” would be an historic deal between Northern Ireland’s two largest political parties, encompassing the decommissioning of IRA weapons and the resumption of power sharing along lines set down six years ago in the Good Friday accords. Mr Blair’s weariness may be genuine; his apparent detachment is not, for the prize of such a deal, all bleak precedent apart, is perhaps closer than it has ever been. For the first time since the elections last year that put the fate of the Province in the hands of the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, both groups appear willing in principle to make the concessions necessary for an over-arching agreement. At Mr Blair’s request, President Bush has intervened with phone calls to Mr Paisley and Mr Adams over the weekend, urging them to turn their hints into actual compromises. If they do, there is hope that a deal would hold: it is the defining paradox of recent developments in Northern Ireland that republicans are likely to have more faith in an agreement with their hardline Unionist rivals than one reached with David Trimble’s moderate, and now weakened, Ulster Unionist Party. Meanwhile, at the governmental level, London and Dublin have expressed their willingness to consider a “peace dividend” of as much as £1 billion in public funds to go towards much-needed infrastructure projects that the DUP and Sinn Fein agree have been delayed by sectarian strife. They may have had a hand in the strife, but their agreement on anything is welcome. Mr Paisley’s willingness to trust potentially unreliable partners is to be lauded. The effect has been instructive. He has conquered a lifetime’s aversion to talks with Dublin, and although the elimination of the IRA as a terrorist organisation remains his — and London’s — chief, non-negotiable goal, he has shown a willingness to contemplate its continued existence as “an old boys’ association”. Mr Adams’s meeting with Mr Orde likewise breaks new ground, but a firm and unambiguous commitment from Sinn Fein to full and transparent decommissioning by the IRA is now long overdue. To demand that weapons destruction be properly recorded, and not just witnessed, is entirely legitimate. The looming pressures of next year’s election make this window of opportunity for Ulster a narrow one, but a similar chance may not present itself for years. It must be seized. Good Idea!Sinn Fein call for consideration of legislation to limit the advertising of toys on TV defining sectarianismplans in scotland to tackle bigotry on the terraces seem likely to cause interpretation and implementation difficulties Another temporary 'solution'?The Irish Times has a short report containing yesterday's comments by Archbishop Séan Brady, Catholic Primate of All-Ireland, warning the two parties concerned "against making the pursuit of a perfect solution to the North's problems "the enemy of a good solution". By 'good' he means 'temporary' which, IMO, is what we're increasingly likely to be presented with - despite the hype that it will, inevitably, be veiled with. That report in full - Primate urges parties to 'grasp opportunity' The Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Seán Brady, has warned against making the pursuit of a perfect solution to the North's problems "the enemy of a good solution". He continued that "a good solution can create the opportunity for better solutions to emerge."[my emphasis] Speaking yesterday at a Mass to mark the reopening, following renovations, of the St John the Baptist Church near the Garvaghy Road in Drumcree parish, Co Armagh, he appealed "to all involved in the negotiations to grasp the good opportunity that now presents itself and to give us reasons to hope for new possibilities and for a new beginning to our shared future by reaching agreement". "For, should these hopes be once more dashed, then the only winners will be the cynics, and the losers [ will be] the people who believed that locally elected representatives could take responsibility for our local situation," Dr Brady said. Over recent years, he noted, "the people of Northern Ireland have made a remarkable journey." © The Irish Times Feel free to disagree, but there are too many loose ends still trailing in the mud for a 'perfect solution', whatever that may mean, to be served from the current pressure-cooker. Even if the two parties say 'Aye', expect a couple of items to be delayed.. and delayed.. and delayed.. after all, what would they put in next year's election pamphlets otherwise? The original Irish theme barSynchronicity and all that. No sooner had I read Sheila's comments on Maureen O'Hara in 'The Quiet Man' - Sentimentalizing Ireland - than this news story caught my eye, Quiet Man Pub to Get its Proper Home at Last Reading the story, of course, it soon becomes evident that the 'proper home' for the Quiet Man pub, or rather the props and fittings used in the original movie, is in a Hollywood studio - Pat Cohan's in Cong, Co Mayo, was actually a shop in real life but director John Ford converted it into a bar for the Oscarwinning film starring John Wayne. Interior pub scenes were cleverly shot in a Hollywood studio and the props and fittings have been lying in a dusty warehouse for over 50 years.