The Padre, the Pastor, the Political quagmire

This weekend, apart from the wedding, one thing has been burning on my blogging sensitivities that I have to blog. It is my thoughts on the former army chaplin, now minister in my late father's home congregation and his decision to attend the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis on Friday. Everywhere I ahve turned over hte last week  there has been mention of him, in the newspapers, on the television, on radio on Sunday Sequence and then on Monday on The Nolan Show guest hosted by Sunday Sequences William Crawley.

First Derry Presbyterian Church

On Friday the Rev Dr David Latimer TD, BSc (Econ), DipTh, MA, minister of First Derry Presbyterian (pictured) appeared before Sinn Féin delegates at their Ard Fheis in the Waterfront Hall. As the minister for a markedly divided city this was a very symbolic gesture. For those of you who don't know the geography of the Walled City just across the road in front of the church are the city walls. From a postion there you look straight down over the Bogside, the scenes of Bloody Sunday and Free Derry Corner. As a church goes First Derry, and St Augustine's just up the road, know the history of Northern Ireland's divisions as well as any.

However, the recent re-opening and redidication of First Derry a process in which the Deputy First Minister played an important role means that they also know the progress that has been being made, especially cross community.

It was the weekend of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and on Sunday morning back in his day job Dr. Latimer was hosting the RAF Association Londonderry Branch thanksgiving service to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. In his sermon that day he touched upon the juxtoposition that the commemoration of that event opened up old wounds just as his attending the Ard Fheis would do as well. But he said that the only people who could know if there was true repentance was between man and God, whether than man was Martin McGuinness or David Latimer because we all have a past. All he could go on was the outward outworkings of what was happening. It was something he re-emphasised at the end of his Nolan Show spot.

Dr Latimer addressing the Ard Fheis

The bitterness from some of the callers was still there on Monday morning. In one case a Presbyterian Minister from the Shankhill and a Sinn Féin delegate who was in the Waterfornt Hall had a debate heated discussion on Monday's Nolan Show. Although all the heat seemed to come from Dr Latimer's clerical colleague, the Sinn Féin representative quite rightly pointed out to him that the escalation of some of the language he was using would keep us rooted forever in the past. It was only by moving on and extending the hand of friendship as Christ would have done that we can create a peace.

There is still a lot of rancour across the communities here in Northern Ireland. There are still probably many people who would not walk down the hill from First Derry Church and through Butcher Gate and down the hill to Free Derry Corner. Just as there are people in Belfast who may not walk on the 'wrong side' of a peace line. But until more of us do, until we embrace all of us in our Britishness, Irishness, Ulsterness, Northern Irishness or whatever we wish to respresent ourselves and others as, we can only stallingly move on. What David Latimer did on Friday was merely a public act which many people in Northern Ireland, the North or whatever have been doing privately for some time.

Dr Latimer, as he admits himself, is not a politician but they have acted especially Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley when they agreed to work together in the best interests of all (though sometimes others need to remember that first step). Many people are crossing those divides forging new friendships, especially in the younger generations. Sometimes it is merely those that complain, and complain the loudest that assuage others that their internalised sectarianism is alright and they don't need to step over that threshold.

Blogged Elsewhere: 9/11 the Mars Hills Collective

Yesterday morning Paul Burgin who set up the Mars Hill Blog and earlier this year invited myself and others to transform it into a group blog, invited us all to share what our memories were of 9/11 ten years ago. Obviously with being on my way to a wedding and leaving my laptop behind I didn't get around to it today.

I wrote about mine from my point of view working away in an office Edinburgh.

Paul recalls his recollections after just coming off shift in a coffee shop and his boss telling him one plane had hit the World Trade Centre.

Tim Roll-Pickering recalls his isolation on the day and his disbelief at being told after the World Trade Centre had been destroyed what had gone on in his 'ordinary day'.

Raeven recounts the strangest student orientation period probably ever.

These are just four accounts of the many of us who knew exactly what we were doing and how we responded to hearing the news that day 10 years ago.

So much owed by so many to so few

This morning I attended the RAF Association, Londonderry Branch Thanksgiving Service to mark the 71st Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It was the battle that inspired Winston Churchill to say the immortal words during a speech in the House of Commons on the 20 August while the Battle was still ongoing.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

But there is also the Airman's Hymn that we sang this morning, a You Tube clip of the words is below.

