Podcast Politics
Assembly business began this morning on a suitably sombre and unified note, with representatives of all the parties denouncing the weekend murder of Kevin McDaid and calling for an end to sectarianism.
However differences of opinion abound about quite how to do this. MLAs were also debating the extent to which race relations law in Northern Ireland lags behind the rest of the UK. According to Dawn Purvis, who we interviewed on Stormont Live, that's a knock on effect of the failure of the Stormont parties to agree a Singe Equality Act. The delay over this proposed piece of legislation is more to do with the contrasting attitudes of the parties to issues of equality, discrimination and sectarianism than it is to do with race.
Then during Assembly question time we had another reminder that whilst the politicians may wish to march towards a bright new future they remain at loggerheads over the past. The Tourism Minister Arlene Foster is refusing to sign off on a proposed pod cast designed for tourists to listen to as they walk around areas of Belfast because she thinks it is biased.
During Assembly question time, Mrs Foster quoted a line from the West Belfast commentary script which talked about firing from loyalists in the Shankill before the peace walls were built. She reckoned this commentary gave tourists the impression that, during the troubles, "everything was coming from one side".
Sinn Fein's Paul Maskey expressed his anger and disappointment, claiming the proposed commentary had been approved by a panel of experts and historians, and the minister was risking wasting £100,000 in tax payers' money.
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Mark, even when SF and DUP departments agree on an investigation the outcome can still be a mess as shown by the Calmac response on NALIL blog:
http://nalil.blogspot.com/2009/05/rathlin-ferry-mca-admission-calmac.html
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well played arlene foster.
you're taking no crap from those shinners.
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indeed
She just props them up in government and supports them holding executive positions
Good girl Arlene. Really "smashing SF" arent you
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Is it possible for us to see the video anywhere so we can judge for ourselves?
By the way, no one party is smashing any other party, that is tribalist rubbish. They are all sitting together in a democratically elected government and need to cooperate and communicate to succeed. If the moderates held more power, then I think we would be seeing even more cooperation and not six month suspensions at Stormont.
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unlike ranting jim, some people are confident enough in their arguments and in their unionism, to go in, take the enemy on, and beat them.
of course, traditional unionist, you'll prefer to go back to driect rule - weak labour or tory ministers who rolled over to the shinners on EVERY DEMAND.
That Jim Allister - full of good ideas. whats his next great idea? chocolate fireguard?
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Traditional_unionist by that name do you mean a weak, fearfull, not able to take control of your own future unionist, not able to face the enemy over the table, hand your future over to non elected english men some of them would have a united Ireland tomorrow if they could unionist. Jim Allister is very good at teling us that sinn fein have just changed their tactics and he is right, we all know that they still have a dream of a united Ireland so Unionists must change theirs to face them with confidence as the DUP are doing. In politics you wont get all you want and everything wont be perfect but im glad Arlene is in a place where she was able to stop the pod cast do you think an English minister would have stopped it? and take time to answer that question. We know it would not have been stopped, we know there would have been all sorts of protests by unionists but the tourists would have been listening to the pod cast on the streets of Belfast. This is what the TUV want to take us back to and if its not then tell us what you want for the future. We all know what you dont like about Stormont but we are not so sure what you want in its place except direct rule.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Sinn Fein have re-written history, aided and abetted by a compliant media ans slick PR machine.
In 20 years time the Provos will have become a peace-loving, non-violent organisation who, along with other passive Republicans, have been wrongly accused of murdering over 2,000 people.
The real culprits were obviously aliens from Orion.
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Mark
RECESSION: WHAT RECESSION?
In the midst of an economic maelstrom, the partners in the DUP/Sinn Fein Fascist Coalition are falling out over the script of a podcast that is costing 100,000 pounds.
What a shower of wasters.
PS: The only time our MLAs display competence is when they are filling in their expenses claims form.
Susie
Carryduff
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Susie
Did the same shower of wasters come up with this.
Diane Dodds has welcomed the creation of a Short Term Aid Scheme for businesses. Arlene Foster today unveiled the £15million scheme to help businesses struggling during the ongoing world economic recession. The scheme will offer support over and above what Government has already established and what the banks have so far announced. It will run until December 31st 2010 and will be operated by Invest NI. Assistance will be based upon maintaining the employment of key skilled workers in a supported business that would otherwise be released by the business. Maximum support will be set at approximately £445,000 per business. Diane Dodds said:
I welcome todays announcement by Arlene Foster. It is a good example of the DUP using devolution to deliver for Northern Ireland. Helping our economy to weather the current financial storm is a key priority for the DUP. Using government we have been to the forefront in helping our business sector through these difficult times. In the Budget and the Programme for Government the DUP made expanding the economy the key and central theme.
The economic downturn is having an impact throughout the world and no region is immune from its consequences. In Northern Ireland we have seen the damage inflicted upon our manufacturing and construction sectors as a result of the global world recession. If elected, I will work with party colleagues at Westminster, Stormont and in local councils to do all I can to help business at this time.
As part of the scheme unveiled today businesses will be able to apply for support to retain key skilled workers in post. This is important to help ensure the stability and longer-term future of many businesses. The scheme will be available to a range of businesses from large companies, SMEs, and micro businesses in the manufacturing and tradable services sector. I am pleased that the DUP is using government in a practical way to make life better for people in Northern Ireland. Projects like this which are designed to keep people in highly-skilled jobs are a good example of DUP delivery in Stormont.
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Mark,
Arlene Foster wastes £100,000, Margaret Ritchie wasted £300,000 and now the Senior Civil Servants are getting over £1 million in bonuses. When are we going to get an efficient Government?
Stormontspy
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LisburnDUP
YES!
Susie
Carryduff
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