[my emphasis] Not that the "film['s] devotees in The Quiet Man Movie Club in Ireland [who] are transporting the pub [props] back bit by bit and aim have it open for business next year" are going to let that get in the way - "Tourists who came to visit where the film was shot were always disappointed when they heard the pub didn't actually exist in real life," said Paddy Rock, who runs popular tours of the film's West of Ireland locations. Hmmm... let's not disappoint those tourists. I mean, next thing you know they'll start thinking it was all a fiction... and then where would we be? Trimble: seeds of leadership coup sown?DR JOHN COULTER is a Northern political columnist with the Irish Daily Star. Here, he focuses on Daphne Trimble's failure to secure the Lagan Valley Westminster nomination and argues that it is evidence of a new wind of change within the UUP. This could be the first stage in a final leadership coup against her husband. Ulster Unionist spin doctors at party HQ in Belfast's Cunningham House have been working overtime to explain the Lagan Valley association's 'strategy' in dumping the seemingly red-hot certainty for the Westminster nomination, Daphne Trimble, in favour of an unknown businessman who only joined the party a few months ago. Indeed, Lagan Valley may well be a Dail constituency in a European-imposed United Ireland before the Ulster Unionists have a pup’s chance of regaining what was once their jewel in the unionist crown under former party leader Jim Molyneaux. The UUP will have to find another cockpit constituency in which to promote its battle for the heart and soul of Unionism. Eyes are already heavily focused on East Belfast, the political turf of DUP deputy boss Peter Robinson. As for David Burnside in South Antrim, given what happened to dissident William Ross in East Derry in 2001, maybe the time has come for the PR guru to follow the lead of his pal Jeffrey and jump ship to the DUP as the only way to remain in the Commons. 'Deal' not grabbing the NI public...Anthony McIntyre on how the current negotiations have by and large passed over the heads of the general public. Another reason, perhaps to believe that this prospective deal, although undoubtedly historic, will probably pass through with little public controversy. All IRA arms to be decommissioned within monthAt least that's what the Indo reports. It doesn't mean the deal is yet concluded, but it confirms the outline of a choreography first hinted at by the BBC on Friday. Dun nan GallTá an dan seo thios scríofa le filí Albanach Derick Thompson. Tá sé foilsithe insan Faber Book of Twentieth Century Scottish Poetry. Cha fágainn sé slan le Dun na nGall, ach leis an teanga binn den cheantair sin. Mar cainteoir Gaeilge na hAlban, biodh an cainiuint aitiuil seo go ana cosuil a cuid teanga fein, no is é sin an mead a duirt uncal do mo chuid agus mé i mo paiste beag, thartfa seacht bliaina d’aois. Cha raibh sé abalta an Gaeilge Atha Cliath den fear an phoist (mar a duirt sé) a thuigbheal chomh maith leis an teanga de iascairi Albanacha a bheas ag cuir isteach leis an cuan ó am go h-am. Dun nan Gall Far a bheil a’ Ghàidhlig sgrìobht air na creagan Cha bheathaich feur a chànain seo Gus an tog a’ chlann luideagach leoth’ i Sinn Fein to meet Orde...One last one before bed. A Sinn Fein delegation is to meet Hugh Orde, Chief Constable of the PSNI. Although the topic of conversation is to be fairly uncontroversial, it's being seen as hugely significant move in some circles. Orde has already told the Belfast Telegraph that he believes the party will recognise his force at some point. November 28, 2004 Laura! Was I supposed to call someone?Having finished his Thanksgiving burger (must have been the size of Texas), George Bush has, finally, spared Gerry Adams' blushes and got someone to find that phone number - although the call is reported more like a monologue than a conversation. Despite the optimistic comments from Mitchel McLauglin that are also in the report, Adams claims to have promoted the idea of further White House intervention "I told him that we may need help at the White House to deliver". But, as predicted yesterday by Mark Devenport, certain murals weren't mentioned, although I don't think diplomacy had much to do with their omission. No mention either of Sinn Féin's recent call for US military planes to be barred from Shannon Airport I would have thought it was a perfect opportunity to have a chat about that particular Sinn Féin policy. Should be interesting!Ní Chonaill to debate immigration with SF councillor 28/11/2004 - 11:48:01 Outspoken anti-immigration leader Áine Ní Chonaill will debate immigration controls with Councillor Toireasa Ferris of Sinn Féin, the daughter of TD Martin Ferris at University College Cork. The debate will be through the Irish language and a professional interpreter will be present on the night to provide Gaeilge/Béarla translations, which will be available to members of the audience through headphones. Ms Ní Chonaill is the leader of the far-right Immigration Control Platform. The event takes place on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Photographs might do it....Liam Clarke reckons photographic evidence might be enough to swing a an historic deal that would allow Northern Ireland politics to get back finally to the business of running itself. Danny's hat and the DUP...Looks like our quote of the day made it into the papers. Paul T Colgan at the Sunday Business Post with a nice story on the sceptical Danny Morrison and rumours.of splits in the DUP. My own guess is that if there are any, we won't get to hear about it until someone's memoirs are published ten years hence! Thanks to Shay Paul for the heads up! Gerry Adams: "I think Danny is being a bit cagey, since I don't think he owns a hat". The pantomime continuesOh yes you will! - Oh no I won't! The incoherence of left