Archive for the ‘Executive’ Category

Shared Future

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

SDLP Youth invited Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie to Queen’s University yesterday evening (Monday 30 November 2009) to speak to students about the work her department is doing in delivering a shared future.

There was a healthy mix of students and young people at the event.

Highlighting that 1 in 8 people in the north want to live in a shared neighbourhood, the Minister announced that she is looking at mechanisms that will integrate this public desire into the common selection scheme of the Housing Executive to facilitate this.

Minister Ritchie’s priority on assisting the most vulnerable, in terms of housing and social security, in developing the community’s capacity and in delivering a shared future resonated with a lot of people she was speaking with.

Margaret Ritchie outlined the real need for a dedicated Shared Future Strategy from our government. She rightly highlighted the embarrassment visited upon the north when the DUP and SF both produced their own version of a Shared Future Strategy.

The Minister caught the mood of the room when she said that the public are leaps ahead of the politicians on the need for a shared future. She is right, the public are ahead of our politicians on this, and if the DUP and SF fail to realise that there is a feeling among the public for a shared future, almost organic and innate in nature, then they will suffer the consequences of consistently putting their own party political desires ahead of everything else.

My generation are living a shared future more than any generation in the previous 40 to 50 years; we work, socialise and in many cases study together. So while it is important that government delivers from top down, in terms of shared spaces, legal protections and the like, the people will be building from bottom up on this issue – and our politicians will need to catch up even more.

As Margaret Ritchie said, it’s such a shame that the two dominant parties can’t look past their own selfish interests and put the needs of the people first, particularly on this fundamentally important issue.

Posted in DUP, Equality, Executive, Margaret Ritchie, SDLP, Youth | No Comments »

Eye on the Hill – Devolution of Justice

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Gregory Campbell has said that it will be a number of years yet before we successfully devolve justice powers to Northern Ireland.

Martin McGuinness has said that there will be severe political consequences if there isn’t a date for devolution before Christmas (which is funny, considering earlier this month they voted down an SDLP motion calling for just that – but we’ll park that).

I suppose this is the definition of a stalemate really. Just like everything else in the DUP/SF dominated Executive at the minute.

It’s quite obvious that Peter Robinson is having internal difficulties with his own party, the Dodds and Campbells and the like. While he needed, and was quite content I should add, to use them to get what he wanted (the top job), he is now faced with an internal power struggle against those very people he needed to oust Paisley. Hence Campbell putting down a maker.

Add that to the fact that Robinson knows that the best method of challenging the TUV is to go to the electorate with a record of delivery, delivery that is noticeable and that makes a difference to the general public. Something he is failing to do.

So he has turned to blaming the institutions for those failures. He claims that they are not designed to deliver fast or work properly. What he fails to mention though is that the ‘mutual veto’ (the mechanism holding everything up) is the mechanism that he negotiated at St. Andrew’s and that his party and Sinn Fein were happy with. Attacking the institutions is so transparent and pretty weak from the leader of the largest party.

On the one hand, the TUV are breathing down his neck and on the other SF are holding up progress (equal to the DUP, on different issues). To blame the system and not address the issues in his own party he will soon find to be a flawed strategy.

People are beyond the point of accepting the argument that “it’s the system, not us” and just want value for money and delivery from their government. The fact is, this is the system these parties wanted and they are both culpable for the failure to deliver. The institutions work, it’s the dominant parties running them that don’t.

We all know that. Change of tactic for Mr Robinson I would presume.

Posted in Assembly, DUP, Executive, Justice, Policing, SDLP, Sinn Fein, TUV | 2 Comments »

DUP failing to live up to equality responsibilities

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

It’s quite clear that the DUP is failing to live up to it’s commitments under equality law with respect to the changes under the Review of Public Administration (RPA). Recently the Equality Commission had to step in and correct the actions of Lisburn City Council when it breached it’s own equality scheme and excluded the SDLP from the transition committee; which also breached official Department of Environment guidelines citing proportionality.

The Equality Commission told Lisburn Council that they are in breach of equality law and their own equality scheme after the DUP and UUP colluded and excluded the SDLP.

The DUP, with Minister Poots and MP Jeffery Donaldson in the chamber, argued this week that the necessary legislation would be through in January resolving the issue, and there was therefore no need to follow the equality commissions ruling.

This argument was proved to be false, as the legislation dealing with transition committees is held up with everything else in the Executive, which isn’t really dealing with very much to be honest.

