Republican Sinn Féin held a press conference this week. Bully for them! The media, eager for another angle on the tragic killings of two soldiers and a PSNI officer by cowards, turned up in force to hear the apologists of this criminal act claim that the murders were “acts of war”.
At the same press conference, the party’s publicity director, Richard Walsh, admitted that they will not be standing in forthcoming elections, nor would he say how many supporters the party has.
The last time they stood for election, they attracted just about one per cent of the votes where they entered the poll. It is clear that Republican Sinn Féin has no real support, no real mandate, and no credibility with the electorate.
But still, RSF says that it is wrong for police investigating heinous crimes to search houses, examine clothes for forensic evidence. Imagine, police officers investigating a crime. Someone tell Sir Hugh quickly!
Thanks to the actions of the dissident killers, which Republican Sinn Féin refuses to condemn, the policing bill is set to rise by £76m. And children ask why cars are stopped in checkpoints, and why armoured Land Rovers have replaced police cars. And three mothers walk weeping behind coffins.
Friday, 27 March 2009
In other news…
Mo Mowlam’s life is to be made into a TV drama by Channel Four…astronomers from Queen’s University and Armagh Observatory observed a chunk of space rock crash into Earth….the UUP has said civil servants shouldn’t get bonuses if they underspend…schoolchildren interview the First Minister and deputy First Minister…and finally…the Audit Commissioner commissions an audit of MLAs car engine sizes in the Stormont car park.
One last note on education…
The Belfast Telegraph’s new, heavily advertised and trailed ‘compact’ edition hit the streets on Wednesday, complete with a supplement on parenting.
While the Education Minister prefers to use the machinery of the Executive Information Service (that is the huddled masses of press officers) to help outlaw academic selection, those that back testing at 11 were taking advertisements in the Belfast Tele supplement.
PR officers versus ad men…in a fair fight one might back the public relations team in the education death match. But wait, to make sure it is a fair fight there can’t be a fight unless there is equal opportunity for everyone to take part, and there can’t be a fight as that would be like a sort of test, and we can’t be having those about us. And anyway, that whole competitive sports thing might disadvantage the obese ones that the Department of Health says we must help slim down through exercise.
As with quantum physics, if you understand Northern Ireland politics you haven’t been paying attention!
While the Education Minister prefers to use the machinery of the Executive Information Service (that is the huddled masses of press officers) to help outlaw academic selection, those that back testing at 11 were taking advertisements in the Belfast Tele supplement.
PR officers versus ad men…in a fair fight one might back the public relations team in the education death match. But wait, to make sure it is a fair fight there can’t be a fight unless there is equal opportunity for everyone to take part, and there can’t be a fight as that would be like a sort of test, and we can’t be having those about us. And anyway, that whole competitive sports thing might disadvantage the obese ones that the Department of Health says we must help slim down through exercise.
As with quantum physics, if you understand Northern Ireland politics you haven’t been paying attention!
Friday, 20 March 2009
Welcome to Springfield…
IN a much trailed ‘World First’, Sky broadcast, on St Patrick’s Day, an episode of The Simpsons before it had been seen in the United States. Meanwhile our own Homer and Ned (you decide which is the First and which is the Deputy First Minister…) were in the US.
At least President Obama caught the mood when he advised those present not to don lampshades lest a photographer grab a shot.
And then in a storyline that could have been from The Simpsons the Taioseach, Brian Cowen, read some of President Obama’s lines from the White House teleprompter.
At least President Obama caught the mood when he advised those present not to don lampshades lest a photographer grab a shot.
And then in a storyline that could have been from The Simpsons the Taioseach, Brian Cowen, read some of President Obama’s lines from the White House teleprompter.
The Battle of Carmel Street
If the Taioseach’s faux pas was almost living up to the Irish stereotype, back on terra firma the stereotype of ‘the drunken Irish’ was in full flow during the Battle of Carmel Street.
St Patrick’s Day celebrations took on an ugly demeanour when on-street drinking got seriously out of hand and police in riot gear were pelted by bottles and cans.
With the Assembly in recess, righteous indignation was largely restricted to the talk shows and the internet.
The puzzle for all who watched the debacle of the streets around Belfast’s Holy Land was how many of the drunken revellers were politics students? Nice to see that standards are being kept suitably low.
But, the real question is, how will any future devolved policing ministry manage the fall-out from St Patrick’s Day revelry? In other words… will they appear on BBC Radio Ulster’s Nolan Show?
