The afternoon after the match before

I’m still recovering from yesterday’s loss to Cork.

The snatching defeat from the jaws of victory feeling still lurked heavily in the pit of my stomach when my SDLP Assembly Group colleagues insisted on passing a vote of commiseration with Dublin at our meeting earlier……!

At times like this I am one of those people who seek comfort in words.

Not for the first time in the past fifteen years Tom Humphries came to my emotional resucue.

This from his Irish Times piece today:

…after 73 minutes nobody in the crowd of 82,225 would have begrudged a draw.

After years of knocking, Cork have reached an All-Ireland final which they will be favourites to win by virtue of their experience and the depth of their panel.

They got there yesterday having trailed for most of the game to a Dublin side which looked more accomplished and more confident.

It was Cork’s reward for their own conviction that they were in touch when it got to endgame and Dublin began to lose their sense of cool.

A penalty.

Three bad frees.

A sending off.

Wounds, each of Dublin’s own making, took them out of the game. Cork could scarcely believe their luck as the gifts kept coming.

“Absolutely relieved. End of story,” said Cork manager Conor Counihan when he came in to face the press. “Titanic struggle. Dublin really put it up to us, as we knew they would, and things really didn’t look good for a long time.”

That just about summed things up……

Up Down!

Time to devolve security powers and tackle dissidents locally

Writing in today’s Irish Times SDLP Leader Margaret Ritchie calls for the devolution of security powers to the PSNI.

THE RECENT car bomb at Strand Road police station in Derry, swiftly followed by an attempted under-car bomb in Bangor, has underlined that dissident republicans are now able and willing to bring murder and mayhem to almost every part of Northern Ireland.

Without any vestige of popular support, without even a coherent political statement, they seek to emulate the purely technical prowess of the Provisionals who brought devastation to our cities, towns and villages for so long.

The born-again Provos now operate in a very different political, social and policing environment. Twelve years ago, in the first all-Ireland poll for 80 years, the people of Ireland voted overwhelmingly for the Belfast Agreement. It set up our devolved institutions and also laid down the principle of consent – Ireland can only be united by the votes of the people of both jurisdictions.

The principle of consent is now the settled democratic will of the people of Ireland. Violent dissidents have therefore directly challenged Irish democracy; they have excluded themselves from all democratic political discourse. They have no claim on the political sympathies of anyone. It is not a question of branding them as criminals, but rather of recognising that they have made themselves criminals by setting themselves outside and against the community. They are not a political problem; they are a community policing problem.

The first and greatest triumph of the peace process was the establishment of an accountable, representative policing service which is accepted in every part of our community. Indeed, that very success largely accounts for the fact that the PSNI is the primary target of the dissidents.

In acting against violent dissidents, the PSNI is acknowledged to be acting in the interests of, and in co-operation with, the whole community.

For almost 10 years the flow of intelligence from the community to the PSNI and An Garda Síochána has been the key to containing the dissident threat. However, I believe that flow may have been weakened by the 2007 transfer of intelligence-gathering primacy from the PSNI to MI5, and we may have been paying the price over the last year or more.

The transfer of control to MI5 was largely done at the behest of Sinn Féin, which wanted to distance itself from what it called “political policing” before joining the Policing Board. The party insisted that Special Branch, which was indeed a deeply flawed body, should not be reformed as part of the Patten process, but simply abolished. This was a serious political error, and we repeatedly told them so.

Control of intelligence- gathering was removed from the PSNI and from the control of the accountability mechanisms set up under the Belfast Agreement, including the Policing Board and the Policing Ombudsman.

We have an accountable policing service facing violent dissidents, but it is reliant for intelligence-gathering on an unaccountable, shadowy service with its own agenda and a deeply dubious record in Northern Ireland. This cuts right across the grain of co-operation between people and police which must be the very bedrock of dealing with the dissident problem.

There is now clear evidence that there have been intelligence failures over the last two years, starting with the huge bomb abandoned at Castlewellan on its way to Ballykinlar and continuing with the murder of two soldiers at Massarene Barracks and of Constable Carroll in Craigavon. But those who point the finger of blame at the PSNI are facing in the wrong direction.

The dissidents were regrouping, reorganising and co-operating across factional lines since late 2008, not least against those they perceived as informers, and there may have been a loss of human intelligence sources. The greater technical expertise the dissidents showed in bomb-making technology may have extended to frustrating the signals intelligence-gathering on which MI5 is thought to be over-reliant. It is notable that in the same period there was no downturn in intelligence success on the part of the Garda, which continues to frustrate dissident attacks and make arrests.

The SDLP believes we need to go back to the first principles of the Belfast Agreement to defeat the dissidents. Sinn Féin’s MI5 experiment has been a failure. Primacy in intelligence-gathering should be returned to the PSNI, where it would be subject to full accountability mechanisms of the Policing Board and Policing Ombudsman. Protocols governing PSNI use of informants should be extended to all informants.

