Every day and in every way, I am getting better, and better.

 So said Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in The Pink Panther Strikes Again while in the asylum as a result of being in charge of Inspector Clouseau.

Well today the man who played Dreyfus Herbert Lom who portrayed Dreyfus with a more pronounced tic under the strain often related to Clouseau has passed away.

His career spanned 60 years and although he appeared in The Ladykillers, Sparticus and El Cid, it will be always be as Peter Sellers character's nemesis that he will be best remembered.

Lom was born into Austrian nobility in 1917 in Prague, the son of a count. His actual name was Herbert Karel Angelo Kuchacevič ze Schluderpacheru. He chose the name Lom (Czech for quarry) for the Czech films he made at the start of his acting career, because it was the shortest in the phone book.

 But he fled what was to become the Czech Republic in 1939 ahead of the feared Nazi invasion. Making his way to England he appeared as the villain in many 1940s films. But he twice played Napoleon in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) and War and Peace (1956). He secured a seven picture deal in Holywood but was refused a visa for 'political reasons' so Holywood's lose became British cinema's gain, as he went on to appear in a number of Hammer Horrors including The Phantom of the Opera (1962). Playing the phantom behind a full face mask his precise diction and annunciation were a genius stroke of casting.

He also appeared on the stage in the original London cast of The King and I  he played the King of Siam.

His last film was the 1993 Son of the Pink Panther in which he said:

"I knew a man named Jacques. When he died, ten years ago, I thought "Thank God!" I never thought another one like him could exist... and then I met your son."

However of Sellers he said:

"Peter was always a mixed-up guy, a childish fellow. But if you're fond of children, you're also fond of childish men. He was always very helpful to me. After he was famous, and when I was still in trouble with the US embassy, he wrote a letter in support of me which was magnificent. But it is true that he was very cruel to his children. He was so hurt by the way children treat you when you're their father. I have been hurt by my children. But he was not in possession of a proper brain when it came to these things."

Herbert Lom (né Herbert Karel Angelo Kuchacevič ze Schluderpacheru) 
11 Sept 1917- 27 Sept 2012

Where Ulster Covenant fails the LGBT community

These are the words of the Ulster Covenant whose centenary people in Northern Ireland are celebrating this week.

BEING CONVINCED in our consciences that Home Rule would be disastrous to the material well-being of Ulster as well as of the whole of Ireland, subversive of our civil and religious freedom, destructive of our citizenship, and perilous to the unity of the Empire, we, whose names are underwritten, men of Ulster, loyal subjects of His Gracious Majesty King George V., humbly relying on the God whom our fathers in days of stress and trial confidently trusted, do hereby pledge ourselves in solemn Covenant, throughout this our time of threatened calamity, to stand by one another in defending, for ourselves and our children, our cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom, and in using all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland. And in the event of such a Parliament being forced upon us, we further solemnly and mutually pledge ourselves to refuse to recognize its authority. In sure confidence that God will defend the right, we hereto subscribe our names.

And further, we individually declare that we have not already signed this Covenant.

Now for me a key line of that is our cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom. I admit it had different ramifications one hundred years ago. But let us not forget that the Unionist politicians are all joyously celebrating the retention of that equal citizenship on the one had while denying it to many whose forebears also signed those words.

I'm talking of course about the LGBT citizens in Northern Ireland.

If we had leaders who truly cherished a position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom, we would allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt. We would allow men who have had sex with men to donate blood after one year and we would already have all the parties clamouring to get a consultation on equal marriage out to the public.

Of course sadly that is not the case, and rather ironically the Northern Irish health Minister is actually co-joined with the authority of that other Parliament in Dublin rather than the rest of the UK on the issue of blood donations.

So while members of the DUP, UUP and TUV seek to honour the covenant this weekend let us not forget that one of the things that those they celebrate did 100 years ago was cherish equal citizenship with the rest of the UK, something that for some sections of Ulster life is missing today.