and right...In the FT, Christopher Caldwell has a fascinating analysis of a shift away the from the post war social democratic consensus that is beginning to kick in Europe every bit as much as it already has in the US. He looks at that most controversial decade, the 1960s. He goes back to the social activism of the sixties: "The movements of the 1960s wiped out local injusticises, but they are a global phenomenon, and those local injustices are not why the 1960s happened. Its are not to be sought in ideas but in large social and demographic forces. That is why Marxist historians like Eric Hobsbawm have had better luck than most in explaining the 1960s, even if there is room to differ on which forces predominated (Education? Prosperity? The baby boomers sensing their future electoral might?)" He quotes French Socialist Mark Baumel: "The ideological coherence forged in the 1960s and 1970s - anti-liberal on economics and libertarian on social questions - corresponded to a society in which capitalist domination and bourgeois moral order seem to make up a coherent system. This coherence is no longer obviouos because capitalism has adapted itself easily to libertarianism". Indeed he quotes a columnist from Suddeutsche Zeitung describing the plans of Germany's Social Democrat Chancellor as a "mishmash of McKinsey jargon, leftover inventory from the sociology of 1968, and psuedo-futurist visions". And he finishes: "Mr Blair has bet - and France's socialists are about to bet - that Europe's electorate is much more like the American one than many European leftists would like to believe. And the show rumbles on....Well I imagine Gerry Adams' statement that he believes the DUP will do a deal wraps up most of the news for the weekend. It's now Sunday, so I doubt we'll hear anything significant from the DUP today. They are still in the process of analysing the governments' responses, and awaiting Paisley's meeting with John de Chastellaine. With the Republic's budget pre-occupying government business on Wednesday, it could be Thursday or later before we have a result one way or the other. So much for my 72 hours theory. Rumbles of DiscontentHenry McDonald writes "The IRA is facing a fresh split as it prepares to disarm a huge arsenal to boost the chances of power-sharing in Northern Ireland. A group of dissenters issued a statement to The Observer this weekend, criticising IRA and Sinn Fein leaders over their willingness to destroy the arms and explosives." IRA rift set to derail power sharing HenryHenry McDonald offers his thoughts on events in the Holyland and some solutions Culchie clashing During the week a number of short-term solutions to the Holy Lands crisis were proffered, such as the expulsion or suspension of the rowdiest and most violent from university. Others have suggested that the PSNI take a more heavy-handed approach to the nightly scenes of drunkenness, lewd behaviour and disorder. They point out, quite correctly, that if these people were working-class youths they would battered off the streets and demonised throughout society as a gang of worthless Chav scumbags, yet because the students are from nice, respectable middle-class homes in the country they are treated with kid gloves. Times Change.Wide-ranging article in the Sunday Times Comment: Liam Clarke: Nationalist support must not be undermined again that looks at changing attitudes within the nationalist and republican community to those who served with British Forces in two World Wars. Something that wasn’t widely covered in the media this week, although it was carried by the Irish News, – the NI chairman of the Royal British Legion attended an event organised by Coiste na n-Iarchimi, the republican ex-prisoners’ group. Republicans honour Irish war dead From The Irish News Article on Friday: A representative of the Royal British Legion was one of the speakers at an event on remembrance organised by a republican ex-prisoners organisation yesterday. The conference examined the theme of commemorating the Irish sacrifice in the two World Wars and the reasons why the nationalist tradition has difficulties in identifying with the wearing of the poppy and the traditional Armistice Day ceremonies. Chris Carson, Northern Ireland chairman of the Royal British Legion, told the conference his group had recently arranged for northern ex-servicemen to attend a ceremony at the war memorial in Drogheda in memory of three hundred local men who died in the Great War. and ”Sinn Fein councillor Tom Hartley said that in the changed climate of the peace process it was now possible for republicans and nationalists to remember the victims of Flanders and Gallipoli. The conference at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast was organised by republican ex-prisoners group Coisde na Iarceimi.”