So the DUP, not content to abide by the Equality Commissions ruling proposed that Lisburn Council use an informal system to nominate members to the committee. The UUP, bar one member, supported this. This is a system that can well be used with a Unionist majority to exclude any party.

The Minister has serious questions to answer around this; how can minorities be assured that they will be protected in the new councils if the Minister is over seeing a carve up in Lisburn? What confidence will minorities on other councils have? Why are the DUP not content to share power proportionally? And why is the Minister not abiding by his own Departments guidelines on this set by his predecessor?

I strongly suspect that the Equality Commission will be back to Lisburn when the Unionist parties attempt once again to exclude minorities, and they wonder why others think it’s important to have built in protections!

Posted in DUP, Equality, Executive, Lisburn Council, Matthew McDermott, SDLP | No Comments »

Real effects of doing nothing

Friday, April 17th, 2009

I attended the rally today at City Hall in support of workers who are suddenly finding themselves out of work.

There was a small turn out - when you compare the rally here to the rallies across Ireland and Britain, coupled with the fact that we here in NI are going to be hit worse than England, Wales or Scotland in terms of job loses - the turn out was disappointing. It is all of our responsibilities to ensure that workers have their rights protected. Anyone could be next.

It’s in our nature here, until it affects us we generally don’t pay attention. We vote for the same politicians who consistently fail to help us, and we will again when the EU election comes along.

Our political leaders, the First Minister and deputy First Minister’s response to the economic crisis: attack the Belfast Telegraph for raising the issue. Are they for real? Notably the National Union of Journalists attended the rally – no doubt to sent that same message to our so-called leaders.

While the speakers where very good, they consistently failed to call up those that have the biggest responsibilty here to deal with job losses.

Sinn Fein and the DUP!

They didn’t name Robinson or Maguinness – SF representatives told us on easter that they have co ownership of the institutions, well they must accept then, along with that comes co-responsibility and co-failure to act. As well as co-blame for the executive turning a blind eye to what is happening.

It’s time to get real, people are losing their jobs, homes are being repossessed, people are being taken to court, employers are walking all over them.

Time to turn up the pressure. Time to put Mr Adams and his co-ownership rhetoric to the test.

Time for a new budget and programme for government.

new20priorities20in20difficult20times-07200420092081

Time for help for our workers.

Time to help the economy. 

Time for movement.

Time for action.

Posted in Assembly, Constituents, Economy, Executive, SDLP, Sinn Fein, West Belfast, Workers Rights | 1 Comment »

IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPI(DUP) – PART 2

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

The economy is finally beginning to get some attention after months of the DUP/SF axis burying their heads in the sand and pretending we weren’t in any type of crisis. The SDLP launched a discussion document on the state of our government’s budget and spending priorities, identifying where we think £400 million can be found, and starting a much needed and long overdue conversation. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, all over the world governments are reprioritising their budgets and spending priorities. Not here, oh no, that would be just too normal. We only need to look at the Environment Minister and we soon realise how serious some parties are at actually governing the north. Or indeed our Education Minister for that matter.

But now significant pressure is being brought to bear on DUP/SF and I think it’s only a matter of time before they have to acknowledge the reality. Well you would think wouldn’t you? Every day they delay the inevitable is a day that we all have to suffer.

I was at a debate recently and a DUP politician told the audience that I had to defend the SDLP’s policy on fixing the economy. Yes, you read that right. He failed to acknowledge that his party holds the finance ministry, the enterprise and trade ministry and the post of First Minister, he failed to acknowledge that they are the majority party in government and the assembly, that there is going to be a £1 billion black hole in the budget, that people are losing their jobs, that businesses are going under, that we are in a bad financial state at all. But I had to defend my party’s position!

Bear in mind, this was before we launched our economic discussion document this week (available below). This was simply when we where calling for a reprioritising of our spending in these worsening financial times. So apparently we needed to defend the fact that we are facing up to what everyone is facing up to-we are in a crisis, time for solutions, time for some action.

The DUP Finance Minister’s stance on the economic situation is very much like the DUP Environment Minister’s stance on our contribution to global warming. They deny it is happening. This is what we are up against (with not a word from SF). But, let the debate at least start, and lets get on with it.

new20priorities20in20difficult20times-0720042009208

Posted in Assembly, DUP, Economy, Executive, SDLP, Sinn Fein, Workers Rights | No Comments »

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPI(DUP) PART1

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

watch?v=Wm2hziUdAck

It’s the economy, stupid, or so it goes.

