"Lairnin' Ulster Scots is Fun with Jim Shannon" normally features on the Friday blog when the Assembly grinds to a halt, but since I'm off work tomorrow, it's been moved forward a day.
This week Jim is talking about the Transformation Fund, which is the money required to support the development of professionalism in childcare and early education. I'm sure you'll agree that it's a fascinating topic to read about in English, well it's all the more exciting in Ulster Scots.
The reason for the speechmarks for the first paragraph is that the DUP MLA starts off 'quoting' an official document which I presume he translated.
Word of the day has to be "kent". Ken, as we learnt last week means 'know'. Adding a 't' to the end transforms it into the academically splendid 'cognitive'. Thus 'no kent' is clearly non-cognitive - it's all very logical.
Here's this week's homework - see how you get on:
"It micht be that tha benefits o' investin in weancare an afore schuill larning cud be a muckle better investmunt in larning than bein din at aa' later stage, gien that aa' lerge pert o' baith kent an no kent skills show themsels afore weans stert schuill."
This wus takin' frae aa' paper oan tha benefits o' early weancare in comparisin tae coast facter an is plain tae see that tae stert aa' wean aff oan tha richt fut is maist diffinently mony weel spent.
I was whinging last week about Jim's inconsistencies last week, which is admittedly a reflection of my ignorance rather than a short-coming in the dialect/language*, but fortunately I have the good news that help is at hand.
For today as the Ulster Scots Academy Consultation was discussed at the Committee for Culture, Arts, and Leisure, it emerged that there are plans to establish a permanent base in one of the local universities [they haven't decided which one yet], with outreach centres for the places where they speak the lingo [they didn't say where that was] and, best of all an Ulster Scots dictionary.
That puts an end to any suspicion that the allocation of £14 million (which was mirrored by an equal payment to Irish) from the GFA was a waste of tax payers' money then.
*delete according to whether you prefer hurling or shinty
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Funny Old Game
Deciding where a sports stadium goes is proving to be a funny old game, as the committee charged with scrutinising the decision making process seem to be as much in the dark about the detail of what is happening as the rest of us.
To shed some light on the matter Edwin Poots, the Minister who makes the call on where the muti-sports stadium is sited is being requested to attend a meeting of the committee for Culture Arts and Leisure for a frank discussion on, as the committee's deputy chair, David McNarry (who chaired the meeting as Barry McElduff is part of the mass-exodus to the Smithsonian festival in the sunnier climates of Washington) calls it, the "nitty gritty" of the debate.
In addition the committee are hoping to see a copy of the business plan for the proposed project for the H-Block/Maze site.
"There seems to be a reluctance of some of the departments to give the full information," Mr McNarry observed, and offered the drastic solution of resorting to issuing freedom of information requests if needed. However, he maintained, "We shouldn't have to go to those lengths."
The Committee is awaiting a response for the Minister's timetable for the progression of the stadium, and David McNarry fired a warning shot saying, "It would be clear to the committee that the Minister would be foolish, and therefore unlikely to progress without consulting this committee, when he reaches his decision of where he is going."
He also said that they were "anxious" that no decision would be made over when the Assembly goes into its month-long recess from July 7.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Civic Forum
As all the excitement today was over in Westminster with Blair handing the keys ovver to Brown there was little for the two journalists left remaining in Stormont to get stuck into. The one morsel of substance we had been promised on today's agendas, was a debate by the committee of the OFMDFM on the terms of reference for the review of the Civic Forum.
The Forum has come in for ridicule from the DUP just this week with Stephen Moutray describing it during OFMDFM Question Time as an “utter waste of time, money and resources."
The SDLP however believe it could flourish given that the Assembly will offer stability over the next four years. Alban Maginness was peterbed by Martin McGuinness' failure, as he sees it, to confirm it did have a future during Question Time and instead focus on the forth-coming review. Alban suspects that the Forum may have been sacrificed by the republicans in seeking a deal with the DUP on devolution.
However the debate was snatched from us as the draft terms of reference have not been completed by OFMDFM for the Committee to peruse and now they will not get their hands on it until the end of the summer recess.
It may however mean that Sinn Féin are kicking up a fight on behalf of the Forum if the draft is behind schedule. Possibly with this in mind, SDLP's Dolores Kelly today asked the committee chair to seek a reason for the delay: "Is the hold-up a lack of agreement or is it more to do with the pressure of workload?"
We'll have to wait at least until September to find out.
The Forum has come in for ridicule from the DUP just this week with Stephen Moutray describing it during OFMDFM Question Time as an “utter waste of time, money and resources."
The SDLP however believe it could flourish given that the Assembly will offer stability over the next four years. Alban Maginness was peterbed by Martin McGuinness' failure, as he sees it, to confirm it did have a future during Question Time and instead focus on the forth-coming review. Alban suspects that the Forum may have been sacrificed by the republicans in seeking a deal with the DUP on devolution.
However the debate was snatched from us as the draft terms of reference have not been completed by OFMDFM for the Committee to peruse and now they will not get their hands on it until the end of the summer recess.