“Eamon Phoenix, the historian, told how the support of Irish nationalists for British wars was undermined and transformed into outright opposition to the British link by events such as the treatment of demobbed soldiers after the first world war. Many nationalists who got jobs in the shipyards were violently expelled as disloyal infiltrators by sectarian mobs despite their military service. That radicalised many but, even so, support for the British armed forces persisted within nationalism for years.Until 1925, for instance, a rally of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was addressed, each Remembrance Day, by Sir James Craig, the unionist prime minister. The tradition ended abruptly when he pushed his luck too far and alienated the avowedly nationalist group by telling them that they must support the principles of unionism. That was a bridge too far and, as the DUP comes to grips with Sinn Fein, it may care to reflect on Craig’s mistake in pushing nationalist co-operation past what could be delivered. This is not the first time nationalists have been willing to work with unionists to achieve stability. There has always been a willingness to give practical support to the institutions of the state while fully intending to change them by democratic means as soon as they can.” Also in the Sunday Times article, the moving story of How Roy Garland and Gusty Spence helped Martin Meehan find the grave of his grandfather, Camillus Clarke, who died in Belgium during WWI. (In Bold A.U.) November 27, 2004One Man BandI shouldn't gloat, but it's hard to resist :) Ireland beat the Pumas by the same score as the Australians beat the "mighty World Champions"... 21-19. It looks as if England ARE a one man band and without Wilkinson they are doomed..... Should be fun reading the Guardian, which after Ireland- wearing white that day - beat the Boks wrote that at times it must have seen to the Springboks that they were playing England, so well did Ireland play :) Note to Guardian ... If the Springboks had been playing England that day they would have won . mallon to retirenewry and armagh will have a new mp after the next westminster poll as seamus mallon confirms he will not stand again not just devolution province waiting onafter yesterday's news letter editorial on the audit office report into hospital waiting lists, today's belfast telegraph opinion piece touches on the potential impact of the review of public adminstration on local health structures- the subject of a debate involving assembly members yesterday at the slieve donard hotel, newcastle. the debate was part of the programme at a conference of the institute of healthcare management, and those who took part were paul berry (dup), robert coulter (uup), kieran mccarthy (alliance), carmel hanna (sdlp), john o'dowd (sf) QS?Last week it was the IRA, this week it's the UDA - Police swoop on UDA robbery gang Leopards and 'spats'. About that raise...Instead of twiddling your thumbs waiting for the latest spin and speculation through the weekend, why not try The Guardian's Too Smart for your Salary? quiz. Based on the premise of a link between salary level and IQ (that's the 'leftist rag' we know and love!) it would probably be best to let that hangover subside first. Personally, I'm looking for a raise... either that or a new job ;) Your results You got 23 questions right out of a possible 25. This gives you a cash/cleverness coefficient of... 17 Wow. Your IQ is as far above the average for your salary level as the scale permits. What are you doing with your life? Partition politicsOne for all those history buffs out there.. you know who you are. Ryle Dwyer in The Irish Examiner takes a long look back at the exploitation of the issue of partition in Irish politics, and points the finger at the Long Fellow himself Belfast gears up for Christmas EurosJohn Murray Brown with a report on how a growing number of Belfast retailers are preparing to take Euros alongside sterling this Christmas. Newry's been developing a strong cross border trade for several years now. Saville: a job for historians, not lawyersKevin Toolis, believes the cost of the Saville Inquiry has lined the pockets of lawyers, but will do little to redress the hurt of relatives of the innocent victims killed that day. "In 1998 revisiting that historical wrong, and truthfully rejudging the legal failures of the Widgery tribunal, seemed like a necessary step in the nascent Irish peace process. But six years later, after 16 million words have been spoken, 30 million words in documents, 921 witnesses and £155 million in lawyers’ fees, I am no longer sure". Bush to call Adams...I'm not entirely sure what substantive contribution GW can make with these fireside phone calls, other than to call world attention back to a problem most people though had gone away years ago. Particularly since the President readily admits, there is little he can practically do to help. But Ian got one yesterday, and it looks like Gerry's to get one today. Perhaps it's something like the rather cold pragmatic argument proffered for the retention of marriage: in a calling to witness of as many as possible so that when the vows are made, the two participant's are more motivated to make the relationship work for richer or poorer, in sickness or in health. Rumour mill: IRA discussing the deal...One story doing the rounds at the moment is that some sections of the IRA are happy with the package as laid out by the two governments, whilst others are not. We have no idea of the veracity of the claim, but will keep you posted if it proves to be more than speculation. British Army to scale down presence...According to a senior British Army spokesman, the IRA's war is over regardless of any outstanding issues of decommissioning. "The indications are that, given 9/11, the IRA are not going to return to terrorism," said the senior officer. "There isn’t the popular support, either in Ireland or the US." So much so that it's thought that the British military will scale down its presence in Northern Ireland when the UK wide review kicks in next month. How's that for choreography? DUP yes, what about Sinn Fein?Well, how do you read this one? The DUP's Executive has backed their leader's efforts to seek a deal. Next stage entails Paisley meeting with