 

We’ve seen over the last number of weeks a great and welcome sense of unity shown by our politicians over the ‘dissident’ murders – the message went out loud and clear, ‘peace is here to stay.’

 

One of the clearest signals our Assembly and political parties collectively and independently can take is to show everyone that it’s business as usual.

 

The issue facing everyone at the moment is undoubtedly the financial situation we are in and how we are to deal with it. I have met many, many constituents who are finding themselves suddenly out of work. There is no doubt that our government needs to step in, in fact it is long over due. That is what they are saying. That is what we are saying.

 

Yes this is a global crisis. Yes this did start somewhere else. Yes this is a problem bigger than our little government.

 

But no, this is not something our government can’t give ordinary people assistance with. No we should not be sitting on our hands (as the DUP/SF are doing by standing by their failed budget) and no we should not be settling for a budget that was written when economic times where good and not bad.

 

The SDLP say it’s time to budge on the budget. We need a new budget for new times. Our economists are saying so and the DUP’s answer is that the economists are sitting in ivory towers.

 

How arrogant can a party get? I don’t care how precious they think their budget is, the fact is, it’s failing us, it needs changed and the government needs to do more. The reality is that people are seeing no tangible benefits to devolution that they can talk about and that needs to change.

 

The DUP and their SF friends need to stop burying their heads in the sand………..

Posted in Assembly, Constituents, DUP, Economy, Executive, SDLP | 1 Comment »

FAREWELL TO THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

It’s not too often that I agree with the views of Newton Emerson but when I read his column in the Irish News on Saturday I couldn’t help agree…..to a degree.

‘ SO Farewell then to the Good Friday Agreement which has been effectively killed by new legislation on policing and justice. Should the bill rushed through Westminster on Monday pass (which it will) then a whole new method of appointing a Stormont minister will come into law, along with new precedents for removing a minister, replacing a minister and defining a ministerial portfolio…..  28/2/2009 Newton Emerson, Irish News

 

 

I have it on good authority that SF are regular readers of no gloss, just matt, so for their benefit I will explain what Newton means by saying farewell to the Good Friday Agreement.

 

I will outline below a basic lesson on conflict resolution and how SF have been the willing deputy for the DUP and really damaged the GFA ……

 

Conflicts by and large are, in one way or another, centred on three areas of contention, 1) Power and abuse thereof, 2) Human Rights and violations thereof and 3) policing and justice.

 

So to tackle point 1 Cue constitutional power sharing and PR elections. 

 

Point 2 Cue Equality Commission, Human Rights Commission and the proposed Bill of Rights.

 

Point 3 Cue Patten reforms, criminal justice review and the devolution of justice.

 

Everyone knows that it has been a constant feature and desire of the DUP to tear down the structures of  the GFA, and there is evidence of SF assisting the DUP in this:

 

1)St. Andrew’s, for example, by removing inclusiveness i.e. a Ministers ability to disagree with the Executive and stay in government.

 

2) The DUP constantly attack strand II, North/South and the best SF can do is say that it is tactical…because of the EU election. It’s not tactical, it’s strategic, wake up!

 

3) And now we have the Devolution of Justice….

 

SF have aided and abetted the DUP in removing one of the most fundamental pillars of the GFA -  d’Hondt! Why? In my opinion ,because of a lack of judgement, a short term desire to out manoeuvre the SDLP (or so they believe) and bolster themselves (Party before the People – the Sinn Féin way).

 

Now that the DUP have been able to  pick away at one of the most fundamental features of the GFA not only unhindered, but assisted, how can SF argue that they shouldn’t be allowed to do it to any other aspect of the Agreement?

 

Now I know SF are known for putting themselves before the people – but this is outrageous.

 

Therefore Newton is right in a sense, it would be ‘farewell to the agreement’ because of SF’s evident weaknesses, but while the SDLP have representation, the GFA is going no where…..

 

Posted in Assembly, DUP, Executive, Justice, SDLP, Sinn Fein | 2 Comments »

What was she thinking?

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

I visited a local school, one that’s been in the news recently for the wrong reasons, St.Colm’s in Twinbrook. Fantastic school, fantastic teachers, fantastic ethos and dedication from all in the school.

