As I type this I’m listening to Marian Finucane on RTÉ Radio One. They’re discussing the northern crisis and Fianna Failer Martin Mansergh has typically managed to present the current crisis as being an age-old squabble between two parties who can’t agree. It suits Mr Mansergh to frame it like this, (i) because that’s the traditional form in which our affairs in the north have been presented to people in the south; and (ii) because he is a FFer, so naturally he’s going to take any opportunity to present the party which is the biggest threat to his as a hopeless bunch of sectarian squabblers.
But there is hope. Another of the panelists is Sam Smyth, a journalist from here but based in Dublin for decades now. Smyth has never been a fan of Sinn Féin but just now he was unambiguous in his admiration for Martin McGuinness’s patience and statesmanship over the past ten years, and sharply critical of Arlene Foster. He had expected much more from her, he said – she came from UUP rather than Paisleyite stock, she is an intelligent, educated woman with a law background – and yet she allowed things to go on , like the Cash-for-Ash scheme and the pulling of the £50,000 from Gaeltacht bursaries, that were the opposite of what was required for forging friendships and furthering reconciliation.
So I’m hopeful that there is a change of attitude developing among some media people in the south, and if there is, inevitably that will find its way into the public consciousness there.
That said, when I wrote a letter last week congratulating the newspaper editorials down south for their commendation of Martin McGuinness’s time as Deputy First Minister, I noticed yesterday a counter-letter in the Irish Times which suggested McGuinness was respected because he had been open about being in the IRA, “unlike other Sinn Féin politicians whose honesty in this regard has been questioned.” A compliment with one hand, a dig in the gob with the other. (I’ve replied to Saturday’s letter. If the Irish Times prints it you may be sure I’ll let you know.)
One of the things Mansergh charged Sinn Féin with was being opportunistic: they hadn’t done as well as they might last election, the DUP had done really well last election, so the Cash-for-Ash scheme was a good opportunity to even things out.
Mansergh is right in part: that’s what political parties do. They see an opening in their opponents’ armour, they go for it. But while Sinn Féin have wisely responded to what their grassroots feel about being serially acquiescent in the face of unionist dodgy dealing and overt contempt, they also would be lacking in principles of any kind if they let their coalition partners take half a billion pounds of public money and either burn it up before our eyes or, perhaps, direct that sum into the pocket of selected unionist sources.
That’s why we need two things to be central to a public inquiry which should be rapidly established and rapidly get to the root of this case. One, we need a list of everyone who took up the £1.60-for-£1.00 scheme. And two, we need a list of DUP donors, so the public can see whether there’s any significant match between both lists, especially when we look at the list of those who opted into the boiler scheme during the crucial months when it was, against advice, kept going.
If the DUP or anyone else refuses to present either list, then the public are entitled to think the worst. That said, if they produce both lists, it’s possible the public may end up concluding that something is rotten at the heart of the DUP and it smells of ancient fish. That could be an excessively critical judgement, but the smell won’t go away until we get those lists.
Jude
We cannot demand a list of donors to one party only. Since donors gave on the understanding of anonymity (in some cases for their own safety no doubt ) this would surely require legislation and could not be applied retrospectively.
Not very practical I think.
yes gio.all of the list must be examined in detail against all the parties and any connections published in the media.but its no good after an election publishing it.
One of the difficulties I have with this is that when AF kicked off the scheme back in 2012, why did she not consult with PR. He has often been described as a strategic genius. To be fair though this may have been when the wife was causing diffs.
Then when things started going arse over Tit, when he was still FM, why was he not consulted so that this wise man could advise, was this when the hubris was kicking in? Or was that she was setting up a possible future rival for defenestration?
Anyway, I suppose given this apparent separation, Peter won’t be asked to contribute to the inquiry. Looks like the sack cloth and ashes will have to be worn by someone else.
I wouldn’t be so sure PJ. Arlene has already alluded to Peter being not only involved but the architect of the scheme.
Do you really think a party leader was unaware that one of his ministers was making such a huge error in judgement?
