Just how in the real world is Alderman Humphrey.

Woodvale Park in Belfast is one of those locations that is surrounded by names that many around the world will even recognise. The Woodvale Road that leads up to the park is an extension of  the Shankhill Road. Not far away at the Springfield Road which itself comes off the Falls Road and loops round the back of Falls Park and up in the hills where often they are messages of protest that can be seen from the M1.

But it is also close to the Crumlin Road and as a result the Ardoyne shops, past which the Orange order have not been allowed to march on each weekend since the 12th of the July.

It is also one of those locations that I have played bowls in (just like Falls Park) because bowls does not recognise the various divides that are marked by high walls topped with steel fencing and sharp points. Indeed Woodvale Park was where I played my last competitive outdoor match at the end of last season before my move to Orkney.

The season before as we were trying to make out way there, we were trying to avoid bands and lodges that where marching all over the place between the Shankhill and Crumlin roads. Indeed after our game we just about managed to get away before trouble broke out at Clifton Street and Donegall Street. After going up the Crumlin to avoid the marching (so we thought) we came down the Shankhill, just in time before that entire part of Belfast got sealed off. Having spend 3 hours in tranquility of the park it was sad, though not a surprise having seen the police presence that this was how that day would end.

The reason that today I am retelling all this is because last season we saw that there was some work being done to restore the park to somewhere that local people could enjoy more fully. Today was supposed to be the day that the Lord Mayor officially opened it. A Lord Mayor who promised that he would go to every part of the City of Belfast that invited him, when he took his office.

The issue is that the current Lord Mayor is Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, which as regular readers may be able to guess from my correct use of the fadas in his name is a Sinn Féin Lord Mayor, while the park is in a staunch Loyalist area.

Now of course any first citizen in almost any part of the UK would be expected to be the one to reopen a £2 million redevelopment within their city of a public space. But protestors came out in such force that they injured a police man and the Lord Mayor himself was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital for check-ups saying he was sore in some places. He since then carried on with his schedule for the day.

However, the incident was not helped by one of the City's Aldermen, William Humphrey of the DUP saying:

"We asked that the deputy lord mayor or the high sheriff carry out this duty here today.

"There is real anger, frustration. It started when the flag was removed. The lord mayor's party, the SDLP and Alliance came together to do that.

"This should have been a day of celebration for a £2m investment by the council and the Department of Social Development and quite honestly the lord mayor needs to understand he cannot make statements and go around doing press interviews calling for our flag to be removed, remove the flag, and then when he has a chain around his neck as lord mayor of this city, expect people to welcome him as first citizen.

"That's not how it works in the real world."

Actually Mr Humphrey in most of the real world, while people may disagree with a political decision made by a Mayor or his party he rarely comes under the physical threat and actuality of violence while carrying out his civic duties. As Mr Humphries said the Council had invested in this redevelopment, it is right and proper that the Lord Mayor should there to reopen it. Calling for the deputy (who happens to be the DUP Christopher Stalford) or the High Sheriff to carry out this task actually demeans the Council's involvement.

Does Mr Humprey not know that 'in the real world' the position of Deputy Lord Mayor has a representative role within the city along with the Lord Mayor. When the Lord Mayor is unavailable for whatever reason, it is the responsibility of the Deputy Lord Mayor to carry out the representative functions of the Lord Mayor. Now it appears that the Lord Mayor was available to go to Woodvale to open this park. He was willing to go somewhere where he knew they might be hostility for the wider public good.

Politics is about more than flags and at council level providing amenities for the local people is a key part of that role. That is what should have been celebrated in Woodvale today, Mr Humphrey is right about that. The opening of improved civic amenities for their people is what was important about today, not turning it into an extension of the protest that has been going on in one form or another since December.

In the news offer the last few days we have heard of people being threatened so often by online troll. But since December those who fail to understand how the real world operates with regard to flags have carried out heavy handed threats and actual violence against those that want Northern Ireland to actually live in the real world. Some who are my friends have been direct victims on that intimidation and violence.

Mr Humphrey and his DUP colleagues talk about wanting the best for Northern Ireland, maybe it is time for them to start acting and speaking like they actually meant it.

Update The Belfast Telegraph has video coverage of the arrival of the Lord Mayor on their news story.

Eejits in Belfast

Having worked in retail I know that today should have been the second busiest day in retailers' year. Only next Saturday the last before Christmas will see higher footfall and turnover.

