Moyle District Council Officially Twins With Gaza City

[muppet]

All magnificent work...pity all "Twinning" exercises don't deliver the same benefits

Twinning is usually a waste of taxpayer's money, but there are exceptions and this may very well be one of them.

[Tony Baloney]

All magnificent work...pity all "Twinning" exercises don't deliver the same benefits

Twinning is usually a waste of taxpayer's money, but there are exceptions and this may very well be one of them.

Hearty congratulations to MDC if that proves to be the case.

[seafoid]

Support like this is very important for the morale of the people of Gaza.

In what way? How many ordinary people in Gaza will ever know about this twinning? What difference is it likely to make to them?

They get all the news from the outside world. People under siege remember the acts of kindness of strangers long after the nightmare ends.

Measaim gur subhach don Mhumhain an fhuaim
'S dá maireann go dubhach de chrú na mbua
Torann na dtonn le sleasaibh na long
Ag tarraingt go teann 'n-ár gceann ar cuairt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWnDter4QE4

[give her dixie]

Thanks for the replies folks. As expected, the Unionists opposed it, and the TUV councillor is none too happy....

As I said earlier, it will take a bit of time to se if it works out, and considering this will be one twinning that will be under the microscope, it will have to be dealt with in a way that is open and transparent.

In my local council on Dungannon, I know we are twinned with somewhere else, in fact, a few other places. I tried looking on their web site earlier, and they have no mention of where they are twinned. So, I was at a loss to see who they are twinned with, and what benefits there are to the district.

I noticed Omagh is twinned with East Kilbride in Scotland though.....

As for junkets, this weekend will see an exodus of politicians heading all over the globe for St Patricks day. Shamrocks, Snakes and Shililelaghs bullshit.

My view on this twinning is to leave the jury out on it, and see how it goes. I have high hopes it will work, and if not for an economic benefit, at least a humanitarian one.

[seafoid]

The Israelis won't let anyone from Norn Irn anywhere near Gaza. Look at what they did to the Freedom Flotilla last year.
They are sociopaths.  No worry of any taxpayer money going on junkets. 

[Tony Baloney]

Dixie, this from Ballycastle Chronicle...

MOYLE District Council last night (Monday) decided to twin with Gaza and support the troubled region on a humanitarian basis, as an outcome was finally reached on the long-running motion. The council chamber, however, was clearly divided, the room split on the voting.  Chairperson, Cllr Padraig McShane, along with Sinn Fein councillors Cara McShane, Noreen McAllister and Margaret Anne McKillop, Independent councillors Seamus Blaney and Colum Thompson and the SDLP's Donal Cunningham all supported the motion that will now see Moyle District Council proceed with the formal twinning with the municipality of Gaza by a signed agreement, with the 'Antrim to Gaza' group tasked to implement the twinning programme. Those seven votes, in support of the twinning agreement, were enough to see the motion passed by just one vote against the six councillors who voiced their opposition - DUP councillors Robert McIlroy and David McAllister, UUP representatives William Graham and Joan Baird, TUV councillor Sharon McKillop and Independent Randall McDonnell. The proposal to twin Moyle with Gaza was first tabled by Cllr Padraig McShane, who is a member of the Antrim to Gaza group, almost 12 months ago, shortly after he returned from the Middle East region where he had been delivering medical aid. Since it was first proposed it has divided the council chamber and Sheskburn House and had been brought back and forward to council meetings on numerous occasions since. Back in November, councillors requested that legal advice, which has cost council around £860, be sought on the effects of Moyle twinning with Gaza and at Monday night's meeting, Chief Executive Richard Lewis informed councillors that following a full circle of correspondence between their solicitor, the Northern Ireland Office and Stormont, "judgement [was to be made] on the part of the individual councillors now as to whether or not to proceed with the proposed twinning plan." What ensued was a heated debate in which the unionist councillors and Cllr McDonnell made it clear they would not be supporting the twinning motion while the nationalist councillors, along with councillors Blaney and Thompson and the chairperson, indicated they would support the humanitarian aid effort between Moyle and Gaza. Cllr Sharon McKillop said the motion did not receive cross-party support while Cllr Baird said that if Moyle wanted to help the people of Gaza they should do so through international aid agencies.  Cllr McDonnell said twinning with any other place should be of benefit to both areas and he said he could not see where the benefit lay for Moyle.  Cllr Graham said the decision to twin Moyle with Gaza would cause a lot of damage to relations in Moyle.

