#Emma Little Pengelly

[thoughtlessarse]

Keir Starmer has said he is committed to the principles of the Good Friday Agreement when considering the possibility of a referendum on Irish unity. His remarks came as Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald repeated her prediction that there would be a border poll by 2030, adding the issue of Irish reunification has “has never been more alive”. The new UK prime minister met with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly this morning at Stormont. Starmer pledged to “hit the ground running” once he became PM, and vowed to visit Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in his first few days in Number 10 Downing Street. He said he was seeking an “immediate reset” of the relationship between the Westminster Government and devolved nations as he announced his UK tour. Sinn Féin emerged from last week’s UK General Election with the hattrick of becoming the Northern Ireland party with the largest representation at Westminster, in addition to already being the largest party in the Stormont Assembly and at local government.

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Well, that's certainly better than successive Tory governments, which appeared to have forgotten the GFA existed. While I don't like Starmer, at least there's an adult at the centre of government again.

[mariacallous]

The government's controversial Legacy Bill has passed after a vote in Westminster, despite widespread opposition in Northern Ireland.

A bid by the House of Lords to amend the bill was voted down by 288 to 205.

The bill ends new Troubles-era cases and inquests and offers conditional amnesty to those accused of killings.

The Irish government is considering legal action against the UK over the bill which the Democratic Unionist Party said was "abhorrent".

The bill will return to the Lords next week before going for royal assent.

It has been widely opposed by victims groups and all of Northern Ireland's political parties.

The government has said the legislation, which applies to all former members of the security forces and ex-paramilitaries, is an attempt to draw a line under the events of the past.

Prosecutions that are currently ongoing will continue to conclusion.

Veterans groups - such as the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement - widely support the bill.

However, some other military veterans have criticised it.

On Tuesday, the Lords backed an amendment to give victims' families a greater say in granting immunity from prosecution to offenders.

But the Conservative majority in the House of Commons rejected that on Wednesday, clearing the path for the legislation to be sent for royal assent.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris told the House of Commons it was incumbent on the government to find a process that "can deliver positive outcomes for as many of those directly affected by the Troubles as possible".

"We must be honest about what we can realistically deliver for people in circumstances where the prospects of achieving justice in the traditional sense are so vanishingly small," he added.

What has the reaction been?

Taoiseach (Irish prime minster) Leo Varadkar said it was "the wrong way to go about dealing with legacy issues in Northern Ireland".

"There aren't many things that all of the five main parties in Northern Ireland agree on but they all agreed this is wrong, and this is not victim-centred and not human-rights proofed," Mr Varadkar told reporters in County Wicklow.

He said the Irish attorney general is preparing advice on whether the case could be taken to the European Court of Human Rights, "essentially saying that this bill, this act is not compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights, of which United Kingdom is a signatory".

'Exceptionally cruel'

DUP assembly member Emma Little-Pengelly said the "abhorrent" passage of the bill represents a "dark day for innocent victims of the Troubles".

Ms Little-Pengelly said the bill "plays into the hands of those who want to airbrush the past".

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he was "angry and ashamed" at the outcome of the vote and called on the Irish government to intervene.

"The British Government doesn't care about the rights of victims but the international human rights standards that we all enjoy must be defended," he said.

Speaking before the debate, Sinn Féin MP John Finucane described the bill as devastating for families, adding it would unilaterally close the door on them getting truth and justice.

Mr Finucane's father, solicitor Pat Finucane, was shot dead by loyalist gunmen at his home in Belfast in 1989.

"When we had the New Decade, New Approach political agreement, the British government made a promise, a commitment, in that agreement that they would legislate for Stormont House within 100 days," he said.

"One hundred days later, they made a very public and dramatic U-turn without any consultation.

"The British government have refused to listen and refused to act, and instead they plough ahead with a piece of legislation which is exceptionally cruel."

People Before Profit assembly member Gerry Carroll said communities "must rally in opposition" to the bill.

"Truth and justice are rights that have never truly been afforded to victims here," he said. "Campaigners have vowed not to give up in their pursuit of justice and will not stop opposing this rotten legislation."

How do victims' families feel?

Grainne Teggart, of Amnesty International UK, said it was a "dark day for justice" and that the law only absolves "those responsible for conflict-related abuses - and, shamefully, all under the guise of reconciliation".

Victims' rights campaigner Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond Jnr was murdered by loyalists in 1997, said the UK government had shown no compassion for victims.

"My next step is taking the government to court, [they] simply don't care about truth and justice," he said.

Kenny Donaldson, from victims' organisation South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF), said the government had "effectively relinquished their responsibilities in overseeing justice".

"It is regrettable that they were not willing to accept the very reasonable amendment which came from the House of Lords yesterday which would have ensured that victims and survivors could feel somewhat empowered."

'A terrible injustice'

The family of a man who was shot and killed by a soldier in Londonderry on 15 September 1971 earlier labelled the legacy bill "a disgrace".

William McGreanery was shot in the Bogside area of Derry by a member of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

His nephew, Billy McGreanery, who was just 13 when his uncle was killed, said he feared the bill could rob many families of justice.