It may however mean that Sinn Féin are kicking up a fight on behalf of the Forum if the draft is behind schedule. Possibly with this in mind, SDLP's Dolores Kelly today asked the committee chair to seek a reason for the delay: "Is the hold-up a lack of agreement or is it more to do with the pressure of workload?"
We'll have to wait at least until September to find out.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Reserve Judgment
Surprisingly there was middle ground to be found in today's debate over pension payments for members of the part-time RUC reserve. And it was the SDLP's Alex Attwood, a former member of the Policing Board, and his party colleague Dolores Kelly, who found it by supporting the motion. Just how middle that middle ground was, or even if it was the right place to be is of course a matter of opinion.
The West Belfast MLA said he supported firstly because he believed that P-T employees deserve equal employment conditions as F-T employees regardless of where they work, but also, and much more contentiously, he said that the reserve suffered disproportionately amongst the security forces during the conflict:
"Over the years of conflict," said Mr Attwood, "the part-time reserve suffered disproportionately to any other section of the old RUC, that when you look at the unfortunate and tragic statistics of the last 40 years, the number of part-time reserve officers who were injured and killed is far in excess of any other section of the security forces. [53 reservists were killed and a further 9 killed after they had retired.]
"The reason for that is simple. They were locally recruited, lived locally, were targeted locally and were killed locally. I think there is something particular about the part-time reserve, that this chamber should acknowledge by supporting the broad thrust of this proposal."
He proceeded to adopt the few bad apples stance saying that none of the above takes away from the fact that the "SDLP has grave reservations" about the "conduct of individuals and elements in the old RUC", and which remain "highly questionable." He then said that the new victims group headed by Denis Bradley and Arch-Bishop Eames should examine the activities of such individuals.
John O'Dowd of Sinn Féin said that on a practical level it would be impossible to assess pension rights since the British governemnt didn't keep the time-sheets. He said that the minimum that the reservist had to serve was two hours per month, and continued that he would be “mighty peeved” if he had been a reservist who had worked 90 hours a week and another who had only served much less got the same pension.
He was also outraged that unionists had argued that the part-time reservists protected all of the community "without fear or favour".
"I don’t know how anyone has the brass neck to come into this debating chamber after yesterday’s announcement [by the PPS] and tell us as a whole that the RUC as a whole was protecting us entirely," he seethed.
"I wonder if the families sitting in the Ormeau Road who lost loved ones in the [Sean Graham] bookmakers, and I wonder if Pat Finucane’s family is watching this? And I wonder if Brian Adam Lambert, the young protestant man who shot to death in Lisburn, if his family are watching this?"
John O'Dowd concluded by quoting an extract from the Stevens Report which concluded there was collusion in the Finucane and Lambert murders and asked, if part-time reservist were involved in these collusions should they receive a pension as well?
UUP's Danny Kennedy said that not only did John O'Dowd misjudge the issue, but he misjudged the tone of the House and had brought forward "his prejudiced views," and concluded, "John O'Dowd should be ashamed of his contribution here."
Not intending a pun Ian Paisley Jnr said that pensions for reservists was a 'reserved matter' and "with all the will in the world" it would remain a reserved matter. However he said that the OFMDFM would make representations to the Secretary of State on the issue.
The West Belfast MLA said he supported firstly because he believed that P-T employees deserve equal employment conditions as F-T employees regardless of where they work, but also, and much more contentiously, he said that the reserve suffered disproportionately amongst the security forces during the conflict:
"Over the years of conflict," said Mr Attwood, "the part-time reserve suffered disproportionately to any other section of the old RUC, that when you look at the unfortunate and tragic statistics of the last 40 years, the number of part-time reserve officers who were injured and killed is far in excess of any other section of the security forces. [53 reservists were killed and a further 9 killed after they had retired.]
"The reason for that is simple. They were locally recruited, lived locally, were targeted locally and were killed locally. I think there is something particular about the part-time reserve, that this chamber should acknowledge by supporting the broad thrust of this proposal."
He proceeded to adopt the few bad apples stance saying that none of the above takes away from the fact that the "SDLP has grave reservations" about the "conduct of individuals and elements in the old RUC", and which remain "highly questionable." He then said that the new victims group headed by Denis Bradley and Arch-Bishop Eames should examine the activities of such individuals.
John O'Dowd of Sinn Féin said that on a practical level it would be impossible to assess pension rights since the British governemnt didn't keep the time-sheets. He said that the minimum that the reservist had to serve was two hours per month, and continued that he would be “mighty peeved” if he had been a reservist who had worked 90 hours a week and another who had only served much less got the same pension.
He was also outraged that unionists had argued that the part-time reservists protected all of the community "without fear or favour".
"I don’t know how anyone has the brass neck to come into this debating chamber after yesterday’s announcement [by the PPS] and tell us as a whole that the RUC as a whole was protecting us entirely," he seethed.
"I wonder if the families sitting in the Ormeau Road who lost loved ones in the [Sean Graham] bookmakers, and I wonder if Pat Finucane’s family is watching this? And I wonder if Brian Adam Lambert, the young protestant man who shot to death in Lisburn, if his family are watching this?"