So maybe in Stormont today's Unionists would rewrite the Covenant like this:

BEING CONVINCED in our consciences that Home Rule Devolution would should not be disastrous to the material well-being of Ulster as well as of the whole of Ireland, subversive of our civil and religious take on civil freedom, destructive of our citizenship, and perilous to the unity of the Empire United Kingdom, we, whose names are underwritten, men of Ulster, loyal subjects of His Her Gracious Majesty King George V Queen Elizabeth II, humbly relying on the God whom our fathers in days of stress and trial confidently trusted, do hereby pledge ourselves in solemn Covenant, throughout this our time of threatened calamity, to stand by one another in defending, for ourselves and our straight children, our cherished position of equal citizenship unless you are LGBT in the United Kingdom, and in using all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland comply with LGBT equality legislation from the rest of the Union which digresses from the rest of Ireland. And in the event of such a Parliament legislation being forced upon us, we further solemnly and mutually pledge ourselves to refuse to recognize its authority. In sure confidence that God will defend the right, we hereto subscribe our names.

You think I am being harsh. Well the first test comes after the weekend when on Monday there will be a debate in Stormont on marriage equality.

Blogging a Re-arrange

Last week I was looking at my blog and realised how little on here over recent months has actually been about politics. See as that was the initial main thrust of the blog the revelation did rather startle me. Of course I do blog a lot of local political stuff either at Northern Ireland Lib Dems or LBGT Lib Dems Northern Ireland.
I also

It may have something to do with not being in work, as I used to commute in every day while composing something political to write about. it may also have something to do with my last job being one where I was limited to a small area of political activity and I limited my other political views.

But largely it was because I have blogged so much about sport.

Therefore I have set up a separate blog to archive my sport contributions (past ones will still remain here) and dedicate this one more to politics (though other stuff will make occasional appearances). Therefore I'd like to introduce Stephen's Sporting Almanac for your sporting pleasure. Although the transfer of the archive is a bigger task than I first thought.

This blog will once again I hope become a focus of my liberal and Lib Dem political views first and foremost.

Equal Marriage to be debated in Stormont

There is some good news here in Northern Ireland on the subject of Equal Marriage. Green Party MLA Steven Agnew, along with the Sinn Féin MLAs Bronwyn McGahan and Catríona Ruane have got a Private Member Equal Marriage motion tabled for a plenary debate before the Assembly on 1st October. The text of the motion reads:

Equal Marriage

"That this Assembly believes that all couples, including those of the same sex, should have the right to marry in the eyes of the State and that, while religious institutions ought to continue to have the right to define, observe and practise marriage within the bounds of their institutions, all married couples, including those of the same sex, should have the same legal entitlement to the protections, responsibilities, rights, obligations and benefits afforded by the legal institution of marriage; calls on the Minister of Finance and Personnel to introduce legislation to guarantee that couples of any sex or gender identity receive equal benefit; and further calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to ensure that all legislation adheres to the Government’s commitments to promote and protect equality for all."

We have less than 2 weeks for supporters here to get writing to our MLAs to urge them to support this motion. So the Equal Marriage NI campaign is going to have a very busy two weeks.

The motion contains the element of religious groups not being forced to do anything very much in line with the Alliance Party's recently passed policy. However, parties like the UUP and SDLP have yet to show how they will stand on such a motion. The above does maintain freedom of religion while seeking to increase equality. It is actually the first home grown LGBT motion to be discussed before the Assembly and it is calling on the departments responsible to bring forward the legislation. There is slight worry that there was a parallel motion tabled in the name of the leader of the UUP Mike Nesbitt and his party colleague Danny Kinahan. The title for a start show a lack of understanding of the issues, theirs instead of being called Equal Marriage is called Same Sex Marriage. It reads:

"That this Assembly recognises the diverse views which are held on the issue of same sex marriage; further recognises the concerns of religious institutions with regard to changes to the current definition of marriage; and calls on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to ensure that adequate equality legislation is in place."