Their own family's case is currently with the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

"I think a terrible injustice has been done to every family in this country," Mr McGreanery told BBC Radio Foyle.

"On the worldwide stage it's a disgrace that they are treating people this way and if this was any other part of the UK, I don't think they would get away with this."

The topic of dealing with the past has been a contentious political issue for a long time in Northern Ireland.

More than 1,000 killings from the Troubles have never been solved.

It has been brought into the main news headlines in recent years as a soldier has been in court charged with murdering two people in 1972.

The man, known only as Soldier F, is accused of killing the men during what became known as Bloody Sunday, when the Army's Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights march in Derry.

[madamspeaker]

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emeriti of the House of Representatives, has a famously packed schedule. By midday she’s already been on the House Floor, speaking in support of the bill to force TikTok’s Chinese owners to divest its US assets. Before that, a sizeable portion of her morning was consumed by meetings with House and Senate’s 97 military veterans – part of her battle to get Biden’s stalled funding package for Ukraine back on track. Then there’s an interview with veteran NBC host Andrea Mitchell, where she reinforces the case for providing aid to Ukraine alongside retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman.

Joining with the Ukrainian-born Purple Heart recipient and former national security council director for European Affairs to make the case is vintage Pelosi, who knows how to exploit political pressure points.

But at exactly one minute before the designated time slot for an interview with the Business Post, she strides down the corridor of the Longworth Building towards her corner office; a diminutive force of nature dressed in a fire-red pantsuit and stiletto heels.

She’s a strikingly attractive woman, with enormous dark eyes and an incandescent smile that belies the steely resolve that propelled her to the pinnacle of American politics, smashing glass en route.

Somewhere between her journey back from the House floor and our interview, she has exchanged the interlinked US and Ukraine flags that were pinned to her lapel with a one-inch square Irish flag.

As we enter her private office, she notices the spring blossoms that Washington DC is famous for at this time of year outside her window. “Look at that,” she beams, “they weren’t there yesterday.”

A consummate host, she invites me to sit where I can enjoy the view of the blossoms and the Capitol behind them.

Israel

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to allow a vote on the foreign aid package is deeply frustrating for Pelosi who knows the votes are there, on both sides of the aisle.

“How can this be the party of Ronald Reagan – ‘Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall’ - and they’re at a place that’s so far and so distant from that. It’s shocking,” she said.

“I'm rarely surprised at anything around here, but it is shocking to hear them speak in a pro-Putin way and that’s just a reflection of Donald Trump, there’s no question about that.”

Still, she is optimistic about passing the aid package: “There are other routes. They may take longer but we’ll get there.”

Her tenacity and willingness to apply pressure when persuasion fails has stood Ireland in good stead.

In particular, when it seemed as though it could unravel following the post-Brexit manoeuvrings towards a hard border – and the volatility introduced by Trump’s pro-Brexit stance.

“The strong bipartisan support in the House and the Senate for the Good Friday Accords enabled me to go to England and say to the parliamentarians there in different meetings; Don’t even listen to Trump when he says ‘if you get a bad deal in Brexit you’ll have a bilateral with the US.’,” she said.

“We told them ‘Forget that. It ain’t going to happen. You mess with the Good Friday Accords and the border issues and you ain’t got nothing,” Pelosi said, delivering the last line with relish.

Pelosi has been a stalwart supporter of Ireland since before the Good Friday Agreement, a tireless champion of its economic as well as its political interests.

Her affinity for Ireland is bolstered by family connections; her daughter Jacqueline’s husband Michael Kenneally. Their three children, Pelosi’s grandsons, were baptised in the church near the paternal family home in Kilquade, Co Wicklow.

Witnessing the joint address and standing ovation for First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at the Ireland Funds Gala on Wednesday night provided her with another yardstick by which Northern Ireland’s transformation can be measured.

During their US visit, Northern Ireland’s new leaders urged the US to bring the same approach to pursuing a ceasefire in the Middle East as it did in Northern Ireland.

Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza is a vexed topic for Pelosi and she bristles at suggestions that Biden isn’t doing enough to help Palestinians – or that he needs to put more distance between himself and Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Well, I don’t think we ever gave our proxy to Netanyahu. I’ve had a problem with him for decades,” she said. “But our support for Israel as our ally in the region is strong. What happened on October 7 was barbaric. There has to be recognition that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. And if you had family members who were kidnapped or killed that day, you’d want some justice to be done. How that justice is done though, when it comes at the expense of civilian women and children, has to be calibrated in a different way.”

Pelosi continues: “I just really have a problem with everyone putting this at Joe Biden’s doorstep. This is at the doorstep of Netanyahu. This is at the doorstep of many of the Arab countries who never came to the aid of the Palestinians before.”

Trump

Meanwhile, there’s the overarching challenge of defeating Trump in November in what she agrees is the most consequential election in US history.

She runs through a long litany of Trump transgressions, concluding with a reference to former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly claim last week that Trump told him Hitler “had done some good things”.

“This is a very strange person,” she concludes. “I say he's having a limbo contest with himself to see how low he can go.”

