six county elections 05/05/2011

[Tony Baloney]

Indeed.

DUP to take Enterprise, Trade and Investment which SF were widely tipped to be keen on to develop the All Ireland strategy. For that reason alone im disappointed. SF to keep education and agriculture and to take culture, arts and leisure, so expect an Irish Language Act on the agenda fairly quickly. DUP to keep finance obviously but also take health.

In reality though how much control and or influence can an assembly minister have? I mean how could SF manage the trade portfolio so much differently than the DUP? Could the language act even go through, even with a SF minister? SF proposals for a language act were quashed before, nothing has changed so they will be again. In the case of the Maze stadium, once the "shrine" uproar occured, party politics, 3rd party interests and finance intervened. Campbells only intervention was to decide when the money arrived, not who, where or how.

d'hondt or not there was no doubt extensive horse trading between SF and DUP. Shinners will obviously continue with Education with a DUP proviso that they look at something like the Dickson Plan re. academic selection.

[ziggysego]

Sinn Fein

Education - John O'Dowd
Agriculture - Michelle O'Neill
Culture & Arts - Caral Ni Chuilin
Junior Minister - Martina Anderson

DUP

Health - Edwin Poots (replaced with Jim Wells)
Finance - Sammy Wilson (replaced with Simon Hamilton)
DETI - Arlene Foster
DSD - Nelson McCausland
Junior Minister - Jonathan Bell

SDLP

Environment - Alex Attwood

Alliance

Employment and Learning - Stephen Farry

UUP

Regional Development - Danny Kennedy

[AQMP]

Interesting choices by the Shinners there

[aontroim]

Sinn Fein

Education - John O'Dowd
Agriculture - Michelle O'Neill
Culture & Arts - Caral Ni Chuilin
Junior Minister - Martina Anderson

DUP

Health - Edwin Poots (replaced with Jim Wells)
Finance - Sammy Wilson (replaced with Simon Hamilton)
DETI - Arlene Foster
DSD - Nelson McCausland
Junior Minister - Jonathan Bell

SDLP

Environment - Alex Attwood

Alliance

Employment and Learning - Stephen Farry

UUP

Regional Development - Danny Kennedy

Here comes the Irish Language Act 

[AQMP]

What has big Pootsy done wrong?

[Ulick]

Sinn Fein

Education - John O'Dowd
Agriculture - Michelle O'Neill
Culture & Arts - Caral Ni Chuilin
Junior Minister - Martina Anderson

DUP

Health - Edwin Poots (replaced with Jim Wells)
Finance - Sammy Wilson (replaced with Simon Hamilton)
DETI - Arlene Foster
DSD - Nelson McCausland
Junior Minister - Jonathan Bell

SDLP

Environment - Alex Attwood

Alliance

Employment and Learning - Stephen Farry

UUP

Regional Development - Danny Kennedy

No houses for the Taigs in north Belfast then.

[Evil Genius]

Sinn Fein

Education - John O'Dowd
Agriculture - Michelle O'Neill
Culture & Arts - Caral Ni Chuilin
Junior Minister - Martina Anderson

DUP

Health - Edwin Poots (replaced with Jim Wells)
Finance - Sammy Wilson (replaced with Simon Hamilton)
DETI - Arlene Foster
DSD - Nelson McCausland
Junior Minister - Jonathan Bell

SDLP

Environment - Alex Attwood

Alliance

Employment and Learning - Stephen Farry

UUP

Regional Development - Danny Kennedy

No houses for the Taigs in north Belfast then.

No reply to my query in post #631 and elsewhere, then, Donagh Ulick?

In case you've "overlooked" it, #631 is just a wee scroll up the page...

[Tony Baloney]

The SDLP really don't help themselves. Attwood doesn't exactly set the world alight.

The Irish Language Act surely will only get passed via an all party vote? In the current climate they'd need to have some good justification for spending money on translating documents people can already read and understand. Having said that it may only be a small % of the money wasted elsewhere. Do two wrongs make a right?

[Maguire01]

Sinn Fein

Education - John O'Dowd
Agriculture - Michelle O'Neill
Culture & Arts - Caral Ni Chuilin
Junior Minister - Martina Anderson

DUP

Health - Edwin Poots (replaced with Jim Wells)
Finance - Sammy Wilson (replaced with Simon Hamilton)
DETI - Arlene Foster
DSD - Nelson McCausland
Junior Minister - Jonathan Bell

SDLP

Environment - Alex Attwood

Alliance

Employment and Learning - Stephen Farry

UUP

Regional Development - Danny Kennedy

Here comes the Irish Language Act 

She should allocate some extra money for Irish Language classes. And then attend them herself.

Although surprised Anderson wasn't given that brief, given that the Derry City of Culture gig is during this term and that she'll likely be challenging for the Foyle seat again at the next Westminster elections.

[Maguire01]

The SDLP really don't help themselves. Attwood doesn't exactly set the world alight.

Yeah, bad move there. Attwood's Assembly seat is safe and he has a high enough profile. McGlone will feel shafted here, not even getting a Committee Chair or Vice-Chair.

The Irish Language Act surely will only get passed via an all party vote? In the current climate they'd need to have some good justification for spending money on translating documents people can already read and understand. Having said that it may only be a small % of the money wasted elsewhere. Do two wrongs make a right?

The Irish Language Act can't happen without Executive support as far as I understand. So unless SF has done a deal with the DUP (what price for letting Hay stay on as speaker?)... Safe to say that if it does happen, it won't be down to the new DCAL Minister.

[armaghniac]

I think this complete change stuff with SF is a bit odd. Where in governments do you find this extent of rotation of posts. You put the best people forward, it seems rather odd that none of the previous lot are now the best people. You wouldn't see Tyrone changing their manager just to give someone else a go, although perhaps this would be a good idea in Armagh.

[trileacman]

The SDLP really don't help themselves. Attwood doesn't exactly set the world alight.

The Irish Language Act surely will only get passed via an all party vote? In the current climate they'd need to have some good justification for spending money on translating documents people can already read and understand. Having said that it may only be a small % of the money wasted elsewhere. Do two wrongs make a right?

Nah, just an executive.

[lawnseed]

I think this complete change stuff with SF is a bit odd. Where in governments do you find this extent of rotation of posts. You put the best people forward, it seems rather odd that none of the previous lot are now the best people. You wouldn't see Tyrone changing their manager just to give someone else a go, although perhaps this would be a good idea in Armagh.

perhaps they are showing the strenght and depth of their team more like cork, tbh mcguinness needs a while on the bench/holiday

[Applesisapples]

The SDLP really don't help themselves. Attwood doesn't exactly set the world alight.

Yeah, bad move there. Attwood's Assembly seat is safe and he has a high enough profile. McGlone will feel shafted here, not even getting a Committee Chair or Vice-Chair.

The Irish Language Act surely will only get passed via an all party vote? In the current climate they'd need to have some good justification for spending money on translating documents people can already read and understand. Having said that it may only be a small % of the money wasted elsewhere. Do two wrongs make a right?

The Irish Language Act can't happen without Executive support as far as I understand. So unless SF has done a deal with the DUP (what price for letting Hay stay on as speaker?)... Safe to say that if it does happen, it won't be down to the new DCAL Minister.

News reports this morning of a big row in the SDLP over Atwoods appointment. McGlone is reported to have refused a committee chair.

[Ulick]

I maybe wrong but was there not something a year or two back saying we were about to get finned by the EU for not upholding some Charter for the protection of minority languages?