However, with tensions already heightened and many people avoiding Belfast City Centre, with the ongoing uncertainty about protests about the flag, we now have a bob alert phoned into Castle Court. The biggest retail mall in the City Centre on one of the busiest retail streets. Surronding businesses already affected last Saturday by the flags protest keeping people out of the city centre are seeing more people driven out of from a police cordon around Castle Court.

Northern Ireland people being what they are, will suspect there may be another device somewhere in the City Centre to others may be deserting other retailers even though there is no immediate threat.

So for the second Saturday in a row Belfast retailers will be seeing takings down. Saturdays in December are often what allow shops to keep going in tough financial times. But losing out on two of these in Belfast there may be more empty shops in the city centre early next year because this ongoing stupidity. This bomb threat has not been linked to the flags protests, but with tensions already high it certainly isn't helping the local economy.

Update with nothing suspicious found the people who called in this warning are even bigger eejits.

When you fail to respect Donegal Loyalism you lose my respect

As regular readers of my blog will know I have a family history that goes back to Donegal. Indeed one of my Great Grandfather's was a Grand Master in the Orange Order in that county pre-partition.

Therefore with my roots divided by the imaginary line across our island I naturally associate myself as Irish as much as anything. Because even though my roots are largely within Ulster, they are by in large from the part of Ulster that joined the 26 Counties of the Republic of Ireland.

Therefore the meaning of the Tricolour means something to me. The Orange quarter furthest away from the flag pole actually represents those Presbyterian farmers from Donegal who were relatives. It represents those Loyalist men and women who also signed the Ulster Covenant but were not kept within the United Kingdom. At the other edge of the flag is of course the green that represents Ireland and the nationalist movement and in the middle is white for peace.

Today yet again the Tricolour was burnt outside Belfast City Hall. As will all such burnings the so called 'loyalists' burn from the end furthest away from the pole. Little do they realise that in so doing they are burning away the legacy of those Protestant men and women who did not remain within the United Kingdom. They are burning away the legacy of my ancestors some of whose descendants still live in Donegal and other parts of the Republic.

They claim that the removal of the Union Flag is a chipping away at their Britishness. Well the burning away of the Orange third of the Tricolour is a disrespect to the Britishness of those Loyalists who were cast away in 1922. The burning of that flag and the symbolism of it is also a disregard of those of us proud of our roots which lie outside of Northern Ireland, who come from Loyalist backgrounds, but realise that we are Irish and British at the same time, through no fault of our own making.

Disrespecting a flag that actually goes out of the way to recognise your Orange brethren (if indeed you are Orange) is no respect of tradition or vexillology and the meaning behind it. The Irish Republic when creating their flag recognised that they were a divided community. Yet the Loyalist of Belfast cannot recognise the same here, even though the flag will now be flown to mark all the birthdays of the senior Royals and important days in the Queen's reign. Surely more honouring to the crown to notice these events as special than the current 365 day flying of flags that end up getting frayed as a result.

Why designated days actually make the Flag special

The designated days that the Alliance Party amendment ensured that the Union Flag will still fly over Belfast City Hall are key days to our Monarch.

It is rather ironic that a number of people have said that they didn't notice there was a Union Flag flying over City Hall on Twitter today. I used to work in a Government Office and the Union Flag was only flown on designated days. It always stood out as a special day when I could see the flag on the pole outside my window, it made me wonder what (and more often who) we were celebrating that day.

Indeed here is the recommendation and clarification from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on when the Union Flag is to be flown. It is being misreported on the news that this will next happen on January 20th for the Countess of Wessex's birthday when it will actually be the 9th for the Duchess of Cambridge. There are now 18 of these Days that apply in Northern Ireland (again people are forgetting the addition of the Duchess of Cambridge last year). These days as you can see actually all honour either our monarch and her family, our fallen forces or each nation's individual identity.

Also the flag should only be flown from 8am until sunset (unless the flag is floodlit). This is why the military have their bugle calls for the raising and lowering of the flag at their barracks. They serve under the flag, hence its raising all 365 days and lowering at the end of the day. This is respect of the flag for them, they do not keep it up all day and night and let it get frayed, indeed they will repair it overnight if that is required.

So actually designated days helps keep the flag special, it honours the monarch and her family more so that flying it every day, all day throughout the year. It is a pity that there aren't more vexillologists around here in Belfast who understand that.