General de Chastellaine to examine the practicality of the government proposals on decommissioning. However Gerry Adams' claims there is not enough of a deal for him to go to the IRA with. Universities primary investors in R&DUniversity research and development now outstrips that conducted by the private sector. It appears to be in part a function of the persisting importance of an aging manufacturing industry which has been in even steeper long term decline elsewhere in the UK. The overall trend in R&D is markedly downward. In anticipation of something happening....The Indo-Asian News Service are obviously taking this weekend seriously. Their man on the ground in Belfast as just filed this place-marker, obviously waiting for something bigger than an economic delegation returned from India to show up! NB: our correpondent brings us a number of factlets: NI has a lower crime rate than Britain, the US Poland and Portugal (bet that's got to be traffic offences - scariest drivers in Europe last time I was there!). Fiscal limitations to future inquiries...As the Saville Inquiry draws to a close, it looks like the British government intends to enact legislation that will both strengthen the powers of the chair and make provision to limit the cost of any future inquiry. March as restart date?Well things are quiet. But this piece from the BBC perhaps reflects our proximty to a deal. It's author believes the governments propose full IRA decommissioning by Christmas, with photographic evidence to be kept until March which would then trigger the renewed activity of the Executive; a shadow Assembly could kick in as early as January. It is believed that both main parties have completed consultations, and will make clear responses in the next day or two. we should know by Monday or Tuesday at the latest whether the party is back on, or off! Meantime we'll do our best to keep you posted.... November 26, 2004Orange Ants !The full text of a Flann O'Brien play, presumed lost, was discovered in the 90's.Written in the 1940's it sounds astonishingly familiar :) From the dung heap of history The first act of Rhapsody in Stephen's Green was among Flann O'Brien's papers owned by the University of Southern Illinois. But no trace until now had been found of acts two and three and a prologue and epilogue. Education: NI's over and underachieversMalachi O'Doherty takes aim at Prince Charles's recent comments on education, noting the very particular circumstances of education in Northern Ireland, "Our grammar schools are top of the British league tables while a quarter of the population is functionally illiterate. The next rung below us on the literacy ladder is Poland". Meanwhile David Vance defended Charles. Bush for Nobel Peace Prize?Ahem, not for Iraq, or Afghanistan, but for Northern Ireland?? I'm afraid we've already got two of those already (three if you include the literary one for famous Seamus) and we still haven't got a deal. Enough said. Dumbing Down.The Irish News today carries a story on page 9 Victorian entrance exam highlights ‘dumbing down’. An exam paper set for 11-year-olds in Victorian Britain was too difficult for most of today’s A-Level students, campaigners said. The Spectator magazine published school entrance exams from the 19th century, sparking renewed claims that education standards had been dumbed down. The school’s headmaster acknowledged that the tests set at King Edward’s School in Birmingham in 1898 would tax most people today. The questions covered Latin, details of British history, English grammar and maths. They were aimed at the brightest 11-year-olds of the time. The questions are TOUGH! eg: ENGLISH GRAMMAR 1. Write out in your best handwriting:— ‘O Mary, go and call the cattle home, 2. Parse fully ‘And call the cattle home.’ How about these ? ARITHMETIC 1. Multiply 642035 by 24506.
Bush call to Paisley...US President George W Bush has phoned Ian Paisley to support efforts to restore the Assembly. During Bush's last visit to Hillsborough, Prime Minster Blair was said to have kept the DUP away from the President - a mistake, some believed, as Bush is much more likely to be listened to by the DUP than a hundred Bill Clintons. It was, like so much Blair gets involved in, another missed opportunity. It's not all about politics...Jude Collins argues that people should not get too hung up on whether the two parties agree a deal or not. He believes that much of the good news for Nationalists are happening outside the party political field. ID cards to beat terrorism, again..?IDENTITY cards are to be brought into Northern Ireland, as they will be in the rest of the UK. Part of the reason given is that they will help fight terrorism. I don't want to burst the Home Secretary's bubble, but we've had photo ID in Northern Ireland for many years that didn't exist in GB (eg photographic driving licenses). Can he tell us what difference it made before he repeats the exercise? What do readers feel about having to carry ID. Would you be happy with Big Blunkett watching you? It's just not cricketAs the England cricket team embarks on another politically suspect tour, and John O'Farrell has a wonderfully sceptical glance at that story in the Guardian, The Irish Times reports on a developing row in West Indies cricket, with an Irish tinge. James Fitzgerald, in the Irish Times, reports that players' personal sponsorship deals with business competitors of the main West Indies cricket sponsor Digicel, owned by Irish businessman Denis O'Brien, has led to the dropping of, arguably, the West Indies best