About Face for Facebook over Lennon Page

Neil Lennon in the green of Northern Ireland

For the nine years I was over in Scotland I supported Livingston Football Club. In that time I of course got to see many of the Northern Irish players both senior and junior plying their trade. Of course one of the ones I saw in the SPL days and in several cup ties was Neil Lennon.

Now I admit there is a certain level of animosity towards Neil from all sorts of Scottish fans, must of that is non-sectarian. If you ever saw him being interviewed on TV post game there is a certain arrogance from him (or from a number of other Old Firm players) that grates with the fans of the other 38 Scottish League's clubs fans as well as the other half of the Old Firm. However, one thing I never joined in with was the chanting against Lennon, after all on a really cold day I may well have as an extra under layer have been wearing one of my Northern Ireland tops to remind me of the team we both shared. Yeah the old club v country thing comes up in the stands, sometimes I couldn't get into the really personal chants against by fellow Norn Irish (seeing as I was one of the chant initiators for my section that says something).

So of course the bullets being sent to Neil have once against sent shivers down my spine. To misquote Bill Shankley, "Football isn't a matter of life and death, [life] is more important than that". The fact that there was a Facebook page calling for the former Northern Ireland captain's execution was a despicable act. I'm glad that Cllr. Niall Kelly took the matter up with Facebook and the page has now been removed.

Football crossed divides in Northern Ireland, even in the heights of the troubles nobody cared which side you came from. In one Home Nations match on 15 April 1964 two young men one 18-year-old Catholic from Newry, one a 17 year-old Protestant from East Belfast made their debuts side by side against Wales. It is possible you may have heard of one or other of them. The first went on to be Northern Ireland's most capped player Pat Jennings, the other its most loved, skilled but sadly for too short a time George Best.

Side by side through the years Catholic and Protestant have played in the green shirt of Northern Ireland for years, yet sectarianism cost us the still considerable skills of Lennon in 2002, with him we may well have qualified in one of those close run things. Despite a full career, he only earned 3 more caps than the often troubled George Best! He now is one of the most prominent Northern Irish born football managers having this season taken on the Celtic post. Sadly the experience he has gained at that level will I suspect never be passed on to our national team due to the actions of mindless idiots over the last 10 years or more.

While I don't agree with Lennon's political views, I recognised his talent on the football field and am anticipating he will be a successful emergence from the Celtic Park bootroom. I defend his right to express his views on politics or football without fear for his life, sadly it seems that people took exception to one without realising the great loss of the other. So next time Norn Iron fail to make a finals let us not forget that without some bigots we may well have had the wizardry of Lennon in midfield or could look forward to his appearance on the managers bench with what he has learnt elsewhere.

Ádh mór ar an Maor nua ar an Mhainéir na Northstead. Nó an bhfuil sé? ~

For the first time since 17 April 1986* Northern Ireland have both the Steward of the Manor of Northstead (see above) and Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. Iris Robinson is the holder of the latter title since she stepped down from Westminster on the 13 January last year. However, with the announcement today of the General Election in Éire for 11 March and the intention of the long time Belfast West MP to seek election to the Dáil Éireann for Louth, we have (or will shortly) have a new Maor an Mhainéir na Northstead (Steward of the Manor of Northstead).


The reason I'm referring to one of the two "offices of profit under The Crown" in Gaeilge (Irish) first today is because of the irony that today brings. The taking of such an office disqualifies an individual from sitting as a Member of Parliament, that steward of one of those offices is someone who hasn't taken his seat since first being elected on 9 June 1983 (though not the MP from 1992-97).

May I introduce Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh, Maor an Mhainéir na Northstead (Gerry Adams, Steward of the Manor of Northstead).

If Eric Illsley, MP for Barnsley Central,  had actually already stepped down the Sinn Féin president would have been taking an office off the wife of the DUP's First Minister. As it is Illsley only announced on 12 January that he was winding down his office, before stepping down as an MP before he is sentenced next month for his guilt of false accounting over his expenses.