Where the DUP went wrong was the word spread and the budget racked up far more than was anticipated. Had this stayed within the 66-million London would have paid, it would not have cost NI a penny and many businesses selected to benefit including some who needed a helping hand from Arlene to get the money from banks, would have made more than a few pounds.
Why did the DUP do this in the first place?
Was it to repay a debt for avoiding prison by Mr Little or did the DUP under Arlene lose the run of themselves. They appear to have thrown millions at marching bands and orange halls.
Was it simply the last unionist majority government and gabbing what they can before doing a runner?
This is what an investigation needs to find out and it needs to start now.
sorry, 660 million that London paid
Jessica, you may have a point about Peter Robinson being the original architect of the RHI scheme.
I’m not sure of the timeline, did PR realise at that stage that he was on his way out?
If that was the case, and he wasn’t too happy about his impending demise or the thought about who might grab his FM’s throne, what are the chances that he might leave a trap for his successor in the hope they might spring it and get their comeuppance?
Am I too much of a cynic (I can’t spell Machiaevelli!)?
Why did the DUP do this in the first place?
Was it to repay a debt for avoiding prison by Mr Little
Tell us about Mr Little, Jessica
‘When the wife was causing diffs’
Would it never occur to people that maybe all the diffs were not on the one side?
It was great to listen to Marian Finucane on RTE this am expressing shock and horror that the executive had collapsed. Most unexpected in her circle, it would seem. It would appear that most journalists and broadcasters in RTE had this idea that the north was solved and dare anyone upset that narrative. It was now time they thought to sock it to Gerry Adams. Then last Monday they got a rude awakening when Martin resigned on a matter of principle. It is interesting to watch and listen to the reactions in the south.
Did not like Sam Smyth’s reference to ‘a country run by Provos and Paisleyites’ which he did not like. Disparaging remark I thought. Perhaps Charlie Haughey got it right all those years ago with his reference to ‘ a failed political entity’.
Martin Mansergh whom you namecheck, Esteemed Blogmeister, is known and not unaffectionately neither, as Mawn the Yawn in Circles where the Movers and Shakers m. and s.. on Liffeyside.
There are two reasons for this sobriquet: not only because he does tend to major in tedium (which he does, assuredly, cum laude and cum a loud horse laugh such as one might acquire while being schooled at the King’s School, Canterbury, which he was) but also because that is how he pronounces his own first name.
-Yaw, one’s name is Mawtin.
Although it wasn’t on display this morning on the Dame Dosh Finucane Show over the years of surfing the airwaves he has developed a style of being interviewed which is peculiarly his own, yaw.
(Incidentally, this tendency of Public School Old Boys and Gels to yaw, yaw while engaged in the business of jaw, jaw is presumed by some Institutes of Tropical Disease to have originated during the Domination of the Dark Continent back in the day of Doc Livingstone. In sub-Saharan regions the virulent skin disease of yaws is prevalent, not least in the lips, the tongue and other regions contagious to the mouth, yaw).
How to describe the singular speaking style of Mawtin the Interviewee ? Once he has been bowled a question – it may be a googly, or a back-spinner or a bouncer itself – he tends to dawdle over his words, yaw, as if he is choosing the correct mot juste, and not just for the purposes of doing his Big Brain justice though that too, mainly, yaw.
And then if, as invariably happens, the non-Public School Old Boy or Gel interrupts with the intensh of moving things along, Mawtin immediately responds by upping both his voice, yaw, and also his speed of verbal delivery. Once the putative interrupter inevitably withdraws, Mawtin invariably responds by lowering both the volume and the speed of his verbal d. and resorting to his previous languid rate suitable for the long and tedious innings, yaw.
Once, at a drinkie poos – it may have been at a reception (select, low key, high tone) hosted by a minor official of M16, oops, the British Embassy, The Perkin found himself in the vicinity of Mawtin, yaw. It was in the Homeric heyday of Nicky English, the Tipperary hurler, and as the Premier County had just scored an epic win over Cork the previous Sunday one felt almost obliged to broach the topic.
