There’ll be a number of people crawling out of bed with a literal and/or metaphorical headache this morning.
Sir Henry Bellingham, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, will be moaning a bit. He’s the MP who used parliamentary privilege to suggest that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry McGrory, was going all political in taking cases against former British soldiers who were deployed here. “I do not want any more veterans to be dragged out of their retirement homes any more than I want Sinn Féin councillors to be dragged out of council chambers”. You see what he did there? He just equated members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces with psychopathic republican killers who should be behind bar. Disgraceful, Sir Henry. I call on you to retract that scurrilous implication. By the way, do you know a man called Douglas Hogg?
Arlene Foster, our First Minister, won’t greet the morning with a smile on her lips and a song in her heart either. Her faithful colleague Nigel Dodds, who many thought would have got her job, has rushed to her rescue with a whistle-blower’s email showing the whistle about wood-chip burning was more a gentle tune, implying no wrong-doing. But the Stephen Nolan radio show, at the time of writing, hasn’t yet gone on air. Who knows what new horrors Nolan may uncover today? He’s promised us there’ll be more rocking-back-on-the-heels stuff. Mustn’t miss that. Maybe he’ll even raise the question of whether or not a wood-chip company down in Fermanagh was/is the supplier for all those heating scheme takers-up, and even how much they have or will make on the deal.
And finally, Jeremy Corbyn will throw back the duvet with a sinking heart this morning. That’s because he’s been rumbled. The Labour Party MPs have known from the start he’s a hopeless leader, even though the overwhelming majority of the party members think he’s bringing true Labour values to a party that wandered into Blairland back in the 1990s and has never quite got back. Now they’ve found Jeremy with the proverbial smoking gun in his hand. What has he done, you ask, Virginia? Only hired a woman who once worked for Sinn Féin! Clearly the man is a closet IRA volunteer – very likely on the IRA Army Council. The sooner the Labour Party vote him out of the leadership office the better…No, wait. They’ve already tried that, haven’t they? Oh well. Maybe when the news comes through that he was behind the Omagh bomb, the Kingsmill massacre, the death of Lord Mountbatten and the killing of Jean McConville, the part members will come to their senses.
And you thought your Thursday was going to be a stinker.
“I do not want any more veterans to be dragged out of their retirement homes any more than I want Sinn Fein councillors to be dragged out of council chambers.”
Read more at: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/barra-mcgrory-denies-political-cases-against-soldiers-1-7733586
Sir Henry Bellingham, Conservative MP for North West Norfolk
Read more at: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/barra-mcgrory-denies-political-cases-against-soldiers-1-7733586
Ha ha .You are in a waspish mood so early in the morning , Jude! As the radio burbles away , it appears we’re about to also add one Mr Jonathon Bell’s name to the list of bad -head days..Big Expose tonight apparently….
Great stuff jude
Jude, reminds me what an employee of a wood chip company told me about how the company avoided compliance with Fair Employment legislation in the North of Ireland. Just get some Protestant workers to sign in as Catholics. Very simple when you think about it.
“Just get some Protestant workers to sign in as Catholics. Very simple when you think about it.”
Was watching a documentary on discrimination recently Patrick. The biggest myth around has got to be that “There was no need for the IRA because the Civil Rights Movements demands were met in the early 1970’s”. An utter lie, especially in regard to equality in Employment and Housing. The British Government and political Unionism fought tooth and nail against equality for Catholics.
The Fair Employment Agency was created in the 1970’s to deal with discrimination in employment here. It was headed by a Unionist. It was basically a paper tiger. It had very few powers, it had a tiny staff and employers who discriminated simply refused to co-operate with it. So discrimination continued. Protestant employers called it the “Fenian Employment Agency”.
In truth, discrimination in employment ended here because of the USA. American companies investing in the North agreed to adopt the McBride Principles. They also swore that they would pull investment into companies in the North if they were found to be discriminating against Catholics. As expected, the British Government fought tooth and nail against the McBride Principles for years until they had no other choice but to adopt most of its policies. They give in for one reason and one reason only: because their reputation was getting damaged worldwide. The British Government was even being compared to Apartheid South Africa and rightly so. So then SoS Tom King made a fake dramatic speech against discrimination and to the dismay of Unionism implemented the new “Fair Employment Commission” in 1989. Yes, 1989, not the 1970’s.
The new Fair Employment Commission had greatly enhanced powers, was properly staffed and actually did it’s job. The amount of Unionist employers getting sued for discrimination ballooned. It got to the point companies here had no choice but not discriminate because the risk of being sued, getting a bad reputation and losing American investment was too much.
So in Truth discrimination in employment here didn’t end in the 1970’s, it was delayed until the 1990’s and we have the Americans to thank for it, especially Irish Americans because they spearheaded the campaign in America. Does discrimination continue to this day? Definitely, that’s why we must never think this is something that is gone, political Unionism will do what it can get away with still.
The documentary I speak of can be viewed on Youtube.
During the British government’s campaign against the MacBride Principles they paid a Catholic Alliance councillor to go to the US to try to thwart any possible legislation!
Is Arlene on fire? Is arrogant Arlene toast?
Hard to know if Nigel was really trying to help or really trying to make her headache worse, he’s not stupid (?) must’ve known what he was doing by openly contradicting her own statements.