Asked whether she fears for the future of US democracy she replies; “No, I don’t because we just have to win the election. We don’t agonise. We organise. We’ll just go out there and get the job done.”

Few powerful women – except maybe Hillary Clinton – have enraged the cultural warriors of the right like Pelosi. Her effectiveness as a legislator and her fearlessness as a political leader prompted Steve Bannon to label her ‘a total assassin’.

The bitter partisanship that roiled America has impacted the lives and careers many politicians on both sides of the aisle. But Pelosi has paid a higher price than most. “Nancy, where are you, Nancy?”, the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6 called as they roamed the Capitol corridors, vandalising and smashing as they went and ransacking Pelosi’s office.

Later that evening, Pelosi, unbowed by the violence, insisted that Congress reconvene and finish their constitutionally mandated role of certifying the results of the 2020 election.

For Pelosi, the events of January 6 cast a longer and more menacing shadow. In the early hours of October 28, David DePape broke into Pelosi’s San Francisco home where 82-year-old husband, Paul, was sleeping. “Where’s Nancy?” DePape demanded, in a chilling reprise of the January 6 chant, before attacking her husband with a hammer, fracturing his skull and inflicting multiple injuries to his arms and hands.

Last November, DePape was convicted by a federal jury of assaulting a family member of a federal official and of the attempted kidnapping of a federal official, charges that carry maximum sentences of 30 and 20 years in prison respectively.

The attack was devastating for Pelosi. “They weren’t after my husband; they were after me. So I have a guilt to carry for that. But it happened in our home, in our home,” she said, her voice wavering. “It’s hard when you have to go by the entrance place where the man came in, and into our bedroom.” Her husband, who she says is about 80 per cent recovered, is still dealing with the physical trauma.

Strangely she said they’ve never discussed the attack.

“We don’t talk about it. He and I have never had a conversation about what happened that night. I heard what he testified in court. That was required so I learned a little more then. But the doctors have said to him ‘don’t revisit it. Don’t watch it on TV. It only reinforces the trauma.’”

Despite the divisiveness that has roiled the country, she believes the majority of Trump supporters are ‘good people.’ “Insecurity about a role economically in the future for themselves and their children is what I think drives them,” she said.

Although she turns 84 next week, she shows no signs of slowing down. “I only intended to stay for ten years,” she marvels when I point out that she’ll have served four decades in Congress when she completes her next term.

The press obsession with age is selective, she notes wryly.

Pelosi was the chief antagonist in Trump’s presidency. “She’s going to get us,” Steve Bannon, then Trump’s chief strategist, warned following their first meeting.

Over the next four years, Trump wheeled in the television cameras to relay the battles that followed, confident he could humiliate and subjugate the Democratic leader.

But Pelosi proved far too nimble an opponent for his blunderbuss approach. And she seemed to relish cutting through his bluster and calling his bluff.

“To be very honest with you, he really didn’t know what he was talking about most of the time,” she said.

She cites Biden’s recent State of the Union address as an example of a president who “had command of the issues, who spoke of the legislation pending, of what he did but more importantly what he was going to do.”

“Donald Trump could never make a speech like that and that’s why he reduced his spewing forth to culturally hateful rather than professionally constructive issues,” she said.

Trump quickly discovered its limits when dealing with Pelosi. She refused to be cowed and there were plenty of mischief-tinged moments; including her exaggerated applause during a State of the Union and a reference to Trump as being morbidly obese.

Given the former president’s famously thin skin, was this a deliberate attempt to tweak him?

“Well no,” she said, wide-eyed. “I think I was just stating a fact.” Her expression gives her away before a chuckle escapes.

“About Joe Biden I would say this; he has the wisdom and knowledge – not just of issues but what has worked and what doesn’t work. Judgement that comes with experience and that’s so important,” she said.

“I can tell you this from personal experience in politics that as time goes by, you’re less judgmental. You’re much more. I don’t want to say respectful because you always have to be respectful, but you roll and you don’t get yourself bogged down. And I think because what’s his name – that other Bozo – because he doesn’t have any experience in politics, he just gets meaner.

“But this is a very sick person who needs an intervention from his family or from his advisers. Whatever is in it for them, greed for power, greed for money, I don’t know. But they should have intervened for the good of their family for the good of the creature and for the good of their country.”

Music lover

Pelosi’s long association with Ireland has brought her an unlikely dividend. A perennial access all areas pass to U2 concerts.

“I’ve attended more U2 concerts than any other politician. I’m certain of it,” she said, including in Las Vegas at the Sphere recently.

She picks up her phone and starts scrolling through it.

“There he is. Oh listen to this, listen to this.”

She beckons me in close and plays a clip where Bono, paying tribute to America concludes by saying; ‘I want to thank you Nancy Pelosi.’ From her phone you can hear excitement erupt amongst the family members who accompanied her.

An enormous smile lights up Pelosi’s face.