Bearing in mind that Mawtin, then the FF member for Tipperary South, had Nicky E. as his constituent, the latter hailing from the Tipperary side of the Tipp-Limerick border, one felt confident of gaining a perspicacious insight into Tipp’s prospects for the,erm, business end of the Championship., yaw.
Alas.
BORDERING on a LIMERICK
As he was bred, b. and raised English, Nick
He had never heard of: ‘Should one?’ (sic)
‘One’s game is lawn
Tennis’ said Mawn
Played, yaw, with a rawquet not with a stick.
frankly we, again from a taxpayer perspective, require the list of buildings being subsidised from our taxes by Paul Gibhan’s office, now, if ompah lumpah’s pay more tax than the rest of us, there might be an excuse for this but I doubt that, remember the day’s when Catholic school’s were subsidised only 75% of running costs while Protestant school’s got full funding?
This appears somewhat similar, ordinary working folk paying for something they’re excluded from.
The DUP, and all parties, should produce a list of donors. Paul Givan should also produce a list of all those “community halls” who are benefiting from a scheme he set up which has gone over budget by 400% (originally £500,000 but has now gone up to £2 million). Apparently some people have seen the list today of those who are benefiting from this new scheme and said it overwhelmingly favours the Unionist community and have accused Givan of discrimination. Not the first time, and more likely not the last, he has been accused of discrimination. The SDLP said a few weeks ago that this scheme deliberately excludes sports organisations in order to discriminate against GAA Halls. Givan has also given over £1 million to give Lisburn a “face lift”.
One question that hasn’t been asked yet is if any of this #RHI money is going to Orange Order members and onwards to the Orange Order’s “Ulster Land Fund”? which was specifically set up to buy land to prevent it from being bought by Catholics or “falling into Catholic hands” as its explained in Susan McKay’s book. Clearly a very discriminatory fund and which should be investigated.
Red Sky, Robbo’s alleged Land Deals, NAMA, RHI, etc scandals follow the DUP like a bad smell. We originally thought RHI was due to massive incompetence but I think its becoming more and more obvious what was really behind this scheme…..
My you are a big fan of the SDLP these days Ryan.
I wouldn’t piss on them if they were on fire.
“My you are a big fan of the SDLP these days Ryan”
What makes you think that Jessica? Yes I know I voted for them in the last election but that was simply due to their stance on abortion. I could’ve did a lot worse and voted TUV due to SF’s murky stance on abortion, like one of the relatives of a Bloody Sunday victim voted. Of course they don’t really support TUV, its simply a protest vote.
All I mentioned above was the SDLP referred to this new scheme under Givan weeks ago, which they did and they raised concerns about how it deliberately excludes GAA Halls in its regulations. Of course we heard nothing from Sinn Fein then because they were following a policy of turning the blind eye. Obviously I’m glad that’s over and they have since won back my vote.
My own gut feeling is they were all in on it Sherdy.
Arlene from day one said it was Peter Robinsons project.
Had he stayed on it would have been better managed however.
It was due to close in September.
I think Arlene was pressured to keep it open a little longer than she should have for some reason. Some of the applicants must have had quite a bit of control over them to do so, the instruction came through the spads.
Jonathan Bell got itchy feet on 2nd October but was over ruled.
He has struggled with the consequences since due to his strong zealot like faith.
He is probably having nightmares about burning in pellet driven boilers for all eternity.
Someone that they were trying to get in on the deal over this period has most probably spread the word and applications went well over what was expected. I don’t think the over spend was ever meant to be anywhere near so high.
Had they kept it at a reasonable level, they could have leeched the 660 million London was willing to pay with no consequences to the block grant and they may well have pulled it off.
Some of the claimants have clearly let them down.
It is like doing a robbery and telling everyone not to get flash and start splashing the money around. Someone has got carried away and drew too much attention to it.
Once Nolan got the scent they were doomed.