Royal Black Institution issues apology

In an open letter published today the Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal Black Institution there is an apology to the parishioners of St., Patricks on Donegall Street, North Belfast.

"Through its stand for the Reformed Christian Faith, the Royal Black Institution has doctrinal differences with the Roman Catholic Church but we want to make it absolutely clear that the anger of the Royal Black Institution is not directed at St Patrick’s Church. We apologise for any offence to the clergy and parishioners of St Patrick’s Church. 

"We have always had good lines of communication with the Roman Catholic Church and we would intend to continue to maintain and consolidate these, away from the public gaze"

The bulk of the letter is a tirade against the Parades Commission, but the way it says things like putting the word 'contentious' like that inside emphasis while at the same time apologising does seem to somewhat fail to see that there was contentious elements to that route in light of what a band representing another Loyal Order did the month before. 

While the apology is welcome the way it is phrased in this letter does somewhat detract from it. The fact is that someone is apologising for causing offense on a parade under his control, then attacking the Parade's Commission who came up with a ruling only affecting 200m of that route, which that parade then decided it couldn't be bothered to uphold. If the parade marshalls had done so the apology would not have been made and North Belfast would not have been a tinder box in recent days.

Maybe before the Loyal Orders do attack the Parade's Commission they really should look at the specks in their own eyes first. If they can control their own parades and respect those residents that maybe they have to pass by there will be less contentious decisions that have to be made as a consensus will have been reached. Through that dialogue that takes place away from the public gaze.

Belfast City Council Supports Equal Marriage - sort of

There was an historic moment in Belfast City Council this evening. Mary Ellen Campbell of Sinn Féin brought a motion before full council to support equal civil marriage. It was passed without any votes against, making Belfast the first council in all of Ireland to support same-sex couples seeking to have a marriage.

But that isn't all the story. All the Unionist Councillors walked out, except for the Lord Mayor Gavin Robinson (no relation to the first minister) while Ms Campbell presented her motion and did not return to vote. The Alliance party sat through the entire thing and then failed to vote either way on the proposal, because apparently they do not have a policy on the issue (correction one of their six Councillors Catherine Curran did vote in favour). The SDLP did have a couple of councillors who spoke in favour of the motion Tim Attwood and Nicola Mallon and those of their members who were still in the chamber voted for the motion.

The shame of the Unionist members not even waiting for the conclusion of business while not surprising is still shameful. But the action of the Alliance Party is what really shocks me. Last year in their party election broadcast they said that they were the party to help see society cherish and respect diversity. The said if we wanted change for a shared and properous future to vote for them. However, by sitting on their hands this evening they have show they are not really leading change at least not in all areas. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. A vote for the Alliance councillors in Belfast has this even was surely merely to keep things as they always were on this issue of LGBT equality.

I'll be seeking answers for the Alliance Party as to why this motion wasn't supported by them, Why the party has not yet got around to discussing this issue and coming up with a policy on it when the rest of the UK and many of the other parties here clearly already know why they stand. But most of all it they truly stand for a diverse society why are they hindering true equality, merely because it doesn't seem to cover the usual divisions which appears to be the only sense of shared future that they seem to know where they stand on.

I've long held doubts about how truly liberal the Alliance Party here is. I've felt they need division politics to survive as much as the Unionist and Nationist parties do. This evening seems to show me that I have been right not to join them, it appears that there isn't a natural liberal instinct in a lot of them when it comes to matters outwith the historic divisions in Northern Ireland.

It is a shame.

But I don want to end on an upbeat note and thank Mary Ellen Campbell and all those from Sinn Fein and the SDLP who did vote in favour of equal marriage tonight. There are only four words that are appropriate "go raibh maith agat". For those of you not fluent in Gaelic I'll summate that in two words "thank you".

Artful Thursday 10: Titanic

There is something in the air in Belfast at the moment two new sculptures have been unveiled this week. You'd think we were in the build up to some titanic anniversary or something.

Well the first was unveiled on Tuesday with a religious blessing, even if her nakedness did cause the Rev. Chris Bennett one of the Chaplins for the Titanic Quarter a bit of an embarrassing moment on BBC Newsline. He did however, eventually find the right words to describe her as in "all her glory".

The second was unveiled yesterday by First Minister Peter Robinson, who is one of the MLAs for the area. This one was at Pitt Park and the backdrop is as much a part of the scene as anything. Called The Yardmen it depicts three ship yard workers heading home from Harland and Wolff with Belfast's iconic cranes in the back ground.

