Northern Elections

oscarBravo

FTA69 wrote:

...Paisley was also instrumental in the establishment of the UVF in 1966 but of course disassociated himeslf after they incinerated an elderly woman in an attempt to burn a Catholic home.

He disassociated himself from an act of murder? How unspeakably evil of him.

FTA69

He disassociated himself from an act of murder? How unspeakably evil of him.

How unspeakably hypocritical of him considering he helped set up the group in the first place.

K-9

God help us if the DUP and SF are going to keep engaging in the kind of debate that is going on here. You did this, yes, but you did that!

With rights and democratic mandates come responsibilities and hard decisions. Interesting that the new Deacon of the Church of Ireland says the DUP should now take a risk and engage with SF.

Kind of makes making a big deal of a Trade Union official speaking to a SF Conference trivial and petty and actually quite insular considering the bigger picture.

There is an element of it's ok for SF to be in Govt. in the North but not in the South.

FTA69

FTA69 wrote:

How unspeakably hypocritical of him considering he helped set up the group in the first place.

You mean a change of mind?

How unspeakably absurd not to discern the difference.

ghostdancer

oscarBravo wrote:

He disassociated himself from an act of murder? How unspeakably evil of him.

and then set up The Ulster Resistance to murder people.

ghostdancer

ghostdancer wrote:

and then set up The Ulster Resistance to murder people.

How accurate is that? I was able to edit any part of it.
Bar putting up something objectionable , a one sided edit could be there a long time.
You'd be better off linking to actual newspaper articles or something more reliable.

gurramok

Rock Climber wrote:

It is an undeniable fact that more than 70% of a high turn out in NI voted for parties that did not support terrorism.
Thats an equivalent number to the oft quoted support for the GFA in the NI referendum on that.
So why are the views of that 70% on policing to be ignored? in favour of the minority view ?

70% in GFA composed of republican/loyalist 'extremists', moderates of both traditions.
The 30% who opposed were DUP\Orange Order led by the honourable Ian(http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/northern_ireland/understanding/events/good_friday.stm), page 2 of (http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:IY7R0RXg_jsJ:cain.ulst.ac.uk/ethnopolitics/mcauley03.pdf+Northern+Ireland+GFA+result&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ie&client=firefox-a)the

Ballymena constituency was the only one that returned a No verdict against the GFA, just so happens its a majority DUP one as well.
(Here it mentions about North Antrim(home of Ian) (http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fref98.htm))

70% in recent election is a wholly different 70%, they are not uniform like the GFA.
Each party has its different view on policing.

Dave!

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=MHAUCWIDCWMH&rss=rss1

Legislation granting Irish the status of a protected language in the North could be in place by Christmas if new power-sharing Assembly is not in place at the end of this month, it emerged tonight.

As efforts to revive power-sharing by March 26 continued in the North, British government sources confirmed that they would press ahead with plans for an Irish Language Act if unionists and nationalists failed to set up a devolved government this month.

A source said: The secretary of state (Peter Hain) has been in discussion with business leaders in the House of Commons.

He has been enquiring as to how soon we could press ahead with the legislation. We are satisfied that this legislation would be in place by the end of the year, certainly by Christmas.

Under the Bill produced by the Department of Culture in Belfast the Irish language would be given a recognised status.

The Department has proposed the appointment of an Irish language Commissioner and the establishment of language schemes for public bodies.

It is also being suggested that Irish could be used in court proceedings and official documents could be printed in the language.

If a power-sharing government is formed in a week's time, the government has said the Assembly will take responsibility for legislation governing the Irish language.

Nationalists have long campaigned for the legislation along with Irish speakers.

However, the latest suggestion from the British government will be interpreted as putting further pressure on Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists to enter into government with Sinn Féin on March 26.

Mr Paisley's party has insisted they need to be convinced that Sinn Féin's recent move to support the Police Service of Northern Ireland is being matched by real action in republican neighbourhoods across the province.