players from their national team. The leading players in West Indies cricket have been dropped from the national squad over a row involving the telecommunications company of Irish businessman Mr Denis O'Brien. Digicel, which is seeking to gain control of the lucrative Caribbean market, recently took over as the main sponsor of the team after Mr O'Brien brokered a US$20 million, five-year deal with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). But now 16 of the top players, including the captain, Brian Lara - arguably the world's best batsman - have been axed because they have personal endorsements with rival companies, including Cable & Wireless. Out of 25 players originally invited to a training camp in Barbados next Monday, just nine will be able to attend. The board pointed out that players were barred from endorsing "a competitor of a WICB major sponsor unless he has a pre-existing agreement with such a competitor that was approved in writing by the WICB". Apart from Lara, the list of dropped players includes top-order batsmen Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan as well as all-rounder Dwayne Bravo. Meanwhile, the players' association accuses the board of attempting to "exploit the players for commercial purposes" and is furious that personal endorsements may be lost as a result of the Digicel deal. The row has led to fears that the West Indies may be excluded from a triangular one-day international tournament in Australia in January. The Australian cricket board could decide to invite a different team to play there if the West Indies does not select a full-strength side. In September, Lara led his team to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy in England. The players' association has pointed out that, given the relatively meagre salaries they receive from the cash-strapped WICB, players need their personal endorsements in order to make a living. Last June, when the sponsorship deal was finalised, Mr O'Brien said that Digicel would "add new energy into West Indies cricket".
Macho Mitchel !Guess who eats three Shredded Wheat... You Funded The War Now Fund The Peace - McLaughlin Tells Murphy NI future depends on immigration: unionistTANGLED Web slinger and hardline unionist commentator Andrew McCann (formerly of this parish) uses his own very detailed breakdown of population trends (AKA a 'sectarian headcount') to justify increasing immigration by ethnic minorities into Northern Ireland. No, you didn't read it wrong, I said 'justify'. It's for very selfish reasons that some will disagree with, but that's the first I've seen this unusual rationale in print. The shape of things to come?The Guardian carries an account of the career of Dan Rather, anchorman on CBS Evening News for the last 23 years, after his declaration of intent to stand aside on the 24th anniversary of taking on that role in March next year. The role of bloggers in that decision merits only a few lines in the report, but it was their criticism of his report on Bush's National Guard service record that led directly to Rather being pushed. Perhaps the Guardian is still smarting from their own Clark County Fiasco, but a more thorough look at Rather's demise would surely have dwelt on the influence of the blogosphere a little longer. With references such as "distinguished and often aloof", "grizzled, patrician and often patronising" The Guardian also seems prepared to overlook the accusation that the decision to carry the discredited report on Bush's Texas National Guard service was politically motivated, "Despite all his adventures, all his gravitas, all his pomp, conviction and humanity, the obituary writers gathered around Rather's career had one thing on their minds: George Bush and the Texas national guard." - it refers to the report itself as an "error", an understatement of the actual charged levelled against Rather. As it is the article does make some good points on "the last hurrah of a television age that is fast disappearing, replaced by a world where viewers are as likely to get their news from the internet and 24-hour rolling cable news channels as they are from the trusted main networks." - Tom Brockaw of NBC news is also stepping down, leaving "66-year-old Peter Jennings [ABC] hanging on, suddenly the only remaining member of the journalistic triumvirate that has shaped America's view of the world and of itself for the past 50 years." Viewing figures are tumbling for news on the major US networks and the report raises the question of whether the commitment still exists among executives to follow a loss-leading news model of previous decades. Marty Kaplan of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication provides the quotes, "The best one can say for the evening news broadcast is that they still have the largest town square in the country. To the degree that there is a common culture left, they command it." And the lines that will resonate with media watchers here - "Network news is now a subsidiary of entertainment. The people really in the driving seat about whether the evening news will survive are the advertisers. If they decide there are better places to advertise then my guess is that the affiliates will be thrilled to have an extra half hour." Meanwhile, politicians this side of the Atlantic still rely on Old World methods to pressurise the media. Conserative Party leader, Michael Howard has made an official complaint against his old nemesis Jeremy Paxman - just doesn't seem to carry the same resonance when a politician complains does it? Not