Even the new sign at Titanic Belfast and the building itself are works of art.

And that opens this Saturday. I'm intending to get there as soon as possible after to let you know what it is like.

Trains, Ships and Automobiles

Often when the Easter weekend arrives in Ireland I used to have a short trip to see the opening stage of the Circuit of Ireland. Scrutineering would often happen in Bangor Leisure Centre's car park before the cars would head off around Castle Park to get things started before the cars headed off out into the country for the stages over the next three days. Sometime returning to the Marine Court Hotel for the champagne celebrations.

This year I will not have a walk to see the start, but I don't mind. This year the opening stage is starting within sight of the Titanic Signature Project around what is currently a derelict piece of land on Queen's Island a stones throw from the drafting offices of Harland and Wolff. I'm looking forward to catching the train up, to the great historic heart of ship manufacturing in Belfast, to watch the cars whizz around this tight circuit.

Seeing as this is the centenary of the launching of the Titanic near this location and the first time in over 20 years that the Circuit of Ireland has started from Belfast is a sign of how much things have changed here. Belfast is buzzing and its quarters are alive with various events throughout the year. Next year I wonder if the circuit will start out of the City of Culture?

Cheerio MTV it's been sound, so it is.

Well last night was the MTV Europe Music Awards in Belfast, the place has been a buzz all weeks with sightings of big music celebs all over the place. Well last night they were all gathered in the Odyssey Arena for the little shindig. Of course MTV are closing down most clips on Yoputube.

First up, and I make no excuse for combining two guilty pleasures, it is the winners of the Global Idol award Queen with Adam Lambert on vocals.



But the BBC do have some images of the rest of the show as do the Belfast Telegraph.

My abiding image of Belfast Pride 2011

No it wasn't being midway down the parade as seeing it still heading round to the front of City Hall having circumnavigated it. Nor was it the crowd who stood in front of most of the Church protestors to lend us their support. Indeed it was nothing to do with the parade at all.

But it was after the event, once the Party in the Square had closed down for another year and people were heading home or on to the after parties and it happened on the concourse of Great Victoria Street Station. It was two teenage young men giving each other a kiss goodbye. It was so natural and so right, yet something that those of us, though out, still find hard to do in a public space.

It may have helped that almost everyone else in the station had some form of rainbow on them, but maybe it didn't. Maybe it was just something that the generation after mine in Northern Ireland just do. They don't have as many hang ups as those of us who were that age before the first Belfast Pride in 1990 had to go through. It may well have helped that the biggest Pride in Ireland was bigger again this year, but it seemed so natural and it really warmed by my heart. So all praise to GLYNI (Gay and Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland) for heloing bring normality.

As a teen I knew I had same sex attractions but it was something I had to keep hidden and something I battled myself over for some time. Those young men at that age there this evening made the efforts of those who have gone before seem so worth it. As for the small pockets of protestors they were so easily swamped by the number of positive shows of support for so many as we walked through the heart of Belfast's shopping district.

There is one other image I say earlier today. On one side of the pavement was a man wearing a "Proud Dad of a Gay Son" T-shirt, on the other side his wife wearing one that said "Proud Mum of a Gay Son." in the middle was the T-shirt "Proud Son of 2 Straight Parents". When I walked through the door my mother asked how the parade was and said she was looking out for me on the news. Maybe next time I can get her to come along.

Some Pastors do get the harm done by Churches to LGBT pride

I'd like to thank my cousin for pointing this link out to me. In a week when first our future Health Minister and then a church leader came up with excuses to avoid engagement with the LGBT community in Belfast, what better way to start Pride Parade Day than this message from Hans Kristensen, leading Pastor of Resolved Church in Sydney.

• I am sorry that a lot of Christians have not treated you with dignity and respect even though as people you are created in the image of God
• I am sorry that a lot of Christians have not listened to you. We haven’t spent the time to hear about you and your hurts and fears and dreams.
• I am sorry that a lot of Christians (especially the ones on T.V.) talk about being gay as if it is the worst thing even as we turn a blind eye to our greed, gossip, slander and other sins we make excuses for
• I am sorry for TV Evangelists because they are TV Evangelists
• I am sorry that in our conversation we major on your sin when I think Jesus would have majored on his love
• I am sorry that we have not been there for you in your dark times. When you have seen friends die of AIDS. When many from within your number have committed suicide.
• I am sorry that we have not preached against the sin of Homophobia
• I am sorry that we have kept saying that we are all sinners which has made many of you wonder why is being gay so bad if we are all sinners? We should have communicated that the response we all have to make to Gods love is one of repentance.
• I am sorry that we have tried to cure you of your homosexuality instead of helping you see how Jesus transforms who you are and gives you a new identity.
• I am sorry that we have not loved you as God himself loves you.

