BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
Back in September the former Alliance European candidate, Ian Parsley, suffered some embarrassment when he e-mailed out a "holding statement" related to a newspaper claim that he was about to defect, but forgot to remove another e-mail which confirmed he was already deep in discussions with the Conservatives. Now Mr Parsley's former leader, David Ford, has got himself into another e-mail...
Working Class Tory (Free subscription) | 10/11/2009
Mark Durkan (Foyle) (SDLP): Is he not at least a little bit uncomfortable that on a day when the Prime Minister is off in Berlin, celebrating the end of the Berlin wall, and the end of control and secrecy and all it represented, the Government are trying to put such measures through the House? A question to Jack Straw, Justice Secretary. From the Commons, yesterday - will be published online later...
Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009
We’ve had Ian McCrea’s campaign to prevent the Pope visiting Northern Ireland, Iris Robinson’s hate-filled remarks about homosexuals, Sammy Wilson’s climate change denial , Edwin Poots et al with their five thousand year old Earth and Jim Wells versus wifi . But if anyone still harbours a suspicion that the DUP might be remotely connected, by even the flimsiest thread, to the...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 29/10/2009
Although we risk getting snowed under with posts about parading, this latest overview is worth another entry. In last night's Commons debate the linkage between devolving justice and policing and a new parades regime has never been put more clearly by Peter Robinson. I recommend reading it in full. Devolution will not take place unless or until the final Ashdown report is approved. There's still no...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 27/10/2009
Alasdair McDonnell formally entered the race to succeed Mark Durkan today at an event with party members in Belfast. He is up against Margaret Ritchie. Both sides are claiming strong support from within the Assembly team. McDonnell was joined by Mid Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone at his event this morning. Margaret announced her intention to stand flanked by several party MLAs just over a week ago. The final...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 16/10/2009
Gerry Adams and Mark Durkan of Sinn Fein and the SDLP respectively will be pitching their parties' programme and perspectives in key note addresses at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Swansea next Monday and Tuesday. The leaders will be heard by parliamentarians from across these islands including unionists and, in particular, several voluble critics of the Provisionals from both parts of...
BBC NEWS | The Devenport Diaries (Free subscription) | 16/10/2009
When a candidate declares their interest in leading a party, and appears with a phalanx of colleagues behind them, you might reasonably assume that this represents a sense of the backing they expect to get when it comes to decision time. So it was with Margaret Ritchie, who appeared in the Great Hall this week together with Alex Attwood, Mary Bradley, Dolores Kelly, Carmel Hanna, Tommy Burns and Tommy...
Old Holborn (Free subscription) | 15/10/2009
Angry MPs today complained that half the seats reserved for them in one of the Palace of Westminster's cafes were now being made available to the general public. A cross-party group of 15 MPs, led by Tory David Tredinnick (Bosworth), have tabled a Commons motion calling for the decision to be reversed. They protested that the measure meant there was "often insufficient capacity" for MPs and...
The Irish Times (Free subscription) | 14/10/2009
The North’s Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie has declared herself a candidate for leadership of the SDLP to succeed Mark Durkan when he steps down at the party annual conference in February.
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 13/10/2009
Sir Thomas Legg, tasked with assessing MPs’ historical claims for expenses , has written to MPs explaining his decisions and asking some of those to repay monies claimed - more on the expenses row here. The BBC’s Nick Robinson records that “Senior MPs with a legal background said Sir Thomas would not have a leg to stand on if his demands for repayments - based on rules he is applying...
BBC News (Free subscription) | 13/10/2009
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said he is among MPs told to pay back expenses under new rules drawn up.
The Irish Times (Free subscription) | 06/10/2009
ANALYSIS:SDLP LEADER Mark Durkan recently remarked how in contrast to the Chuckle Brothers of Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness that Peter Robinson and McGuinness were more like the Oasis brothers of Noel and Liam Gallagher – appearing to be in a state of perpetual feuding, writes GERRY MORIARTY
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 02/10/2009
Folks on the Hill starts off on Radio Ulster with Hugh Ordes recurring nightmare: Gerry Kelly as Policing Minister in a parallel universe where Sir Hugh can never leave… Then there’s the recession… This Autumn, if you see only one movie, make sure it’s this one… H/T Percy… 20th Century Folks proudly presents the ultimate disaster movie: Take one devolved Assembly,...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 01/10/2009
I just did a quick interview with a Bel Tel journalist who asked why our threads over paramilitary banners seem to attract so many comments when the hard core policy ones hardly any. My glib answer is that people will resile to non political tribal issues so long as nothing is happening on the hill… As Mark Durkan makes his speech in Trinity tonight , he is no doubt aware just how far nationalist...
Slugger O'Toole (Free subscription) | 01/10/2009
Addressing the ‘Phil’ at Trinity College Dublin tonight Mark Durkan has said nationalists throughout Ireland have the right to ask all their parties how we intend now to advance unity while underpinning and respecting the Good Friday Agreement. All of us who are nationally minded democrats on this island should develop and agree an attitude about unity which can be neither dismissed as...
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