However, the DUP has also warned that any decision it makes on power-sharing will be influenced by the size of a financial package from Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to bolster devolution.

Mr Brown will meet Northern Ireland's political leaders on Thursday to discuss the package.

In recent days Northern Secretary Peter Hain has been adamant that the Assembly will close down and salaries to the 108 MLAs will be stopped if the March 26 deadline is missed.

The British government, along with the Irish Government, is expected to put in place their Plan B in the event of there being no power-sharing.

This is believed to involve increased co-operation between Northern Ireland Office ministers and their Irish Government counterparts including more cross-border bodies.

Mr Hain's team of ministers are also expected to press ahead with plans for the introduction of controversial water charges next month, the end of academic selection for post-primary education, a major overhaul of local government in the North and public bodies and the reform of the rates system.

Seems like this is intended to "encourage" the DUP to get the lead out. ie. if ye don't form a government with the Shinners then they'll be the ones who get the most concessions from Westminster.

K-9

See they are putting pressure on the rates issue as well. The rates will be increased if there is no devolved govt. Have my doubts if a devolved govt. can do anything about it either but they won't know unless they get into govt.

Hain also said the Assembly would be dissolved as well if no power sharing. Hopefully the salaries will be dissolved as well:)

Looks like the UK Govt. is sick of the prevaricating and blame politics as well.

FTA69

You mean a change of mind?

How unspeakably absurd not to discern the difference.

A change of mind? Followed by another change of mind when he set up Third Force, and of course another mental revolution which culminated in him setting up Ulster Resistance? The man has prolific involvement in a myriad of paramilitary groups, his UVF antics in the sixties were hardly a flight of youthful fancy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_Resistance

Here's a link for your enjoyment, and be sure to take note of the volume of weapons they imported, many which are still being used by paramilitaries today.

Dave!

So no cabinet formed today, but it's looking very positive for May 8th!

http://news.google.ie/news?hl=en&q=NORTHERN%20IRELAND&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn



who's the crazy lady in the background? Don't tell me it's Mary Lou McDonald... if it is, she has degenerated greatly since joining the Shinners!

smashey

I think the lady could be Arlene Foster, DUP MLA for Fermanagh/South Tyrone.

Dave!

Ah Anybody listen to the Rev's speech earlier on? It was eerie! :eek: Very strange hearing such positive language coming from that man's mouth. The word on the street(s of East Belfast!) is that this is a genuine "historic moment" (how many 'historic moments' have we had in the past few weeks? lol), and not just rhetoric. The language used suggests to me that the Rev is going to try and leave a positive legacy. Seems like the North is going forward finally! Supposedly Gerry Adams was itching to get a handshake in there (although I don't think he went for it) and Paisley kept staring straight ahead Kinda saying "don't push it" Anybody have the full text of his speech? I only heard some of it.

mike65

Well fair play to them, when it looked like the dealine was not only going to be missed but that Peter Hain would let it go (again) I was ready to er "something or other", but it turns out SF and DUP had it all planned since last Friday. If they could cook that up without any herding from Dublin or London then just maybe normal politics has begun. Good.

Mike.

Zambia

Well first off The DUP had an election mandate saying the would not go in till they where good and ready.

So the time came and they drag it till the last , then say the will but in 6 weeks.

So the british Goverement is on the spot

The british ten say well if you come to a agreement with SF well then all is back on ,

thus SF are on the spot , so they have no -one to put on the spot and cave

Its like a political game of buckaroo

Esel

DUP had to save face. Hain is a visitor, so can afford egg on face.

murphaph

So now how much money are we going to have to send over the border?

Zambia

murphaph wrote:

So now how much money are we going to have to send over the border?

About 400 Million ( was 1 Billion) last I heard , could we have that in Cash please.

mike65

They'll do thier best to bleed the ROI dry just wait and see.

Mike.

Richard

mike65 wrote:

They'll do thier best to bleed the ROI dry just wait and see.

Mike.

