A few chuckles here in the clocktower as we looked across the river to Ebrington barracks yesterday.  There was Martin McGuinness alongside Mark Durkan and the rest for the turning of the sod ceremony of the the new footbridge.  Great to see this link into our home forging ahead so the Watersiders will be even closer to us (lucky them).  The whole city will benefit.

Of course, the irony will not be lost as we see Martin’s big grin in today’s Derry Journal holding his shovel.   He had all the mush talk about how this would be a link between the two parts of our divided city (as if nationalists and unionists don’t live alongside each other in the Waterside already).  A great project paid for by the European Union.
And this enthusiasm from a man at the top of a party that has fought against Ireland being in the EU ever since it was set up.  If Sinn Féin had their way there would be no Ireland (North or South) in the EU, no money, no bridge!

Happy Christmas to all our readers from a chilly but homely Guildhall Tower!

There we were hoping for a shiny new home for us here in Guildhall Tower. Very annoying then to hear that Edwin Poots is planning to cap the heritage building grant at £250 000, which means a cut of around £400 000 to the renovation of our lovely Guildhall. Apparently First Derry Church will lose over £100 000 which must also put that project at risk. Someone from the DoE on the radio with Mark Durkan said that St. Columb’s wouldn’t lose out – then explained that was only because the builder would do it for less than the cut!

When local politicians visit Stormont to ask for an economic stimulus, this is a kick in the teeth for the Derry construction industry and our tourism development. One can’t help think that if the Guildhall was in Lisburn that another approach would have been taken.

Interesting debates on Facebook today about the NUJ meeting on the planned cuts at BBC Radio Foyle that happened in the City Hotel during the week.

What seems odd though is the difference in the online comments and today’s Derry Journal article in the name of Michael McMonagle.  The web discussions refer to a speaker from the SDLP contributing to the meeting – in fact they suggest that this representative from Mark Durkan spoke better than Sinn Fein. Yet the Journal only refers to the fact that Sinn Fein was represented.  Why?

The photo of the meeting is also focused in on Sinn Fein. So a reader would nearly think only Sinn Fein were there.

At best its an oversight at worst its bias. We’ll be emailing the Journal for a reply and will let you know.

The Observer has revealed that former US President Bill Clinton visited Donegal quietly in 2006.  He attended Nobel Poet Seamus Heaney who was recovering from a stroke in Letterkenny General Hostpital at the time.  Heaney wrote in the paper that Clinton also visited various wards in the hospital giving a boost to patients across the county hospital.

Positive development yesterday with the confirmation by An Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD at the North South Ministerial Council that E9 million is being released for the A5 and A8 roads.  Well, positive in respect of the A6 anyway.

Taxpayers in Donegal and elsewhere in the South can’t be happy that the Irish government is making severe cutbacks but is paying for a road from Belfast to Larne.  Whatever about its profligacy in the boom years, it can hardly be justified now. Unlike the A5 road which links Donegal to the east coast, this has little advantage to southern taxpayers.

It would be too much to expect the DUP Cats Who Got The Cream yesterday to give credit to North/South cooperation, rather than arguing the downturn is a reason for union with Britain.  And we didn’t notice Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness claiming responsibility in from of Cowen for the A5 road project, as Sinn Fein did in the Southern elections.  No doubt because he would have looked been shown out to be a liar in front of the paymasters if he had.

Almost a year into her tenure as Town Clerk, Valerie Watts has presented her plans for the rationalisation of Derry City Council to the councillors.  While the proposals are not yet fully in the public domain, there are grounds for optimism.Her proposals ‘Transforming Derry City Council’ would see around 20 departments being reduced to 3 Directorates.   There will be a trawl for voluntary redundancies seeing 20 posts, believed to be higher/middle management being axed.  So far, so good.  However, what will happen if voluntary redundancies do not suffice?  Nor do we know exactly what posts are to go.  The Derry public need to know what posts are to go and what the bases for those decisions are.

That demand cannot be about personal witchhunts, but about public service delivery arguments. Nor do we want to see a rerun of the Review of Public Administration in health and education which inevitably saw mergers resulting in more management being employed than before reforms began.  Ratepayers cannot afford that luxury.

Inextricably linked to the question of management rationalisation is the future internal organisation of Council.  The important test is that underperforming staff and unnecessary services go while productive services are retained and indeed created.  Hopefully this will all be made clear in the report once it is public.

The response of NIPSA to the plans as ‘hatchet wielding’, (which presumably they have seen)  is unsurprising.  Unfortunately, NIPSA has a poor track record when it comes to embracing change.  That is bad for its members.  We need strong professional trades unions.  Council is known to have poor morale in many sections, so unions should embrace plans that can give their members a better place to work.  Their response is hopefully just an opening gambit in the negotiations for juicy pay offs for management who fancy leaving.

The Town Clerk doesn’t seem a fan of short titles! The 3 directorates proposed are “Corporate Services, Environment, Infrastructure and Culture”; “Business and Community Services” and a “Town Clerk and Chief Executive’s Office”.  These seem to be a bit of a dog’s breakfast title-wise but not knowing exactly what each one will cover it’s hard to give alternatives!

The sooner the plans are brought into the open the better for everyone.  Ms Watts has a delicate balancing act to perform.  Underperformers should go.  Unnecessary services should end.  Priority services should be retained and developed.  Most of all, the ‘lean and mean’ structure that is left must be capable of delivering that performance in an efficient and sufficient way.  This is her big test and the biggest test facing elected councillors in a decade.

As the dust begins to settle after the Euro Election results, NBNW has been reflecting on coverage of the results in the local papers.

We were shocked last Tuesday to sit down to read the Journal with a cup of tea and a scone from Louis Cafe to read the front page headline where Martina Anderson claimed to have won Foyle.  SDLP Colr Mark H Durkan bizarely claimed to be disappointed to win the seat, but did the party really expect to win a seat?  Surely a per cent increase is the best they could have realistically hoped for.

Colr Martin Reilly SDLP had a letter in Friday’s Journal suggesting that Sinn Fein had no tallymen there and couldn’t possibly have known one way or another.  Did the Journal not ask the other parties for their view?  Did Colr Durkan provide this information to the Journal at the time? It doesn’t seem the Journal were too worried as the original story didn’t even carry a percentage or estimate poll figure from ‘Hans Christian’ Anderson.  You’d be forgiven for thinking you were reading An Phoblacht!

Either the Journal’s journalism is poor or else it should own up to being a pro Sinn Fein newspaper.  It has to be one or the other.  This isn’t the sort of stuff any properly run paper – even a Sinn Fein voice piece – should run without proper checking out of the facts.

They say you can’t believe everything you read in the papers.  Soon you’ll have to wonder if you can believe anything you read in the Derry Journal.

The speech given by Foyle MP Mark Durkan at Oxford on Friday night has generated much debate.  Unfortunately, much of it has been misinformed.  

It is totally incorrect to say that Durkan called for an end to powersharing.  He didn’t even come close.  He did say that “we should be preparing to think about how and when to remove some of the ugly scaffolding needed during the construction of the new edifice”.  In other words, the system of ‘tribal’ designation that was needed in 1998 – and the less democratic version in force since St. Andrew’s – should not be needed for ever.

Far from abandoning the principle of powersharing, the SDLP leader’s idea is arguably for more.  He has been clear on radio since that the SDLP is totally committed to the D’Hondt system being used to allocate ministries.  You don’t have to call yourself nationalist or unionist to get a ministry!

Martin McGuinness was either malicious or ignorant when he accused Durkan of abandoning power-sharing.  Conversely, those unionists like David Simpson of the DUP who are getting excited about the prospect of the SDLP endorsing ‘voluntary coalition’ will be disappointed.  One can say we shouldn’t be governed only on the basis of tribal labels, but still believe that everyone has a right to participate in government if they choose.  That is not Peter Robinson’s preference, nor for that matter Sinn Féin’s.

They want to carve out the other parties and carve up power between themselves.

It’s a bit rich for the Shinners to be lecturing anyone in the SDLP about power sharing when they are conniving and conspiring with the DUP to deprive the SDLP of their entitlement to an 11th Ministry.

Durkan’s idea would ensure all Irish people in the North would be valued on the basis of their vote alone, while ensuring that community rights would be legally protected in a strong Bill of Rights.  If nothing else, his intervention has highlighted the inertia in delivering on that, a promise from the Agreement a decade ago.

There are three good reasons for looking again at the designation issue, namely:

• The current system is not preventing majority rule – it is preventing anything happening at all
• For republicans/nationalists, it will be necessary to discard the current designation system if we are to achieve reunification of the country
• Designation reinforces divisions unnecessarily – and inhibits moves towards a shared society and more open choices for voters.

 

The last two points probably merit posts on their own.  Suffice to say for now – to take the first point – that the designation system designed to prevent majority domination by the unionist monolith has actually delivered minority domination by the DUP on their own!  Their bigotry against an Ghaeilge is preventing an Irish Language Act, rural dwellers are being forced into the towns by planning dictatorship, parents are fretting about the education of their children, voluntary organisations are being forced to close and justice powers remain in London’s hands – all an outworking of the SF/DUP mutual veto guarantee. 

Surely there is a better way and a better means of advancing Irish democracy in the North.

Mark Durkan snaps my home

So a full week after Derry MP Mark Durkan made his address to the British-Irish Association in Oxford, Durkan has set the record straight in full print.  Needless to say, it happened first in the pages of Friday’s Derry Journal and can be read here. A similar, shorter article appears in Saturday’s Irish News [sorry, got no link to that].

As might have been expected, Durkan is adamantly asserting that he never called for an end to power-sharing in the North.  He takes the line of accusing Sinn Fein of telling lies. Although it’s sometimes hard to know when SF are telling lies and when they simply don’t know what they’re talking about.  He also knocks on the head any notion that the DUP have that the SDLP will support voluntary coalition. But as NBNW said earlier in the week, that was clear from the speech.

To be fair to Durkan, he made similar points on Radio Foyle early in the week.  A statement on the SDLP website posted a week ago points out that d’Hondt should remain nothwithstanding any designation reform.  The following day, sunday, a statement was posted calling for devolution of policing and justice on the basis of inclusive power-sharing.  But readers will see that these didn’t address the misrepresenting on the head – and didn’t get enough attention to undo the unfolding damage.  SDLP supporters will understandably ask why it took a week for the forceful media rebuttal they heard on the radio to appear in print.

To be fair, it was a busy week. Listeners to Paul McFadden on thursday morning [the Radio Foyle version of Steven Nolan] will have heard Durkan go head-to-head with Derry’s heavy hitter for over half an hour on the energy crisis.  Durkan appeared to be on his mobile – the call dropped at one stage – and on his way to chair the Enterprise committee meeting in Stormont to grill the Energy regulator on the electicity and gas hikes.

But he put in a great performance – his grasp of the issues was all the more highlighted when some SF stooge texted in with a question about Martina Anderson’s Latin Solution [getting supposedly cheap oil from Venezuela].  Compared to Durkan’s overview, the Latin oil plan – if it ever happened – really seems like putting an elastoplast on open heart surgery gone wrong.  About as irrelevant as Caitriona Ruane – well almost.

But didn’t we rush over something?  NBNW has spoken to some SDLP canvassers from the North West who were canvassing down in Enniskillen during the week.  They said that not one person they had spoken to on the doorsteps had raised Durkan’s designation/powersharing problem.  Granted, they couldn’t say that it wasn’t raised with any SDLP people down there in this week of the by-election, but it does say something. And nobody outside politics/media circles in the NW were talking power-sharing either.

B’fheidir go bhfuil fadhb airithe ag Durkan.  Even politically astute nationalists – and others – think that power-sharing is having ‘Taigs and Prods’ sitting together in government.  But in Durkan’s eyes, power-sharing means automatic entitlement to Ministries based on your vote share.  Suffice to point out that until the politically interested public absorb that there is a difference, the SDLP have a problem in using arguments like in the Journal.

The regular five eighths, Pat and Ann Doherty [as we say in the NW!] are worried about the cost of living and not the intricacies of d’Hondt.  This is both a potential strength and weakness for Durkan and the SDLP.  They need to go on all out attack in coming weeks both on the Executive’s shambolic inertia and on the policing and justice question.