There is a place for technical wizardry in this fight, but any agencies whose expertise is sought must be under the operational control of accountable PSNI officers.

The absolutely crucial source of intelligence is human, and consists of ordinary people telling what they know to a policing service they trust. There is no other way.

Belfast Pride hits the streets

I’ll be missing the Dubs and Down at Croker later to join some 10,000 others – straight and not - in a colourful,  musical and very carnavalesque celebration of Belfast Pride today.

In a city with many parades which exclude this is on that quite literally puts its arm around everyone.

Long may it continue and long may the diversity in our city been seen as a strength and not as a threat.

Ulster Museum – Campeones

The Ulster Museum has won this year’s Art Fund Prize. A huge gong for the reopened jewel in Botanic Park.

Its a great honour to represent the constituency that houses the Museum but what is even more special is having the pleasure of working with the staff  who are infectious in their enthusiasm for our history, art and inventions.

This is a real palace of the people in my opinion. Free to visit and free thinking. It welcomes all and has something for everyone, especially children who are enthralled by the dinosaurs, the polar bear, the Spanish gold and a secret fountain….

Not everything is perfect. I would like to see a much deeper and more challenging telling of the story of the troubles. I think the time is right for that now too.

But for today well done guys. Keep those doors open and keep promoting enlightenment!

sez she….. The Queen in Ireland 1900 & 2011

There was a Royal Visit to Dublin by Victoria in April 1900, which occasioned Percy French to write “The Queen’s After-dinner Speech”. He claimed it had been overheard and written down in poetic lengths by Jamesy Murphy, Deputy Assistant Waiter in the Viceregal Lodge.

“Me loyal subjects” sez she
Here’s my best respect, sez she
And I’m proud this day, sez she
Of the elegant way, sez she
That you gave me the hand, sez she
When I come to the land, sez she
There was some people said, sez she
They were greatly in dread, sez she
I’d be murdered or shot, sez she
As like as not, sez she
But it’s mighty clear, sez she
That it’s not over here, sez she
That I have cause to fear, sez she
It’s them Belgiums, sez she
That’s throwing the bombs, sez she
And frightening the life, sez she
Out of the son and the wife, sez she
But in these parts, sez she
They have warm hearts, sez she
And they all like me well, sez she
Barring Anna Parnell, sez she
I don’t know Earl, sez she
What’s come over the girl, sez she
And that other one, sez she
That Maud Gonne, sez she
Dressing in black, sez she
To welcome me back, sez she

And all that gammon, sez she

About me causing the Famine, sez she
Now Maud’ll write, sez she
That I’d brought the blight, sez she
Or changed the seasons, sez she
For political reasons, sez she
And I think there’s a slate, sez she

off that Willie Yeats, sez she
He should be at home, sez she
French polishing his poems, sez she
Instead of writing letters, sez she
About his betters, sez she
And parading me crimes, sez she
In The Irish Times, sez she
Ah, but what does it matter, sez she
All this magpie chatter, sez she
When I heard the welcoming roar, sez she
Coming up from the shore, sez she
Right over the foam, sez she
Sure it was like coming home, sez she
And me heart fairly glowed, sez she
Along the “Rock road”, sez she
And into Booterstown, sez she
And be Merrion Round, sez she
Until I come to the ridge, sez she
Of the Leeson St. Bridge, sez she
And was greeted in style,
By the beautiful smile,
Of me Lord Mayor Pyle, sez she
Faith if I’d done right, sez she
I’d a made him a knight, sez she
And I need not repeat, sez she
How they cheered in each street, sez she
Till I come to them lads, sez she
Don’t you know them undergrads, sez she
Oh, and indeed and indeed, sez she
I got many a God Speed, sez she
But nothing to compare, sez she
With what I’ve got here, sez she
So pass the jug, sez she
And I’ll fill each mug, sez she
And I’ll give you a toast, sez she
At which you may boast, sez she
Now I have a power of sons, sez she
All sort’s of one’s, sez she
Some as quiet as cows, sez she
Some always in rows, sez she
And the one that causes the most trouble, sez she
Should the mother loves double, sez she
So here’s to the men, sez she
That’s gone in to win, sez she
That’s clearing the way, sez she
To Pretoria today, sez she
In the gap of danger, sez she
There’s a Connaught Ranger, sez she
And a fusilier not far, sez she
From the heart of the war, sez she
And they may talk a lot, sez she
And them foreign baboons, sez she
May drawn their cartoons, sez she
But there’s one thing they’ll never draw, sez she
And that’s the lion’s claw, sez she
For before our flag is furled, sez she
We’ll own the world, sez she.

