Tut tut Wullie

[Minder]

Victims group, Families Acting For Innocent Relatives (Fair) has had more than £800,000 in European Union grants revoked.
It follows an investigation into the organisation's tendering process.
Fair director Willie Frazer said there were some paperwork errors but every penny went straight to victims.
The Special EU Programmes Body said there were "major failures" in Fair's ability to adhere to the conditions associated with its funding allocation.
It said had no option but to revoke all financial assistance.
More than £800,000 was allocated to Fair over three years.
Mr Frazer plans to fight the decision by the Special European Union Programmes Body (SEUPB) to revoke its funding.
"We would not dishonour our loved ones by misappropriating funding, the SEUPB has admitted that there is not a penny missing, that there are no financial irregularities whatsoever," he said.
"It certainly doesn't mean the end of the organisation, but it will have a major impact, because you cannot do things with people without having resources.
"And this may be blowing our own trumpet, but we have fought for years within the victims' sector and if anybody stands back and looks at the victims' sector there probably wouldn't be one if it hadn't been for the work put in by Fair and other groups."
Mr Frazer said he felt Fair had been "hammered" because it was not "politically correct".
In a statement, SEUPB said that after a "thorough audit" of the tendering and administration procedures used by Fair it had uncovered "major failures in the organisation's ability to adhere to the conditions associated with its funding allocation".
"The SEUPB is charged with ensuring the proper use of public money and as such has no option but to revoke all financial assistance, (amounting to approximately £880,000), that has been offered to the organisation," the statement added.
"Fair has been given every opportunity to respond to and address these issues.
"The decision to revoke and recover all financial assistance given to the project has not been taken lightly, however, given the seriousness of the issues no other recourse is available."

[Banana Man]

so in short Willie has created a job sector for himself!

When he says there wouldn't have been a victim's sector only for him and FAIR, have to hand it to him for his entrepreneurial skills in times of recession when he can create a brand new job sector 

[NAG1]

Shows you everything that is wrong with our system that a total crack pot bigot actually is given this level of funding in the first place. Whether that be European money or what ever.

[johnneycool]

"The decision to revoke and recover all financial assistance given to the project has not been taken lightly, however, given the seriousness of the issues no other recourse is available."

Will wee Wullie need to pay some of that back I wonder???

[Nally Stand]

I wonder how long it will be before he blames "the cahh-liks" for this one

[rrhf]

Its bad news for the victims sector, creative accountancy and misinformation leading to 50 pence knocked of the share value.  Is the term the "victims sector" indicative of the last throw of the dice in a conflict.  Wars over - nobodys really sure who has won, and now everyone sues for peace.   

[Minder]

I think this cottage industry will struggle badly for funding in the next few years. People haven't a pot to piss in and these groups are still getting money handed out hand over fist.

[tyssam5]

Fun while it lasted for these guys, hopefully they can all find some real jobs now.

[shawshank]

from experinece i can tell you that this group would have been given ample time, and clear instruction on what it needed to do to ensure it continued. Head in the sand syndrome

[Minder]

I would say if you went the length of the Falls Rd you would find about 20 of these types of groups.

[brokencrossbar1]

I would say if you went the length of the Falls Rd you would find about 20 of these types of groups.

The thing is there is serious need for groups to work with communities hit badly by the troubles, on both sides.  There is a serious amount of work being done through these groups to improve the status of communities but the unfortunate thing is that idiots like Frazer take away from the kudos of these groups.  It is something that I strongly believe in and ironically it would be the protestant/loyalist communities who need it the most as with all their power over the years, their sense of community is very threadbare which they feel being squeezed more as each year goes on. 

Willie is derided among the community sector and many of the main movers feel that he is holding back the progress of things due to his open politicization of the "victims" issue. 

[hectorsheroes]

Not far of the mark there broken crossbar. The community and voluntary sector essentially cobver the governments arse at times with the services that they provide - loof at the childlines, cancer charities etc - vital vital stuff, older peoples groups, suicide awareness, inter-community groups etc etc - these groups are what keeps many isolated people going and it just takes one bad apple for a complete over reaction

[brokencrossbar1]

It fucks me off rotten when I hear people talking about wasting money on these groups etc.  Many of us have been lucky enough that the troubles, although they had an impact on us, they didn't stop us developing our normal lives.  In a lot of areas the paramilitaries had such a stranglehold over communities that they never developed, both culturally and socially.  Some people think that the troubles are over so lets just switch the button off and people can get on with their lives.  Generations have been held under the pyschological, physical and financial kosh of the troubles and some need more help than others to get out of there.

[lynchbhoy]

'the money was just resting in my account' eh wullie!!

[lynchbhoy]

I wonder will these millions of pounds that ghadaffi is to pay out to the 'victims' in the north of Ireland be FAIRly distributed