Letting the papers misreport for too long is one thing, letting the Shinners hold up Executive action on bread and butter issues while constitutionally they hand over yet more power to the DUP would be quite another.

Finally arrived back in the Guildhall tower after celebrating with the runners in Saturday’s Waterside Half Marathon.  The day was a huge success and the sun shone as well – just to prove once more that God loves the great North West!!  Tá meas ollmhór againn orthu go léir!

Amongst other North West names crossing the finish line were John Duddy and Councillor Mark H Durkan.  Journal editor Martin McGinley provided a light-hearted [and full-hearted!] diary over the summer on his preparations for the race. He hasn’t posted yet on the outcome – and he deserves a rest no doubt. NBNW didn’t see him cross the line – so looking forward to finding out how he did.  Did he beat big Duddy?!

Ever since I got my computer hooked up here in the Guildhall, I’ve been amazed what you can learn from  blogs.

The impression from a lot of media is that while Gov. Palin may be seen as a bit on the rough and tough side by metropolitan Amerian, she’s crazy popular in her base up in Alaska.  Fox News is just one example – which described her in July as “probably the most popular public official in any state.

But then I come across the Mudflats blog.  This covers Alaskan politics and has a post on how a recent counter-demo against the triumphant return of VP Candidate Palin turned out 1400 citizens.  Mudflats claims this was organised by regular gals over coffee in Anchorage and resulted in Alaska’s biggest ever political demo.

It seems that Palin may be popular but may not be revered by all in the “great Northwest” of the USA!  It also goes to show what a bit of local knowledge can flag up.  Hopefully here on NBNW we might nail a few lies in time, too.

The long range equipment has been out of the box in Guildhall tower in recent months and years, as we’ve followed developments in Zimbabwe.  Tá muid abálta bheith dóchasach faoin nuacht iontach seo ón tSiombáib.

It need hardly be said that Zim has turned from a beacon of hope in liberated Africa to a basket case where tyranny has reigned.  Inflation has recently been tipping along at around 11 million per cent.  When you think that the August rises in Irish and UK inflation to 4.3 and 4.7 per cent respectively hit the headlines, the shambles of Mugabe’s famine causing hegemony was stark.

Of course, the great North West made its own stand back in 2003 when protesters from SDLPyouth and other youth organisations in Derry and Donegal protested for democracy at the Ireland v Zimbabwe match in Eglinton.  Rumours abounded at the time that Eamon McCann’s SEA acolytes were fully on board until the sunday morning arrived and they didn’t show.  Revolutions start by lying in bed, as Oasis would once said.

Everyone who has worked in however small a way for democracy and justice in Zimbabwe will be unsettled by the sight of police firing live rounds at opposition demonstrators in Harare during yesterday’s signing of the power-sharing accord.  Channel 4 news today reports that the security services were still carrying out surveillance on MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and police were arresting opposition activists.

But as always it is important to keep the eye on the bigger prize.  Tsvangirai will soon be Prime Minister.  The entire rearguard by Zanu-PF has been based on a lie that the MDC has been acting as a puppet of the British. Once Tsvangirai and his fellow MDC ministers take up the reigns of power, the reality of that lie will be exposed to those ordinary Zimbabweans who feared letting go of the liberation legacy.

NBNW is reminded a bit of our own peace process.  Western media are today presenting unacceptable incidents as threats to the deal.  But Tsvangirai has been through a long struggle and understands what is at stake.   There may yet be major crises and Mugabe’s own actions are unpredictable.  But Tsvangirai knows that you cannot allow progress to be derailed by any recalcitrant, crank or war monger who seeks to divert it.

That is the big prize and Tsvangirai will do his nation a great service by focusing all the MDC’s energies on the challenges ahead rather than revenge or the legacy threat from Zanu-PF nay sayers.

Limavady might be about to get sucked into a 21st Century Greater Ballymoney Council, but here at the Guildhall tower we still take an interest on goings on along the banks of the Roe.

Leim an Mhadaigh has had its fair share of bad press in recent times, particularly with a spate of arson attacks.  So it was pleasant to turn on Radio Foyle this morning to hear SDLP Councillor Mickey Coyle is proposing two clergy men, Rev. David Armstrong and Fr Kevin Mullan, for freedom of the borough.

Back in darker days, Rev. Armstrong was effectively hounded out of the town when a Presbyterian minister there.  His offence was to offer support to Fr Mullan and his parishoners after the Catholic Christ the King church there was damaged in a attack by loyalists, and they attended each other’s services on Christmas Day 1984.

Rev. David Armstrong

Rev. Armstrong recently spoke out in the Derry Journal against the objections by some in the town to the provision of gaelic games at Limavady High School.  Now an Anglican minister in Carrigaline, Co. Cork, his enlightened view on that topic is one that will hopefully be emulated by more in the North West town.

Fr Mullan of course came to prominence worldwide in the horrendous circumstances of the Omagh bomb.

NBNW will keep an eye out for the special council meeting which will take place in about 10 days time.  It has never been granted before – and what better first occassion than to recognise the trail blazed by these two leaders? Hopefully this will be a catalyst for better relations in Keenaght. Ta suil agam go mbeidh tacaiocht don run seo o gach pairti.

NBNW was disappointed at the initial response of some unionist councillors in Limavady to the proposal to grant Reverends Armstrong and Mullan the joint freedom of the town for taking steps across the community divide almost a quarter of a century ago.

The Belfast Telegraph carried comments from UUP Councillor Leslie Cubitt and DUP man Alan Robinson against the idea.  Outsiders will find it hard to conclude that their excuses are anything but a cover for an unwillingness to tackle the town’s sectarian problem head on.  In particular, the DUP excuse that the Council needs to spend its time focusing on the problems of 2008 holds little water considering they literally spent their time diagreeing about shite at their last meeting!

Aside from the fact that Robinson obviously doesn’t believe sectarian hatred is an issue nearby the lovely Roe…

Comhghairdeas do chontae Uí Néill agus iad mar curadh na hÉireann.  It was an exciting contest to the end with Tyrone pulling ahead at the end to hold out 1-15 [18] to 0-14.  Tyrone captain and North West vet Brian Dooher played an inspirational role in what was an outstanding team performance.  The county’s minors lost to Mayo, but it is great to see Sam return back to the North West for another year.  Well done Tyrone!

Sorry for not posting this week.  I’ve been away from my computer.

With all eyes on the economy, many people missed a little showdown in the Guildhall on Tuesday.  It was the culmination in Derry city of a row that has been brewing for months.

Under the European Peace 3 programme, over £4 million is available for programmes in the great North West to combat sectarianism and racism.  Given that a lot of the Peace 3 money is for economic development, this could be a lifeline to the hard pressed community and voluntary sector here.

Derry forms part of a ‘Cluster’ with Strabane and Omagh.  The news in all this is that Omagh and Strabane Councils have tried to abandon social partnership in our region. Up to now, EU money has been distributed by the Local Strategy Partnerships where Councillors, statutory reps and trade union/voluntary reps all had equal votes.  That principle has worked well in Derry up to now and across the border helped build the Celtic Tiger.

Sinn Féin in Derry planned to vote on Tueday to shunt the social partners from the table on Tueday.  SDLP woman Brenda Stevenson gave a strong defence of equal partership.  Coming from the niece of John Hume who first got the EU Peace funds it’s not surprising.

The shocker is that Sinn Féin until the last minute were going to vote against equal status for the voluntary/trade union reps. NBNW hears people were amazed to see SF members worryingly passing notes around, before thankfully changing their minds.  SF’s Lynn Fleming then attempted a garbled repeat of Stevenson’s comments telling the gallery that SF were totally committed to social partnership.  It was total hypocricy.

Not the first time Sinn Féin adopt SDLP policy late in the day NBNW hears you say!

But where is the media coverage of this two-faced politics and attempt to power-grab by Sinn Féin?

NBNW was disappointed to see that the proposal to give Fr Kevin Mullan and Rev David Armstrong the freedom of the town failed to get sufficient support in the Council.  While a majority voted in favour, the SDLP and Sinn Fein were not enough to carry the two thirds majority needed.

What will really dismay people was the impression of the town created when the No voting unionists not only wouldn’t speak to the media to explain their decision – but they didn’t even speak in the chamber.  Whatever about their motivations, surely the unionist people of Limavady district can expect their reps to articulate their views.  Isn’t that the whole point of public representation.

People will talk about the need to build good relations in the town.  But surely unionism in this area needs to reach out too?  What hope can there be if unionists cannot even reach out to those within the Protestant community with whom they have disagreed?  And sooner or later unionists in mid Derry will have to reach out to nationalists as much as nationalists need to understand unionists.  On the evidence of the other evening, the credit crunch might be in school history books by then.  Hopefully my despair will be short lived and misplaced!

Nonetheless, NBNW looks forward to a day when these two ground breakers do become the first freemen of the town.

Town of hate or hope?

Everyone in Limavady should be feeling thoroughly embarassed this week.  Bad as it was to see the local unionist councillors saying no to the freedom of the borough for Rev. Armstrong and Fr Mullan without even an arugument, the spirited Reverend summed up the ridiculousness of it all.

“It would have been lovely, particularly for my children, but probably one day, my grandchildren, to be able to go into Limavady and be told by all and sundry, this is the town where your grandfather used to preach love your neighbour” – how simple and Christian and yet for some there is still a reluctance to accept this neighbourly message for the beautiful one it was and is. 

Surrender isn’t shaking the hand of someone different, it is the betrayal of the very principles which you claim to cling to, such as equality and Christianity.

NBNW doesn’t anticipate another post on this topic until the day their freedom is granted.

The folk in the Northwest will be shocked at the revelations today that the 28 year old man found stabbed in Letterkenny yesterday morning is the son of Frank Shortt, victim of Garda corruption and former owner of the Point Inn in Inishowen.

The fact that this Hitchcock style plot twist comes so soon after the recent Morris Report on Garda corruption in the County only adds to the bizarreness of it all. While there is no reason to link the two events, it is certainly an odd coincidence given Mr Shortt senior’s role in the events leading to the judicial probe.

NBNW was disappointed at the reaction of Frank McBrearty, the other man at the centre of the Gardai’s misadventures. It seems that no matter what any independent authority says, he will only be satisfied if his take on history is accepted 100%. The truth always outs. Let’s hope everyone affected can now move on as best they can and that young Mr Shortt makes a full recovery.

The BBC reports that the power-sharing ‘deal’ in Zimbabwe is under strain.  It seems after all that Comrade Mugabe doesn’t seee the quarter trillion per cent inflation writing on the wall.  Incredibly but unsurprisingly, he still wants to hold both key army and police ministries for himself and his Zanu-PF cronies.  Tsvangarai is quite rightly saying no.  Hopefully the MDC will hold out.  One thing is certain – that the journey to a stable and prosperous new Zim is not going to be easy nor short.  For the sake of her own people and the entire southern Africa region it is essential that a prudent and robust approach is maintained by all those domestic and foreign actors interested in achieving reform.

A move to the North East for this post.  

The bank they robbed

NBNW was heartened to see a statement from the McMullan family in Co. Down today who praised a number of people who had helped them through their ordeal and trial arising from the Northern Bank robbery.  While a number of services and groups are mentioned, this couple are to be commended for praising local MP Eddie McGrady and SDLP MLA for the area, Margaret Ritchie, for the support and assistance they provided to the family.

NBNW has no doubt the McGrady and Ritchie wouldn’t have expected or asked for such public acknowledgment.  But it reveals the sort of hidden work done by SDLP [and to be fair some other] representatives throughout the North quietly and without media bragging day in day out.  Here in the Guildhall tower, it seems that very often the first thing in Sinn Fein MLAs minds when they deal with people is ‘how can I get a photo in the paper out of this?’.

While the papers won’t say it, many people will also recognize that Sinn Fein is allied with the same people who carried out this selfish crime, putting many good people through a horrendous experience for their own financial gain.  NBNW hopes that whatever money they did get laundered has been lost in the property crash or the sub-prime fall in the US and elsewhere.  When ordinary folk are suffering it would be a crime for these ‘Profiteers’ to prosper while old people can’t afford fuel.

