Long Kesh Park takes another step forward

[ziggysego]

Edwin Poots - Man of Culture...

[realredhandfan]

O Neill in the bathtub   

[GweylTah]

I predict that Poots will have an overnight conversion to Maze sceptic, duck issues of Irish language sensitivity, and become a regular at Castle Ward.

With him at the helm and a village idiot as Committee Chair, the civil servants will be busy (thats a first) making as well as implementing policy.

[dubnut]

He looks like yer man from Man about Dog.
The thick fella.

[SammyG]

Poots was on Fat Boy Fat's Radio six counties show, this morning and refused to back the Maze (in fact he refused to answer any direct questions at all) lots of 'it'll be up to the executive', 'I'll base my judgement on the evidence' etc etc. Hopefully good news if the leading Maze cheerleader is getting cold feet. 

[dubnut]

in fact he refused to answer any direct questions at all)

He'll go a long way so

[Donagh]

Poots was on Fat Boy Fat's Radio six counties show, this morning and refused to back the Maze (in fact he refused to answer any direct questions at all) lots of 'it'll be up to the executive', 'I'll base my judgement on the evidence' etc etc. Hopefully good news if the leading Maze cheerleader is getting cold feet. 

Obviously he'll do what his boss tells him to do. Which probably means it'll come down to a deal between SF and DUP...

[Billys Boots]

Which probably means it'll come down to a deal between SF and DUP.

How do you lads feel about Planet Earth politics breaking through in NI?

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Which probably means it'll come down to a deal between SF and DUP.

How do you lads feel about Planet Earth politics breaking through in NI?

Scary thought!!! 

[realredhandfan]

Planet earth politics in Ni
sure youve been playing politics with national stadia down there for years now Billy.  We are only new to the game.

[SammyG]

Which probably means it'll come down to a deal between SF and DUP.

How do you lads feel about Planet Earth politics breaking through in NI?

It's fecking weird. Emailing a politician with a question and getting an answer, rather than a rant about 'themuns', is not how things usually work.

[Billys Boots]

It's fecking weird.

Enjoy it while it's still a novelty. 

[new devil]

He looks like yer man from Man about Dog.
The thick fella.

Edwin Poots enjoys a day in Clonmel

QUALITY

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

Nice to see that political maturity is alive and well in our new wee Assembly. I read that David McNarry recently referred to gaelic games as a "foreign sport" in a debate about the Long Kesh regeneration programme.

The discussion in this week's meeting included debate on comparative spending for minority languages and who should sit before the Committee in the remaining weeks until recess.  When the Gaelic Athletic Association was suggested as part of a future briefing on the National Stadium proposals, Deputy Chair David McNarry MLA (Strangford) caused some consternation amongst some of his Committee colleagues when he referred to Gaelic sport as "foreign".

When will these idiots grow up.

[Fiodoir Ard Mhacha]

Having said the above, the DUP seem to show increasing political maturity!!!!

19 June:

"A new national stadium at the Maze will proceed if an alternative is not proposed by the end of this month, the minister in charge has insisted. Edwin Poots said the process "cannot go on indefinitely".

The plan is for a 35,000-seater stadium for soccer and rugby, and the provision of more seats for GAA fans.

Mr Poots, the minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, met developers proposing a Belfast site, but was not satisfied that their plans were viable.

He said the Maze/Long Kesh Site was the only site able to accommodate "a potentially viable shared Stadium for all the sports involved - soccer, rugby and gaelic games".

He added: "A multi-sports stadium must be delivered to meet the 2012 Olympics timetable, it must be supported by the governing bodies of the relevant sports, be economically viable and be consistent with government's wider objectives of a shared future."