Update: On Monday 24 January it emerged than somehow Gerry Adams had managed to resign as an MP without taking an "Office of Profit Under the Crown". Has he managed in his final act to change the British constitution? We may have to wait until the next Stewardship is announced from the Treasury. If it is Northstead, some deal has been done, if it the Chiltern Hundreds, it has merely been supressed.

Update: On 25 January Ian Paisley MP (Antrim North) raised a point of order to the speaker about the status of Mr Adams resignation, asking had he accepted an office of profit under the crown in his correspondence to the speaker. In the reply the speaker stated that correspondence with him was confidential, but that the matter was one that should be resolved and shall be.

Update: In Prime Minister's  on the 26 January Nigel Dodds MP (Belfast North) asked the following question:

"You may be aware that one of the Members elected to this House has decided to emigrate - and you may want to chalk that up as one of your achievements.

"The said Member for West Belfast, Gerry Adams, seems to be embarrassed about applying for an office under the Crown, an office for profit - although he has shown no such embarrassment of profiting from his office in this House for many years at taxpayers' expense. 

"When will you deliver on your pre-election pledge to hard-pressed taxpayers that you will abolish parliamentary money for parliamentary purposes going to those who do not fulfil their parliamentary duties?"

To which David Cameron responded

"First of all, just in case people haven't caught up with the news, you are quite right that the Honourable Member for West Belfast has accepted an office for profit under the Crown, which of course is the only way you can retire from this house.

"I'm not sure that Gerry Adams will be delighted to be a baron of the Manor of Northstead. But nonetheless I'm pleased that tradition has been maintained. 

"In my view, what we should be aiming for is for all Members who are elected to take their seats in this House. That is what should happen. 

"And if some Members have a problem with what that entails, they ought to look at a remedy for that and they should come and talk about that. I think that is the most important thing we can achieve." 

So there we have it finally confirmed 6 days later (and after I first wrote this), Gerry Adams (Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh) is the Steward of the Manor of Northstead (Maor an Mhainéir na Northstead).

~ Translation Good luck to the new Steward of the Manor of Northstead.
* When Times columnist Matthew Paris took the Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead in place of Enoch Powell.

UUP take Golgafrincham approach to budgeting

"Fiscal policy!" whooped Ford Prefect, "Fiscal policy!"
The Management Consultant gave him a look that only a lungfish could have copied.
"Fiscal policy ..." he repeated, "that is what I said."
"How can you have money," demanded Ford, "if none of you actually produces anything? It doesn't grow on trees you know."
"If you would allow me to continue ..."
Ford nodded dejectedly.
"Thank you. Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt the leaf as legal tender, we have, of course, all become immensely rich."

from Chapter 33 of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Northern Irish readers may recall that before there was a water crisis there was a budget crisis. This was resolved at the last minute before the MLAs all went home for Christmas only to find there was no water.

David McNarry the Ulster Unionis Party's (UUP) finance spokesman yesterday rejected the draft Assembly budget, that was trying to make the best out of the reduced budget that Northern Ireland, in common with Westminster departments, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly had all dealt with long ago.

Finance Minister Sammy Wilson retorted with the line echoing the above quote:

"The UUP response to the budget argues for more money for jobs, more for health, more for education but fails to indicate where this money would be found.


"Has no-one told the UUP that money doesn't grow on trees?"

Sadly for Northern Ireland another of the parts of the quote above also rings true. "How can you have money if none of you actually produces anything?" with one of the largest public sectors in the UK* of course our economy is heavily reliant on the Government provisions and funding, we don't produce much. It is something that needs to be dealt with, but sadly political point scoring over budget funds that aren't available, or bi-lingual traffic signage or whatever is the theme of the day's disagreement isn't going to cut it.

If Northern Ireland really wants to flourish as a vibrant location it needs its politicians to do some grown up politicking. It needs them to look beyond the realms of their own little interest sub-section of the community, it needs them to look to the good of the whole. The fact that each party has it's own little departmental nest egg that it wants to protect makes the budget point scoring all the more dispiriting as parties defend party lines, or their party's minister rather than looking for what is best for Northern Ireland.