The SDLP was there for many families in the days of murder when the IRA, British Army and loyalists violated their rights and their dreams.  Thankfully, the stakes are not as high today most of the time.  But this is one small public sign that when the chips are really down and you or your family need someone to turn to, you can turn to the SDLP.  They will put you ahead of their own publicity and hopefully will maintain that proud tradition for generations to come.

There has been considerable shock in the Northwest at the extent of the hit which Donegal has taken in the Army rationalisation cuts announced in the budget.  RTÉ reports that over 250 personnel will be transferred from the Rockhill and Lifford bases to Finner camp south of Ballyshannon.  By any measure this is a hard hit for the north east of the county and Donegal is the only county where two bases are to close. Nobody would argue that the Northwest should be above cuts if other bases close, but to take two closures when the Celtic tiger has bypassed many up here is a lot.

There has been much opposition to the decision, including by the Mayor Cllr Gerry Crawford in Lifford and Letterkenny Cllr blogger Damien Blake.  But questions will surely be asked about the lobbying strength of the Letterkenny area in particular when its resident TD, James McDaid, didn’t even turn up for the Dail votes on the bank rescue package or the budget.  At a time like this you’d think that goodwill is a valuable currency and McDaid in particular doesn’t seem to have much where Cowen is concerned.

Cllr Blake makes sound arguments about the central role of soldiers and their families as part of the local community.  On the other hand, soldiers on other blogs have argued that they are in an Army and should just go where ordered.  But there is an argument that a New Year closure is premature – especially as Joe McHugh TD has pointed out, when dissidents are more active in the Northwest.

In an era of carbon footprints it might have been fairer at least to give people 2 or 3 years time to move house if they wanted.  There will be a lot of cars up and down that road in January!

Ok – so maybe she won’t decide who will be the next US President al on her own, but she does have a say.  While Generall Colin Powell has endorsed Senator Obama, Mrs Quinnell of Shakopee, Minnesota is a volunteer at her area McCain headquarters. And in this video you can see her scary – in every sense – argument for voting McCain.  Well, it’s more why in her head folks shouldn’t vote Obama.

Mrs Quinnell thinks it would be ‘really bad’ if Barack Obama became President and the USA became ‘a Muslim country’.  She declared on the microphone at a McCain Town Hall rally that Obama was an Arab.  Interestingly, McCain countered that he was “a decent, family man”. So Arabs it would appear are not decent or good family people? God help the Palestinians with that sort of generalist mindset in the corridors of power in DC.

Mrs Quinnell ain’t an antropologist either.  She seems to think that Obama’s father was an Arab.  As far as NBNW is aware, he came from Kenya.  Which isn’t part of the Arab nation.  Perhaps readers might know of a progeny we’re unaware of here in Guildhall tower.

God bless America – with voters like her she’ll need the help of every God.

The poor judgment displayed by the Ministry of Defence [MoD] in holding a homecoming parade for the RIR troops back from service in Iraq and Afghanistan was seen today in not-so-glorious technicolour.   The wrecklessness of having such a parade at a time when dissidents have recently been involved in attacks, as in the Bogside, is all the more clear given the political vacuum caused by the Sinn Féin/DUP stand off.  The North is not as British as Finchley, and Whitehall should remember that.

NBNW recognises that many RIR personnel serve for noble reasons, and that many come from the nationalist community and south of the border.  However, the parade today and the heightened tensions that surrounded it not only gave rise to unnecessary potential for violence but also imperils progress on community relations.  Sadly, in the North, such events are a magnet for those with sectarian views and malicious intent – as well as others. In future, RIR tributes – while legitimate expressions of the British identity in the island – should not take place on streets where shared space is violated and where all manner of avoidale problems are created.

Mayor of Derry, Gerard Diver, has hosted a reception for returning RIR personnel who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Derry is not Belfast, but the move is not without its risks for the SDLP councillor.  That said, he is quoted as saying he wants to be Mayor for ‘communities throughout the district’.
While the backlash hasn’t appeared to have started, it is a question of what not whether.  Radio Foyle tomorrow will tell a tale – especilaly the Paul McFadden show.

It is understandable that some people will be upset.  This is the city where Paras murdered peaceful marchers on Bloody Sunday and many others were gunned down by British Army forces contrary to the law – even to the laws of war.  However, Diver is not just Mayor for Nationalists but for everyone in the City.

The reports are that local personnel were welcomed.  That is an important distinction if true.  It is also known that TA volunteers, including Reverend Latimer and medical personnel from Altnagelvin hospital have been in the Asian war zones.  Few would object to their homecoming being marked, whatever about combat troopers.

For the record, NBNW believes that the Belfast British Army march was wrong and should never have happened [like the war in Iraq!].  Shared space should not be used divisively by militaristic displays.  But the flipside is that a shared future must include unionists for whom British Army service is a key part of their identity. That ought to be marked appropriately by nationalists in civic positions.

The fact that Diver’s background is in cross-community work and he represents the Waterside probably makes him more comfortable with such a step than others in the SDLP.  But he will have known the likely fallout.  He is to be commended for not taking the easy way out and letting his Deputy Mayor, DUP Man Maurice Devenney.  That would no doubt have been the cyncial move of a Sinn Fein mayor but would have been a sectarian failure of leadership.

The event took place downstairs here in the Guildhall on Friday night.  The Sentinel has not surprisingly welcomed the move, although not many people in Derry will believe that it was kept secret for ’security reasons’ as reported.  The more likely reason is that it prevented a demonstration.

It is hoped now that the Mayor’s generosity is not thrown back in his face.  In the week that Barack Obama was elected US President, it is to be hoped that this message of healing wounds will be heeded.

Now that the US election result euphoria is dying down, people in Ireland are starting to ask what an Obama administration means for us.  Much of the talk is about Obama and the peace process.  We cannot expect Washington to sort out our remaining problems – and there is the Middle East and the rest for them to worry about. The relevant question is about Obama and the Irish economy.

There are 90 000 jobs in the Republic within US companies.  Here in Derry, there is still a large Seagate plant and the Invista facility near the airport – together employing hundreds of people.  The Singularity announcement on Thursday, creating 43 additional knowledge jobs in the city, shows the importance of global markets to jobs in Derry.  Others like Pakflatt continue to grow in the US market – while the people of Limavady know too well the personal price paid by workers when export opportunities dry up.

Many Irish workers and businesses will be worried about some of Obama’s protectionist rhetoric during the election campain.  There are growing fears that he will tax US companies out of our island and back to the US or that he will reimpose tariffs on trade between the US and the rest of the world.  If the latter happened, it would also lead to obstacles to trade throughout the world.

NBNW was pleased to read Marc Coleman in the Sunday Independent who argues that these fears are exaggerated.  He points out that nearly as many – 70 000 – US jobs are dependent on Irish companies as vice versa.  Obama advisor Robert Shapiro in his new book Futurecast 2020 recognises the interconnectedness of today’s global economy and the inevitability of US participation in it.  He cites that very constraint as a bulwark against the depths of a great depression as happened in the 1930s.

Whatever an Obama administration does about fiscal barriers to trade, what we must do locally is concentrate on upskilling our workforce, expand our educational base for the knowledge economy and invest in our infrastructure.  Invest NI must also support local companies in reaching new export markets. As Foyle MP Mark Durkan said, the success of Singularity shows what a company can achieve from the Northwest.  Local observer, Colm Cavanagh, rightly said on Radio Foyle last week that Derry is not on the periphery of Europe but central between Europe and America.  That’s the attitude we need.

So at last Peter and Martin are friends again up at Stormont Castle.  Tae agus uachtar le buns agus milseain!! What was it all for – no NI Executive meeting from June to November 2008?

It’s not as if there was nothing going on! The western world went into recession.  Well known banks in the UK and Irish markets had to be bought out or guaranteed by governments.  Tens of thousands of people in the North lost their jobs.  Parents lost sleep about the state of education. Oil prices hit the roof and old people couldn’t afford food.  So worried they took their zimmerframes by bus to Stormont to beg for help before winter.

The answer?  Reform of PPS14 planning law, deferral of water charges for a year and the creation of a new Education & Skills Authority.  Martin McGuinness proudly declared”We’ve had our difficulties over recent times, but I believe we have resolved them to the satisfaction of both parties.”

There was NBNW thinking that the whole fallout was because the DUP wouldn’t agree a date for the devolution of justice powers, or maybe official status for An Ghaeilge.  Blikey crikey I’ll have to get the head checked.  ‘Guaranteeing power-sharing and equality’ is actually all about delaying a charge for 12 months that SF said they’d never introduce.

At least there is some progress on PPS14 – alas but no date.  A bit like the devolution of policing and justice!

So will Martin and Gerry say at the gravesides next year that Bobby Sands died so that the 5 Education and Library Boards could be merged into a single QUANGO?  Well, he was into his poetry..

 Donegal GAA has had its knuckles wrapped by District Judge Kevin Kilrane at a Court sitting in Letterkenny.  Donegal county player Sean O’Donnell was convicted this week after assaulting a Garda outside a Letterkenny night club in December 2005. The Judge rightly admonished former Donegal star Tommy Ryan, owner of a pub in O’Donnell’s home area of Termon, for giving him a character reference in court.  O’Donnell it might be noted has 11 previous convictions.

The Donegal football team has had a litany of problems and rumours of drink and other problems have persisted for years.  Gaels ar fud na tíre should be ashamed that an All-Ireland winner like Ryan should promote someone like O’Donnell – who is a thug and convicted criminal – as a role model for Irish youth.  Cusack and the founding fathers of the GAA would be appalled.  We can only hope that the GAA in Donegal and beyond will heed the call of the Judge that “The GAA goes beyond the field. Players must be of a certain character to give example to youngsters. He should not be in the club, he should be expelled.”

Until such time as louts like O’Donnell are shown the red card, the Sam Maguire will not be returning to the hills of Donegal.  The likes of Tyrone, Armagh and Kerry will continue to demolish them on the pitch, where the real test of men takes place.

What is that I see up in the sky?  Ah! – a plane flying to America with Martin and Peter on board!  The joint lords of the Stormont Ring are off to Washington and New York to discuss investment, they say.

Would this have have owt to do with the Sinn Fein u-turn on their Executive boycott a couple of weeks ago?  It wouldn’t have looked too good if Martin and Peter weren’t acting like best pals when they were expected back stateside to get patted on the heads for being good little boys.

Of course, the Shinners have made millions from pulling the heart strings of Irish America over the years.  Their own accounts even include declarations that over $250 000 are made at some of these dinners. Adams told the faithful a few weeks ago that some in the DUP are like Afrikaners opposed to change.  And hey presto! WIthin a month Martin is back having broken the DUP veto, or so the spin will go.

What they won’t say is that they achieved nothing on the issues they broke ranks on – date for justice devolution, Long Kesh regeneration plan, Irish language Act or the rest. Presumably Martin will be telling Obama all about the exiting plans to defer water charges for a year and to establish a single Education Agency. Hold the front page NY Times!

Keeping up appearances:  Negotiate badly, get a complicit media to go along with your spin, keep the money rolling in at $10 000 a plate.  It sums up what the Shinners are about – keeping themselves sweet while the ordinary folk are let down.  Let’s see them expose that in the Irish Echo.

Note – NBNW doesn’t for a second suggest that Gerry Adams owns two guns or that he would ever be involved in that kind of thing.  $$$$

The emerging Conservative/Ulster Unionist partnership is an intriguing development. It offers exiting possibilities for change in Northern Ireland politics.  But its effects may not be what Sir Reg Empey anticipates.

Unfortunately for them, the whole project is riven with contradictions and political schizophrenia.

The UUP website declares that is is “time to normalise politics”.  Sir Reg claims this is about putting the Northern Ireland in the mainstream of UK politics.  He rails against the Little Ulsterism of the DUP.

Cameron meanwhile flies in to tell us that he loves the union, that he loves democracy and that he loves the UUP.  His speech presents those principles as reasons for the project.  He offers voters the “carrot” of voting for a British government and wants to be a Prime Minister for the whole UK, committed to devolution.  But he didn’t properly deal with the many issues of the day affecting the North.  Granted he did praise the not-praiseworthy “progress” on devolution of justice – but that is in itself a Westminster issue as we stand.

On another Westminster matter, he pledged to look at the economic issues arising from the border – but that suggests measures which would treat the North differently to other parts of the UK.  Where is the consistency?