that any of the political parties in our little land would attempt such tactics, would they? The Bhoys are back in Town!Shane and the lads are back in business. Last night’s Frank Skinner show had an interview with the man himself, Shane MacGowan. Old habits die hard Twenty-five years ago, Shane MacGowan was given six weeks to live. But he's still here, and so are the Pogues - back to their original lineup for a new lease of life. Dave Simpson joins them in Dublin to relive the bad old days Whitelaw on PaisleyMarc Mulholland continues his Northern Ireland Lecture series at his excellent Daily Moiders Lecture hand-out 7 contained an interesting quote. When Stormont was prorogued on 25 March, William Whitelaw, the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, had little clear idea of what to do next. The loquacious conspiracy-fan, Cecil King, recorded a meeting with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, William Whitelaw, three days later: “I was treated with the greatest friendliness and confidence. The gist of what he had to say was that in the end there had to be a united Ireland. With this in mind one must not say too often that the border is in question … I understood Whitelaw to say that he saw Paisley as the future leader of Northern Ireland.” [The Cecil King Diary 1970 – 1974 (Jonathon Cape, 1975)] Will that wily old bird be proved right in the next few months ? How embarrassing, I'm now claiming to be of Anglo-Irish descent.An otherwise interesting article in the Belfast Telegraph is somewhat spoiled by the headline: How Ulster Scots put Bush in power It must be hard enough trying to convince the world of the validity of an Ulster-Scots identity without burdening it with this! Nell McCafferty is quoted - 'Unionists are boring, though I will say this about them - you can throw everything you have at them, and we did, and they're still f****** standing there. It's like that film Zulu. You have to respect them for that. Yep, I salute them, the b******s.' November 25, 2004Not Daphne but Basil.Daphne Trimble has failed in her bid to be selected as UUP candidate to oppose Jeffrey Donaldson. The Party has selected Basil McCrea, a Hillsborough businessman. Trimble wife fails in nomination Parties co-operated for economic package...THE BBC is reporting that Sinn Fein's Dara O'Hagan and the DUP's George Dawson* were part of talks with the business community that led to the call for a £1 billion economic package for Northern Ireland as part of any deal to restore devolution. The DUP is stressing this was not part of the negotiations - one wonders what caveats are now left to avoid direct talks. * The others were reported as Sean Farren (SDLP), Sir Reg empey (UUP) and Sean Neeson (Alliance). Two parties, same birthyear...Before it goes, this quick (not entirely unbiased) portrait of the history of two parties which share the same lifespan, but little else, from Danny Morrison is worth a read. On hearts and minds tonight...Hearts and Minds tonight assumes the role of warm-up act to the biggest weekend in Northern Ireland's politics, or another anti-climax. Not giving much away, we suspect, will be Sinn Fein's Mitchel McLaughlin, there's the latest commercial competition between Belfast and Lisburn, and the return of David Vance in the If you ask me slot. Danger signals for 'deal'What had been promoted, in some reports, as the SF Ard Chomhairle's 'decision' meeting on the governments' proposals, has turned out to be nothing more than another 'briefing' by their party president. But the alarm bells will be ringing in government, and DUP, circles following the statement by Gerry Adams that, on decommissioning, "he was not in a position to go to the IRA because no final deal had been reached". That's a tacit, and public, claim that the IRA have made no firm commitment yet on decommissioning, which the DUP have placed as their first requirement for any deal. The prospect of the DUP taking the first step, at least publicly, and making a decision at their meeting tomorrow, in those circumstances, is looking less likely. Campbell's masterclass on political communication...Alistair Campbell (tongue only slightly in cheek) gives the Tories a rundown of what they have to do to win the next election. Objectives are easy, if you have a good strategy! Needless to say he doesn't think much of their strategy under the current leadership. "Political campaigning in the modern era requires relentless focus on objective, strategy and tactics, and an ability to know the difference. Objectives are easy. Once you have a clear strategy, tactics are easier than when operating in a strategic vacuum. It is strategy that is hardest of the three, and that is where I analyse Howard as being at his weakest". Interestingly, (for a man often viewed as the 'evil one of spin') he believes the Tories focus too much on the media and not enough on the real world conditions of the electorate: "Modern political coverage in the 24-hour media age exposes a disconnection between the day-to-day media swirl and the reality of most people's lives. Howard makes a mistake in focusing too much on the former, with the result that he is not breaking through on the latter. His interventions in the public arena tend to be set not by a strategy of his own, but by the passing controversy of that day’s media. That has to change". Indeed it is easy to see what the key election winning strategy has been throughout Labour's second term in Britain: "Ask them [voters] if the education system or the NHS as a whole is improving