Yes indeed, Perkin. Mansergh gives a pretence of being impartial, but he’s English COI and you you correctly infer, looks down his nose at Gaelic games. I suspect he sees Tipperary as an old garrison town, rather than a hurling hub. The great Nicky E put 3 goals past Antrim in ’89 whist we lads stood in awe.
That is what an investigation needs to find out.
The DUP formed Ulster resistance in response to the anglo irish agreement, it was Noel Little who led the paramilitary group which worked with British intelligence (FRU), the UDA and UVF to bring in arms.
Peter Robinson was pictured in a beret along side Noel and they attended UR rallies together in portadown.
Along with the UDA and UVF, they robbed the Northern bank in portadown to fund arms smuggling.
Noel did some time over his part but never gave up anyone else.
I dont know what hold he may or may not have over Peter Robinson, but when Ruth Patterson was snubbed for his daughter Emma Pengally, some felt it may go back to debts from that period.
If Mr Little did have a hold over Peter enough to make him do the dirt on Ruth.
Could the same pressure have been on the DUP to get some financial return from Stormont?
Could the RHI scheme provided the perfect opportunity?
Could these advisers have instructed the delay to be extended to help get some key people in on the deal?
Could the people they were helping have got greedy and let them down by spreading the word too fast, causing the floodgates to burst which was the reason the scheme failed as it went too far over budget?
It is imperative that applications from businesses with links to the DUP are fully investigated and published especially those over the period of deliberate delay in the schemes closure at the DUPs instructions.
Interesting times. I see that over on Fick Mealty’s site folk are tying themselves up in knots over identity. Northern Ireland is an anomaly. Please stop trying to convince us that such a thing exists.
RHI isn’t really that much of a shock is it? Ulster Unionism is rotten to the core. Delighted to see that some of our protestant brothers and sisters are starting to wake up to the fact.
There’s no shame in being Irish. Look at Westminster. Do you really want to align yourselves with them?
Why do you think voting for the TUV is any worse than voting for SDLP?
Personally I would have more respect for you voting for the TUV.
The SDLP have always promoted and supported the 6 county bubble and for long periods did more damage to the pursuit of Irish unity than unionism did.
Their change in direction from post nationalism is purely to try and weaken Sinn Fein and get back into power in Stormont once they finally dropped their arrogant stance that their votes had only been loaned to Sinn Fein.
As for abortion, compromise is the way to go and Sinn Fein are right to take a middle of the road option.
You or anyone else can do you what you like with that.
How Dawn Purvis and people attending Marie Stokes were treated was disgusting and anyone who supports such behaviour can shove their vote up their arse as far as I am concerned. It is not all about votes – there is a wide range of opinion across Ireland and no stubborn stance will please all.
Irish unity is for everyone, not just narrow minded republicans.
I didnt vote last time, not to protest against Sinn Fein (which as they are the ONLY party we have looking after the interests of ALL of the Irish people), but because Stormont was not worth voting for. I would prefer to vote for a Dublin parliament and that is what I will demand – nothing less is acceptable to me.
What you have to realise is that there cannot be two different rulings on abortion in Ireland. Only a joined up approach makes sense.
Sinn Fein have got it right yet again. You will see that eventually when you take your head out of the 6 county bubble which it keeps slipping back into.
You are no different to Scott who considers the 6 counties to be a separate society from the rest of Ireland.
I never did and I never will. Unionists were never my people, the rest of Ireland was.
Sinn Fein are building bridges to unite all of our people once again.
More the realisation that Westminster doesn’t give a toss about us.
Not that the southern establishment are any better, but it is in our gift to change the establishment in Dublin.
Interesting indeed that Paul Givan publically claimed Irish was for all and this following Ian Jnr telling people to get Irish passports.
Northern Ireland thinking is the new tribalism. There are three tribes, the 26 county tribe, the 6 county tribe and the 32 county tribe.
The DUP thinking is now, they are 6 county tribe, but it is ok to travel on a 26 county tribe passport and that our culture is 32 county tribe.
Any wonder they are confused. 🙂