* In December 2008 it was 30.8% of the workforce, down from 37% in 1998. Source Department of Finance & Personnel (2009) 2009-10 Northern Ireland Public Sector Pay and Workforce Technical Annex

Labour Lords a Sleeping

Now some may call it pillow talk as a result of the all night sitting of the House of Lords. But it does appear as if some of them weren't half talking some nonsense through the night.

While I was sleeping one of my friends posted on Facebook that some Labour Peer has said:

"[Labour] now claiming that no present or future seat crosses county/local government boundaries."

This echoes something that was written yesterday for the Guardian  by Lewis Baston:

"The new boundary rules, as I have written at length elsewhere, are likely to produce a complicated and flawed new political map of Britain. The government's insistence on constituencies being a maximum of 5% away from the average size of 76,000 electors means that county boundaries will be crossed, local government wards split between parliamentary constituencies, and seats drawn up in defiance of community identity and sometimes of common sense."

May I draw both of their attentions to the seat where I have lived for most of the past decade and indeed stood as a candidate in both times it has been contested; Linlithgow and East Falkirk.


It does actually reside across two local authority areas, West Lothian and Falkirk Councils, but the multiplicity is worse than that. In Scotland of course we have Scottish constituencies, there was a danger on the first draft of the Scottish Parliamentary Boundaries that there would be three different constituency MSPs to be dealt with. In addition we have members for the regional list, two of which Lothians and Central Scotland already cause a split in Linlithgow and East Falkirk.


There are also two Health Boards (Lothian and Forth Valley), two police forces (Lothian & Borders and Central), the education is administered by Unitary Authority area so again two etc. So the hard working MP has to be sure just where in the constituency a constituent comes from to beware of addressing this matter to the right authority. Sadly the postcode of the constituents address is not going to be a guide. Though by in large the EH postcodes tend towards Edinburgh and Lothians and the FK ones towards Falkirk and Central, what about poor Bo'ness with its EH51 postcode?


Of course the fact that such confusion affects one of their own MPs fails to impress their Labour Lordships and Ladyships, as does the fact that this boundary review was carried out as part of Labour legislation. But it does seem to have interested them no end in the wee small hours as a reason to take up time to delay the 'Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill'.


If this is one erroneous argument being used by them that I have picked up in a cursory glance heavens knows how much else I might find if I actually look, that is merely time wasting and filibustering.

Has Top Artist Gone Round the Twist?

Think back to your childhood days. Were you ever entertained by a balloon sculptor? Was the shape that ended up in your hands or the child next to you by chance a sausage dog?

Chances are it was. In balloon sculpting the dog shape is one of the easiest to make seeing as it requires just one balloon and only seven twists. Easy! Any old clown could do it (see picture). Even I have been able to make a balloon dog for almost 25 years.

However  internationally celebrated artist Jeff Koons has made a few balloon dogs himself, out of steel between 1994 and 2000 Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red and Orange. Notice I'm not using any images on here of any of those, but you can link through to see then.

The reason being that Koons has decided to sue a company that used the image of a balloon dog for their own bookends. Now if Koons had the intellectual copyright on the image of a balloon dog there may be a point in his case. But as I pointed out above he started making his balloon dogs in 1994, which is actually long after I started making mine (maybe I should counter sue). However, what is the true origin of the balloon dog. The 1975 book by "Jolly the Clown" Petri credits "Herman Bonnert from Pennsylvania at a magician's convention in 1939" as being the first balloontwister*. I have very little doubt that one of the first shapes he twisted looked like a little dog. So for at least 72 years there has been the image of the balloon dog in generations of peoples' minds.

If Koons had come up with a origional image for his sculpture, rather than reinventing an old one, he may have had a case. As it is he is clearly round the twist.

* Source Dewey, Ralph. Balloon History BalloonHQ Column (via Wikipedia)

Stand Easy Major Winters 1912-2011

Winters during WWII

One of my favourite TV experiences of the past decade would have to be the HBO/BBC production of Band of Brothers which follows the real heroics of Company E 'Easy Company' of 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division of the US Army.

At the start of each episode there were vox pops of veterans, not just any veterans though, these were the ones that were depicted on the screen. Included in those veterans was Richard 'Dick' Winters who rose from being a platoon commander though to command of the 2nd Battalion.

