O’Conall Street

Sammy Wilson has been promoted to the Department of the Environment. I can hear the green lobby reaching for the placards already.

Arlene Foster is the new Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment and Nigel Dodds has been promoted to Finance. So starts the Robinson era at Stormont with two safe pairs of hands in key departments.

A cigar also goes to Gregory Campbell who replaces Edwin Poots but will continue the language debate along pretty much the same lines. I do believe we got it kind of right on O’Conall Street this morning.

The two major parties are now playing tag for the negative headlines. No sooner has the SF’s march to London dropped off the headlines that Iris Robinson guarantees the DUP a whole weekend full of negative publicity. This has not been helped by uncertainty about the DUP’s approach to discussions with the government on how they might vote on the extension of detention without trial for terror suspects to 42 days. Surely nobody in the the main unionist party or the British government is seriously considering a side deal on this issue.

Staying with the DUP it will be a good week for one or two MLAs when they find themselves promoted into government. For what it is worth the word on O’Conall Street is that following Nigel Dodds promotion to Finance, Arlene Foster will move to DETI and Gregory Campbell will enter the executive possibly in DCAL after Edwin Poots sacking.

Question is who gets environment?

Mr Robinson has a couple of options here. He could promote Jeffrey Donaldson, creating a vacancy in OFMDFM for the up and coming Simon Hamilton who is close to the new leader and his dear lady wife. Dark horse could be Michelle McIlveen who has impressed and would provide a much needed gender balance to the ministerial team or Sammy Wilson who would bring experience and a certain edge,  although the party is unlikely to want to let Caitriona Ruane off the hook that easily and will opt to keep him marking her closely as Chairperson of the Education Committee.

As for Ian Paisley Jnr I think it’s another stretch on the back benches.

 Of course I am probably totally wrong but a little speculation never hurt anyone.

The smoking ban is now well established across these islands yet there seems to be little drop in the numbers who remain addicted to the infamous weed.

 Josh Gilbert,a New York colleague and source of many a good blog picked up on an interesting New York Times story on this issue last week. 

The NYT covers a study to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine that finds there is a significant social factor at work in kicking the habit. It follows an earlier paper by the same authors that determined there was also a big social factor in weight loss.

According to Josh the research points to the enormous opportunity in healthcare communications to more and more create programs that defeat isolation, encourage participation, build community, and don’t just educate patients about treatment therapies but help improve health outcomes through facilitating advocacy.

The application of complex adaptive networks is becoming more popular amongst communications specialists and is driving our business proposition here at Weber Shandwick.

Every once in a while we are reminded of the importance of independent regulation in  certain areas. This morning the Consumer Council reminded us of the importance of strong independent regulation in the electricity market. In the midst of a global energy crisis it is critically important that energy companies are scrutinised independently and consumers and operators are treated fairly. In the long run this is the only way to guarantee sustained public confidence in the system and protect it from the possibility of commercial or political interference.

Personally I was disappointed when the Minister for the Environment, Arlene Foster, opted against the establishment of an independent environmental regulator yesterday.  Some are suggesting she is putting short term politics ahead of long term environmental protection. This move will not cost her a single vote nor will it create a public outcry. The issues are technical and the man and woman on the street will not know the difference between a rebranded EHS and a fully independent regulator. That is until there is a crisis and questions are being asked about whether the environmental watchdog is able to behave independently of political or commercial pressure.

It was Churchill who said the price of democracy was eternal vigilance. The point of independent regulation, be-it in energy or the environment, it to be the independent arbiter. This is easier said then done.

A website has gone live which at last addresses the needs for the 23,000 people a day who cross the border in Ireland to work, study or retire. The site is a ‘one-stop shop’ for people who commute across the border providing a wealth of information and an online advice service. www.borderpeople.info, part financed by the European Union Peace and Reconciliation Programme,  will advise the cross border citizen on everything from taxation, social security and job seeking to health, banking, housing and telecommunications.

Anyone crossing the border on a frequent basis should log on to www.borderpeople.infoto find out what entitlements and services they can take advantage of. This website aims to provide information for people crossing the border to live, work, study or retire. 

Did you know that 14 million cars cross the border between Dundalk and Newry every year? That at least 18,000 workers and 5,200 students cross the border every day to work or study? That 1.7 million people cross the border by bus or train every year for short-term visits? * These statistics, along with all the other information, required to ensure simplified cross-border mobility are contained in www.borderpeople.info.

To heighten awareness of the website’s capabilities, the Centre for Cross Border Studies is hosting a series of information events to encourage people to log on to find out what they are entitled to and answer queries on cross border issues. 

The Border People website is structured around the four concepts of “Commute”, “Work”, “Live”, and “Study.”  It will give access to high quality information that will help people find answers to questions associated with moving across the border in either direction to live, work, study or retire.  It will include information on issues such as taxation, social security, recruitment, health care, social services, childcare, transport, telecoms, insurance, housing, banking and education.   It is aimed at lowering cross border mobility obstacles and providing accurate up to date data about the extent of cross border mobility.

I attended a lecture by the renowned architect Daniel Libeskind to mark the launch of the University of Ulster Real Estate Initiative last night. Built environment is big business in Ireland and rapidly becoming a global enterprise for our top tier developers. The initiative is a public private partnership involving some of ireland’s leading property figures, the university of Ulster and Harvard University.

