the peace process industry

[The Iceman]

My first job out of Uni was for a job funded by Peace II money, total sham. The Upper Bann Institute got a fortune and we met the minimum requirements and were very creative with how we met them too.
Following that I really got my eyes opened and went on to work for a prominent portadown "business" man who's success was based on getting as many grants, Invest NI money, EU money and Peace II money for whatever possible. When I left he just received a huge grant to train female HVAC and Bus drivers!!!!

In my experience I wouldn't say the rate of bad to good was 1:5

[lawnseed]

My first job out of Uni was for a job funded by Peace II money, total sham. The Upper Bann Institute got a fortune and we met the minimum requirements and were very creative with how we met them too.
Following that I really got my eyes opened and went on to work for a prominent portadown "business" man who's success was based on getting as many grants, Invest NI money, EU money and Peace II money for whatever possible. When I left he just received a huge grant to train female HVAC and Bus drivers!!!!

In my experience I wouldn't say the rate of bad to good was 1:5

what about a grant for luxury apartments posing as emergency housing right beside a ghost estate.  crooks 

[Tony Baloney]

My first job out of Uni was for a job funded by Peace II money, total sham. The Upper Bann Institute got a fortune and we met the minimum requirements and were very creative with how we met them too.
Following that I really got my eyes opened and went on to work for a prominent portadown "business" man who's success was based on getting as many grants, Invest NI money, EU money and Peace II money for whatever possible. When I left he just received a huge grant to train female HVAC and Bus drivers!!!!

In my experience I wouldn't say the rate of bad to good was 1:5

Initials of DJ by any chance? If so then I'm not surprised as thon boy is a gangster but due to "connections" he has the run of the place.

[The Iceman]

My first job out of Uni was for a job funded by Peace II money, total sham. The Upper Bann Institute got a fortune and we met the minimum requirements and were very creative with how we met them too.
Following that I really got my eyes opened and went on to work for a prominent portadown "business" man who's success was based on getting as many grants, Invest NI money, EU money and Peace II money for whatever possible. When I left he just received a huge grant to train female HVAC and Bus drivers!!!!

In my experience I wouldn't say the rate of bad to good was 1:5

Initials of DJ by any chance? If so then I'm not surprised as thon boy is a gangster but due to "connections" he has the run of the place.

Initials of A.R
But had some dealings with the D.J too - they're all crooks mate

[Aerlik]

Why have sympathy for these thieves, cos that's all they are.  Fcuk it, they do the crime they do the time.  We are quick to remonstrate about evil dealings in other countries, so let's expose irish thieves and crooks.

[Tony Baloney]

Why have sympathy for these thieves, cos that's all they are.  Fcuk it, they do the crime they do the time.  We are quick to remonstrate about evil dealings in other countries, so let's expose irish thieves and crooks.

They're British

[under the bar]

We had a so-called consultant in from Invest NI doing a wishy-washy management programme.   He charged a cood grand a day for 5 days. 

Complete sh*te you could download off the net in half an hour.   Invest NI refunded us the money once we paid him.

Closed shop for so-called experts who spent their whole lives fleecing the civil service.

[johnneycool]

We had a so-called consultant in from Invest NI doing a wishy-washy management programme.   He charged a cood grand a day for 5 days. 

Complete sh*te you could download off the net in half an hour.   Invest NI refunded us the money once we paid him.

Closed shop for so-called experts who spent their whole lives fleecing the civil service.

Were they a full time employee of invest NI or contracted in for their 'specialist' skills?

Invest NI employed a load of Lean experts in the last few years and knowing some personally what they know about implimenting Lean you could write on the back of a swan vesta box.

[hectorsheroes]

Because one organisation defrauds a funder makes it acceptable to tar the whole thing? Ridiculous - alot of groups are doing seriously good work on very very limited budgets dealing with people who have suffered the most awful tragedies so now one group is representative of the whole process?

There is always gonna be exceptions to the rule and there will be fly by nights in every industry but for the most part these groups are doing governments work for them and alot of times on a voluntary capacity. It never ceases to amaze me the critics that are sitting waiting to take pops - what does one dodgy builder mean the whole trade is the same? does one hospital attendant who eats an old ladies dinner mean the whole sector is renowned for this? No so deal with a group on its merits without tarnishing a whole sector

[brokencrossbar1]

I watched the Spotlight programme the other night and I have to say I was really annoyed about it.  I have known the individuals involved for years but had lost contact with them.  i knew them through something completely unrelated and Reatha Hassan always was an absolute lady.  She was very proud of her husband who had been a UDR policeman and never hid behind it but she knew who I was and where I was from and it never worried her either.  She would be the most unlikely person to be on the take.  Like hector says though not all groups are like this one.  It is not an easy place to work in and people need to understand that there are a lot of places that have been severely traumatised by 30 years of fear and many of these areas are still under the grip of paramilitary threats.  Normallity is something that they know nothing about and they need a helping hand to get on developing themselves. 

[lawnseed]

I watched the Spotlight programme the other night and I have to say I was really annoyed about it.  I have known the individuals involved for years but had lost contact with them.  i knew them through something completely unrelated and Reatha Hassan always was an absolute lady.  She was very proud of her husband who had been a UDR policeman and never hid behind it but she knew who I was and where I was from and it never worried her either.  She would be the most unlikely person to be on the take.  Like hector says though not all groups are like this one.  It is not an easy place to work in and people need to understand that there are a lot of places that have been severely traumatised by 30 years of fear and many of these areas are still under the grip of paramilitary threats.  Normallity is something that they know nothing about and they need a helping hand to get on developing themselves.

yeah tonnes of public money thrown at you helps you 'develop yourself'. i know of one gaa club who when they went to apply for funding for field development were told that the local peace industry had already applied for funds for a soccer pitch not one local person knew about it so where was the soccer club?... well they hadnt started it yet. complete shower

[lawnseed]

well the gravy train just arrived and deposited a tasty million stg in the coffers of none other than the leading peace organisation in ireland better known as the orange order. no wonder they've been keeping quite with this money in the pipline sure the less said or done the better, and our european cousins just keep opening the checkbook for these bluffers it simply beggeth belief. theres just a hint of the reason why they havent pushed the likes of the whitecross "peace" march and a few others the bad publicity could have cost them. all aboard...!!!! toot toot..