The fact that the whole launch isn’t even mentioned on the Tory website today tells its own story – meanwhile it’s all over the UUP site.  Cameron’s main motivation appears to be to get Lady Slyvia Hermon to have to vote for him as Prime Minister! Hardly a normalisation of our politics when the most New Labour MP here has to vote against New Labour in order to be  politically ‘normal’! It verges on the Orwellian.

Progressive people of all shades should wish the UUP well in their efforts against the DUP.  But if the DUP represents Little Ulsterism, then Jim Allister must be Micro Ulsterism. How can a force for ‘national UK’ and ‘pluralist’ politics even think about aligning itself with the TUV in an ultra-tribal manouvre? Again the claim to normalise politics here is challenged by the facts.

Unless Sir Reg and Cameron iron out these inherent contradictions, their partnership may be more hindrance than help for the UUP given the existing opportunities to shine a light on the poor DUP record in government.

Meanwhile, with the DUP and Sinn Fein in government implementing a economic agenda which is more Tory than today’s Conservative Party, the door must open that bit more for the SDLP to attract new voters on the basis of its solid social democratic platform.  It seems Durkan’s predictions of realignment are happening without the SDLP having to make any moves itself in the short term.  The landscape indeed appears to be changing.

A good post across on O’Conall Street about what seems to be a lack of information on the pork scare north of the border.  His point about Safefood’s silence is a good one and this will merit further attention once the situation is settled.  Something has gone amiss in its communications – the website doesn’t even have a news section on the homepage.  At time of posting, early on Monday morning, a site search for ‘pork scare’ throws up a match for a Pork and Apricot Kebab recipe!  Replete with advise on how to barbeque the pork properly so as to avoid a food safety risk!

The Dublin authorities seem to have been out front on this since Saturday. We saw the Taoiseach was on TV on Sunday and a statement has been on the Irish government website since Saturday.  Meanwhile, the most recent post on the North’s Agriculture department’s site is an estimate of crop yields posted on Friday.  Nor is there anything on the OFMDFM site.

Gildernew’s silence stands in stark contrast to Bríd Rodgers strong and reassuring handling of the Foot and Mouth scare back in 2001.  The Sinn Féin Agriculture boss must make a statement to the Assembly and to the media tomorrow to give worried farmers and customers proper information on what is going on and what is being done.

In fact, a joint statement from the two Ministers, North and South, would be very helpful early this week.

The revelation that the law here is to be changed to ensure that Desmonds pensioners will get the full pension entitlement is a huge credit to them and to Derry’s MP Mark Durkan.  This story has apparently been going on for 3 years and has been a very long slog by all accounts.
Two things to note arise here.

First, if Sinn Fein had the Foyle MP position, the 350 Desmonds pension scheme members would still be looking at getting half their pension sums.  Mitchel or Martina wouldn’t go into Parliament to vote on bills, table amendments or harass government into action through debates.  The SF MPs only go there to collect Her Majesty’s allowances and to hold press briefings.  Them themselves as they say.

Second, what were the other serving MPs doing?  Desmonds had factories in Tyrone and Fermanagh and East Derry too.  The Shinners didn’t even pretend to care by issuing a [pointless] press release or two.  Nor was there a peep out of DCAL ubermeister Gregory Campbell MP.

Too busy cosying up to each other at Stormont?  The electorate should take note in these days of economic turmoil.

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness put in a surprising performance this morning on Radio Foyle’s Morning Programme.  The man was obviously upset that his OFMDFM department’s big PR push on fuel poverty this week was totally upstaged by the woman who came up with those proposals in the first place – Margaret Ritchie of the hated SDLP!

Someone in the Sinn Fein Press Control HQ appears to have told Martin that a male politician shouldn’t attack a woman on the air.  So Martin adopted a suprising tactic – highlight the contrasts between Ritchie and Caitriona Ruane [his SF colleague and Education Minister].  Caitriona he said was a “team player” who was “under the same pressures” as Ritchie.  Presumably Ritchie refusing to be bullied by the Robinson/McGuinness Control Squad condems her as a rebel.  How times have changed!

When it got really nuts was when McGuinness claimed that Ruane was doing great work on fuel poverty!  This about the woman who has made a dog’s dinner of 11+ reform and whose department is in a shambles.

To top it all off, Martin went on to tell us he was meeting the banks to discuss the credit crunch.  I wonder was the the Northern Bank bloke able to keep a straight face?

Liberation hero turned tyrant Robert Mugabe has taken another turn of total self-delusion – declaring “I will never, never, never surrender. Zimbabwe is mine, I am a Zimbabwean.”

It is one thing to pretend that the British – who have been responsible for much suffering over the centuries in southern Africa – are to blame for Zim’s predicament today.  The man is ignoring a man-made Cholera epidemic and hyper-inflation.  Tsvangirai is in semi-exile in Botswana because of restrictions put on him by the regime.  Surely it is only a matter of time before the back of the dictatorship is now broken?

Now that the Lisbon II campaign is lining up, here’s a fly-on-the-wall take of Fianna Fáil’s Mount Street HQ the night of the first referendum.

The Mayor Gerard Diver has sent his Christmas card with a picture of my beloved Guildhall Tower picture on the front – but no hard feelings that he didn’t come up to 101 steps to ask my permission. Let this be a Merry Christmas to all NBNW readers and contributors.  Nollaig shona daoibh go léir!

The tragic death of Derry boy Colum Canning in France a week ago has touched the hearts of the entire community across the North West.  His funeral will take place on the last Sunday of 2008 in Creggan.  We cannot begin to comprehend the grief that his family are going through.  May young Colum rest in peace.

As we come to our first year end since moving the Guildhall onto the blogosphere, we thought we’d have a huge gala dinner and make some awards.  But the Mayor Gerard Diver said the insurance wouldn’t cover it so we have to make do with a post.  Maybe next year..

The awards and winners are:

10. ‘Bambi In Headlights’ – NI Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew who was like John Sergeant dancing on an ice rink in dress shoes during the pork dioxin scare. Hopefully we’ll never have a serious emergency on her watch.

9. ‘Dumbo In Headlights’ – no it’s not Caitriona Ruane cos she needs pity more than an award.  This goes to NI Environment Minister Sammy Wilson for his approach to the gigantic threat of climate change – “the lights aren’t there, I can’t see ‘em, whatever it is I going to walk straight into it!”

8. NW Councillor of the Year – Derry City SDLP’s Samson lookalike Mark H Durkan. On the basis of local media coverage he not only knows when every cat runs up a tree but climbs up, gets a photo taken and then returns it to the old lady who missed it.

7. Blog Debutant – Of course we’re too modest to award ourselves, and locally there was the SDLP’s Colum Eastwood entering the blogofray, but the award leaves the NW due to the promising start from West Belfast’s ‘No Gloss Just Matt’.

6. ‘Now You See It Now You Don’t’ – the best of the councilor websites for most of the year but it suddenly disappeared shortly after he stupidly wrote that if the SDLP didn’t succeed it would fail – talk about stating the obvious about anything – this goes to ‘The Belfast Stoop’ Colr Niall Kelly

5. NW Swindle of the Year – this week’s Creggan Off Licence Tiger Kidnapping ran it close, but the biggest swindle must have been the abolition of the North West Development Fund set up after the Desmonds factories closed in 2003. Brian Cowen stands by the NW spending hundreds of millions in harsh times while Martin McGuinness bows down to the DUP ‘Belfast First’ budget plan and screws the NW over.

4. Minister of the Year – Margaret Ritchie for having a vision for her Department, standing up to the bullying of Peter Robinson and his Sinn Fein lackey Martin McGuinness, putting fuel poverty on the Executive agenda and delivering the first new housing programme units in the North West.

3. NW Bridge of the Year – this has to go to the Mulroy Bridge that is being finished between Fanad and Carrigart in North Donegal – the obvious question of course is how come Fanad gets a bridge when Derry and Letterkenny both need another one?!

2. Rock n Roll Mayor – Uh huh huh it’s the Waterside’s own Gerard Diver. The rumours are that he got BT to jam Eoghan Quigg’s phone line cos there’s only room for one rock star in the great North West. He may be mean but what a smile! And Leslie Cubitt ain’t never gonna sing the blues like that.

And finally the one you’ve all been waiting for…

1. The NW Person of the Year – Paralympic Double Champion Jason Smith from Eglinton, Co. Derry, who set new world records in both the 100m and 200m sprints. Eoghan Quigg might have raised the hype but Jason came back with the bacon. It proves what hard work can achieve.

Well done to our winners. Here’s wishing all our readers a great 2008!

Some good news in these depressing economic times with confirmation that the North West is to be connected direct to the USA by a E30 million  high speed telcoms link by March 2009.  Through an EU Interreg 4 project called ‘Kelvin’, the north of the island will be connected to the Hibernia North link which passes 20 miles north of Malin Head.  Towns including Derry, Letterkenny and Strabane will have a direct link into this transatlantic supercable.

This is great news for IT reliant jobs in the North West of Ireland and is a clear example of the potential of North-South cooperation.  The Enterprise department in the North and the Communications dept in Dublin are to be commended for bringing this forward.  Hopefully, it won’t be the last infrastructure we see being developed in 2009.

It’s not often we listen to the Radio Foyle Morning Programme and think ‘that was entertainment!’.  This morning was one such occassion when Sinn Féin’s own Derry answer to Gerry Adams, Gerry McLaughlin, lost the rag on the programme. 

No words could do his performance justice.  Suffice to say that Enda McClafferty must have thought Gerry’s steaming ears were going to explode!  Poor Gerry didn’t like the fact that some bloke – who Gerry described as discredited – said Sinn Féin had a neck criticising anyone for killing civilians.

Unfortunately, it seems that you can’t listen to the interview yourself.  The ‘Listen Again’ facility for some reason isn’t working.  It would be terrible to think that the Sinn Féin spin/control machine has pressurised BBC Radio Foyle into making sure the programme isn’t put online.  Hopefully that’s a crazy notion and it will appear by tomorrow – NBNW will keep its eye out.

300 workers at the Seagate plant in Derry City received news today that their wages would drop by 10% – ordinarily terrible news but in contrast to what happened its employees in Limavady and the Dell shutdown in Limerick it isn’t a catastrophe.

As the recession bites, the electoral choice becomes more stark.  Derry’s MP Mark Durkan was on Radio Foyle news at lunchtime speaking of the need to work with the company to keep jobs here by working with the company.  In contrast, Martina “I wanna be an MP just so Durkan isn’t” Anderson is unusually silent – other than some rumblings earlier in the week about how much grants Seagate got from government.  So while Durkan was working behind the scenes to help out, Martina was preparing to have a pop!  Hate to think she’d be disappointed her planning was no use.

Is there any good reason to vote for Sinn Fein when jobs are under threat?

Martina might be relaxing, but not her boss!  Gerry “Best Beard this Side of Havana” Adams is going over to mix it with the hob nobs at the Obama inauguration.  The global recession obviously isn’t hitting the book sales!!  Probably get a fund-raiser in while he’s over there….

It is now just over 4 months since we hauled a computer up the steps to the top of Guilhall tower to launch NBNW.

We have now had more than 1 250 visitors in that time – with December being the busiest month.  We had just under 100 visitors on Christmas eve alone.

So thanks for your support and interest.  We hope that in the next 4 months you will keep with us as we shine a light where others fare to tread.

Tomorrow, what is it about Sinn Fein that makes people think Radio Foyle bows the knee?  Now you won’t see that story in the Derry Journal!

Interesting interview on Friday morning when Radio Foyle’s Paul McFadden played host to Martin McGuinness Deputy First Minister.  At the off McFadden said something curious.  He called on Political Press Officers sending in questions to put their real names on the texts or calls.

Why did he say this?  NBNW can’t remember him saying something like that when Mark Durkan or Willie Hay or any other politician has been on his show.  We asked an SDLP press officer if they had been outed by McFadden after he had uncovered a Stormontgate style espionage op where they regularly go undercover to infiltrate Radio phone-ins.  He said that was laughable and in fact they make a point of saying whatever office or an ‘SDLP spokesperson’ or member is calling in.  I have certainly heard such names on-air.