[xnewsinfo]

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (2nd R) and Northern Eire Secretary of State Hilary Benn (R) meet with Northern Eire First Minister Michelle O'Neill (2nd L) and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly (L) at Stormont Fort in Belfast on July 8, 2024. Starmer made his first go to as UK PM to Northern Eire amid excessive hopes that relations will enhance after years of turmoil over Brexit. | Picture credit score: AFP New Prime Minister Keir Starmer concluded a whirlwind tour of the UK on July 8, promising Northern Eire leaders "a distinct means of doing politics" after years of Brexit turmoil.Mr Starmer, whose centre-left Labour Social gathering received final week's normal election, ended the two-day tour in Cardiff, the place he met allies of the social gathering who run Wales' devolved authorities, after additionally visiting Scotland and Northern Eire.In Belfast, he met with the leaders of the UK province's power-sharing government and different events at Stormont parliament buildings."I have been very clear that my authorities has a mandate to ship change, stability right here in Northern Eire and a distinct means of doing politics," Starmer stated after the talks. He met with First Minister Michelle O'Neill of the pro-Irish unity social gathering Sinn Fein, social gathering president Mary Lou McDonald, and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Social gathering (DUP).Northern Eire's events appeared united in hoping Starmer can enhance stability and engagement, in addition to relations with Dublin, after strained relations beneath his Conservative predecessors.Ms McDonald informed reporters the talks had been "very constructive" and expressed her "happiness" that "the social gathering of the Good Friday Settlement, the Labour Social gathering, is now again in authorities in London".'The basics haven't modified'The Sinn Fein chief stated she reminded Starmer that "referendums, the anticipation of referendums and planning for our future collectively" have been on the "very core" of the historic peace deal, brokered by Tony Blair's Labour authorities in 1998."We would like this British authorities to be on the centre of honouring that settlement, of honouring that settlement, in all its elements," he added.Sinn Fein retained all seven of its seats in Thursday's election to grow to be Northern Eire's largest social gathering within the UK Parliament in London. It outperformed its fundamental rival, the DUP, which misplaced three of its eight seats, two of them to rival unionist events.Analysts consider the consequence will enable Sinn Fein, which doesn't sit within the Home of Commons as a result of it opposes British sovereignty in Northern Eire, to keep up its push in direction of an eventual referendum, or "border ballot", on Irish unity.The social gathering, the previous political wing of the paramilitary IRA in the course of the Troubles (the three-decade sectarian battle over British rule in Northern Eire), can be the biggest at council degree and within the devolved Northern Eire Meeting.However James Pow, professor of politics at Queen's College Belfast, stated: AFP "The basics haven't modified," he stated, pointing to a just about equal share of votes in elections between nationalist and unionist events. 'Likelihood'Mr Starmer and his newly appointed Northern Eire Secretary Hilary Benn "won't really feel obliged to place a border election on the agenda; at most they'll really feel pressured to stipulate the procedural standards for an election to happen".Professional-UK unionists have traditionally allied themselves with the UK's Conservative Social gathering and been cautious of the Labour Social gathering, however few are shedding tears over the Conservatives' defeat after 14 turbulent years in energy. "He has the chance to make vital adjustments and transfer ahead positively," stated DUP chief Gavin Robinson after his social gathering had a "productive dialogue" with Starmer.Some unionists see the post-Brexit commerce guidelines agreed by the DUP as making a de facto "maritime border" between the British mainland and the province, undermining its place inside the wider UK.Unionists "hope that Mr Starmer can prioritise nearer alignment with the EU, which in flip may mitigate the influence of the maritime border, if not remove it," Pow stated.In the meantime, Labour's manifesto pledged to scrap a controversial "Legacy Act" that prompted Dublin to sue London on the European Courtroom of Human Rights.The legislation, which got here into pressure in Could, halted investigations into Troubles-era crimes, together with many allegedly involving British safety forces, and granted conditional immunity to perpetrators. "There isn't any room for manoeuvre on that, Labour has to scrap it," stated Jon Tonge, a professor of politics on the College of Liverpool. AFP.

[novumtimes]

Additional funding for Department of Health

11 minutes ago By John Campbell, BBC News NI economics and business editor PA Media First Minister Michelle O’Neill held a joint press conference with Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald and Emma-Little Pengelly The Department of Health is to get an extra £122m as part of a Stormont mini- budget. More than £300m of mostly new money from Westminster has been allocated to Stormont departments –…

[cauli-flawa]

This article is somewhat outdated. It was published April 5, 2024

It's from BBC, published by Merlyn Thomas and Jake Horton. Additional reporting is brought by Rob England, Maryam Ahmed, Jamie Ryan and Emma Pengelly.

On Hamas' casualties:

Prior to October 7, IDF commanders reported that 30,000 Hamas fighters were in Gaza

The IDF has killed a total of 13,000 Hamas soldiers since the start of the war, but have not explained how those numbers were found.

In January, Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an explosion in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. On March 26, the IDF killed deputy commander Marwan Issa.

The IDF leaks the names of people claimed to be senior Hamas leaders they killed. However the list ontained some duplicated names and even the names of civilians.

On that list was the freelance journalist Mustafa Thuraya, killed when an Israeli missile hit his car. Thuruya was travelling with two other journalists - Hamza al-Dadouh and Hazem Rajab. Rajab survived with severe injuries.