John O'Dowd concluded by quoting an extract from the Stevens Report which concluded there was collusion in the Finucane and Lambert murders and asked, if part-time reservist were involved in these collusions should they receive a pension as well?
UUP's Danny Kennedy said that not only did John O'Dowd misjudge the issue, but he misjudged the tone of the House and had brought forward "his prejudiced views," and concluded, "John O'Dowd should be ashamed of his contribution here."
Not intending a pun Ian Paisley Jnr said that pensions for reservists was a 'reserved matter' and "with all the will in the world" it would remain a reserved matter. However he said that the OFMDFM would make representations to the Secretary of State on the issue.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Doubting Thomas
Tommy Burns must have doubted if he'd ever get a straight answer at OFMDFM Question Time. The SDLP man had been thwarted a fortnight ago in his bid to score some party political points when he asked Ian Paisley if he agreed with Ian Jnr's disparaging remarks on the role of Junior Ministers.
On that occasion Da Paisley assumed that the question was about his son's remarks on gays and churned out a prepared answer that bore no significance to the question.
Today when Tommy asked Martin McGuinness a question at Question Time Mr McGuinness said:
"The short answer is that I haven't got an answer for your question because I was told before I came in today that you wouldn't be here."
As the laughter among the benches ensued and a bemused Tommy Burns looked around the chamber, waiting for Jeremy Beadle to jump out and tell him that it was all a wind up, the Deputy First Minister continued, "I have been very honest about all of that."
Just then a "quick-witted civil servant" came to Martin McGuinness' and Tommy Burns' rescue and presented him with the answer.
Shrine To Terrorism?
The DUP today looked to one of Ireland's best known living republicans to settle their in-fighting over the proposed multi-sports stadium in the Maze/Long Kesh.
As you doubtless know, Nigel Dodds on Friday threw a spanner in Edwin Pooot's best laid plans over the stadium by saying that the plans are tarnished by the presence of "a shrine to IRA terrorism" nearby.
During question time Jeffrey Donaldson asked Martin McGuinness to give assurances "that there will be no shrine associated with any stadium in Northern Ireland commemorating any cause or seeking to bring the past into the future."
This was interesting as it seems like in his haste to have any hunger-strike commemoration he is also ruling out 'a shrine' to the late great Georgie Best.
Anyway, unionists can now rest at ease as the republican says that there is no plan to build a shrine, but just an international centre for conflict resolution.
Phew, I hear Nigel Dodds and Edwin Poots collectively sigh in relief - that's that problem solved then.
As you doubtless know, Nigel Dodds on Friday threw a spanner in Edwin Pooot's best laid plans over the stadium by saying that the plans are tarnished by the presence of "a shrine to IRA terrorism" nearby.
During question time Jeffrey Donaldson asked Martin McGuinness to give assurances "that there will be no shrine associated with any stadium in Northern Ireland commemorating any cause or seeking to bring the past into the future."
This was interesting as it seems like in his haste to have any hunger-strike commemoration he is also ruling out 'a shrine' to the late great Georgie Best.
Anyway, unionists can now rest at ease as the republican says that there is no plan to build a shrine, but just an international centre for conflict resolution.
Phew, I hear Nigel Dodds and Edwin Poots collectively sigh in relief - that's that problem solved then.
Question Time
It seems like Martin McGuinness can't get away from people in Stormont bringing up his alleged former position as a senior IRA member.
Last week he was confronted by UTV's Insight programme over the whereabouts of Captain Nairac's remains, to which Mr McGuinness said he didn't know anything, but urged anyone who did to come forward.
Now today during his first Question Time as Deputy First Minister, he was asked by Mervyn Storey (DUP) thinking that he had found the question which would shake Stormont to its very foundations, "Which takes priority his ministerial pledge of office or his oath to the army council?"
Clearly grown tired of such questions he calmly replied, "I have many allegiances, my allegiance is to my family, to my religious beliefs, to Ireland, to the party that I represent, and to this Executive."
Just a few years ago this exchange would have resulted in the Sinn Féin MLA being jeered at and shouted down from the unionist benches, but today it was noticeable the episode barely caused a ripple on either side of the House. Maybe its a sign that Martin McGuinness will not have to answer such questions as often in the future.
Last week he was confronted by UTV's Insight programme over the whereabouts of Captain Nairac's remains, to which Mr McGuinness said he didn't know anything, but urged anyone who did to come forward.
Now today during his first Question Time as Deputy First Minister, he was asked by Mervyn Storey (DUP) thinking that he had found the question which would shake Stormont to its very foundations, "Which takes priority his ministerial pledge of office or his oath to the army council?"
Clearly grown tired of such questions he calmly replied, "I have many allegiances, my allegiance is to my family, to my religious beliefs, to Ireland, to the party that I represent, and to this Executive."
Just a few years ago this exchange would have resulted in the Sinn Féin MLA being jeered at and shouted down from the unionist benches, but today it was noticeable the episode barely caused a ripple on either side of the House. Maybe its a sign that Martin McGuinness will not have to answer such questions as often in the future.
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