O’Conall Street

The Irish Times  today goes free to view on the World Wide Web and not a day too soon. I posted previously about the irony that a decade ago the Guardian website and Ireland.com competed for roughly the same market share. That all changed with GuardianUnlimited went free stealing the march on the other major independently owned, progressive broadsheets in Britain and Ireland.

I have no doubt the Irish Times online readership will increase and increase exponentially from today and that Ireland’s share of voice in the digital and social media space will also increase as Irishtimes.com stories become available to share. To get the ball rolling on O’Conall Street, there is a story today about the IDA warning the southern government of the potential threat to foreign direct investment from the North which is well worth a read.

One of the first significant opportunities for the Irish Times to increase its profile in global terms will come when the government takes the inevitable decision to rerun the Lisbon Treaty referendum.

Meantime and much closer to home the ‘big four’ political parties north of the border are now turning their attention to the selection of candidates for the European elections next June. I can see no reason why Bairbre de Bruin will not be on the Sinn Fein ticket and Jim Nicholson should be safe as the UUP standard bearer. As for the DUP and the SDLP, things are still very much in the air.

The SDLP is under real pressure of identify a candidate capable of a credible run. The party may also want to take the  opportunity to test possible future more permanent arrangements with other partes on this island. The nomination process was reopened last month and members have until the end of August to nominate with a selection convention / special conference rescheduled September 20th in Belfast. It will be interesting to follow the debate over the summer. Will the only pro Europe party in the North opt for a seasoned stalwart or is their an outsider waiting in the wings? Either way the succesful nominee will face a long uphill marathon run to put him or herslf in the final shakeup.

Peter Robinson will not be looking forward to this particular election. Jim Allister will vigoroulsy defend his seat from the dissident DUP corner. There has been some talk that Edwin Poots might be the DUP nominee. On the other hand a William McCrea, Lord Morrow or even Ian Paisley Junior could make formidable challengers for the Belfast barrister.

With a more fragmented unionist field then ever before and Sinn Fein on the back foot on issues like education this may be the most open European Parliament Election since 1979.  

Campeones del viejo continente - la Espana del toque triunfa en Vienna!

They played a passing game and brought poetry to the pitch. In footballing terms, hope and history rhymed. 

Germany - Alemania: Lehmann; Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm; Hitzlsperger, Frings; Ballack, Schweinsteiger; Podolski; Klose. (4-2-3-1)
Spain - España: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Marchena, Capdevila; Senna, Xavi; Iniesta, Cesc, Silva; Torres. (4-1-4-1)

In the words of Spanish TV (TVE)

Min 32.¡¡¡¡¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DE TORRESSSS!!!! Por velocidad tuvo que ser, al estilo del ‘Kid’. El pase de Xavi en profundidad encuentra el desmarque del ‘9′ español, que eleva por encima de Lehmann en un toque sutil y el balón entra botando, solito, y besa las redes. Golazo que vale su peso en oro.

FINAL. Los jugadores estallan de júbilo. Todos se abrazan en el campo. Los fuegos artificiales se oyen ya en toda España. ¡¡¡ES EL TÍTULO PARA LA SELECCIÓN ESPAÑOLA 44 AÑOS MÁS TARDE!!!!

Min 90+3. SE ACABÓOOOOOO. ¡¡¡¡¡¡ESPAÑA ES CAMPEONA DE EUROPA!!!!!!!

The Washington Postreports today that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has announced plans for a midsummer trip that will take him to the Middle East and Europe for firsthand observation and consultations with foreign leaders while providing him an opportunity to bolster his national security credentials for the fall election against Republican John McCain. After the recent no vote south of the border and the less then fantastic presidential visit to the North he might well give the emerald isle a fly pass on this occasion, unless of course he has time for a Shannon stopover.

Obama had said earlier that he would go to Iraq and Afghanistan this summer, as well. No mention was made of those countries in yesterday’s announcement, and campaign officials declined to discuss any aspects of those visits, citing security concerns. He last visited Iraq in January 2006 as part of a congressional delegation.

According to the Post , the foreign tour comes amid questions about whether Obama is at a political disadvantage on national security issues against his Republican rival, who has a long résumé of experience in those subjects both as a former naval officer and from more than two decades in Congress.

Obama has said he is eager to challenge the senator from Arizona and has made clear he is confident that, despite a brief tenure in the Senate, he can draw a favorable contrast with McCain on his command of the issues and the quality of his judgments. Democratic allies also believe the upcoming trip will offer a pointed message that he does not intend to cede foreign policy ground to his rival.