Is it not in fact Sinn Fein who pack the lines with cosy questions for their own and targetted snipes when the SDLP is on air? The North West public will find it hard to believe that Sinn Fein are victims of an SDLP masterminded espionage campaign to expose their weaknesses!  Those are obvious enough.  Meanwhile, all those Sinn Fein members with their grant-funded ‘community activist’ jobs listen in to do their masters bidding.

On that point, McGuinness got a fairly easy ride.  McFadden seemed to concentrate so much on squeezing in as many questions from listeners (!!) as possible that any answer at all did the job.  Why no cross examination?  For example, a listener asked what the DUP-SF government was doing for the North West.  McGuinness talked about:

two new schools being built (a PPP launched during direct rule),

the new A5 dualling (paid for by Dublin),

the Dungiven road (launched under direct rule and delayed under a SF minister),

the Ebrington Footbridge (secured by SDLP’s Margaret Ritchie from the EU) and

Project Kelvin telecoms link (paid for by the EU).

Not one of these is a Stormont-funded programme launched under the new Executive! Why didn’t McFadden put this to him?  Paul fumes every day about how much Stormont is spending in Belfast, eg Titanic quarter but when he gets the joint head of government in the office he lets him off easy.  We’d prefer if Paul took a different approach next time – or else stops moaning about how Derry gets nothing.  Put up or shut up, Paul.
A week after Gerry MacLochlann’s hysterical interview about the killing of innocent civilians never made it to the BBC Iplayer, listeners would be forgiven that Sinn Fein are getting it easy at the local BBC station.

Why does the DUP-Sinn Fein axis have such a problem with accountability?

The turgid Minister’s Questions in the Assembly are boring – they need to be more relevant to current events not less.  At the minute, MLAs must submit oral questions 2 weeks in advance.  It makes for TV as much as watching a bucket of mud settle.  Instead the DUP and Sinn Fein want the First and Deputy FM to only come in once a month each instead of fortnightly.  Why don’t they want to answer topical questions?

Junior Minister Gerry Kelly was on the Politics Show saying that comparisons with Westminster, the Dail, Wales and Scotland weren’t relevant because they have voluntary coalitions.  So they’re doing the SDLP and UUP a favour by coming in less because Ritchie or Sir Reg wouldn’ want to be spoken for!  What a red herring.  Thanks to the Sinn Fein Capitulation Decree (aka St. Andrew’s Agreement), the DUP practially control the whole operation.  What we have is government by Stormont Castle not by a democratically accountable Assembly.  It ain’t good enough and weekly questions where both First and Deputy First Minister are present is the change we need.

In a multi-party coalition where the OFMDFM office holds huge power, it is all the more needed that weekly topical questions are asked in public.  The secrecy-loving DUP-Sinn Fein mindset fears public scrutiny.  Their histories make that understandable.  A better future for the North makes that unacceptable.

Interesting to see that the SDLP is promoting the live BBC coverage of its annual conference which takes place this weekend in Armagh. The coverage is on BBC TV and online with the main point of interest being party leader Mark Durkan’s speech at noon on saturday.

This is a first in the North of Ireland and is a welcome step forward both for the SDLP getting its message across and for encouraging more and more public engagement with the SDLP. 

With a move like this, there are no Sinn Fein-scared or slanted journalists who can be blamed for spin failures.  Also, this will be the biggest audience for any political event in the history of the six counties, there will never have been as much participation in a party event up here.  Certainly this blog will chase up the weekend’s news with the opportunity for interactive discusssion.

The challenge for Durkan and the other SDLP heavyweights is to make sure they seize the opportunity at a time when the DUP and Sinn Fein are running this part of Ireland aground!

NBNW was represented at the SDLP annual conference in Armagh this weekend.  It’s a pity that only the leadership speeches were live on TV – people frustrated with the DUP/Sinn Fein limp regime would draw hope from the number of delegates, the breadth of motions and the various fringe events.
In particular, NBNW was impressed by the number of young people there.  It bodes well for the future of true republican politics and the task of delivering Irish unity.

Fringe events included:

Civil Rights then and now (late on friday night!)

Miscarriages of Justice (saturday lunch)

PR techniques (friday evening and very useful for us new bloggers!!)

The most memorable part of the conference for most was the incredibly moving miscarriages of justice event organised by West Belfast.  Grown men were reduced to tears by the words of Brid Quinn, mother of Paul Quinn who was murdered by the South Armagh IRA in a Monaghan shed.  The Quinn family story is a reminder of how justice and human rights must be as important for the SDLP now as it ever was.  Listening to Paddy Hill of the Birmingham 6 and Gerry Conlon of the Guildford 4 reminded many old and young activists alike how the stand for liberty against ‘counter-terrorism’ must still be made.  The stories of Ballymurphy and Raymond McCord were further reminders of  terrible wrongs that still throw up questions.

As people left the hall, the overriding message was that such an event could only happen at an SDLP conference.  Standing up for truth and justice means more than a slogan – which for Sinn Fein, the DUP and others it unfortunately only is.  SDLP activists can take inspiration from the cause of these families, and the Irish nation of all creeds can take comfort that a stronger SDLP will be there to take on these and other challenges in the times ahead.

This BBC video clip of Briege Quinn demands no comment – only justice.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7849259.stm

 

 

Normally NBNW is an advocate of less (para)military activity, but today is a sad day for the North West community and economy.  It will see the last Irish Army troop marching out of the Rockhill base near Letterkenny.  Highland Radio reported that troops made a final parade through the town as locally-based soldiers. Yesterday saw the last lowering of the tricolour at the Lifford army base.  It is a sad day given the service these soldiers gave to the North West during the troubles and throughout the world on UN and EU peace duties, from Congo in the 1960s to Chad in 2008/9.

This is not only a blow to the economy in north Donegal, given the numbers of personnel being moved, but these have been important parts of local communities in North East Donegal for many years.

In a poignant symbol of how this is a loss for the whole North West, the army band played The Town I Loved So Well by Derry’s own Phil Coulter as the troops march out of Lifford.

There is a developing theme of lack of accountability from the DUP/Sinn Fein junta up in Stormont Castle.  NBNW isn’t sure what happened to Peter and Martin’s idea to come to the Assembly for questions only once a month each.  A bit of a joke when most heads of government – including Scotland’s First Minister – answer questions every week!

I’m reminded about all this because President Obama has changed the rules on Freedom of Information.  There will now be a “clear presumption” that information will be released.  Also, an “Open Government Directive” is to come within 120 days.

How stark Obama’s openness drive compares to the secrecy in Peter and Martin’s castle.

You may have heard about Cork’s best known Aussie rules export, Setanta O’Halpin, getting into hot water.  He had a bust up with a team mate at Carton AFC.  Apparently, the Aussie sports-commentariat think the kick in the arse was against the Aussie Rules ‘code of honour’.  See for yourself.

Kicking a man when he’s down isn’t acceptable, but the Aussie Rules commentators seem to be taking a high moral ground that sticks in Irish craws given the behaviour of Australian teams in International Rules tests in recent years.  Would an Aussie player be hung out in the same way? And how much credibility can a guy have when he thinks ‘Curling’ is a national Irish game?!

Straight men, lesbians and all other admirers of women across the North West have felt mixed emotions at the expulsion of Ballykelly girl Stephanie Crabtree from Miss Teen UK.  She was put out because of her conviction for assault on two girls in Limavady.  She hit one with a glass.

Not exactly Miss Goody Two shoes, but few Ballykelly girls really are. At the very least she deserves another go, a bit like she had during that argument!

On the bright side, our papers and websites have been graced with lovely photos of young Steph.  So thanks to those two girls for suffering so we might have such pleasures. 

She has already signed to Derry’s own Converse model agency.  If theres ever Big Fight Boxing in the Forum she’s be ideal for the gig.

Hopefully this will end up just a blot on Stephanie’s career and she will end up looking back on it like Nadine Coyle now does to her age ”incident” on that RTÉ talent show.  God knows Nadine is getting old and the North West could do with a nice pair of legs to be looking at in until this recession lifts in a few years.

Shocking news this morning with the revelation in the Sentinel that Stephanie Crabtree has been fired by Converse Models.  For outsiders, it’s Derry’s number 1 (i.e.  only) model agency.

 

NBNW thinks that this would have been some much-needed publicity for Converse models.  Maybe they feared they’d lose all their customers in Foyleside shopping centre given poor Stephanie’s criminal record.

Give the girl a break we say.  Steph would be welcome in Guildhall tower anytime.

Hopefully, Stephanie will go on to bigger and brighter things.  Ballykelly needs a superstar.

So the Telehouse is at last going to Derry – or so we were told on Thursday night.  NBNW will wait until it happens until we believe it, given that there is a history on this project of things being promised and then changed.

There was a sorry effort yesterday on Talkback when David McClarty MLA gave off about negative campaigning or the like from the Derry City brigade.  This is rather sad coming from the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.  To top it all, he claimed he was unaware of any early mention of the Telehouse going to Derry city.  He is either forgetful, lying or ignorant of the entire project’s purpose and history.  We suspect the later.

Saddest of all though was DETI Minister Arlene Foster’s tirade against ‘negative publicity’ from Derry city.  This is very distasteful from a Minister for all the people of the North.  It is she who should be apolosing for the whole way this project was disfigured, contorted, misrepresented and hijacked for whatever purposes.  Her department’s handling of this has been a disgrace and really overshadowed the positive effects that Kelvin could bring.

Most hillarious of all was how Martin McGuinness tried to make out he had saved the day by making an announcement that clearly was the result of a campaign he played little part of!  And as for Martina Anderson’s claim that this was evidence of the ‘accountability mechanisms negotiated by Sinn Fein’ at work, she must be warming up for the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.  It’s been SF failing to stand up to the DUP all along.  From the minute he found out, why wasn’t McGuinness getting this fixed with Arlene’s DUP boss, the man Martin would have us believe is his ‘joint’ first Minister. Why couldn’t the Joint First Minister of the North get this sorted without Derry/Donegal businessman Philip O’Doherty having to get DETI to rethink under fear of judicial review??

Even Sinn Fein supporters have been commenting on how Mark Durkan was way ahead of any Shinners in his grasp of the issue over the past month or whatever it is.  And we still haven’t had an explanation from Martin as to why no SF minister backed Margaret Ritchie when she raised the issue way back at the North-South Council meeting in Magee.

Credit where it is due to Paul McFadden at Radio Foyle who recognised the importance of this.  Less said the better about how long it took the Derry Journal to catch on – not to mention their farcical suggestion that their week old campaign ‘wot won it’!

In a week when the EU is questioning the Stormont junta’s dispersal of farm modernisation grants, God only knows what they’ll make of all this.  Transparent and efficient government Sinn Fein/DUP style, yet again..

The SDLP must be licking their lips in prospect at taking on the existing MEPs in the June European Election.  Their poor record was displayed only this weekend during Bairbre de Brún’s live BBC interview with Jim Fitzpatrick and Mark Devenport at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis.

She was asked what the issues would be.  Her first priorty was getting elected, she said (i.e. herself!). Then she said people were looking for action on the economy, the Irish language, education, our relationship with Europe and opportunities for cooperation in Europe.  Has this woman no sense of what is going on in our country?

• Sinn Fein wasted most of 2008 telling us that the Northern government can’t do anything about a global economic downturn – and still no budget to meet the changed circumstances the North now faces
• The DUP beating their chests about denying Irish language rights
• Sinn Fein manages to replaces an unfair 11+ with an even more unfair free-for-all
• Sinn Fein opposes Lisbon when the tale of Iceland, the Euro and Irish opinion now is that we need Lisbon
• Sinn Fein has no influence in Europe and what can they deliver in 5 more years than they have failed to manage by now?

If Alban Maginnis is even a half decent candidate he should be able to make the incumbent MEPs embarrassed over the next 100 days.

Finally, what a patronising attitude from de Brún on the BBC live coverage – “I couldn’t get into all the details without losing the people who are watching” was her observation when asked what the substance of the Sinn Fein cross-border programme was.  Needless to say what she didn’t give any substance at all.  But yet more evidence of how detached she has become since going to Brussels.

While SDLP man John Dallat MLA pursues the Minister for Regional Development Conor Murphy MP MLA over the funding crisis facing the Foyle Ferry service, the NI Minister’s performance has sparked a political tussle across at the Greencastle end of the route.  