Along with his men Winters parachuted into Normandy on D-Day, 6 June, 1944 landing near Sainte-Mère-Église not aware that First Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III, the commander of Easy Company had perished when his plane was shot down. He gathered the paratroopers in his area including some members of the 82nd Airborne to proceed towards their objective for the day near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

Later that day with just 13 men under his command he came upon a battery position manned by 50 Germans at Brécourt Manor. They were firing 105mm Howitzers down unto the causeways that were the primary exit routes from Utah Beach. Some assaults are talked of as being text book but the one led by Winters (dramatised below from Band of Brothers) is still taught as West Point as an example of how to take a fixed position.

He was recommended for the USA's highest award for bravery The Medal of Honor for his action at Brécourt Manor, but because of a rationing of awards, only one Medal of Hounor per division was allowed and this had already been awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole for a bayonet charge near Carentan five days later on 11 June. Therefore on 2 June 1944, the day after he was promoted to Captain he was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross the second highest honour.



The War carried on and Winters with Easy Company was involved in Operation Market Garden in September 1944. When a patrol of four of his men came back injured having seen a large group of Germans 1200 metres away from the Company's position, Winters himself led a squad to reconnoiter the situation, they came across a gun postion firing towards the Battallion HQ. Having taken the position with his squad Winters came under fire from a gun position opposite and estimated the strength of the enemy to be of Platoon strength called up reinforcement from the rest of the 1st Platoon. It was discovered the strength of the enemy was in total 300 men.

From December through January 1945 took part in the Battle of the Bulge holding the line near the town of Foy northeast of Bastogne. The last action his men saw in the war was the capture of Berchtesgaden on 5 May, this was the town above which lay Hitler's Kehlsteinhaus or 'Eagle's Nest'. Three days later the war in Europe ended.

At the ceasation of hostilities Winters had enough points to be repatriated to the states but he stayed on as he was need to help with the the process of occupation and demobilization. Though he was discharged in 1946 he was called up for active service in 1951 at the start of the Korean War, and given six months to report. He used that time to head to Washington, D.C. to persuade General Tony McAuliffe that he had seen enough war and not to be sent to the war zone. McAuliffe understood this position but needed his experience and therefore Winters was assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, as a regimental planning and training officer.

In his last years he was suffering from Parkinson's disease but through Damian Lewis's portrayal of his part in Easy Company's war he will be remembered.

Let's not forget the rest the rest of those who served or are serving for our freedom. But Major Richard Winters, you can now stand down from your patrol on this earth. Rest well and stand Easy.

Major Richard 'Dick' Winters Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star (with Oak Leaf), Purple Heart 
21 January 1918 - 8 January 2011

Pity Meeting with LGBT Groups Counts as News, but Welcome Step

Tom Elliott MLA Picture Belfast Telegraph

In 2011 it is a pity that the leader of the UUP saying he will meet with a Northern Ireland's gay community counts as a headline, but as Tom Elliot has said he will this is welcome. Depending how wide the group that he ends up meeting is he may find it interesting how many of the LGBT community leaders he has already met in other capacities rather than merely LGBT advocacy.

There are two interesting things about this, first that Tom did say he wouldn't attend Gay Pride parades during his leadership contest, but it was his comments about reading of support on gay websites that had sparked the invite. So well done to P A Mag Lochlainn of NIGRA for following through with an invite.

The second is that obviously we are now 12 years on from the Belfast Agreement, in which the LGBT community were established as one of the minority groups within Northern Ireland that the Assembly were meant to look out for an include in the future of Northern Ireland. It would appear that it has been easier for some politicians in Northern Ireland to sit down with former terrorists long before they are prepared to sit down and talk to people who are happy and proud in their sexuality which is non-heterosexual. Not that I'm saying that is the case here, but it could be assumed that some of the supporters that Tom wanted to reach out to win the leadership thought that was the case.

I look forward to the LGBT community being able to share their concerns with the leader of the UUP in open and frank dialogue, as already with other party leaders. I hope soon this headline sort of thing won't be so newsworthy for any of the party leaders involvement in Northern Ireland.