I am sorry for all these things and I hope you can forgive us. We would love to start a conversation about who Jesus is and how much he has done for you and how much he loves you.

As I mentioned on Thursday night there was a young Presbyterian training for the ministry at Hymn or Us who similarly asked to start that conversation, I just hope and prayer that more of them come forward in Northern Ireland. In our churches, in our politics and in our workplaces. So that we can feel able to be who we are without fear.

'Hymn or Us' without Him

Last night the Rev David McIlveen didn't turn up to GLYNI (Gay and Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland's) even for the Belfast Pride Festival entitled "Hymn or Us". It was a look at can homosexuality and being LGBT co-exist. Earlier in the week on BBC Radio Ulster's Wendy Talks Back while discussing the non-appearance of Jim Wells at the "Pride on the Hill" David McIlveen and Simon Rae the secretary of Belfast Pride both showed that Rev McIlveen was more than welcome to return to Pride in the debate that was due to happen last night; he'd appeared at a similar event last year.

However, Rev McIlveen was unable to attend dues to "an issue in his church". He was replaced by a Church of Ireland lay preacher Dermot O’Callaghan, who along with Mike Davidson of Core Issues, Pádraig Ó Tuama of Irish Peace Centres and Rev Chris Hudson of All Souls Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church took questions from the audience directed by the BBC William Crawley.

The discussion was wide ranging seeing as there were a high number of LGBT people of faith in the room with a vast variety of personal experiences. There also were a number of straight people in the room, some the parents of LGBT children, one a young man training to be a minister in the Presbyterian Church.

Dermot O'Callaghan tried to use some rather selective science, just as yesterday Rev McIlveen's church tried to use rather selective readings from the King James Bible, to say that being gay was down to nurture not nature. Apparently it is not the same as left handedness or skin colour as something we are born with because there are twins who are not both gay, I know some twins who are not both left handed as well. Well there was one blogger's father who asked the pertinent question about how he didn't bring up his sons to be gay, he didn't nurture them that way, and did that make him a bad father or his wife a bad mother.

Somebody else had asked Mike Davidson of Core Issues after he said that he started with the presumption that homosexuality was a sin and that reparative therapy wouldn't work for everyone, did that mean that some people were beyond salvation. After a bit of stumbling he said yes. But William Crawley also challenged him on his qualifications, or lack thereof for giving therapy. The killing blow came when he was asked "Most therapists see someone unqualified providing therapy and counselling as unethical." Davidson actually replied "Yes" before going on to try and cover his tracks.

Chris Hudson brought up a good point about those who disagree that you can be gay and a Christian, as these people concentrate more on the practise that the being. He said that the bible isn't a sex guide but a book about love with a care ethic.

Then the young Presbyterian Minister in training got up near the end. Admitting that these were his first baby steps into this whole element of theological thought. But at least he was there. He saw that the LGBT community can respect those that disagree with us and not shout them down, lock them out or ignore their opinions as is often the case in the reverse. I hope he does look at these things more fully, I obviously gave him a few tips of where to start from within the PCI, like the Board of Social Witnesses own pastoral guidelines and what they are doing about the action points, something I may have blogged about before.

Anyway it was a night of good discussion and there was certainly a lot to take away and think about, as much for the panellists and those in the audience.

Update Thanks to IcedCoffee for pointing me in the direction of this Vlog by @RuthEbabes

Money for nothing and drinks flow free

Apparently the reason that trouble flared up in East Belfast after a mini-Twelfth parade last Friday is down to an MTV party, that will be happening in November.

Yeah, you have read that right. The reason is not because tensions were already running high since the earlier trouble in the Short Strand area already. The route of this parade was in the Albertbridge Road, very close to that previous orchestrated riot by the Loyalist UVF, though this riot was not orchestrated. However, if you read the comments from the Order Grand Secretary Drew Nelson it would not be down to any of the previous excuses or reasons for rioting by loyalists, but because of a request for a late license on the Sabbath, beyond midnight to follow the MTV Awards that are coming to the city.