"'The IDF hasn't been able to get to the top brass of the Hamas leadership,' says Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israeli-Palestinian affairs at the International Crisis Group. 'Both on a symbolic level of getting to the main leaders, and also on the level of replacing Hamas as the holder of the territory, that's something that it hasn't been able to achieve,' Ms Zonszein says."

On the hostages:

Hamas took 253 people hostage on October 7. 109 were released for exchange deals and 3 were rescued by Israel. The age range of the remaining hostages ranged from 18-85.

The youngest hostages, Ariel (4 years) and Kfir (9 months) were reported dead.

Israel estimated at least 34 of the remaining 129 hostages were dead. They recovered 12 of the bodies, among them were the 3 hostages that the IDF killed in one of their operations.

Hamas claimed that the death toll was much higher due to Israeli airstrikes. This claim has not be verified.

On the tunnels:

Hamas claimed their tunnel network is 500 km (311 miles) long. This claim has not been verified.

When asked about the amount and proportion of tunnels destroyed, Israel replied that they "destroyed a great deal of the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza".

In November, the IDF released video footage of a tunnel network beneath the al-Shifa hospital, claimed to be a command center.

Of all the IDF's SMS messages from October 7 to March 26, 198 mentioned discovering a tunnel network and 141 reported destroying it.

36 of the messages mentioned striking a total of 400 tunnel shafts (places where the tunnel meets open ground). Destroying a shaft does little to the tunnel network itself.

The scale and extent of the missions could not be reported because the IDF did not detail the locations or specifics of the networks.

Daphne Richemond-Barak said, "given the scale and depth of Hamas's tunnel network, it is impossible to fully eliminate all of its underground military structure."

Over 1.7 million Gazans have been displaced, and more than 33,000 have been killed. 56% of Gaza's infrastructure has been reduced to rubble.

Israel warned Gazans to evacuate further and further south, where they continued to bomb them in the "safe zones."

[hardynwa]

Biden, Sunak, world leaders sympathise with King Charles

Well-wishers prayed quick recovery for King Charles III on Monday following the king’s cancer diagnosis. The king was diagnosed with a form of cancer and had begun treatment, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday, just a week after he was discharged from hospital for prostate surgery. The palace also stated that doctors had advised the king to postpone public-facing duties but would undertake official paperwork. “His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual,” the statement shared by The Royal Family on X said. It added that the king “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.” The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, wrote on X, “Wishing His Majesty a full and speedy recovery.” “I have no doubt he’ll be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will be wishing him well,” he added. AFP also reports that United States President Joe Biden said he was “concerned” about the king, telling the press that he had only “just heard” about the British monarch’s cancer diagnosis. Former president Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee in the November US elections, also wrote on his Truth Social network that the king was “a wonderful man” and that “we all pray that he has a fast and full recovery!” Former UK leaders Boris Johnson and Liz Truss also sent wished the king and his family well. “The whole country will be rooting for the King today,” Boris said on X. Truss wrote on X she was “sending every best wish to His Majesty The King and the Royal Family as he undergoes his treatment for cancer. He will be in our thoughts and prayers. God Save The King!” The First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, said on X his thoughts were with “Her Majesty The Queen and other members of the Royal Family at what I know will be a worrying time for them all”. Former US President Donald Trump described the King as a “wonderful man”. Writing on social media, Trump said, “He is a wonderful man, who I got to know well during my presidency, and we all pray that he has a fast and full recovery! Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly says she will be praying for the King. “I would like to wish His Majesty, King Charles all the very best for his treatment,” she said, according to BBC. “I, like many people throughout Northern Ireland, will keep him and his family in my prayers,” she added. The chief executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, was among a number of health heads wishing King Charles well. “Finding out you have cancer can be very daunting – we hope King Charles’ treatment goes well,” she posted to social media, adding a public reminder to get checked if symptoms appear. The palace noted the king chose to share his diagnosis “to prevent speculation” and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer. King Charles left a private London hospital last week three days after undergoing a procedure for an enlarged prostate. The 75-year-old monarch, dressed in a suit and a black overcoat, waved to crowds as he and Queen Camilla emerged from the clinic and climbed into a waiting car. Buckingham Palace said Charles, who spent three nights at the hospital, had rescheduled his forthcoming engagements while he recuperated. Charles became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022. Read the full article

[swldx]