Moville’s Fianna Fáil Senator Cecilia Keaveney is flagging up the crazy situation whereby the costs of the service are put up by Magilligan’s definition as an international port.  This really is a joke in today’s post Good Friday Agreement age.

Meanwhile, in typical Sinn Féin style they are trying to have their Sir Humphry cake and eat their PR pie.  On the one hand, Murphy says he has ‘no legislative competence’ on the issue.  On the other, his SF colleague across in Inishowen rallies to his defence in saying that he will ‘has pledged to explore cross border funding options’. What has he been doing up to now?  It all sounds a bit familiar where the SF Transport boss promises to explore things but little seems to materialise.  If he is so concerned, has he raised it at the North South Ministerial Council?  Or the international designation with the British government?

Presumably neither given that Keaveney claims to be doing so.  So much for a new “vision of Ireland’s future” – but then Sinn Féin has a bit of a record of not highlighting things at the N-S Council (Project Kelvin anyone?).

Good living Fine Gael voters across Donegal North East were shocked this week at the revelation that Joe McHugh TD and his wife Deputy Olwyn Enright from Laois/Offaly were double claiming for overnight expenses in Dublin for 3 years, according to the Sunday Tribune.

The Tribune estimated the cost of the second E140 per night claim at around £30 000 over the 3 years.  The time period involved 2005 to 2008. For much of that time Carrigart man Joe was a Senator in the other Leinster House chamber to Olwyn.  Presumably once they were married they spent most nights in Dublin in the one chamber.

Apparently, the second claims stopped in July 2008, although it isn’t clear what prompted that change.  The Fine Gael Press Office response will probably disappoint many of the 8711 Donegal people who voted for him in 2007, who probably expect more than a ‘we was entitled’ line.  We don’t need a Beverley Cooper Flynn in the North West.

And what does Deputy McHugh mean when he says “We have had a number of queries about this and it wouldn’t be accurate to say there was double-claiming – the hypothesis is simply not accurate.”  Why is it not accurate?  It would be interesting to hear him explain. 

At a time when people are crying out for honest and straight leadership, Deputies McHugh should be careful not to try to muddy the waters.  If they have done wrong – even if it was not illegal or against Oireachtas rules – it would be best to take it on the chin.  That’s the best way to move beyond this. Of course, the other question is whether he or Olwyn propose to retain the high moral ground by returning the money?

Joe is a hard working Deputy who has a good record particularly on cross-border issues. It’s hard to believe that his (and her) judgment could have been so poor, then or now.

Highland Radio is today reporting that Triax official Sean McMonagle wants Donegal to pay for recycling depots in Derry City.

 

God knows that Sinn Féin activists have an amazing record at getting jobs paid for from the public purse in the North.  But is he seriously suggesting that when Dublin is cutting back on civil servants pay packets and special needs funding that they will pay to keep open a recycling depot in the Brandywell?

 

Would he not be better off asking Martin McGuinness (the Joint First Minister as he keeps telling us) or his other high-powered Sinn Féin friends in Stormont Castle to pay for it?  At least Martin might use it – I can’t see Mary Coughlan driving up here from Donegal town with her old cardboard boxes!

 

Apart from anything else, aren’t Donegal cars supposed to be barred from these depots?

Today the NI Boundary Commissioner published his final recommendations for the boundaries and names of the 11 new councils. These now to Environment Minister Sammy Wilson.  The changes will effect in 2011.

This will see a Strabane merge into Derry while Limavady goes into Coleraine and Moyle as part of ‘Causeway Coast and Glens’.  The main attention locally is on the name of the new ‘Derry City and Strabane Regional Council’.

Not surprisingly, the DUP had the news in advance (funny that!) and are calling this a lost ‘perfect opportunity’. Only to wipe out any official recognition in the North of the name ‘Derry’, he means.

Nationalists are (most of them) very reasonable people. They wouldn’t mind the new Council being called ‘Foyle’ or ‘North West’ even but ONLY if the name Derry is officially recognised for the city.

If the DUP are serious about equality of esteem or for that matter a shared future, they should stop playing games (of intranigence) and start living up to responsibilities.

We could have a Foyle Council based in Derry City, Co. Londonderry. We could even market ‘the Walled City of Londonderry’ within the city itself for tourism.

Would that really be so bad Gregory?

NBNW was disappointed with some of the most recent attacks on local man Denis Bradley and his co-chair on the victims report, Archbishop Eames. 

Their task was always going to be impossible – there are so many views, opinions and varied experiences of the conflict here that one report couldn’t satisfy everyone.  The personalised attacks from the DUP at Westminster were appaling. It cannot be easy for the Group members to have signed up to the report either.  Unfortunately, the payment idea has been used as a stick to beat them and a distraction to the real issues – truth, support and sharing.

Today’s Derry Journal has a pathetic report giving off that the authors got £680 per day to work on this.  Of course it’s not a small fee – but how much did the Provo bombing campaign cost Derry?  Or what price the assasinations by the UVF? It goes on. In comparison to the cost of Saville, grossly inflated by MoD legal actions, it is not big money.  If it helps us to help those still struggling, it will be worth it.

Of course, if Denis Bradley and Arch. Eames wanted to hit back at this insinuation reporting, they should state how much they have been paid in total, and how many days they worked.  NBNW knows they toured the North visiting groups, individuals, hurt families and consultations.  No doubt much of it was never invoiced. 

There is many a senior civil servant, MLA or government botch job (water reform, Brangam fraud, etc) that costs us more, does much less good and hardly a peep by the DUP ’smaller-government’ moralists.

Radio Foyle’s Enda McClafferty and his Spotlight team are to be commended on their programme ‘Life Sentence’ about the terrible assault on Paul McCauley in July 2006.  He was the victim of a savage assault instigated by the UDA. 

 

One young Fountain man, Daryl Proctor, was convicted in relation to the brutal crime.  Unfortunately, he and others in the loyalist community in Derry are hiding the others.  They need to be outed for this despicable act which has ruined a man’s life and that of his daughter and wider family.

 

Especially shocking was his step-father’s suggestion that if Procter provided information on the others, that any consequences would be the ‘responsibility’ of the McCauley family.  This from the same man who called his hate-filled step son a ‘gentle giant’ who knew nothing about the North (clearly a lie as he came here at age 11) and who had no sectarian opinions.  Not according to his bebo page.

 

When a young Foutain lad says on camera he doesn’t want to know Catholic kids because “I’m a Protestant. I don’t believe in that”, something is still seriously wrong.  It’s about time the local community put these criminals in the dock – and the DUP and Sinn Fein get serious about a plan to build a shared future.  It was pathetic that the Junior Ministers Donaldson and Kelly wouldn’t be interviewed together.  They should be ashamed.

 

The programme is repeated tonight on BBC2 NI at 10pm. 

 

 

Highland Radio is currently running a report that Cecilia Keaveney has found out that a 1949 law could mean that Magilligan would not be an ‘international port’. So the security there is not needed and the costs would go down.

Her website has more on this – but is a bit unclear.  Is she talking about a British law?  After all, it would need to be a ‘UK’ Minister like Conor Murphy or his London colleague who could take steps to change the position for the Limavady borough port.

More clarity needed but one to watch.

The overwhelming majority of the Irish nation, North and South, has been appalled by the murder of PSNI Officer Stephen Carroll last night in Craigavon.

 

Here was an officer serving his community in the midst of a known threat and coming to the aid of a distressed vulnerable woman under attack in her home. Those who murdered him have no support from the Irish people, no mandate from our nation and no justification for their criminal actions.

• The PSNI has the support of the Irish electorate across our country – the dissidents do not.
• The PSNI is democratically accountable – the dissidents are not.
• The PSNI offers hope for a peaceful, rights based future – the dissidents cannot.

The disruption caused by a device in the Waterside today is another echo of a former era. We reject that path. Tomorrow the people of the North West should come out in force at the Guildhall at lunchtime to say NO to the dissidents. 

We will hold firm against their bleak threat. They will not undo what we have all built. We must use the three murders of the past days to reinforce our will to build a shared future.

The past two days have summed it all up.  After their vile murders of two British soldiers and PSNI officer Stephen Carroll and the wounding of 4 other men, they now turn to rioting and disruption.

The symbolism is stark.  Yesterday, they planted a hoax device near the Waterside Clondermott school site.  The very place where SDLP Minister Margaret Ritchie is developing plans to regenerate an unused school into a vital new shared space for the working-class areas nearby.

Then today they follow this up with a device outside Derry credit union.  Planted only minutes before the ordinary people of the city gathered a few hundred yards away at the Guildhall Square to say NO MORE and NOT IN OUR NAME.  It is an affront to us all.  It is dispicable.  And it they will learn that it is futile.

The Trades Council is to be commended for organising the peace protest. The Mayor Gerard Diver seized the moment by placing a ‘Peace Book’ for citizens to sign – which the SDLP I presume will copy elsewhere.

It is welcome that all parties – including Alban Maginniss SDLP and Basil McCrea UUP from outside Derry – were there to pledge support.  Finally, as Mark Durkan said today, Sinn Fein should take a final step and acknowledge that the acts of the past 40 years were morally wrong and futile just as these murders are – that will take the wind out of the dissidents evil sails.

The funeral of Constable Stephen Carroll yesterday was a symbol of the new Ireland.  A police officer buried for serving the whole community – indeed a nationalist area – by callous cowards who ran into the dark.  A funeral at which the chiefs of policing North and South were present to pay their respects.  The Ministers for Justice North and South both present. The Irish President represented. So too SDLP, Sinn Fein, UUP, DUP, Alliance.

Meanwhile, Constable Carroll’s passing was remembered a few miles away at an Ulster GAA conference on community.  That is the point that the Real IRA need to get – Stephen Carrol in donning that uniform was not a servant of a foreign power.  He was a servant of the Irish people, and part of our community.  All of us.

Murdering him has only brought us all together the more.  We will remember him and we will stand by the new Irish democracy he died serving.

Ulster Unionists Communications Director Alex Kane has written an astoundingly ignorant piece in today’s Newsletter http://www.newsletter.co.uk/columnists/Don39t-kid-yourselfSinn-Fein-hasn39t.5075496.jp

First let me say that I agree that Martin McGuinness and the rest of that Provisional IRA leadership should admit that their violent actions of the past 4 decades were wrong.  They should also fully disclose the truth of their actions to the survivors and to victim’s families.  Of course, the same goes for the UVF, UDA and state forces (RUC, Army etc).

That however is where our concord ends. Kane’s argument is intellectually flawed.  Ostensibly he conflates constitutional republicanism ideology (SDLP, Fianna Fail, today’s Sinn Fein, etc) with that of dissidents, saying it provides succour to the latter.  This is as cheap and crass as suggesting that the UUP is responsible for the Shankill butchers.  Evil men do evil things and the noble aspirations of good men should not be tarnished for that.

He also yells that trust cannot be built on the basis of a ‘us-and-them’ arrangement, as St. Andrew’s clearly is. Yet he also calls upon the SDLP and Sinn Fein (it appears) to agree a final settlement within the 6 county state.

Therein he betrays a fundamental weakness.  For all the talk of a pluralist union, UCUNF still sees this as a tribal conflict.  SDLP Republicanism is defined by its values and its aim of Irish unity – Catholic, Protestant, Dissenter and Immigrant united in harmony and equality in one state.  These twin pillars are indivisible and undeniable.  Once a Republican agrees to a perpetual internal 6 county settlement, he is no longer a Republican.

So any ‘final settlement’ can settle tribal quarrels, but it cannot accommodate any meaningful Republicanism.  That appears to be what Adams has settled for in St. Andrew’s, but the SDLP puts national unity ahead of tribal share-out.

And how can Republicans ever be satisfied with the trustworthiness of a state that is politically driven by tribal intent?  The Republicanism of Tone deigned for more than that.

Kane says “Gerry Adams is reduced to pretending that the Assembly is a mere tool for the promotion of Irish unity. Indeed, in Adams’ original statement last Sunday he clearly implied that the dissidents were interrupting this promotion.” What does Kane want?  Adams promoting unity (however badly) in the Assembly is surely not a ‘reduction’ from the IRA killing for it.  And – ethics aside – the dissidents’ attacks do interrupt the constitutional republic project to win unity.  John Hume won this argument within Irish Republicanism 20 years ago – that we must spill our sweat together not our blood.  Kane seemingly hasn’t noticed.