Set your examinations in Irish
Roll-up, roll-up come see the show that never ends! Never mind The Simpsons, Northern Ireland has its own long-running comedy show, called education. Each and every episode is packed with slapstick set-pieces, ridiculous jokes and poker-faced straight men and women who are the butt of jibes.
Heck, it makes the surreal animation of life in a small US town seem calm and reasonable.
To recap, some of the latest season highlights from the NI Education show would take an essay a week, so a précis will have to do.
First up is the claim that under equality law grammar schools wanting to set their own entrance tests will have to produce them in Irish otherwise parents in Irish Medium primary schools would have a potential legal case.
Next up is the complaint from the Catholic Church that the new Education and Skills Authority would remove any say the Church might have had.
Then the mainstream churches called, together with the Education Committee, for a three-year delay to help everyone settle themselves, and use a transfer test until then.
And then….so it goes on. Funny thing is that the only people not laughing at the education sitcom are the parents of primary schoolchildren, and the children themselves.
On the road with the Assembly
It is usually only the knockabout stand-up comedy of the Assembly that hits the airwaves. Rumours, however, still abound that real work is occasionally done by Ministers and MLAs.
To prove that this rumour is based on fact the Assembly has hit the road around Northern Ireland with a series of road shows. Assembly officials and MLAs will explain the work being done up at the Big House and answer questions.
Even more ambitiously the Assembly now has its own Twitter feed. Now for those who aren’t ‘Twits’ yet, this means that the Assembly posts ‘Tweets’ (like a blog only smaller) about what’s going on. To find out more you’ll have to have a free account at Twitter.com and sign on to follow the NI Assembly.
Strange thing is that it is easier to navigate round the Assembly website using their tweets…
Abortion law guidelines published
Northern Ireland’s abortion legislation is different to other parts of the UK. Some time ago a court ruled that the NI Department of Health should issue clear guidelines on the law.
Now it appears that, with the backing of a recent Executive meeting, said guidance has made it out to health trusts and doctors.
Funny thing is that there is not a press release issued by the Department, nor is there a mention of this on its website. Thanks to links on news websites you can find the guidance letter, but as this is guidance to professionals to be disseminated by trusts, the public (and in this case expectant parents) have been by-passed.
This is much like the scriptwriters of The Simpsons producing their best ever episode but deciding that the wit is above their viewers.
Now it appears that, with the backing of a recent Executive meeting, said guidance has made it out to health trusts and doctors.
Funny thing is that there is not a press release issued by the Department, nor is there a mention of this on its website. Thanks to links on news websites you can find the guidance letter, but as this is guidance to professionals to be disseminated by trusts, the public (and in this case expectant parents) have been by-passed.
This is much like the scriptwriters of The Simpsons producing their best ever episode but deciding that the wit is above their viewers.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Surreal week
NORTHERN Ireland’s political leaders sometimes provide more fodder for comment than any other group of individuals on the planet through their at times comedy rants and off-the-wall use of language.
And whenever they open their mouths to change feet, rest assured that there will be a radio phone-in audience ready to join in the bluster.
But this week, terrorism’s funereal reach once more rose from the mists of mutually assured community destruction to bring death and a strange period in politics.
Only the churlish and those determined to find fault could be less than impressed in the capacity of DUP, Sinn Féin, UUP, Alliance and SDLP to stand shoulder to shoulder in condemnation of the cold-blooded killers from the ranks of the so-called ‘dissident republicans’.
Yes, one could trudge through our recent blood-stained history to find fault in the personal biographies of many MLAs in the chamber. But that was yesterday’s news.
The news this week is that the elected politicians of all shades of green and hues of orange condemned the killers.
Only those of ill-temper sought to analyse the timing of Sinn Féin’s comments when the party acknowledged that the democratic process meant support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Only the very stupid could fail to acknowledge the personal political risk Peter Robinson took to stand shoulder to should with, metaphorically, his previously stated ‘enemy’. It would have been easier for him to distance himself.
Of course the cynic may say that now the parties have more to lose given that they are in power. In the past that hasn’t stopped them point scoring over gravestones.
That they did not struck some of us as surreal. We have indeed witnessed a powerful moment in the maturing of the political life of this small region.
