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.

A new dawn for justice?

I’m heading down to Stormont Castle at 11.30am to hear Justice Minister David Ford’s plans for the future of justice in Northern Ireland.

To date Mr Ford has played things safe, in fact he has done nothing to set him aside from his NIO predecessors. Many of us hope today he will step out of the shadows of the British government and start acting for himself.  I do not want to receive another reply saying there is no need for fundamental prison reform yet that is exactly what I got from Mr Ford two weeks ago.

There is no much that needs to be done. The necessary change will only come when the new Minister and his department break free from the NIO.

Gerald Kaufman has a lesson on Israel and Palestine for us all

I quoted from a speech Gerald Kaufman MP made last year in the House of Commons during today’s debate in the Assembly.

It is a much finer contribution to this debate then I will ever be able to make.

If you are at all interested in the diversity of opinion on all sides please do take five minutes to watch.

Join campaign to oppose Russell Group proposals to increase student loan rates

The proposal by the Russell Group of leading universities that graduates be asked to start repaying their student loans earlier and at a higher interest rate is a short sighted will act as a disincentive for many young graduates to start work.

Student loans are meant to allow graduates to get the foot on the career ladder and be earning a reasonable sum £15,000 before they start paying back. Even then the point is to allow the young professional to repay at a modest interest rate rather thus, in theory, allowing them to make career and life plans without the burden of a large debt hanging over them.

As it is the interest rate charged by the Student Loan Company is volatile and can fluctuate by two or three hundred percent making some graduates wonder whether it is wise to accept a reasonably low paid job as doing. These proposals will make that situation much worse.

I have set up a Facebook Group to oppose this proposal. I will bring a petition to the Northern Ireland Assembly with all the names in the group so please join and pass the word on.

Will any MLA join me on the bike during Bike Week and save serious money?

As many regular visitors to O’Conall Street will know I commute to Stormont from the bottom of the Lisburn Road on a bike purchased tax free a couple of years ago through the ride to work scheme.

It’s a round trip of 18 miles and takes me just over 40 min each way.  According to the cycle calculator on the Bike Week website this daily exercise save me £7.20 every day!

Based on two days a week on the bike to Parliament building since I joined the Assembly on Jan 21st and not taking into account all the cycling I do around the city and constituency, I have already saved £250!

My ride to work also burns up at tidy 810 calories a day.

So here is my challenge to any MLA who lives within 10 miles of Parliament Buildings.

Join me for on your bike commuting to Stormont for just one day during bike to work week (June 19 – 27) and set a good example for all.

Labour Party Conference fraternal address

I am at the Labour Party Conference in Galway and last night delivered the fraternal address on behalf the SDLP. The team are streaming the whole thing live and have kindly uploaded my remarks.

Any inquiry process must affirm the State’s duty to uphold the rights of abuse survivors

It is welcome news that the Health Minister has responded to the SDLP motion on the Ryan report on child abuse in the Catholic Church which was brought to the Assembly last November.

I have not seen the paper but look forward to studying it in detail when it is made available to MLAs.

The survivors of institutional clerical abuse in Northern Ireland need a clear signal from the Executive that the state will uphold their rights to the truth and will acknowledge that the primary duty to defend the rights of survivors lies with the state.

I understand that this paper has been issued without input from the Department of Education which has been given until the end of April to respond to the Assembly motion.

This is regrettable and I would call on the Department of Education to expedite their response.

Whilst I acknowledge the complexity of this issue, it is important that there are clear recommendations for a credible and robust process in the paper to ensure that victims are afforded the justice and redress which they deserve.

Northern inquiry into abuse needed now. Church needs to put children first.

Yesterday’s events highlight the need for the Minister for Health to acknowledge the duty to uphold the rights of victims of institutional and clerical child abuse lies with the power sharing Executive.

Following up on the Ryan and Murphy reports in the south, I have been lobbying for the Minster for Health and the Executive to acknowledge that it is the duty of the state to uphold the rights of the survivors of abuse here.

The SDLP brought a motion to the Assembly last November and we are concerned at the delay by the Minister for Health in responding to it. When I asked the Minster for Health for an update last week he informed me that he is awaiting a response from the Minister for Education and that this is not now expected until April 30th. This is a worrying development and an unacceptable delay. The survivors deserve better and I am calling today on the Minister for Education to bring forward the date of her response to the Minster for Education so the Executive can agree a way forward.

It is also imperative that the Catholic Church in Ireland takes every possible step to ensure that the people of Ireland have full confidence in its ability to uphold the rights of children and victims. It’s primary duties must be the protection of children and defence of the rights of victims. Child abuse is wrong and has always been wrong and a crime.

All representatives of the Catholic Church must ensure that nothing they say or do further undermines in any way public confidence in the Church’s ability to deal openly and properly with past criminal acts against children.

The Cardinal should address all further questions regarding his involvement in taking evidence and securing oaths of secrecy.

Is it the anthem that makes the green and white army?

The  Newsletter asked me to pen a few lines on the anthem – Northern ireland soccer team debate.

Every weekend kids across Northern Ireland put on their favourite shirt and dream of playing in Croke Park, Wembley or Windsor Park. In their hearts they are Aaron Hughes, David Beckham and Robbie Keane. They don’t know what politics is and do not play football to make a political point.

Windsor Park the home of local soccer is less then a mile from my home. On the night my youngest son Naoise was born, David Healy scored a goal which will live on forever. His boot put England in second place. I remember the roar drifting across the motorway and through the windows of the Royal Maternity Hospital. It was one of those moments when things seemed to change.

The new North is a different place from the old one which divided Irish football nearly a hundred years ago. Football for all is now the by word of the IFA and huge progress which has been made over the past decade to break down barriers to participation.

The next step must surely be to make the Northern Ireland team and squad capable of commanding the support of all in this region. Adopting a shared song would surely be a good step towards breaking down the obvious barriers which playing God Save the Queen puts up.  

I would love to see an all island soccer team but I would be also happy to go watch a Northern Ireland team which is reflective of this shared region and projecting a positive image about our home on the global stage.

Politics should have no place in football.

It’s not God Save the Queen that makes the Green and White Army famous. It’s the changes that have taken place in the past ten years and the passion the genuine fans have for the beautiful game.

Let’s have a mature and respectful debate about making Football for All the mark of our region on the global stage as it is on the youth pitches every weekend.

Holylands needs long term solution as well as CCTV

I am very happy to see the CCTV in operation in the Holyland areaof Belfast. It will provide a necessary deterrent to anyone looking to cause trouble this coming St Patrick’s Day.

It will also help the community at large and the police to combat the rise in crime, some of which has been violent, in this part of the city.
 
We also need a long term plan to tackle the breakdown in relationships in the area and make sure the Holyland has a future as a sustainable welcoming place for all sections of our community to live in. That’s why I am calling for an all party approach to the reconstruction of this community and for a long term commitment from MLAs and councillors to tackle the big issues as well as managing the crisis.