As someone from Northern Ireland, I don't see why the Republic should be subsidising it at all. The only thing which might be ok would be a cross-border motorway if that would genuinely help people going from Donegal to Cavan, but it isn't fair on the southerners to make them pay for something in NI which is little if any benefit to them.

Similarly, I was annoyed when RTE paid millions of pounds to change a transmitter in NI so that they could boost the signal to NI viewers who don't pay a penny towards the licence fee. As an Irish licence fee payer at the time, I wasn't happy.

It is different issue if NI gets a lot from the UK treasury. At least it pays into that pot.

Zambia

Richard wrote:

Similarly, I was annoyed when RTE paid millions of pounds to change a transmitter in NI so that they could boost the signal to NI viewers who don't pay a penny towards the licence fee. As an Irish licence fee payer at the time, I wasn't happy.

Agreed on the Motorway

Well the republic gets the BBC for nothing too I think its only fair. Plus the RTE licence when I paid it when on all sorts of guff I couldnt stand. So giving NI a transmitter would kill them.

gurramok

Zambia232 wrote:

Agreed on the Motorway

Well the republic gets the BBC for nothing too I think its only fair. Plus the RTE licence when I paid it when on all sorts of guff I couldnt stand. So giving NI a transmitter would kill them.

Well, thats very odd...So i and a couple of million others can now hound NTL for overcharging me for the privilege of watching BBC when its been free all along?

K-9

I think it's about Stg£400 Ml or €580 Ml. Euro. A lot of it will go to the Motorway/Dual carriageway to Derry/Letterkenny. The Northern stretch of that road is a disgrace! Some change from 10 years ago when it was the other way around.

The Republic got EU funds for years and indeed the BMW still gets them. The UK was a contributer to those funds so in a way they where funding the Republic to.

Cross border partnerships will benefit the Republic and Northern Ireland. It seems everybody agrees its a good thing as long as we don't have to stump up some cash

Dave!

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=MHAUEYGBMHAU&rss=rss1

DUP leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness have jointly called on the Northern Secretary Peter Hain to quit his offices before devolution returns to the North.

In an unprecedented collaboration, the two drafted and signed a letter to Peter Hain requesting his early departure from his offices at Stormont Castle.

Mr Hain has welcomed the initiative as further proof of the will among unionists and republicans to make their coalition work.

He said he would be delighted to leave to aid preparations for the new regime.

He told the BBC he believes the planned devolution on May 8th "will stick".

More good news from Norn Iron! Why do they want Hain to leave though? Is it just cos he's being replaced (sort of) by the Assembly, so it's simply a step towards establishing a NI government? I assume it is.

K-9

The assembly would take over his responsibilities.

Zambia

gurramok wrote:

Well, thats very odd...So i and a couple of million others can now hound NTL for overcharging me for the privilege of watching BBC when its been free all along?

Well you will have to erect a sizable Aerial if you want to , you do realise the was a time when television did not come through a cable.

As for the letter yes thats why they take over his duties , he was delighted to recieve the letter. Its a huge thing that those two signatures grace one piece of paper. I would have paid to see Ians face if Gerry signed it P.O'Neill.

watty

gurramok wrote:

Well, thats very odd...So i and a couple of million others can now hound NTL for overcharging me for the privilege of watching BBC when its been free all along?

I could be wrong, I think it costs Chorus /NTL about 50K for all the BBC, for a year.

Compared with what they have to pay BskyB for the junk on Sky1, I'd say a bargain.

watty

DaveMcG wrote:

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=MHAUEYGBMHAU&rss=rss1



More good news from Norn Iron! Why do they want Hain to leave though? Is it just cos he's being replaced (sort of) by the Assembly, so it's simply a step towards establishing a NI government? I assume it is.

Sure don't you k now that the Loyalists/Unionsts want the Brits out too? They just don't want Rome Rule (Given the Marxist / Socialist lean of SF, not much risk of Rome Rule via them )