RNZ Pacific 1328 4 Feb 2024

7390Khz 1259 4 FEB 2024 - RNZ PACIFIC (NEW ZEALAND) in ENGLISH from RANGITAIKI. SINPO = 55344. English, s/on w/bellbird int. until pips and news @1300z anchored by Catriona MacLeod . The opposition has been told not to lick its wounds for too long, so it can join the fight against the new government's policies affecting Māori. The Labour Party and the Green Party were welcomed onto Te Whare Rūnanga on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on Saturday afternoon. The new government has committed to supporting legislation to redefine the principles of the Treaty up to the Select Committee stage, on top of repealing Te Aka Whai Ora (The Māori Health Authority) and Oranga Tamariki law allowing iwi and hapū involvement in the uplift of children. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has repeatedly stated National has no intentions of supporting the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading but stopped short of categorically ruling it out. Wellington City Council staff will look at what may fix broken storm water pipes leaking leachate from a closed landfill into Houghton Bay. Wellington Water has assessed the pipes via CCTV and recommended relining the stormwater network to address the contamination issue, which would cost $7 million. Two helicopters equipped with monsoon buckets are on their way to a large scrub fire near Doubtless Bay in the Far North. The blaze, in 1.5 hectares of pines and dense scrub at Taemaro Bay, was reported just before 11am. Northern fire communications manager Michael Anderson said two fire trucks from Mangōnui were at the scene with more on the way from the Karikari rural brigade. The Cancer Society says it is great to see the new government invest in cancer drugs, but it also needs to ensure the drug-buying agency acts more quickly to save lives. Sunday marks World Cancer Day. Cancer Society chief executive Rachael Hart said National's promise to pay for 13 cancer treatments should make a difference, but Pharmac's processes also need to be overhauled. Queenslanders are being warned of another wave of wild weather as a tropical low off the coast threatens to form into a cyclone. The system isn't expected to make landfall but could still wreak havoc on communities recovering from ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily. Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill has made history after she was appointed Northern Ireland's first nationalist first minister. The DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly has been appointed deputy first minister. The return of power-sharing follows the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ending its boycott over post-Brexit trade rules. O'Neill told the assembly chamber it was "a historic day" which represented "a new dawn". Northern Ireland's devolved government was restored on Saturday - two years to the day since it collapsed. @1303z trailer for RNZ "Morning Report". @1304z Weather Forecast: Mostly Fine and warm, some areas rain with some heavy falls. @1305z "All Night Programme" anchored by Catriona MacLeod. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 100kW, beamAz 35°, bearing 240°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 12912KM from transmitter at Rangitaiki. Local time: 0659.

[speedyposts]

Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill appointed Northern Ireland’s first minister

Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill has been formally appointed Northern Ireland’s first minister by the regional parliament, the first time an Irish nationalist is leading the United Kingdom territory’s devolved government.

O’Neill’s appointment, confirmed by the speaker, on Saturday came after the rival Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the biggest pro-UK party, ended a two-year boycott of the region’s power-sharing government after striking a deal with the UK government to ease trade frictions.

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“This is an historic day and it does represent a new dawn,” she told fellow legislators after her selection.

This is a day of historic change.

I am determined to deliver for everyone as a First Minister for all. pic.twitter.com/VmqCYbROuT

— Michelle O’Neill (@moneillsf) February 3, 2024

O’Neill’s ascent to the role is the latest sign of the increasing popularity across the island of her Sinn Fein party that now believes its ultimate dream of a united Ireland may be “within touching distance”.

The 47-year-old leader was nominated as the first minister in the government that, under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday peace accord, shares power between Northern Ireland’s two main communities – British unionists who want to stay in the UK, and Irish nationalists who seek to unite with Ireland.

Northern Ireland was established as a unionist, Protestant-majority part of the UK in 1921, following independence for the Republic of Ireland.

“The days of second-class citizenship are long gone. Today confirms that they are never coming back,” O’Neill said.

“As an Irish republican, I pledge cooperation and genuine honest effort with those colleagues who are British, of a unionist tradition, and who cherish the Union. This is an assembly for all – Catholic, Protestant and dissenter.”

Neither side can govern without agreement from the other. Government business ground to a half over the past two years after the DUP walked out to protest trade issues related to Brexit.

O’Neill will share power with Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP, who has been named the new deputy first minister. The two will be equals, but O’Neill, whose party captured more seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly in the 2022 elections, will hold the more prestigious title.

Former DUP leader Edwin Poots was elected as speaker of the chamber.

O’Neill was elected to the Stormont Assembly in 2007 and comes from a family of Irish republicans.

Her party, Sinn Fein, was affiliated with the armed group, Irish Republican Army, during the so-called “Troubles”, a period of about 30 years of violent conflict over the future of Northern Ireland which ended with the Good Friday Agreement.

Former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, who helped broker the historic peace agreement, was in the gallery at the assembly to see O’Neill’s nomination.

The return to government came exactly two years after a DUP boycott over a dispute about trade restrictions for goods coming into Northern Ireland from the UK. Northern Ireland’s 1.9 million people were left without a functioning administration as the cost of living soared and public services were strained.

An open border between the north and the republic was a key pillar of the peace process that ended the Troubles, so checks were imposed instead between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

An agreement a year ago between the UK and the EU, known as the Windsor Framework, eased customs checks and other hurdles but did not go far enough for the DUP, which continued its boycott.

The UK government this week agreed to new changes that would eliminate routine checks and paperwork for most goods entering Northern Ireland, although some checks for illegal goods or disease prevention will remain in place.

The new changes included legislation “affirming Northern Ireland’s constitutional status” as part of the UK and gives local politicians “democratic oversight” of any future EU laws that might apply to Northern Ireland.