I wonder how those ex British terror force members(UDR,RUC,Brit army etc) are feeling now that they have learned how their elected representatives have been enriching themselves and their mates via various schemes in stormont? It wasn’t that long ago we heard ex Brit terror service men crying that they were struggling mentally and physically(guilt tends to work that way) and needed help but that the powers that be wouldn’t grant funding to various support groups(although why should they, isnt that what the poppy scam appeal is for?).
Maybe these poor terror service men were trying their luck too? If they are linked to ‘the committee’ it shouldn’t be a problem.
plenty in common with the 3 of them,all failures.
As you pointed out recently, Esteemed Blogmeister, the location of the factory which manufactures this wood pile is Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh. A wood pile scandal which is getting (gulp) bigger and bigGER and BIGGER..
According to the critically-acclaimed G. Campbell School of Advanced Linguistics, the aboriginal meaning of Ballinamallard is, Béal Atha na Mallacht , whcih literally translates as, erm, ‘Ford-Mouth of the Curses’.
THE EMPIRE of the PUN
If the Brit novelist J C Ballard
Had writ about Ballinamallard?
Look, for f…….’s
Sakes, no ducks
Let the curse-o’Gods be collared !
Hi, Jude that would be the same Henry Bellingham of Bellingham castle fame in beautiful Co. Louth. The great and good from Newry, Dundalk and further afield are now getting married in the Bellingham country pile. It was given to General Bellingham by Oliver Cromwell, not long after the pitiless sacking of Drogheda for his bravery. I wonder how many young brides and grooms know about the history of that property. But I suppose why should they? That’s my piece of trivia for the day.
Conservative Bellingham seems to have forgotten that his party prides itself on being the party of ‘law and order’ (or is it ordure?).
He believes that those who may have committed murder (while wearing a British uniform, or course) should not be subject to the law on murder.
The British mob are braying that there is a one-sided witch hunt going on for their boys. Possibly he is unaware of the case of Ivor Bell who is being pursued through the courts in relation to the murder of Jean McConville.
Jonathan Bell – has he begun to realise that he was about to be thrown over the cliff of the RHI scheme, and decided to get his revenge in first?
I can imagine the DUP loyalists spending the day trawling through his past to see what dirt can be dug up on him, in time for airing at the 10.30pm news when they might spike his guns at 10.40pm!
Remember years ago travelling through Ballinamallard for the first time and being told: ‘This is where the Pope comes for his holidays’.
When I asked the reason: ‘Because there are no Catholics here’!
The reaction from MP’s and the British media to basic investigations into British Soldiers is very unsettling and disturbing. These people are upset that basic law is being implemented. These include the investigations into the murders of children by British soldiers, including that of my mother’s childhood friend Francis Rowntree. They seem disturbed that anyone would dare interfere with the amnesty British soldiers who committed horrendous crimes here have enjoyed.
Its interesting that they often cast up Sinn Fein or the IRA when they talk about these investigations, they behave as if all those civilians killed by British soldiers were IRA members. It reminds me of the mentality of the British Army Unit: the MRF. One MRF member openly gloated on TV that he killed innocent civilians. He then said if a person was from a certain area that they were “guilty” in the MRF’s eyes…..who does that remind me of? Oh yes, the UVF/UDA, because that was exactly their sectarian logic too……I’m sure that’s just a coincidence…..
If Arlene has any decency at all she would just step down. We were told this Heating Scheme has cost us all £400 million but yet that figure is going up and up, its now £485 million. This is not a “Nationalist v Unionist” spat, If Martin McGuinness wasted £485 million I would be calling for him to resign. The UUP want Arlene to resign. We are all out of pocket £20-30 million per year for 20 years to pay for Arlenes disaster. But was it simply sheer stupidity on Arlenes case? I don’t think so. There’s something much, much more sinister behind this heating scheme. Its no coincidence that certain people close to the DUP are benefitting from this scheme. Jonathan Bell’s interview should be very interesting….
Also, I hear Gregory Campbell has allegedly threatened Stephen Nolan on radio a few days ago. Stephen said something about digging further into this Heating Scheme and all those behind it. Gregory then replied that digging can go BOTH ways…..hmmmm….
I think the Tories will be calling Jeremy Corbyn an IRA man when the next British General Election comes along. The amount of bile thrown at this man is incredible but yet he continually survives. They said Labour wouldn’t win the London Mayoral Election under Corbyn: They did. They said Labour wouldn’t win the by election with Corbyn: They did, with an increased percentage of the vote. They said Corbyn wouldn’t win the Labour Leadership Contest: He won twice. They are now saying Labour cant win a General Election under Corbyn…..well they said the same about Trump…..
2016 is nearly over but its been a crazy year in terms of politics. Brexit, Trump being elected US President Elect, Sinn Fein gaining 9 seats in the Dail, etc I sense 2017 might be even crazier. We might even see poor Arlene being replaced with Sammy Wilson or Nigel Dodds before this year is out…..
” Human rights ” lawyers are also being the subject of vilification for representing certain clients.
Can someone refresh my recollection but in the not too distant past weren’t a few lawyers on the receiving end of some bullets and bombs for such conduct?
Memories are short sometimes.