Away at a wedding but here comes the groom

I'm not really going to be topical on here today. I'm away at the wedding of one of my second cousins. However, when she is marrying someone who until recently was the lead singer in a band Mr Jag that have produced two CDs there is a few clips I can share of the Groom to welcome him into the family.

This one I believe was added by my dear friends Ruth and Andrew Garvey Williams. Who I will also see today for the first time this millenium.



Here's them performing Temporary January.




Finally I've found this cartoon version of Andrew (in the middle of the band bits). Well he has, as the lyrics go, got a good woman who I'm sure will keep him right.

It's Friday...it's the Rugby World Cup 2011

Yeah this morning the Rugby World Cup got under way. There was no surprise in the result of the first game, New Zealand's All Blanks beat Tonga, I won't give away the score in case anybody still has to watch.

So here is a preview of what you can expect over the next few weeks...in Lego.



We are in Haka country, but the hosts haven't lifted the Well Ellis Cup since the first competition in 1987, something that Addidas combines in this advert.



Of course no World Cup list of music could be complete without a rendition of World in Union which has become the Rugby World Cup theme so here is the 2007 version with top singers from around the world taking part. Probably the most ecclectic ensemble/chorus/choir of talent ever gathered.

Through high tech accreditation and then THIS!!! #ldconf

You'd have thought after all the high tech security checking of delegates getting to Lib Dem Conference that they would be a chip, or a bar code or something high tech and gizmo-ey with the passes to ensure that who we said we were could not have our passes taken over by someone else.

NO!

Don't be daft. Instead even of the credit card type plastic cards what we get is a bit of card that we have to self double laminate. Now suppose that before someone were to self double laminate they were to score out the picture and name and replace it with another image and name. Seeing as the ink on this card isn't that secure that is possible, this is highly achievable. Who of the security team is then going to double check someone's pass and take the lamination off to check? Surely the answer "I'm sorry I didn't square up my pass properly and tried to relaminate it" is going to be enough to get past without suspicion.

So therefore we have all this brouhaha about security check and then get issues with such a low tech and ridiculous easy to dupe sort of pass. WHY?

Who next to lead SDLP?

With Margaret Ritchie tonight announcing that she will step down as leader of the SDLP and not put her name forward in the forthcoming leadership election, the obvious question is "Who next?"

He stepping aside frees up her loyal lieutenants much in the same way that another leader called Margaret did, despite her topping the first poll in a leadership contest. So who are those lieutenants who might stand in her place against the challenge of Patsy McGlone.

The obvious first option of someone who is freed up is Alasdair McDonnell the MP and MLA for Belfast South, who came runner up to the Ritchie in the leadership contest in 2010 and as the Deputy leader under the previous leader Mark Durkan. Although one of the things that Ritchie said today in her resignation announcement was that she did not feel it was possible to be an MP, an MLA and lead a political party. That may be a coded remark, despite her saying criticising any of her colleagues that she hypocritically it would seem doesn't want a double jobber to once again be the leader. If it is seen as that it will work against the Ormeau Road Doctor.

Another contender would have to be the SDLP environment minister Alex Attwood the MLA for Belfast West. His history includes helping to negotiate the first nationalist Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alban Maginness in 1998. He is one of the three ever present SDLP MLAs with a long history of political experience.

North Belfast MLA Maginness of course was the SDLP choice for Justice Minister at the re-election period, and is another of the original intake and unlike John Dallat the other of the triumvirate still seems to want to take on high office. As a Barrister Maginess used to be a ever present sight walking past my window between City Hall and the Law Courts when I worked on Chichester Street.

However, with one issue being the slide in SDLP support there is a possibility that one of the new generation might step up to the mantle, someone like Conall McDevitt. Though many rule him out for his lack of time in Stormont, he has been around the top of the party since 1996, was involved in the Good Friday talks and been in or around the power of the SDLP ever since. Of the other SDLP MLAs the most prominent is possibly Delores Kelly.

I'l wait and see who throws their hat into the ring unlike some SDLP branches who even this even with only one declared runner have nailed thier colours to the mast.