The UK government also agreed to give Northern Ireland more than 3 billion pounds ($3.8bn) for its battered public services once the Belfast government is back up and running.

“I believe that my party has delivered what many said we couldn’t,” DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said outside the assembly chamber in Stormont.

“We have brought about change that many said was not possible, and I believe that today is a good day for Northern Ireland, a day when once again our place in the United Kingdom and its internal market is respected and protected in our law and restored for all our people to enjoy the benefits of our membership of the union.”

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[seachranaidhe]

Son of leading UVF Chief has all charges against him dismissed in paramilitary show-of-strength at Pitt Park.

http://seachranaidhe-irishandproud.blogspot.com/2022/08/son-of-leading-uvf-chief-has-all.html

[snbc]

Emma Little Pengelly co-opted to replace Donaldson on Assembly benches

Emma Little Pengelly co-opted to replace Donaldson on Assembly benches

Former DUP MP Emma Little Pengelly has been co-opted to replace her leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson on the Stormont benches. Sir Jeffrey won the seat in Lagan Valley – the constituency he represents at Westminster – just days ago after contesting the Assembly election. However, he revealed earlier this week that he intends to remain at Westminster as an MP until issues with the Northern Ireland…

[votingforturkeysatchristmas]

Constituency Preview: South Antrim

If there is anywhere the Ulster Unionist Party can defeat a DUP incumbent in a straight fight, it’s South Antrim. It’s always close between the 2 main unionist parties there, and the people of South Antrim are about as likely to stick by an MP as Chelsea are to stick by their manager. In this century the area has been represented in Parliament by Clifford Forsythe, then Willie McCrea, then David Burnside, then McCrea again, then Danny Kinahan, and now by Paul Girvan. I guess that makes Willie McCrea the Jose Mourinho of this analogy, which isn’t a comparison I’ve heard made to often.

The largest majority any of those names managed to rack up was the margin of a little under 3,500 managed by McCrea in 2005. Last time out Paul Girvan defeated Danny Kinahan by 3208 votes. So is there reason to believe that the people of South Antrim have had yet another collective attack of buyer’s remorse?

The X factor, as ever in this election, is Brexit. At the 2016 referendum South Antrim voted to leave, but by a margin of less than 1%. Girvan is the only Leave candidate standing, but in this overwhelmingly unionist area questions remain. How many Leave Unionists have changed their mind, and how many blame the DUP, for recommending what they now consider a strategic blunder for unionism?

The first cause for Ulster Unionist hope is that Paul Girvan hasn’t established much of a profile as a member of parliament. As the focus of politics has moved from Stormont to Westminster, it’s been conspicuous that Girvan hasn’t been one of the faces of the DUP. Others like Sammy Wilson, Emma Little-Pengelly and Jeffrey Donaldson have been on television and radio speaking about Brexit and the other issues. Paul Girvan hasn’t.

The difference in vote share for the parties between assembly and Westminster elections suggest there has been a fair amount of tactical voting going on in South Antrim, with both Alliance and SDLP supporters lending their vote to Kinahan. The 2017 assembly election figures are that 20.7% of people voted UUP, while 42% of people voted for a non-unionist candidate of some description. Yet in the 2017 General Election, Danny Kinahan received 30.8% of the vote, while non-unionists polled 31%.

A potential difficulty is the Alliance surge. That surge has largely been the result of people who previously might have been expected to vote UUP moving to Alliance. But the Ulster Unionist vote has held up better here than in other areas. Antrim and Newtownabbey Council has very similar boundaries to the South Antrim constituency, and in this year’s council election the vote share was DUP 33.5%, UUP 20.3%, Alliance 18.7%, Sinn Féin 13.1% and SDLP 7.8%.

To stand a chance of winning Kinahan needs to hold on to traditional UUP supporters, draw as many tactical votes as he has previously, and find a few more from somewhere. But should the electorate be provided with evidence between now and polling day that Alliance stand the best chance of defeating the DUP, the tactical vote he relies upon could plummet. Much here could depend on the Lucidtalk poll results but my inclination is it will be Kinahan who gets closest. He is on the most liberal wing of the UUP and unlike some of his UUP colleagues is convincing as a Remain supporter.

Among the other candidates John Blair of Alliance would be Northern Ireland��s first openly gay MP in the unlikely event that he were to be elected. Declan Kearney and Roisin Lynch will represent Sinn Féin and the SDLP respectively. Kearney is a sitting MLA for the area, while Lynch aspires to be. However it seems unlikely that the current mix of 2 x DUP, and 1 each for SF, UUP & Alliance would change should an assembly election be held in the near future.