It appears to be a counter motion, which only seeks to ring lock the concerns of the religious institutions without taking into account certain of the diverse opinions that it gives passing mention to at the start. Surely in recognising the diverse opinions something has got to be done about all those diverse opinions and this motion (which we do not think has been selected) will probably form the basis of the counter argument.

Things will not be straightforward here in Northern Ireland as even a sensible motion like that above will not be enough to overcome of the prejudices of many who will go through the division lobbies when this goes to the vote. There is a distinct inability in many to separate Church and State here. Even though the motion to be debated lays out that that separation will be maintained and is actually calling on OFMdFM to come up with appropriate legislation to make this possible many will still say this is a Westminster thing and not something that needs to come to Northern Ireland. At least Mike Nesbitt recognises there is a diversity of opinions on this, I just hope that our MLAs manage to come to terms with this diversity of views and allow equality to move forward.

Correcting the Covener of the PCI General Board

I read in today's Newsletter that both the Catholic and Presbyterian Church have formed an unusual alliance to oppose equal marriage, whether a civil marriage or a religious grouping that wishes to do so, in joining the attack on the Scottish Parliament.

I do have one issue with Dr Donald Watts the Convener of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland's General Board. The Newsletter says that when he wrote to the Westminster Government in March that:

"Dr Watts said he was writing on behalf of the most representative body of the church, the general board"

Sadly for Dr Watts this is not the case. The PCI's own website describes the General Board as:

The General Board is the most widely representative body under the Assembly, with over 160 members. This includes Assembly Conveners and Presbytery Clerks. This Board deals with both routine and exceptional matters that fall between meetings of the General Assembly; and may issue public statements on behalf of the Church. It may also deal with matters that concern two or more Boards, or matters that do not fall within the boundaries of a particular Board's work. It can call ministers to work as chaplains in hospitals, prisons and the Armed Forces and assesses the suitability of all appointments outside the Church's jurisdiction to which a minister may be called by some other Board. 

In 2012 the General Assembly had over 1,200 delegates  representing every congregation both clergy and session. This is the most widely representative body in the PCI. But the issue by being dealt with by the General Board was therefore not raised in the more public forum of the General Assembly where they would have been some descent possible to the course that the church decided to take.

Farm tragedy is Ulster Rugby tragedy

There is a cruel reminder that not everything can go as you plan when you read the last comment made early yesterday on the Nevin Spence Official Facebook page.

"Like milk? ..Everyone likes milk! I'll be updating progress from rugby and life on the farm (and everything in between) over the next few months. Get 'liking' the MilkItNI facebook page to keep up to date!"

By the end of the day that farm was to claim the lives of Ulster's 22 year-old center, his father Noel and brother Graham in a slurry tank incident. Early reports seem to suggest that his father had fallen in trying to rescue a family dog, but when the efforts of his brother Graham ended up with him too falling in Nevin also went to the rescue. Sadly the close knit family ended up losing three of their members in the incident.

Nevin hadn't taken part in the game against Munster on Friday as he was recovering from injury, but had played earlier in the day for the Ulster Ravens against Munster A. He was looking for a return to form to continue to try and play himself into contention for the Irish 6 Nations squad with whom he had trained earlier on in the year.He had turned out in an Ireland jersey for a Barbarians match earlier this year.

As well as being a gifted Rugby player Spence had also representing Northern Ireland U-18s at football and on occasion those football skills proved decisive on the rugby field.

My thoughts, as well as all Ulster and Ireland Rugby fans, are surely with the Spence family who have lost three members in this tragic accident.

 

Update more details on the BBC  even Irish language websites are leading with the story.

Obituary on the BBC website. 

Want to hear what Fermanagh Councillors think of #equalmarriage demonstration

The Impartial Reporter is the local paper in Fermanagh. This evening at the first full council since they became the first council in Ireland to vote against supporting equal marriage there was a protest attempting to hand the Councillors a letter.

Here is the response that some of the Councillors gave to the paper, there are audioboo clips in the report.

Please listen to them this is an example of the stance that too many of Northern Ireland's elected representatives give on this issue.