He is right that we should break down the ‘us-and-them’ society.  But this cannot be on the basis that nationalists have to give up their political beliefs.  That is why Alliance have never made inroads into the SDLP vote.  Most SDLP voters have never been tribal Gaels awaiting incorporation in the union.  They have been constitutional republicans seeking a strategic democratic path to Irish unity.   Wanting an integrated North of Ireland doesn’t mean you have to give up on unity.  On the contrary, unity requires that we pursue integration.  Without it, we cannot convince unionists or the South that unity is desirable or that the state will be stable.

Mr Kane should reconsider his description of the SDLP as “supposedly moderate”.  Thinking SDLP activists do not see it as moderate.  Democratic yes, but more creative than Sinn Fein and more radical in its thinking.  Again, Kane misses a key point.  While the SDLP is avowedly pro-unity, it is also avowedly pro the right of unionists to think, act and be British both today and within the united Republic once it comes.  That seems a radicalism too much for Kane to comprehend.

This is the real corker: “Unionists have accepted, albeit slowly and reluctantly, the uprooting of conventional democratic principles and the enforced sharing of power with a party which was, until very recently, a participant in and justifier of terrorism. I don’t think that nationalists/ republicans yet appreciate the sheer scale of the change within unionism. But nationalists/republicans, on the other hand, have barely changed at all. Both Sinn Fein and the SDLP still rattle on about their all-Ireland dreams and agendas”.
Here Kane shows two things.  First, the total and utter strategic futility of the Provo IRA campaign which allowed unionism to portray concessions to Provos as constitutional compromise (Martina Anderson and friends take note). Second, it shows that some unionists truly have failed to recognise the fundamental compromise that the Good Friday Agreement entailed.  Does the acceptance of the UK framework not register at all with them?

Why do Kane, Gudgin et al insist on nationalism self-immolating before they rest easy?  They do not require it and it will not happen.  Such demands are hardly the utterances of defenders of a ’secure’ union.

Nor does it rest easy with the UUP idea of a pluralist and modern kingdom.  Does Kane similarly demand that the SNP or Plaid Cymru abandon their political principles.  What next -banning of democratic parties?  The diverse Republic seems all the sweeter in comparison!  And does his new boss David Cameron suggest that the SNP and Plaid have no right to work for self-determination. Is the Empire striking back?!

Conversely, does Kane really believe that the SDLP and Sinn Fein abandoning unity as an objective would undermine the dissidents?  On the contrary, it would prove a better recruiting agent over the medium term than even Bloody Sunday.

NBNW suggests to the Ulster Unionists that their best bet for undermining the dissidents is to promote the devolution of justice powers – preferable to an SDLP Minister as the Agreement intended.  In tandem, intelligence primacy should be handed to the accountable PSNI.  These steps will take more ideological wind out of dissident sails than anything else.

Then let’s work together on bread and butter issues, respecting each others’ identities and aims. And let the best plan win.

Bizarre piece in this morning’s Irish News on the concerns raised yesterday by the Human Rights Commission about the detention conditions of suspects held in Antrim PSNI station over the murder of Stephen Carroll.  Diane Dodds attacking Monica McWilliams for doing her job.

As is her role, Chief Commission Monica McWilliams queried the suitability of daylight-less cells and such things. While some will think it good enough for people convicted of such a horrendous crime, noboby has been convicted of anything.

Diane Dodds in today’s papers called the visit “inappropriate”. Hardly – to stay away from the first 28 days murder detention would have been to run away. McWilliams is to be commended – her job is to be a safeguard not to take sides.

The real irony is Diane Dodds attacking McWiliams saying it was “a desperate attempt to make herself relevant”. Surely that comment actually applies to Dodds as she latches on to this trying to become known outside the Shankill for her European campaign!

Last night’s attack on the home of Mitchel McLaughlin in the Bogside was totally wrong.  So is any attack on any family home for any reason. It is all the worse when a public representative is involved because it is an attack on the voice of the community that elects that person.

People will see irony in the fact that McLaughlin referred to it as a ‘cowardly event’. Presumably the attacks by Provo hoods  let loose on SDLP represenatives houses and others in Derry over 35 years were not cowardly.

I guess it all depends on who is doing it, Mitchel?  We won’t forget – hopefully the hoods of today will learn the futility of it quicker than your friends did.

The whole community in the North West was saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Garda Robert McCallion yesterday.  He had been treated in Beaumont hospital Dublin since being struck by car thieves in Tara Court, Letterkenny on 26 March.

Garda McCallion has been described by a colleague as “everything a garda should be”.  Those responsible for hitting him with that car are everything we don’t want.   Hopefully they will be charged with appropriately serious offences.  Causing the death of a young Garda serving the community must be treated harshly by the criminal justice system.

From Mayo, he was much loved in his adopted Donegal home.

Only two weeks before, Constable Stephen Carroll lost his life answering the call of duty in Armagh.  The whole of Ulster should be proud of these men who died serving the community and the country.  That was real patriotism.

Ar dheis dé ar a anam.

One of the reasons we run North by North West is to shine a light where the local media – the Derry Journal, Derry News, Radio Foyle, Q102 – do not.  Far too often, real problems go unexamined because some are afraid of vested interests.  Far too often we see free reins given to negative opinions and uninformed comments.

People always complain that Derry doesn’t get what others have.  Now that we’re getting a new footbridge, we keep hearing that we don’t need one.  The begrudgers should get with the change.

And people saying it’s a waste of money that should be spent on a car bridge should also shut it. Why don’t they listen when they’re told it is EU Peace money?!  The EU want to fund a peace project, Ilex has got it for a foot bridge.  Well done Ilex (for once).

The EU wouldn’t have spent this money on another car bridge.  That’s Conor Murphy’s job.  Maybe if we had good MEPs they’d get money for a car bridge like John Hume did for the Foyle Bridge.

So well done to the Derry News this week for saying the negative types need to wise up.  Of course, that still leaves open the debate on the name for the bridge…..

NBNW was intrigued to hear on Radio Foyle news this morning that Martin McGuinness would be very happy if a senior Garda replaced Hugh Orde as PSNI Chief.

In 1996 Martin’s friends in the IRA murdered Garda Gerry McCabe in Limerick so that they could fill their pockets with cash for the IRA holiday homes fund.  Widow Anne McCabe or her family will take no comfort from his words.

McGuinnesss also rattled out the Sinn Féin line that they ’succeeded in getting new legislation’ so that SF could join the Policing Board.  Martina Anderson came out with the same yesterday.  Maybe they would tell the world what that was? 

Not a hill of beans.  Just Sinn Fein rewriting of history again.

Unless they’re talking about them signing up to Mi5 taking the lead on intelligence policing in the North.  No independent oversight.  Great work Martin.

Environment Minister Sammy Wilson crossed Glenshane this morning to launch a new plan for the preservation of Derry’s Walls.

Given Sammy’s views on global warming, its reassuring that he doesn’t think the walls should be knocked down.  Mind you,  he probably thinks the bricks in the Walls are the cause of global warming.

Says Sammy, “This is the largest monument in state care in Northern Ireland and its full potential must be realised.”

With the track record of the DoE and its EHS agency (Environment and Heritage Service), one has to worry.  Both arms of government were about as useful as a rubber crane when it came to protecting Tille and Hendersons from destruction.  Let’s hope the walls fare better.

NBNW was disappointed to read a post on ‘This is Limavady‘ which somehow managed to incorporate a swipe at the Project Kelvin restoration effort in a post about local property prices!

We aren’t experts in the property market (at this stage who is?!) but Project Kelvin ain’t got much to do with house prices in Ballykelly.

The author doesn’t explain exactly why he thinks the reversal of a secret change to a public policy project was “ a totally pointless exercise”.  But regardless of the ins-and-outs of the Telehouse issue, surely it’s a good thing that government is held to honour its promises.

For a blog which appears dedicated to highlighting the jobs crisis in Limavady borough, surely this is a principle which should be pursued.

NBNW was impressed with the style at the Green Party Northern Conference this weekend.  Check out the Wurzel Gummidge look-a-like contest entries.

You just don’t get that at a Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis!

NBNW has heard various opinions on the reported threats to Martin McGuinness. The ones which led him to have a major press conference at Free Derry corner on Friday.

Not everyone in Derry is convinced about these threats. We have heard people suggest that these threats to Martin’s life are a very useful distraction from Sinn Féin’s performance in government. When put like that, it is notable how much press attention has been given to these threats since Martin announced them, and how little media focus is on Stormont or what the Executive is doing to save jobs.

If so, it’s an each way political bet for Sinn Fein. If McGuinness is attacked, Sinn Féin get even more publicity on them and on how they are defenders of the peace process. If nothing happens, who can prove it’s made up? The Sinn Fein spin doctors know well that the PSNI won’t comment on the security of individuals.

No doubt there are dissidents who wish Sinn Fein people harm, but that isn’t the same as being prepared to act on it. Here are Guildhall tower, we don’t have the information to assess whether there really is any danger. All actual threats are wrong.

Unfortunately for Martin, Sinn Fein have a history of playing fast and loose with the truth. Sure isn’t his boss Gerry Adams the only man in Ireland who thinks he was never the in the IRA (which he has denied as recently as the week apparently)?

People can be forgiven for being cynical.

On Radio Foyle’s website today is a piece publicising the excellent City of Derry Jazz Festival taking place this bank holiday weekend. In 231 words it says the word city 11 times.

Mayor Gerry Diver

We can understand people trying to avoid the Derry/Londonderry thing but this is taking it to such lengths that readers are left with their head spinning! Maybe the Mayor and Jim Roddy could occassionally use terms like “across town” if they really want to avoid the name issue.  “City City City City City” should be left as a Brandywell chant.

Have a great weekend everyone!

NBNW is listening to a debate on RTE Radio 1 at the minute about the Euro elections in Dublin.  Her performance is absolutely abysmal on it!

Not surprising for a Sinn Féiner, once her record is questioned she crumbled.  She started talking about how it was vital to get Europe to tackle the banking crisis.  Then Proinsias de Rossa and Gay Mitchell (Labour and FG) both pointed out that she wasn’t even in the European Parliament when new laws on banking controls were discussed and voted on!  It seems Mary Lou was miles away in Brussels doing TV interviews.

Apparently her attendance record is shocking.  Only there about 63% of the time.  Other Irish MEPs are in the Parliament for over 90% of votes.  What is she doing all that time? Does she hand back the portion of her salary that she’s doing SF work, not representing Dubliner?
Not for the first time it seems that Sinn Fein talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.  This is the fate awaiting Ireland North West if Padraig MacLochlainnn is elected for Sinn Fein.

So the MP expenses story runs and runs.  It does seem strange that Sinn Fein claim expenses for three properties in London and justify seemingly extortionate rents on the basis of built-in costs.  So a flat that should cost Gerry and Martin £1 400 costs them £3 600 a month as it includes housekeeping, utilities and parking costs.

Even in London a cleaner, some electricity and gas can hardly cost £2 200 a month!  And why do they need to be paying for parking?  Unless they’re claiming for car ferry tickets and they drive down from Stranraer.  The whole thing stinks.

And what’s all this business they be doing in London?  Fair enough if they are doing business for constituents.  If so, publish details of the meetings they are having so it’s clear for all to see.  Of course the same should apply to the other MPs (who actually go inside the Commons chamber to vote rather than use the offices only).

Unemployed people all over Derry will have rested easy on Sunday night after seeing the Sunday Journal. In true SJ style, it was like reading An Phoblacht. The front page had a massive full colour photo of Martina Anderson and her boss Martin McGuinness Joint Leader of the Six Counties with two Massachusetts Senators.

Apart from the fact that they are not US Senators (as the Sunday Journal incorrectly calls them), teh Journal might well be asked why none of the SDLP people at the function, even John Hume or the Mayor, were included in the photo.

The bigger question is why they didn’t ask Martina or Martin how much of the Emerald Fund New York Pensions money they boasted would save the new SF-DUP economy last year. It turns out from today’s Irish News that the answer is £0 and 0p. In contrast, the News reports that £3m has been paid in fees to an “ally” of Martin and Martina’s buddy William Thompson the NY State Comptroller.

Not exactly investing in the heart of the bog is it?