“This trip will be an important opportunity for me to assess the situation in countries that are critical to American national security and to consult with some of our closest friends and allies about the common challenges we face,” Obama said in a statement released by his campaign.

We had a productive and detailed debate on the future of selection in South Belfast on Wednesday night. Full credit is due to Nelson McCausland, John O’Dowd, Basil McCrea and Dolores Kelly for engaging with the audience in such an honest and open way. They left with a clear message from parents that the politicking needs to end and serious discussions need to start.

Caitriona Ruane is being singled out as the problem and whist John O’Dowd was careful not to in anyway undermine his ministerial colleague’s position I got the impression he was there as much to listen as to talk. If I were a betting man I might put a fiver on the big man from Craigavon to succeed Ms Ruane this autumn.

Toreros, toreros, toreros!

From la Castillana in Madrid, up las Ramblas in Barcelona and on top of the Alhambra the finest acclamation to any Spanish male will be filling the warm Spanish night. I remember that summer in Malaga like it was yesterday. Santillana, Juanito - the local hero - and the nation fell only at the last hurdle in 1984. Then it was France in Paris and on Sunday it will be Germany in Vienna. 

Spain ran Russia like a great bullfighter runs the finest bull. The first half is for studying your opponent, testing his weaknesses, probing for opportunities. Then seamlessly the fight turns serious and the crowd responds - torero, torero - a few great passes - ole, ole - and wait for the kill. When it comes it is clinical and swift. The culmination of rhythmic movement and intuitive teamwork. Gol, Gol, Gol - the giant Russian empire is brought to its knees - a clean kill and the crowd responds.

Two ears and the tail, 0ne for each goal, the prize for the heroes of Vienna. 

Spain may only come to play once in a generation but when they do it embodies everything they believe in. That match 24 years ago made me a football fan. Spain did not just reach a European final, they reached in style.

Toreros, toreros, toreros! 

Carmel Hanna MLA has asked me to chair a public debate on the future of selection in education here in Northern Ireland tonight. It’s all happening  at the Wellington Park Hotel in Belfast at 7.30pm. All are welcome.

All the four major parties will be represented and I am looking forward to what I know will be a constructive debate as there can be no doubt that parents and teachers across the North want some urgent indication from the Minister, Caitriona Ruane, as to how best to proceed.  To my knowledge this will be the first debate between the ‘big four’ since the Minister tabled her recent proposals to the Executive. It could not come a day too soon. As it is tens of thousands of children are facing into educational limbo, learning through a revised curriculum which is not designed to prepare them for the eleven plus and wondering whether they might have to sit independent exams set arbitrarily by their second level school of choice.

Meantime the gap between the high achievers and the rest continues to grow here and the demographic realities are casting a shadow over many schools futures.

Nelson McCausland (DUP), John O’Dowd (SF), Basil McCrea (UUP) and Dolores Kelly (SDLP) will be guaranteed an attentive audience. I hope they come with solutions for the parents of Belfast.

Irish News day on O’Conall Street.

Ireland’s reputation damaged by Lisbon no

Many of us will be packing our bags and heading for drier and sunnier parts of the European Union this summer. Don’t be surprised if a local or fellow tourist gives you an ear full when you tell them you are Irish. The fact is the national reputation, (the vast majority of our continental cousins are not for distinguishing between North and South), is in the gutter. Ireland, once everyone’s favourite member state is now the problem spoilt child, rich thanks to Europe, yet now turning its back on it.

We can trace the ‘yes’ campaign’s failure to poor communications and above all a fractured and unconvincing messaging. The ‘no’ campaign may have been an eclectic coalition of right wing libertarians, highly nationalistic republicans and a small number of very conservative and committed religious types, but they did succeed in casting enough doubt in the electorate’s mind to turn very many ‘don’t know’ voters into ‘no’ voters.

The second communications lesson is that reputation matters to a country and what goes on inside its borders can damage standing beyond them.

Eurobarometer, the European research body, carried out exit polls which found support for the no campaign highest amongst non-skilled workers, those out of work and students. Women also rejected the treaty by a much higher margin then men. These were the very same people who returned Bertie Ahern to power at the last election.

The tragedy of the outcome is that the Lisbon Treaty strengthens the opportunities for small member states to exercise real influence and it allows for member states to protect key areas of national importance, particularly those laws based on a national moral consensus, like abortion for example. The other irony is that it improves the business opportunities in the EU and does not threaten Ireland’s fiscal regime – a message which some in the business community (which voted yes) appears to have accepted during the campaign.