"We are finding that a lot of young people, more than there used to be, are on the streets not just during our parades, but at other festivals and fleadhs that happen in the province.

"More young people seem to be drinking on the streets than was formerly the case.

"My analysis is that these young people, what they think is cool and socially acceptable they don't take their lead from the Orange Order or the churches or the traditional organisations, but they take it from the media, they take it from people like MTV.

"What I think is quite damaging is the fact that the MTV awards are coming to Belfast and it has become public now that there is going to be an all-night bar licensed to sell alcohol right through to six o'clock the next morning.

"Personally I think that sets a very bad example for young people."

 Actually there is a factual error in the above there has not been an agreement to extend licences. There may however be a private party set up for after the awards. There have always been Northern Irish people who drank to excess, both George Best and Alex Higgins for example were heavy drinkers before the birth of MTV in 1981. There have been drunken fights and riots in Northern Ireland long before that time too. I've seen the empty cans alongside 'dry' Orange Parades in the past.

Look at the leaders of the Orange Order. Look at their history especially at Drumcree. They want to get their way no matter what the changing make up of the route they traditionally have walked along now is. For years senior figures would be seen at the barricades outside Portadown, shouting at police officers, demanding that it is their way and the Queen's highway and they will walk past.

Mr Nelson carries on:

"There are far more people obtaining their alcohol from supermarkets and the problem there is when it comes to consumption, there is no regulation.


"I hear stories in towns of taxis going to off-licences and getting alcohol and delivering it to teenagers and there must be older people going into the off-licences and getting it for them so this is a problem for society."

If the latter is true can he find out more, like which taxi drivers are doing it and get them reported, for supplying alcohol to underage consumers. The answer is that no of course he can't as many of the people involved in the riot on were over the legal drinking age. It was carried out following his parade. I recall the one time I got on a bus from Glasgow on the Twelfth weekend there, I felt scared because of the drink that many of the others had been consuming. Me an Ulster protestant, with family in the Orange Order felt scared because people who were over age of 18 didn't know me from Adam, and this was at 8:30 or something.

Passing the buck isn't going to deal with the problem. Look at the stance that the Orange Order takes. It is one of they want, want, want. They are constantly refusing to enter into dialogue about controversial routes and don't see the need of the parade commission. Therefore instead of working with people to come to some sort of compromise every summer (or as they call it marching season) there is going to some area of flare up.

So lets look at the root of the issues, not just try and find a new excuse shall we Mr Nelson?

A Church that floats

The bible doesn't have the best of times with maritime adventures.

Jonah tried to flee on one but was caught up in storm, drew the short lot to appease the gods and was thrown overboard.

Jesus's disciples set out on one on the Sea, it got stormy and he came walking on the water.

As for Paul he got shipwrecked in the Med and ending up founding the basis of the Maltese Tourist trade.

However, one is planned to be used as a Church in Belfast's Titanic Quarter. One that will be cross denominational, cross community, with each denomination being asked to nominate a chaplain for the venture. Catholic and Protestant all in the same boat for the growing residential element of that newly developing quarter.

Rev. Chris Bennett (who featured on this blog before as our Titanic walking tour guide) who is one of the chaplains for the Dock Church says:

"To avoid being identified with one community or another, this shared space will be something radically different to the familiar church buildings of all traditions - a boat moored in the heart of the Titanic Quarter.

"Each denomination will be invited to provide a chaplain to the boat, just as they currently provide chaplains to work in shared spaces in universities and hospitals across Northern Ireland."

The business plan has been published and now the people behind hte project are looking for a suitable vessel, passenger ship or riverboat in the £250,000 - £400,000 price range to serve as the Church, community centrre and cafe.


Before anyone makes jokes about using a boat as a church in the Titanic Quarter, may I remind you all "That she was alright when she left here!"

Artful Thursday 5 - Belfast Street Sculpture

Today I'm going to look at some of the sculpture you would find out and about on the street of Belfast.

First up a tribute to a favourite son Clive Staples Lewis.

The Searcher (1998) by Ross Wilson

 This next piece is now somewhat hidden by a building site but can be found in front of the Waterfront Hall.

Sheep on the Road (1991) by Deborah Brown

Finally today just along the River Bank you will come along another statue with a number of different names to the locals.