Many people turned out on the streets of Belfast, Derry, Newry and Downpatrick in silent process to provide a voice for the majority and express their horror and anguish at the barbarous deeds of March 7th and 9th.
But somewhere, someone has not been offering sympathy, expressing horror. Someone is sheltering the killers. Someone knows their deeds and through their actions in sheltering them is complicit in murder. This tiny, stupid minority of murders and their minions gives lie to the fact that we are a peaceful community.
We are a community on a journey to peace. The thousands on the streets in solidarity with the bereaved and the political stance of our leaders have at last proved that we can be more confident on that journey towards a stable, prosperous society.
Until then, to the families of Constable Stephen Carroll, Sappers, Mark Quinsey, and Patrick Azimkar we tender our deepest condolences.
We echo the sentiments of Mrs Carroll who this week said that her husband’s death should not be wasted. We hope that the posthumous accolade that Constable Carroll, and Sappers Quinsey and Azimkar have is that their deaths ended the horror, brought politicians together and heralded a Northern Ireland fit for the 21st Century.
And whenever they open their mouths to change feet, rest assured that there will be a radio phone-in audience ready to join in the bluster.
But this week, terrorism’s funereal reach once more rose from the mists of mutually assured community destruction to bring death and a strange period in politics.
Only the churlish and those determined to find fault could be less than impressed in the capacity of DUP, Sinn Féin, UUP, Alliance and SDLP to stand shoulder to shoulder in condemnation of the cold-blooded killers from the ranks of the so-called ‘dissident republicans’.
Yes, one could trudge through our recent blood-stained history to find fault in the personal biographies of many MLAs in the chamber. But that was yesterday’s news.
The news this week is that the elected politicians of all shades of green and hues of orange condemned the killers.
Only those of ill-temper sought to analyse the timing of Sinn Féin’s comments when the party acknowledged that the democratic process meant support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Only the very stupid could fail to acknowledge the personal political risk Peter Robinson took to stand shoulder to should with, metaphorically, his previously stated ‘enemy’. It would have been easier for him to distance himself.
Of course the cynic may say that now the parties have more to lose given that they are in power. In the past that hasn’t stopped them point scoring over gravestones.
That they did not struck some of us as surreal. We have indeed witnessed a powerful moment in the maturing of the political life of this small region.
Many people turned out on the streets of Belfast, Derry, Newry and Downpatrick in silent process to provide a voice for the majority and express their horror and anguish at the barbarous deeds of March 7th and 9th.
But somewhere, someone has not been offering sympathy, expressing horror. Someone is sheltering the killers. Someone knows their deeds and through their actions in sheltering them is complicit in murder. This tiny, stupid minority of murders and their minions gives lie to the fact that we are a peaceful community.
We are a community on a journey to peace. The thousands on the streets in solidarity with the bereaved and the political stance of our leaders have at last proved that we can be more confident on that journey towards a stable, prosperous society.
Until then, to the families of Constable Stephen Carroll, Sappers, Mark Quinsey, and Patrick Azimkar we tender our deepest condolences.
We echo the sentiments of Mrs Carroll who this week said that her husband’s death should not be wasted. We hope that the posthumous accolade that Constable Carroll, and Sappers Quinsey and Azimkar have is that their deaths ended the horror, brought politicians together and heralded a Northern Ireland fit for the 21st Century.
We’re leaving on a jetplane
FOR understandable reasons Peter Robinson and Martin McGuiness delayed their US trade mission. But when they finally left their first port-of-call was the land of illusion, Los Angeles.
For all the talk of economic downturn, Northern Ireland’s film industry has been a true success, with blockbusters and TV dramas produced and filmed here, often with ‘A’ list celebrity backing.
Despite the week’s bad news, the presence of the two ministers in the United States will
reassure doubters. Even better news was that “silicon valley executives” and venture capitalists and investors are to come to Belfast in October.
As both men commented, Northern Ireland has a positive story to tell in its burgeoning talent in software development; and we have a film industry that can tell any story.
For all the talk of economic downturn, Northern Ireland’s film industry has been a true success, with blockbusters and TV dramas produced and filmed here, often with ‘A’ list celebrity backing.
Despite the week’s bad news, the presence of the two ministers in the United States will
reassure doubters. Even better news was that “silicon valley executives” and venture capitalists and investors are to come to Belfast in October.
As both men commented, Northern Ireland has a positive story to tell in its burgeoning talent in software development; and we have a film industry that can tell any story.
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