Very interesting opinion poll in today’s Irish Times.  Of most local interest is that the entry of Dungloe’s Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher into the race for Fianna Fáil looks to have smashed any chances that Buncrana-based Sinn Féin candidate Padraig MacLochlainn will get to Europe.

Dungloe's Pat the Cope

Gallagher is on 19% with MacLochlainn on 10%.  Sligo’s Marian Harkin and Mayo’s Jim Higgins also sit in strong positions on 18% and 20%.

The campaign proper is only getting started but there is really only one seat for a Donegal based canidate.  For years that was Neal Blaney and Pat the Cope took over that seat before.  Donegal has been without an MEP since he came back to the Dail.  MacLochlainn was getting cocky and the Shinners were sure he would fill that vacuum.  It even got to the point where SF were demanding that Fianna Fáil not run a Donegal based candidate!  It seems that it won’t happen so easy for MacLochlainn this time.

Of course, no matter the result this time it will put him in a good position for the next general election.

Big coverage in the Sunday Tribune today about the SDLP supporting its campaign to stop the PSNI pursuing a reporter, Suzanne Breen, for her information about Real IRA activity.  Going on an SDLP press release, Derry MP Mark Durkan tried to lodge a Westminster motion on this but was rejected.  Alex Attwood is quoted explaining his unhappiness that the same motion was refused by the Assembly.

The paper points out that the DUP and Sinn Fein have been silent on this issue.  Given that the Sinn Feiners campaigned for years against ’state censorship’, doesn’t that apply to journalists as well as Gerry Adams voiceovers? Attwood is quoted pointing out that the DUP put in a motion recently on Ian Paisley Junior’s refusal to hand over his sources to the Billy Wright inquiry.  Why not the same for Suzanne Breen and the Tribune?

Of course, it ain’t too long since Martin and Peter wrote as First Ministers to the Belfast Telegraph owners wanting investigative journalists to be muzzled.

Ironcially, the Tribune suggests that the Assembly and Westminster rejected the motions because of NIO wishes. They must be the same NIO securocrats Gerry Kelly,Martin McGuinness and Martina Anderson have been ranting about for years!  Supporting policing isn’t the same as supporting everything done by the Police.  The poachers have gone game keeper.

An Bord Póilíneachta

Beidh eachtra stairiúl tráthnona inniu i nÓstán na Cathrach i nDoire nuair atá an chéad cruinniú poiblí ag an Bord Póilíneachta san teanga dúchasach. Gan dabhta, is é an chéad eachtra den sórt seo sa oiléan ar fad agus is iontach an rud é. 

The words of UUP Basil McCrea MLA this morning on Radio Foyle were very welcome – pointing out that this is a practical means of reaching out to a sector of the community.  He quite rightly also recalled the proud role of Presbyterians in fostering the language over the centuries. 

An mbeidh Sir Hugh Orde ann agus é ag freagra ceisteanna as gaeilge?!

Last night saw the ‘historic’ first public meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board in Irish. NBNW was there.

Credit where it is due to Gearóid ÓhÉara (ex Sinn Féin Mayor) and Barry Gilligan new Policing Board Chairperson who both addressed the meeting as Gaeilge.  There was a strong SDLP and Sinn Fein presence with Councillor Mark H Durkan asking a question on neighbourhood policing resources as well as a rep from Mark Durkan MP who asked about performance in PSNI follow-up with victims of crime.  Both got undertakings that there would be improvements.

Kevin Campbell SF Councillor asked if the PSNI would have bilingual labels on vehicles, while Raymond McCartney MLA asked if there would be more such meetings (strange given that Martina Anderson was beside him for the first 20 minutes and she put out a press release saying this was the first of 4 of them!).  Pat Ramsey and Brenda Stevenson were also there (Ramsey like Anderson left early).

More important, there were also a number of questions and comments from ordinary Gaeilgóirí on a range of different policing and Irish language engagement topics.  One good suggestion was PSNI Gaeilgóirí would wear a fáinne – given that the District Commander said that 10 officers in Foyle have the language.  What use if Gaeilgóirí don’t know it when they meet them?  The PSNI seemed open to the idea.

The Irish Times today reports that 30 people were there, Radio Foyle today said 100.  The truth is probably that 100 odd people attended but that about half were PSNI/Policing Board people or others wearing interpreting headsets.

Finally, full credit to the two PSNI officers who gamely revived their Irish to address the meeting.  Hopefully they’ll get more and more chance to brush up and their colleagues will step forward to!

NBNW was there at the Policing Board meeting as Gaeilge.  Not surprisingly, Martina Anderson was all over the Derry News today being quoted about how great it all was even though she didn’t even address the meeting.  Her colleagues Kevin Campbell and Raymond McCartney did, while Martina left the room as soon as the cameras.  Yet she appeared in the photo with Gearoid O hEara (who she describes as “my party colleague” yet sits as an Independent on the Policing Board???) and the PSNI/Board big shots.

Tommy Gorman

This was a first not just for the North but for Ireland, so we were disappointed with Tommy Gorman’s report on RTE Morning Ireland the next day.  He reported that “many” in the audience were linked to Sinn Fein.  It just seemed to be thrown in, although what it added to the report is anyone’s guess.

Tommy is no doubt a great reporter who apparently saved the whole peace process acting as a go-between for Sinn Fein and the DUP.  But we know for a fact that there were as many elected SDLP reps in the room (3) as there were Sinn Fein.  And that doesn’t count the guy who introduced himself as representing Mark Durkan the SDLP MP, who asked a question as well as Mark H Durkan.  There were also other SDLP members and supporters, who are also Gaeilgoiri, in the meeting.

So why did Tommy Gorman basically suggest the thing was only filled with Shinners when that obviously was’nt the case? In fact, UTV showed footage on its UTV Late show that night of only one speaker, and that was the bloke from Durkan’s office beside young Durkan!  So they weren’t exactly hiding.

Given the pre-spin put out by Martina Anderson trying to make it out as a Sinn Fein event, if anything the more newsworthy thing to say would be that there was a very strong SDLP turn out!  It’s a pity that some of our reporters didn’t take the time to absorb or to reflect on more of the facts, rather than some people’s presumptions or spin.

Of course Mr Gorman is the same man who told us a week out from the 2005 Westminster Election that Mitchel McLaughlin would win the seat.  So he has fallen for Sinn Fein spin before. 

Next time Tommy look a bit more into the facts please. Hopefully if you read this, you’ll post us a comment for the Derry public to see.

The Foyle MP Mark Durkan announced out of the blue on TV on Thursday night that his days as both MP and MLA are numbered.  His exact words were “If I stand in the next Westminster election, I will be standing on the basis that I am not, I am not, a continuing MLA at that point.  I have made that very clear. That’s what our party position would be.”

End of an era?

NBNW isn’t sure what Durkan means by “I have made that very clear”.  Some SDLP figures in Derry yesterday indicated that a move to one mandate was expected eventually, but were surprised at the clarity this far from an election.

So the issue now is will he stay as MP or MLA.  Presumably he has to run as MP. First, the SDLP don’t have anyone who could take on a strong Sinn Fein candidate for Westminster (unless they can bring in a face not currently in politics).  Also, if they did bring in someone from outside (of Denis Bradley type status) they would then have a bigger mandate than Durkan.  That would undermine his position as local top dog.

So the speculation will soon turn to Durkan’s likely replacement in Stormont.  Given the recent SDLP history of selection convention in-fighting (Courtney etc) it could be eventful!

NBNW sees that the Assembly’s OFMDFM committee is off to  Catalonia to learn lesssons about how to get the most out of EU membership.  They’re interested in learning from the Barcelona admistration how to build relations with the EU power levers.

Well how about electing a pro-European MEP for a start?!

Costs nothing and would send a better signal than a report that will be ignored.  The Sinn Fein/DUP/UUP members of the committee should tell their supporters to vote Alban Maginness 1 – that would be a good first recommendation.

Yesterday’s Derry Journal ‘revealed’  that convicted sex offender, Raymond Hewlett, used to live in Urris, Co. Donegal.

The story was already widely reported over the weekend, including the Sunday Tribune, which mentioned the Dunaff link, the Mail and the Times.  The Irish Independent shockingly describes how Hewlett is a suspect for the disappearance of young Mary Boyle, 6, who went missing in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal in 1977.  Hewlett was working reportedly working in the county at the time.

Another English paedophile, Bob Howard, was the sole suspect for the murder of Arlene Arkinson from Castederg, who disappeared from Bundoran in 1994.

The movement patterns of such dangerous men demonstrates the need not only for an All Ireland Sex Offenders Register, called for by the SDLP in 2003, but surely this should be done at UK and Ireland level.  This would be a useful project for the British Irish Council – and indeed for the EU.  Another good reason to vote Yes to Lisbon next time.

The Sunday Independent paper this weekend carried a story about the horrendous murder of Coleraine man Kevin McDaid, who was buried yesterday.

 It is extremely important that there is accurate and informed reporting of sectarian tensions. Unfortunately, Jim Cusack’s report fell short on both.

 First, he described how “following McDaid’s death last weekend, the tiny Protestant enclave of the Diamond .. was attacked by Catholic youths for two nights”.  What he didn’t say is that there have been clashes on this interface for around a month.  Deeper into the story has been the actions of the UDA in and around the Fountain simmering for around a year. 

 Cusack goes on to say that the Bishop Street fence “protects them from regular stone and petrol bomb attacks from the Catholic youths from the adjoining Bogside. NBNW – like many people – saw first hand what went on over the past few weeks.  The nationalist youths were also to blame but it is simply a half-truth to describe such clashes as being perpetrated upon the Fountain from the nationalist side. 

 It is no coincidence that the UDA showing its muscle inside the Fountain – intimidating many law-abiding residents in the process – is not a contributory factor.  It is. If anything, it is the greater factor over recent times.

Finally, Cusack seems to explain Kevin’s murder by saying that “sectarian tensions around the north-west area to a large degree derive from the effective ethnic cleansing of Protestants from the Cityside of Derry/Londonderry”. Where is the evidence of this?  First, it suggests to readers that pogroms took place to force unionists off the west bank, which did not happen (unlike the Shankill attacks on the Falls in 1969). Of course the IRA campaign played a part in this but this must be reported accurately.

 Second, there is no evidence that sectarian tensions in Coleraine have anything to do with that migration.  Sectarianism is riven through loyalism.  It has been for at least 3 centuries.  The Sunday Independent should reflect that in its reporting rather than presenting Kevin McDaid’s murder as some delayed response to the drift from Derry’s west bank.

Local SDLP activists are happy with the turnout of the SDLP vote for Alban Maguinnis yesterday.  While the overall vote will likely hit around 45% in Foyle, areas such as Steelstown, Trench Road, the Northlands and Claudy have reportedly polled a bit higher.

If so, it seems to indicate that people are starting to question what the DUP/Sinn Fein partnership is delivering.  Not much.  The 11+ and Civil Service were apparently major issues on doorsteps in the last week around the North West.

As with the rest of the campaign, the Sinn Fein machine on the ground was less prominent than in the past.  Presumably a lot of them are in Dublin helping Mary Lou. Not that too may were overwhelmed being asked for SF sample ballots!

The only certain placing is that de Brún will top the poll.  After that all bets are off!  Can’t wait til Monday..

So the DUP reclaim their seat from ‘renegade’ Jim Allister.  The Robinson/Dodds leadership surely have food for thought, but any attempt to ride back (further) on power sharing would not only be wrong but counter productive.  They have had the upside on Sinn Fein over the past 2 years, so the fact that the anti Agreement vote is down from 1998 shouldn’t be forgotten.

The SDLP  vote on firsts went up by 1/3 of a per cent. Sinn Fein’s went down by about the same.  Maguinnis did well from transfers, but the unionist bloc was too solid (not surprisingly).  The post mortems will start soon and there is a lot of food for thought for the nationalist parties too.  More on that over the next few weeks.

We can hardly believe it ourselves, but we are still getting between 70 and 100 visits each week.  Seems to us we shouldn’t let you folk down.  The truth needs exposed and the cosy Derry media (Derry Journal, Radio Foyle, the rest)  are probably getting a bit complacent, sitting on their big cushioned leather chairs.

And if we don’t put something up soon nobody might come back to check on us!