Beacon of Hope (2007) by Andy Scott

I'm sure I will be looking at and sharing more in the future.

Is the recent violence the UVF flexing their muscles?

The violence in East Belfast on Monday which led to gunfire has led to some serious questions.

Yesterday in the Northern Ireland Assembly Alex Maskey (Sinn Féin) opened the Matter of the Day debate stating that this was a UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) attack on the nationalist Short Strand. This was not disputed by either of the Unionist speakers who spoke after him. There was universal condemnation of the violence and support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as they had to deal with the aftermath: last night there was tension in the area once more.

If it was the UVF what were they trying to do? Mark Devenport uses the term flexing their muscles, but to what end? Surely this attempt to show a flexing of muscles is not what the people on the lower Newtownards Road want? Many of them are happy with the peaceful way people can go about it that part of Belfast with out fear, intimidation and a heavily armed policing presence.

When you look at how the assaults by dissident republican groups are universally condemned by leaders and the people the flexing of such muscles will only have a negative effect.

Another question is where did the guns come from? It is alleged that shots were fired from both sides, yet both the IRA and UVF are supposed to have completely decommissioned their weapons as part of the Belfast Agreement, so where have guns come from to get used in this way on Monday? Were they pre-existent guns that had somehow slipped by the decommissioning observers, or are they freshly acquired? If the former that is a disgrace and we need to know why some were being held back and not declared. If the latter we have a serious issue.

If paramilitaries on both sides are using the peace to stockpile weapons once more they are really out of step with a shared future that Northern Ireland is craving. As witnessed on Monday morning when celebrating a mutual success (with only minor arguments over the flag that Rory used to celebrate his victory). No doubt a forensics and ballistics teams are doing test on the bullets that were fired to find out just what weapons were used and to try and ascertain if they had been used before.

However, witnessing the Twittersphere yesterday people don't want the escalation that was witnessed. They don't want another summer of riot and counter riot. They want to get on with living side by side in peace and harmony.

Kids with sticks running around on the Shankill

There were kids from loyalist and nationalist traditions running around with sticks on the Shankill Road yesterday.

No this isn't THAT STORY!

Picture by Brian Little in the Belfast Telegraph

What it is though is kids from fours schools St. Paul's and St. Kevin's on the Falls coming to the Norman Whiteside playing fields on the loyalist Shankill Road and playing hurling with kids from Edenbrook and Glenwood Primary Schools, in front of the head of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association).

It is believed to the first time that the GAA President has visited a game on the Shankill, indeed it is probably the first time a game under any GAA code has been played on the Shankill. But hte kids from the four schools have been training together for a year and formed a club called Lamh Dhearg or Red Hand.

The name come from the mural on the Shankill (which is Gaelic for "Old Church") which says Lamh Dhearg Abu, "Victory to the Red Hand". It does show up the strange juxtaposition that often occurs between Unionist and Irish cultures in this strange land of ours. The hurling team is an example of how the two perceived "cultures" aren't really all that different after all. These are just boys having fun with sport.

As the head of Edenbrooke Primary, Jonathan Manning says:

"It’s been very positive and the children have enjoyed learning a new sport, new skills and the physical attributes. On this occasion sport has been a vehicle to break down barriers."

and his opposite number at St. Kevin's Primary, Angela McLaughlin added:

"The children have been meeting for a while to practice their skills. Last year they travelled to Croke Park to play against a Dublin team. It’s amazing to think children from the Shankill played hurling in Croke Park and children from the Falls Road have been on the Shankill playing hurling."

When I was the age of the players and indeed to recent years these four schools would have been either side of the peace wall in West Belfast. If a sport that was once seen as a divisive symbol and used for political ends can now be used to unite, there certainly is hope for our future here in Northern Ireland. This is the sort of brandishing sticks in public that we should be encouraging while condemning the other sort, plus guns being fired that occurred in the Short Strand are last night.

Reparative Therapy not needed, it merely leads to conflict

Healing a non-Disease

Ed Simpson has written an excellent post about the upcoming 'Interrogating the Pejorative - Considering Therapeutic Approaches and Contexts for those Conflicted in Sexual Identity'. I could save all those wanting to waste time and money on attending such an event with this simple summation.

Those conflicted in sexual identity are conflicted because other's say it isn't normal, that they need to be cured of it, that they can't find love or be loved because they have same sex attraction.