[dillinger]

The Moyle Peace Park. Any plans for a Sands Peace Park etc? Or is there already one there?

[Mike Sheehy]

Shouldn't someone twin with a town in Darfur ? or would that go against the anti-African pro-Arab-aparteid supporting clique of Seafoid and give her dixie?

[give her dixie]

http://ballycastle.thechronicle.uk.com/articles/news/30738/gaza-twinning-withdrawn/

Gaza twinning withdrawn

Thursday, 29 November 2012

Moyle's twinning arrangement with Gaza has been withdrawn - after a Sinn Fein motion calling for support for the region backfired.

The issue unfolded at Moyle District Council's meeting on Monday night, where Colum Thompson (SF) highlighted the 'renewed indiscriminate air and ground attacks from Israel, into our twin the Municipality of Gaza', and asked that 'Moyle District Council expresses our total repulsion at these actions and reiterates our solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza'.

This immediately prompted a raft of protests from Unionist Councillors - led by the DUP's Robert McIlroy who said that 'we are dealing with terrorists' and 'we should not be associated with that'.
He called on the Council to withdraw from its 'alignment' with Gaza.

Joan Baird (UUP) said she wanted to express sympathy to both sides involved in the 'bloody, awful conflict' but the Council needed to remain impartial and focus on issues on its own doorstep.
"We need to put local people first and step away from being international players", she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by the TUV's Sharon McKillop, who called the Sinn Fein proposal 'imbalanced' and 'distracting from matters that really affect the area'.

Independent Councillor Paudie McShane, who has been the architect of the twinning arrangement, said he was 'disappointed' by the motion as the twinning was a humanitarian , rather than a political gesture.

At his request, the Sinn Fein motion was withdrawn.

'Unbelievable' situation

In spite of protests from the party and Cllr McShane, who branded the situation 'unbelievable', a vote to withdraw from the twinning arrangement was then pushed through.
The initial vote resulted in a tie (seven in favour, seven against) but after a slight delay where the Council Chairperson told the chamber that she did not agree with using the power, Sandra Hunter (UUP) exercised her casting vote to break the stalemate.

Cllr McShane immediately branded the decision 'disgusting for the children of Gaza'.
Afterwards, he accused Sinn Fein of putting 'their own egos ahead of what is right by Gaza'.

"The motion by Councillor Thompson should not have been placed on the agenda given I had personally warned Sinn Fein of the repercussions of their stunt ten days ago.

"Everyone in the chamber knew there was 14 Councillors evenly split and the Chair had the casting vote. It was not rocket science to determine what would happen.

"As far as I am concerned, this has given Unionism the headline it desperately craved but it should be noted that the Antrim to Gaza Group will continue to implement the terms of the Twinning Agreement given it was a permanent Twinning mechanism. This vote changes nothing," he said.

[seafoid]

Shouldn't someone twin with a town in Darfur ? or would that go against the anti-African pro-Arab-aparteid supporting clique of Seafoid and give her dixie?

Mike Sheehy

I hope you stick around to experience the fall of Zionism live here on the gaaboard.


http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/strenger-than-fiction/likud-beitenu-is-headed-for-a-showdown-with-the-world.premium-1.480946

Netanyahu's situation is becoming well-nigh untenable: He is leader of a party that opposes territorial compromise and will no doubt want to step up settlement construction and expansion, while Palestine is becoming an established fact of international law, possibly with the endorsement of major Western states like Britain. Even if Palestinians refrain from bringing complaints against Israel to the International Criminal Court, they will now have increased international leverage in fighting Israel's settlement activity.
Pitching UN recognition of Palestine against the new Likud's extreme right-wing ideology could lead towards a showdown between a Likud-Beitenu government and the world at large. Skeptical about the possibility of reaching a viable agreement with Palestinians, most Israelis have opted for the prolongation of the status quo in which Israel expands settlements without annexing the West Bank. This gradual de facto colonization under the aegis of an unclear legal situation is now likely to come to an end.