To give you an idea of how the school performs: of the 25 students who stayed to do A-Levels last year, 17 have gone on to further education in places such as Liverpool, Lancashire, Cumbria, UU, some are on a gap year and the rest are in employment – one who just signed a professional contract with Blackburn Rovers.

Its also my old school, I’m a very proud student of St.Colm’s. I was there for the schools annual celebration of achievement awards, which is always a good event and the Minister for Education was also there, Caitriona Ruane.

The principal is excellent and gave a very moving and inspiring speech, praised the staff and pupils, parents and the local community. The Minister then spoke in what can only be described as a bizarre if not borderline brainwashing fashion. Personally I think that the principal’s speech was so well recieved and the minister’s was not scripted that she thought she would just wing it – it wasn’t well recieved, in fact some people have already mentioned it to me.

A brief run down of how it went is as follows, she began by telling of her experience of moving to West Belfast 20 years ago around the time of the Gibraltar funerals and having to walk behind coffin after coffin. She then moved on to her tennis career and how she traveled the world to a conversation with her mum she remembers having when she was in El Salvador that consisted of ’she said then I said then she said’.

Aswell as the speech having no structure, or point, the Minister then began to say things like she ‘has visited every jail in Ireland’ that ‘1000’s of young people used to be sent to jail during the troubles’ and that ‘thankfully this is not the case anymore, that 1000’s of young people just like you don’t go to jail anymore’. She told the pupils that this was because SF stood up and fought against the discrimination as did their parents, their parents stood up against the militarisation and against the 1000’s of young people going to jails and that it is up to them now to follow in their footsteps.

Bobby Sands was mentioned for good measure, ‘a local hero’.

This was blatant SF propaganda being delivered by the Minister for Education in a school on official ministerial business. It was inappropriate and irresponsible. What was she thinking? What will this do to the relationship the Shinners have with the DUP? Is the Minister saying this in every school she visits? All questions that need answered.

Posted in Executive | 6 Comments »

WHATS IT ALL ABOUT? SF ATTACK SDLP (AGAIN)

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

This blog will primarily be used as an insight into what really goes on in the politics of West Belfast; it will be composed of my view of the world and formed by my interaction with the constituents I speak to everyday among other things.

From time to time however, it will be necessary to comment on the wider political front and give my view of what’s happening and I think it only right to have my first post address the current political goings on at Stormont and SF’s bizarre attacks on the SDLP.

It was not a week ago that Carál Ni Chuilin, Sinn Fein North Belfast MLA was attacking Margaret Ritchie for her work on fuel poverty and saying this was not the issue. That the delay was a disgrace, and that ‘vulnerable people in our society’ should not be used ‘to score petty political points’.

 

We also had the bizarre and rather blatant dishonest (read lie) statement that NIE would benefit from any proposals Margaret Ritchie would introduce, something that DSD and NIE have exposed as untrue and misinformed. If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, that Sinn Fein where so misinformed, fast forward a week and what do we get: -

 

Sinn Fein finally accepting that fuel poverty is a major issue, accepting that Margaret Ritchie’s proposals where right and liking them so much that they stole them and claimed them as their own.

 

As for Ms Carál Ni Chuilin, if she had an issue with a delay she really needed to speak to Martin McGuinness, so that he could have gone and spoke to his boss, Peter Robinson (the team leader), and had this important issue put on the agenda. Everyone is aware that everything that goes on the agenda has to be to the liking of the DUP/SF and if fuel poverty was delayed then it was delayed because they wanted it delayed.

 

SF stealing and promoting SDLP policies and proposals as their own, that’s a new tactic isn’t it?

 

Snatching £30 million off DSD and the Housing Executive and hurting the most vulnerable people in society was the result – so yeah the most vulnerable people in our society should not be used to score petty political points. If Caral Ni Chuilin believes that, she should tell Martin McGuinness, so he can tell his leader.

 

Just on a side note, the new phrase coming from McGuinness HQ is that “the executive needs to work as a team”. “Margaret Ritchie is not a team player”. “Team”, “team”, “team”.

 

He’s right, Margaret Ritchie is not a team player, because the team Martin McGuinness is referring to is team DUP, Margaret doesn’t play for them as she demonstrated over C.T.I., SF play for them, promote their ideas and policies and exercise team DUP’s manifesto pledges – no Irish Language Act, no end to academic selection, and the list goes on.

 

Next post West Belfast……………

 

Posted in Assembly, Executive, Margaret Ritchie | 4 Comments »