Libeskind was a musician before he decided to adopt architecture as a profession. The creator of so many iconic buildings in every continent he has more gongs then I have had birthdays. He had this message for Ireland. Development is a central proposition of humanity and buildings the the homes of human greatness. They only succeed in peace. Conflict restricts life and buildings need the elixir of humanity to succeed.

He also believes in simple value for money. Take the Imperial War Museum in Manchester, an amazing building built on a small budget. The impact is in the design not in the finish. The genius is in human intervention and creativity transforming a brown field site behind Old Trafford into a celebration of peace and a lesson to us all of the futility of war.

Born in post war Poland, he is your classic post conflict, post nationalist like so many Europeans of his generation. A rare breed on these shores, he builds for people. He believes in communities, shared space and urban freedom. Take a recent project in Beirne Switzerland which will bridge a huge motorway ring around the city with a wooden clad mixed development to incorporate a hotel, shopping centre, leisure centre and housing. The motorway connects Beirne with Germany and France but divides the city. He saw the opportunity to bridge the gap with amazing style creating a destination in nowhere. Imagine the Westlink bridged by such a project?

He talked about the new Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin and triple glazing with great design. Then ground zero. The day that changed his life and the project which above all will be his legacy. The hallowed sites  will remain, the footprint of the twin towers never to be built on again. They will be protected by a freedom tower 1776 feet tall and several other buildings. Yes there has been compromise in the design following extensive comnsultation in Manhattan but then compromise is central to democracy. That says Mr Libeskind is why he will never work for a totalitarian regime.

The lessons for us were clear. Be ambitious. Use regeneration to bring people together. Bridge divides and demand value for money and never forget buildings are expressions of liberal art. It was a pretty stimulating lecture. But is this city ready for such a liberal post nationalist built environment?

The campaign for a lower rate of corporation tax for Northern Ireland has received a big boost  today with news that the cast majority of tax advisers in Northern Ireland believe it is the most important thing the British Government can do to improve the local economy.

The ICAI is hosting an important meeting of those who have led the campaign on Friday in Belfast. I suspect the calls will strengthen and the campaign will gather even more momentum after this gathering. Word has it the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster has decided to hold an evidence session on the issue which will put it right back on the parliamentary agenda. 

Margaret Ritchie made a little history today becoming to my knowledge the first northern minister ever to issues a joint ‘political’ press releasewith a southern one. Her partner in politics is John Gormley the republic’s environment minister. Those thinking this is the first sign of a new SDLP - FF axis should note that Mr Gormley is in fact a Green Party Minister. Nuclear power could not be more provocative or emotive topic as O’Conall Street predicted last month. It’s a red line issue on the island and the two ministers will receive widespread support for their stance. For this of your with a deeper interest there is a report on the Green Party website on why nuclear makes no sense which you might find interesting.

Congratulations go to the Antrim hurlers for stealing the Walsh Cup of a gale and Offally.

I am one of a growing number of senior Weber Shandwick staff globally who blog on a plethora of issues and interests.

It is striking how few of the other leading communications groups have the same footprint in cyberspace. Maybe they are waiting to see how the digital and social media revolution pans out or maybe they have nothing to say.

As part of the occasional series of O’Conall Street signposts I wanted to highlight three newish blogs which are worth checking out. A scroll down the blogroll to your right will bring you to the rest.

 CandidCulture offers a unique insight into the world of multicultural communications. It’s pacey and written from a slightly left of field perspective. Good craic as well as a good read.

 MayDayMayDay is a clarion call to anyone genuinely interested in sustainability and the role business has in ensuring our children and their children have a planet to enjoy.

 All About Advocacy does what it says on the tin.  A good read for anyone genuinely interested in the changing world of public relations and integrated communications.

Byrne Baby Byrne’s twitter for those of you who enjoy a twitt and if you would like a taste of China give Sino Scott your click.

The integration of blogs, social networking platforms and the rest of the Internet has been possible for some time but for an ordinary techno Joe like me it is only in recent months that the opportunities have become apparent.

 A good friend sent me a link to a BBC news story last week about the growth of facebook since its establishment less then four years ago. In the UK alone there are 7 million and worldwide over 50 million. No wonder advertisers are circling with serious intent.

From a PR perspective the opportunities are also endless. Social networking sites allow you to create groups such as the one Belfast fashionista Cathy Martin has now got for her increasingly successful Belfast Fashion Week. These cost you nothing and ensure all members are updated everytime they log on.

 For those with more resource, like Barack Oabama, there is the opportunity to create an application which people can download onto their own sites and here is where it gets exciting. The application can be passed throughout a growing the community of interest and ensures the user is constantly up to date with news, video and pretty much anything else its developer wants them to see. From a campaigning point of view this means your YouTube Channel, blog, myspace presence, technorati rating and news as well as the main website are now integrated. The opportunities are endless.

The debate about the future of nuclear power in Britain has started again and is sure to run and run. Just watched a heated debate on News Night and note there are even some corporate voices in Ireland who want this controversial energy choice on the agenda on this island too. That could well turn out to be an impossible ask no matter how strong the arguments. The debate in Britain will be much more open and has the potential to divide both major parties and even the environmental lobby.