In other words lay off trying to cure us of something that isn't a disease. If that were to happen gay men, lesbians and bisexuals would still go to therapy, just as those who are straight do with real concerns. As is it many young people have to go through the growing up themselves, coming to terms with themselves first, then having to stand up to others. That's why when people like Gwyneth Paltrow want to raise the issue of same-sex attractiveness with their children when it is right to do so it should be applauded, not like the Daily Fail did condemn it.

That's why when in the Doctor Who story A good man goes to war with the thin, fat, gay, married, Anglican marines came up, and my elder nephew asked about that there was a quick glance between me and his parents. Was it time for them to explain that to him? After all best do it now before their uncle finds someone special and decides to settle down with him.

As with Apple Martin the daughter of Paltrow and her Coldplay frontman husband Chris Martin, each child has their own life experiences, when they first encounter the LGBT world is not necessarily something within the parents control. Somebody's mother or father from school may well identify as LGBT. It is how parents, teachers and leaders that come into that child and every child that leads to whether there is conflict or not in that child's upbringing. It may be that the child themself are identifying that in themselves. This first approach to the issue could be the start of the conflict that someone personally goes through, it has nothing to do their actual sexual identity but how it is perceived from others.

There is to be a presence outside the event on Tuesday here in Belfast. Trying to provide evidence of the additional trauma and conflict that reparative therapy can lead to. Some in church circles will be seething with outrage that LGBT people and their friends, will be outside a church building to protest. But then how many of them are also going to turn up to protest at the various pride events, or try and discourage or persuade people away from the LGBT venues on a regular basis.

Drinks for Andrew Reeves - Belfast Edition

Cross post on Liberal Democrats in Northern Ireland

 I'm just in from Liberal Drinks in Belfast. Ian Walton from the Welsh Liberal Democrats so it was a reason to meet up, but part of the evening was a memory of Andrew Reeves of which four of the five present had something in common.

Myself you know about from the recent time we both spent in Scotland, Pam Tilson from her time in London, Ian also from his time there and of course in his current role in Cardiff, and Michael as he and Andrew both were part of the stewarding team at Federal Conference. The other person present was of course Michael's Andrew.

We toasted our mutual friend, told stories of times we shared with Andrew and thought of what Andrew would have done, plus got on with catching up with each others news.

Even though we couldn't be at the Joseph Pearce in Edinburgh we were part of the outpouring of lovce for Andrew. At this point we could  all almost hear Andrew saying, "That's enough sitting around, get up, get out and get on with telling people why we're Lib Dems." as he would often be heard to say on any campaign he was involved with. And that is what the five of us intend to do.

Titantic hits the water 100 years on

Exactly 100 years ago today the hull of the second Olympic class vessel to be built on Queen's Island in Belfast loomed large under its Arrol Gantries and over the former Lord Mayor of Belfast William Pirrie, Chairman of Harland and Wolff. He gave the order from the head of the slipway, "Release the triggers"and 62 seconds later the 882ft length of the RMS Titanic's hull, without her upper decks, funnels and engines on board had slid into the water of the River Lagan. Titanic was first afloat and apart from a few short weeks in dry dock in early 1912, she was to be afloat for less than a year when she sank on 15 April 1912.

Titanic hitting the water

 Cornishman and Cornish Telegraph report of the launch

I had the good fortune to be on the Titanic Walking Tour last Friday when the BBC's Mark Simpson joined us on the slipway to record some coverage to mark today's centenary, you may have seen it and me on the BBC earlier. Seen to the left interviewing our guide Rev. Chris Bennett. Yeah, it seems that even when I am having a fun day off with the family I can't help but run into a TV crew. Has it really been 3 weeks since I last appeared on screen, when this camera crew turned up.

Anyway if you are in Belfast or ever get a chance to visit Belfast I would highly recommend taking the walking tour. Try and do it before they redevelop the slip way pictured below when they will lay out the footprints of the Olympic and Titanic to give visitors an idea of the layout and scale, as well as unearthing more of the industrial archaeology of what was the Harland and Wolff car park for many years when we in Belfast were ashamed of the worlds largest yet most ill fated liner.

In fact I would also recommend a second visit after 2nd April 2012 when the new Titanic Museum is opened to the public. Here are some of the pictures I took of that new structure last Friday.

From inside the drawing office

The south corner

With the Odyssey and head of Titanic's slipway