and they are less certain. We're back to the disconnection. Real world good. Media world bad. But when it comes to deciding how to vote to decide the next election, the real world is the one that matters." And how did Blair do it: "One of Blair's great strengths was to highlight problems in the country without giving the sense that he was running it down the whole time". It's almost certain that individuals within all four of NI's big parties have been watching (and learning) from this modern democracy game 'across the water'. But it's equally as certain that not all their parties have been listening to them. Thanks to David for the tip. Badges of honour..?PIN collectors might have noticed that there are quite a few RUC badges, official and unofficial, being auctioned on ebay at the moment. Loyalist boss had home in RepublicThe Assets Recovery Agency has disclosed it will be auctioning the €¼m holiday home of assasinated Crawfordsburn-based Red Hand Commando boss Jim Johnston, just outside Enniscrone in Sligo. SF Caving InThat's the heading The Irish Echo has on Paul Colgan's report. Attributed to the SDLP's Mark Durkan, natch, but Colgan finds support for that interpretation from none other than Brian Feeney. Not that Feeney mentions this in his Irish News article - blogged here - but then when Feeney asks in that column "What was it [the last 30 years] all for?" he, keeping an eye on his regular audience, isn't asking Gerry Adams. The line from the Irish Echo report to keep in mind amidst all the spin and speculation is this - "However, Sinn Fein will not want to lose the inevitable blame game if a deal cannot be struck." It's also true for the DUP, but that may not be enough to make them both move sufficiently. It's also interesting that Colgan wheels out Mitchel McLaughlin to deny that SF have agreed the block voting change for the Executive - some bloggers have looked at this issue before. Ian Paisley to spoil Christmas?Brian Feeney is getting into festive mood, with a literary reference to Dr Seuss' Grinch, the creature who for some unknown reason hated Christmas. He rehearses the long journey of Ian Paisley (as the eponymous creature) from oppositionalism to the brink of an historic deal with his oldest political enemies. Feeney is not betting the Doc will deliver in time for Christmas. Mood music good for SF/DUP courtship...IT wasn't so long ago that Ian Paisley was calling for the disbandment of Sinn Fein, saying that the party should "have no part nor be in any negotiations". Contrast that with his statement yesterday, and you'll see how far the DUP has belatedly come - now they are prepared to accept the IRA continuing in the form of an 'old boys' association'. Wasn't it Trimble who used that phrase first? Anyway, how times change... For those who watch events closely, this would seem as clear an indication as any that a deal of some description is on the cards. The relatively upbeat assessment by the DUP of the British and Irish Governments' joint paper, the much-changed language of the DUP, the flexibility of Sinn Fein on Executive formation, the 'regret' over the Birmingham bombs (such statements having come before big moves in the past), the statement by Peter Robinson about how the DUP proposals were not outside the fundamental principles of the Agreement, the refusal by the DUP to rule out greater North South co-operation on matters of mutual benefit, the confidence SF have to allow Bairbre de Brun to resign her Assembly seat, the offer of clergymen viewing decommissioned weapons, the friendly DUP visit to Dublin, the common cause of the two parties on negotiating a peace dividend and opposing water charges - are all meaningless on their own. But added together, and with a few more signals besides, they seem to strongly indicate movement towards a deal that is about to be made. Much baggage has had to be dropped on this journey. Will we get the Big Deal though, or an interim measure towards full restoration of the institutions? My guess is that we are still talking March/April before a full Assembly will meet (after the next IMC report, but before the May election) and I still think there will be certain issues left unresolved... Poverty, the economy and the chancellor...Ambrose picked up this story in the Guardian's Society section yesterday which looked at the issue of child poverty in Northern Ireland - 8% of children are living in severe poverty. Of these, forty per cent "live in households where the gas, electricity or telephone have been cut off. Half live with a lone parent, while 27% have parents with health problems or disabilities". Interestingly, Goretti Horgan sees the problems based in the trajectory of economic development policies: "...the whole concept of a 'renewed Northern Ireland' is based on a low-pay economy. People further up the social ladder have done well out of the peace - the gap between rich and poor is higher than in the rest of Britain, and is widening. The reality is that ordinary people are working for wages much lower than the rest of the UK. Invest Northern Ireland - the body that promotes investment here - even boasts on its website about wages being 25% less than the rest of Europe." Also worth browsing is the UK Chancellor's Child Poverty Review for this year. It sets out targets to halve relative child poverty by 2010, and eradicate it by 2020. There's a fascinating graphic in the Annex, which demonstrates some startling facts. For instance, couples in work are less at risk of generating child poverty (13%) than their single |