[Eamonnca1]

Milwaukee (to encourage trade links....ee right)

I could think of better places to go in the states than Milwaukee, no fault to Milwaukee.  Its claims to fame are a big brewing industry and the biggest hurling club in the USA. Not much else that I'm aware of.

[AZOffaly]

Is Happy Days not set in Milwaukee as well? Heyyyyyyyyy

[glens abu]

http://ballycastle.thechronicle.uk.com/articles/news/30738/gaza-twinning-withdrawn/

Gaza twinning withdrawn

Thursday, 29 November 2012

Moyle's twinning arrangement with Gaza has been withdrawn - after a Sinn Fein motion calling for support for the region backfired.

The issue unfolded at Moyle District Council's meeting on Monday night, where Colum Thompson (SF) highlighted the 'renewed indiscriminate air and ground attacks from Israel, into our twin the Municipality of Gaza', and asked that 'Moyle District Council expresses our total repulsion at these actions and reiterates our solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza'.

This immediately prompted a raft of protests from Unionist Councillors - led by the DUP's Robert McIlroy who said that 'we are dealing with terrorists' and 'we should not be associated with that'.
He called on the Council to withdraw from its 'alignment' with Gaza.

Joan Baird (UUP) said she wanted to express sympathy to both sides involved in the 'bloody, awful conflict' but the Council needed to remain impartial and focus on issues on its own doorstep.
"We need to put local people first and step away from being international players", she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by the TUV's Sharon McKillop, who called the Sinn Fein proposal 'imbalanced' and 'distracting from matters that really affect the area'.

Independent Councillor Paudie McShane, who has been the architect of the twinning arrangement, said he was 'disappointed' by the motion as the twinning was a humanitarian , rather than a political gesture.

At his request, the Sinn Fein motion was withdrawn.

'Unbelievable' situation

In spite of protests from the party and Cllr McShane, who branded the situation 'unbelievable', a vote to withdraw from the twinning arrangement was then pushed through.
The initial vote resulted in a tie (seven in favour, seven against) but after a slight delay where the Council Chairperson told the chamber that she did not agree with using the power, Sandra Hunter (UUP) exercised her casting vote to break the stalemate.

Cllr McShane immediately branded the decision 'disgusting for the children of Gaza'.
Afterwards, he accused Sinn Fein of putting 'their own egos ahead of what is right by Gaza'.

"The motion by Councillor Thompson should not have been placed on the agenda given I had personally warned Sinn Fein of the repercussions of their stunt ten days ago.

"Everyone in the chamber knew there was 14 Councillors evenly split and the Chair had the casting vote. It was not rocket science to determine what would happen.

"As far as I am concerned, this has given Unionism the headline it desperately craved but it should be noted that the Antrim to Gaza Group will continue to implement the terms of the Twinning Agreement given it was a permanent Twinning mechanism. This vote changes nothing," he said.

People can't complain that SF don't put down motions condemning Israel and then when they do its a fault.This will be revisited when there is a full council again and the twinning with Gaza will be reinstated.

[give her dixie]

Glens, to the best of my knowledge I don't think any councils anywhere in the north put forward the following motion: " expresses our total repulsion at these actions and reiterates our solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza".

I also didn't see any MLA's call to " expresses our total repulsion at these actions and reiterates our solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza" at Stormont.

Colum Thompson was asked 10 days before the meeting not to bring it up by the very man who had initiated and created the twinning. Paudie put a lot of work into the twinning, and he just wasn't a politician who went on a freebe to Gaza for a tour. He brought a van filled with £30,000 worth of humanitarian aid. Personally, I think Colum should have respected Paudie as he correctly predicted the outcome of such a motion.

This twinning means a lot to the people of Gaza who suffered so much. They didn't need a council statement to know the people of Moyle cared. Colum's actions can't be dressed up as he made a mistake and the TUV are laughing.

[Mike Sheehy]

Mike Sheehy

I hope you stick around to experience the final solution to the jewish question live here on the gaaboard.

Glad you finally came clean about your true motives.