Opposition

John McCallister’s generous plans for some kind of Opposition in Stormont…

Mick Fealty on October 14, 2015, 10:56 am

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Sam McBride has a good overview of John McCallister’s proposals for new arrangements for an Opposition at Stormont: Once an Opposition is formed, all MLAs not in the Executive are immediately classed as members of the Opposition. The Opposition will be led by a leader and deputy leader, who would be chosen by Opposition MLAs and who would get the first questions to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister at Assembly question time, moving the Assembly slightly closer to …

Political leadership shouldn’t resort to the handbrake every time the speed of the car needs to be corrected

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 14, 2015, 5:44 pm

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One difficulty with political negotiations in Northern Ireland is the need to negotiate in multiple planes. Firstly there has to be give and take between the DUP and Sinn Féin. Then while delicately balancing this agreed framework, equilibrium has to be maintained while the three smaller parties – SDLP, UUP and Alliance – are given their opportunity to shake the scaffolding and bolt on some of their own tweaks and issues. After the DUP and Sinn Féin had reached an …

Is the Stormont House Agreement really providing for an Opposition?

Mick Fealty on January 23, 2015, 7:43 pm

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Here’s Stephen Walker’s segment from last night’s The View on the prospect of Stormont of having an opposition. The fact that there seem to be very few takers (bar Jim Allister, who has prospered greatly from being the only recognisable ‘opposition’ MLA). Allister in fact is a good example of how Opportunism can have positive effects. In as sense he’s translated the old anti agreement objection to government with Sinn Fein in an essentially liberal one of there being no …

“It is a hoary old cliché, but anger is not a policy…”

Mick Fealty on May 22, 2014, 7:43 am

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John Walsh in the Irish Examiner warns not so about the rise and rise of populism, but the consequence of the adoption of opportunist tactics by the Irish opposition parties. Interestingly he begins with the populism of early 80s Britain when busting trade unions and a populist sell off of public housing stock he reckons set of a long slow timer for many of the difficulties besetting the UK today… Despite the claims of Gerry Adams and co that they …

Villiers: What Stormont needs is the revitalising influence of an opposition…

Mick Fealty on April 16, 2014, 7:30 am

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Another day in Northern Ireland, another Groundhog.. Theresa Villiers is make a speech today saying it is time to make progress on the past and on a future that could bring NI political life back to the cryogenically sealed democracy unit currently operating at Stormont.. “Political institutions the world over adapt and change. As the founding father of modern Conservatism… the Irishman Edmund Burke… once put it: ‘A State without the means of change is without means of preservation’. And …

Peter Robinson, keeping the press accountable – Caption Competition

Brian Spencer on November 26, 2013, 10:38 am

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Never mind the “unpleasant odour” rising from Northern Ireland’s libel law (and the urge to censor), there’s something a little stinky coming from Peter Robinson’s call for the media to show more support for Stormont. As Orwell said, “journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.” Surely we don’t need more photos of politicians standing around with cheesy grins, Stormont’s main output? I look forward to seeing your captions for the empty speech …

The assembly is back-is some minor surgery required?

David McCann on September 11, 2013, 10:36 am

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Stormont sprung to life this week as MLAs returned from their summer holidays. Like children who couldn’t wait to get back into the classroom our MLAs submitted motions that allowed themselves to get stuck in to each other. While I was watching Stormont Today last night, I heard tales from the DUP of ‘Connolly House propaganda’ over the recent trouble during the marching season. While on the other side Sinn Fein condemned the DUP for not acknowledging that republicans suffered any hurt …

The Assembly shuns reform despite UK government pressure

Brian Walker on July 3, 2013, 12:21 pm

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The news from the Assembly and Executive Review Committee that the political parties in the Assembly have been unable to agree on reforming the political system will hardly shake the world. “No Consensus” is the mantra apart from minor concessions towards an opposition. There is not much here to tempt the SDLP or the Ulster Unionists into quitting the Executive, even in the proposals from those parties themselves, especially the SDLP. This will hardly impress the British government which was …

In praise of… Jim Allister

Mick Fealty on May 30, 2013, 9:40 am

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“..there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon…” Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932) The controversy over Jim Allister’s SpAd Bill has thrown a different light upon a settlement that has brought us all certain indisputable benefits. Ironically, the post GFA institutions have had one of their first real fillips from the only resolutely …

SDLP Conference: Change can only come from the bottom up…

Mick Fealty on November 10, 2012, 8:32 am

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Comrade Stalin in the comments under Alan’s makes a reasonable point about the SDLP’s belated talk of opposition, given that party’s rather rigid come-what-may espousal of a settlement that crowds out any oppositionist voice. Yet this is what happens the democratic world over when parties change their leadership. The change of personnel gives them latitude to change direction. For my part its inclusion in Kelly’s speech was an smart move on their part: One, it’s flying a kite, not policy. …

Without Opposition, “the UUP remains trapped, un-influential and jointly culpable…”

Mick Fealty on March 19, 2012, 11:30 am

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Alex Kane on the virtues of embracing opposition for the UUP: …it strikes me that the UUP is in the same position as Clegg: it cannot be true to itself and carve out its own identity (which makes it hard to attract new votes) and it shares the general unpopularity of the Executive (which means it may lose people who voted for it last time). Mike is right when he says that the UUP’s structures and organisation still need work …

… in terms of noise and output, Sinn Féin has proved more effective.

John Ó Néill on January 10, 2012, 9:45 pm

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Following on from yesterday’s piece on Fianna Fáil that Mick flagged up, today the Irish Times continued with Paul Cullen looking at the Opposition with a brief analysis of Sinn Féin’s performance to date (in one of two pieces on the IT website, for more see below). It suggests that: On numbers alone, a much diminished Fianna Fáil can still claim to lead the Opposition – but in terms of noise and output, Sinn Féin has proved more effective. The party …

“I have heard it from very good authority…”

Pete Baker on February 19, 2011, 1:03 pm

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When is calling for a properly-funded opposition not a call for a properly-funded opposition? When it’s secret negotiations over compensation for lost ministerial funds… At least, that’s the line the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, has been busily spinning to anyone who will listen. And it comes “from very good authority”… “within the NIO”. [Ah, “the securocrats” – Ed] They’re on ‘our’ side this time! [They always were… – Ed] Indeed. Pete Baker