Andy Pollak, the Director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies, pointed out last week that the result is bad for the island of Ireland as a whole. He points to the 446,000 people in Northern Ireland and the Irish Border Region who have benefited from EU funded projects in the past decade, with nearly 90,000 gaining qualifications and over 22,000 engaging in reconciliation activities. Yet these constituencies returned some of the largest no votes.

Invest Northern Ireland chairman, Stephen Kingon, told a conference recently of the plethora of North/South business bodies and initiatives that have sprung up to help make the island of Ireland more competitive internationally. These include InterTradeIreland, the IBEC-CBI Joint Business Council (funded by the EU), the North/South Roundtable Group, the North/South Business Enterprise Group, joint North-South trade missions and the cross-border financial services initiative announced in April by Peter Robinson and Brian Cowen. All operating within a framework for cross border cooperation made possible by the EU.

Where to from here then?

I think there is little doubt the Irish government will be asked to hold another referendum, probably before the European elections next June. The question is how do they ensure they set the agenda?

The answer is simple – they need to ask a question that allows the electorate to focus on the big picture. In other words does Ireland want to be a full partner or a semi detached member of the EU?

In Northern Ireland we need the EU more than we may realise. On this island we can little afford to remove ourselves from a project which has been so good for us. Globally the need for a strong European voice on issues like human rights, the environment and security has never been greater.

Fearghal O’Boyle, a friend of mine from Donegal left an incisive comment on my blog when I posted on this issue last week. I’ll give him the last word:

“Down in my local on Sunday watching Armagh and Cavan, the usual loudmouth was going on about how great a result the No vote was, a usually quieter denzien looked up from his paper and said he had voted Yes. ‘Why?’ roared the loudmouthed patriot, The Quiet Man looked him cooly in the eye, with perhaps a hint of pity for his neighbour, ‘Because this is no time to be messing about.’

How right he was.”

Am speaking at a conference on lobbying in Europe today and have been researching the reaction to the Lisbon Referendum and how that might impact on the nation’s influence in Europe. 

Scanning the news coverage and commentary from across the EU things are not good for Ireland. With the sole exception of the notoriously eurosceptic Czech president, the other 25 premiers left Brian Cowen in no doubt as to how determined they were to progress with ratification.

The no campaign are on a roll. Republican blogs are proclaiming the nation’s blow to European imperialism and making no bones about the fact that their ultimate goal is to hold back the tide of European integration by painting the EU as some monstrous superstate not a collection of sovereign ones. It’s all a bit ironic given the potential to use the EU to push a united Ireland agenda.

Couple of pieces on You Tube sum it all up. First the Apre Match boys then a video from someone on the no side with their take on things.

Sammy Wilson put himself on course for a head on collision with London, Dublin and Brussels administrations on the issue of climate change last night. Speaking on BBC’s Hearts and Minds the Northern Ireland Environment Minister repeatedly denied the contribution greenhouse gases are making to climate change and steadfastly refused to introduce measures designed to reduce the region’s carbon footprint. He maintains there is no credible scientific evidence of climate change and what evidence there was is prejudiced. He went on to dismiss the International Panel on Climate Change as a failure. Mr Wilson also has an interesting perspective on fuel prices, blaming the ‘green lobby’ for many of the factors which are leading to the global increase in fuel costs.

The Programme for Government agreed by the main Assembly parties sets as a main objective the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by 2025. It will be interesting to watch how much priority the Minister gives this objective.

On another front there is speculation that Caitriona Ruane might be replaced in Education this summer. One wonders whether a simple reshuffle will be enough to find a way through the policy morass.

We may be enjoying a period of political stability but I sense a growing unease amongst the electorate about the ability of our executive to govern through an agreed programme. Following St Andrew’s the principle of collective responsibility at cabinet level was introduced in Northern Ireland. Whilst ministers are entitled to their personal opinions the reality today is that we know more about what they believe personally then we do about what the executive stands for collectively.

Here is the interview in full complements of slugger.

Just back from a really stimulating day debating the future of earth science at an event hosted by the Royal Irish Academy, the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the Geological Survey of Ireland.

The most senior earth scientists on these islands as well as the profession’s European leaders identified the emerging skills shortage as an immediate priority for the sector over the next decade and spent some time discussing ways in which to bring a new generation of geologists forward.

Manuel Rugueiro, the President of the European Federation of Geologists, wrapped up his talk on that theme with a Youtube video which is worth a look at.