Our own Seamus Murphy has penned this account of the Queen’s after-dinner speech at Farmleigh in the autumn of 2011 as recounted by a temping waitress from the locality.

A hUactaráin, sez she
And everyone, sez she
It’s great to be here, sez she
I mBaile Átha Cliath, sez she
After 800 years, sez she
And it is a fair city, sez she
More bustling than pretty, sez she
As for traffic, well please, sez she
I got stuck on the Quays, sez she
Then we went to Dáil Éireann, sez she
Lime green I was wearing, sez she
A crowd filled with hate, sez she
At Kildare Street gate, sez she
Waving placards, sez she
Shouting at Civic Guards, sez she
Don’t know what they were up to, sez she
Someone said they were SIPTU, sez she
We don’t want any incidents, sez she
With none of your dissidents, sez she

For the Belfast Agreement, sez she
My support is vehement, sez she
These devolved institutions, sez she
Is the only solution, sez she
The successes consecutive, sez she
Of the power-sharing Executive, sez she
Show how much can be done, sez she
When two sides act as one, sez she
And that nice Mr McGuinness, sez she
Showed his confidence in us, sez she
By stepping up to the spot, sez she
When my soldiers got shot, sez she

Blessed are the peace-makers, sez she
And the movers and shakers, sez she
And Martin McAleese, sez she
Stabilising the peace, sez she
Sipping tea with old dears, sez she
And golfing brigadiers, sez she
We must make a confession, sez she
About all that oppression, sez she
I do be listening at home, sez she
To the Wolfe Tones, sez she
It would make you cry, sez she
My husband and I, sez she
We must make reparation, sez she
Between our ancient nations, sez she
No more power I’ll wield, sez she
O’er the Fourth Green Field, sez she

But the 1St Para, sez she
Is a holy terror, sez she
I must tell you with candour, sez she
That my son’s the commander, sez she
But they’re getting on grand, sez she
In Afghanistan, sez she
And Irish lads are willing, sez she
To take the odd shilling, sez she
They feel the attraction, sez she
Of some military action, sez she
It’s not really that far, sez she

From Castlebar to Kandahar, sez she
But to cut to the facts, sez she
Do yous want the North back?, sez she
With their priests and their rectors, sez she
And their huge public sector, sez she
And massive subvention, sez she
To buy out contention, sez she
And their flags and their marches, sez she
And their big Orange arches, sez she
And their dreary steeples, sez she
Are they our kind of people?, sez she

The north’s a hard place, sez she
They’re a different race, sez she
But here in the Pale, sez she
There’s a Home Counties feel, sez she
And it makes one’s heart soar, sez she
To drive through Dublin 4, sez she
It’s like civilization, sez she
With good conversation, sez she
And people of letters, sez she
With respect for their betters, sez she

But the business class, sez she
Is in a hard pass, sez she
Yous have your own troubles, sez she
And your property bubbles, sez she
I regard very highly, sez she
Sir Tony O’Reilly, sez she
And I think I done right, sez she
To make him a knight, sez she
And it won’t be too long, sez she
There’ll be many a gong, sez she
And fine Irish names, sez she
Winning the Commonwealth Games, sez she
And now that matters of state, sez she
Have been put in their place, sez she
Prince Philip and me, sez she
Is off on a spree, sez she
I’ve been wanting for ages, sez she
To go to Punchestown races, sez she
Or down to the Curragh, sez she
And have a wee flutter, sez she

South Belfast will reject the sectarian thugs who went on the rampage last night

People across South Belfast will be disgusted at reports that a sectarian mob went on the rampage in the Village area of Belfast last night.

Sectarianism, racism and bigotry has no place in our society and I would urge anyone with information about these brutal attacks to pass it onto the police immediately so that the thugs responsible can be brought to justice.

These attacks are disgraceful and are a slap in the face to those who have put in so much work to create good relations in the Village area. 

People in this area do not want this violence and terror in their community. They want to feel safe in their homes and live together in peace.

Students are a burden on tax payer – universities minister

Today’s Telegraph reports that the new universities minister believes students are a “burden” on the taxpayer and the government’s support of their degrees unsustainable. 

Happy birthday Huffington Post

The Huffington Post is five. Happy birthday Ariana.

Debating an all island economy

We discussed the benefits of an all island economy in the Assembly on Monday.

It was a poor debate which never got beyond the divided politics of Northern Ireland. The galleries were empty which in itself illustrates the disconnect between the politics and the economy in this region. My contribution is at 1:06.10 .

Slugger election breakfast TV

The boys from NITV pitched up at the Slugger O’Toole election breakfast last week to capture the morning after the night before. I’m in there with a quick comment about the South Belfast result (min 7) and then in talking about next year (after min 20).

The Morning After The Night Before from Northern Visions/NvTv on Vimeo.