Prediction: DUP HOLD

Current Odds: DUP 4/6, UUP 7/4, Alliance 4/1, Sinn Fein 100/1, SDLP 100/1

[novumtimes]

Covid Inquiry: Jibes at other ministers among DUP WhatsApps

More than 60 pages of WhatsApp messages between Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ministers have been published by the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. The messages give an insight into the thoughts of some of the party’s most senior figures as the pandemic spread. In often candid exchanges, messages include jibes at ministers from other parties in Stormont’s executive. The WhatsApp group chat covers the period between January and November 2020. On 17 January, six days after the executive was restored following a three-year-hiatus, a person whose name has been redacted by the inquiry wrote: “SF [Sinn Féin] doesn’t seem to have matured at all!” Emma Little-Pengelly, who was then a DUP special adviser and is now deputy first minister, replied with apparent sarcasm. “Well, why not – let English taxpayers subsidise our free prescriptions, lower rates, no water charges, lower tuition fees and free prescriptions.. but hey, how dare you guys starve us of funding #Perfidious Albion,” she wrote. Source link via The Novum Times

[morganbelarus]

PM urges NI parties to ‘seal power-sharing deal’

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionBoris Johnson: “I am committed to Good Friday Agreement”

Boris Johnson has urged political parties in Northern Ireland to step up their efforts to restore devolved government, during talks in Belfast.

The PM held a series of meetings with the five main Stormont parties, in which Brexit was also discussed.

NI has been without a government since January 2017, when the power-sharing DUP/Sinn Féin coalition collapsed.

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson held a private meeting with senior DUP figures, whose support he relies on in Parliament.

What is direct rule?

Q&A: The Irish border Brexit backstop

Q&A: What is happening at Stormont?

Who’s calling the shots on NI policy?

The prime minister left Northern Ireland on Wednesday afternoon and a Downing Street spokesperson said Mr Johnson told the parties while there had been constructive progress in the talks at Stormont, “there now needed to be serious and intense engagement to get this done”.

The spokesperson added that Mr Johnson had told the parties the UK would be leaving the EU on 31 October “come what may” and his intention was to do so with a deal.

In all scenarios, the government was committed to the Good Friday Agreement and in no circumstances would there be physical checks or infrastructure on the border, they said.

Border poll

Following her meetings with Mr Johnson, DUP leader Arlene Foster said “talk of a border poll” was not something Boris Johnson was “entertaining”.

She met the prime minister along with DUP MPs Nigel Dodds, Emma Little-Pengelly and Gavin Robinson.

Sinn Féin said if a no-deal Brexit happens, the government must call a referendum on Irish unity “immediately”.

But Mrs Foster said the Conservative government would “never be neutral on the union”.

She said discussions regarding the confidence and supply pact the two parties share was for “another day” but defended the £1bn in spending for NI the DUP had secured in the past.

Image copyright NIO

Image caption NI Secretary Julian Smith with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he arrived at Stormont

The issue over what will happen at the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit – and the proposed Irish backstop – has caused deep divisions between the parties at Stormont.

The backstop is the insurance policy negotiated as part of the UK-EU withdrawal agreement, which aims to keep the border as seamless as it is now and avoid land border checks.

But Mr Johnson has referred to it as a “monstrosity”.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionConfused by Brexit jargon? Reality Check unpacks the basics.

‘DUP’s gopher’

Mr Johnson met Sinn Féin first on Wednesday before talks with the smaller parties and further discussions with the DUP.

After the meeting, Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said she told the prime minister he must not be “the DUP’s gopher”.

Image caption Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald gave a press conference after her meeting with the prime minister

Ms McDonald said she did not believe the PM’s claim he would act with “total impartiality” towards all parties in NI.

“It’s not our business who dines with whom, but the politics of this is the DUP have used this to ensure… the continuing denial of rights and trample on the views of the majority of people who live here,” added Mrs McDonald.

As the talks were taking place, a number of protestors gathered outside, including a group of Harland and Wolff shipyard workers who are lobbying the government to renationalise their workplace.

The Belfast firm’s Norwegian parent company Dolphin Drilling is having serious financial problems and put Harland and Wolff up for sale late last year.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionHarland and Wolff workers in bi-lingual Stormont protest

They were joined at Stormont by Irish language campaigners, anti-Brexit protestors and the families of those killed in Ballymurphy in 1971 with others calling for government action on legacy issues.

Stormont talks

Northern Ireland has not been ruled directly from Westminster for more than a decade, but it has been without a government since 2017.

Several attempts to kick-start devolution have already failed.

The DUP is due to renew the confidence-and-supply agreement on which Mr Johnson’s Conservative Party depends for a working majority in the House of Commons.

Image copyright Pacemaker

Image caption Boris Johnson attended the DUP party conference in Belfast in 2018

The NI secretary met with the leaders of the five main parties on Wednesday afternoon and has asked the five independent working groups to hold further meetings and report back to him in the coming days.

He said he would then discuss further steps with the Irish government.

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Related Topics

Boris Johnson

New UK prime minister

Sinn Féin

Ireland–UK border

Belfast

DUP (Democratic Unionist Party)

Brexit

Original Article : HERE ;

PM urges NI parties to ‘seal power-sharing deal’ was originally posted by MetNews

[newbeltane]

Tweeted

In South Belfast, more people have signed this petition than voted for the DUP MP, Emma Little-Pengelly. Not more than her majority, more than the actual number of people who voted for her.https://t.co/Uj1gyRQJDX

— Matthew O'Toole (@MatthewOToole2) March 24, 2019