Posted by Jim on March 3, 2017
The snap 2017 Assembly election has been a good one for Sinn Fein, with
the party so far holding on to its seats in all constituencies and
showing particular strength in the traditional republican heartlands.
The largest unionist party, the DUP, has avoided suffering serious
damage despite being hit by repeated corruption scandals, and could hold
above the 30 seat mark required to hold on to its veto in the Stormont
Assembly. The future of party leader Arlene Foster is, however,
increasingly in doubt amid rumours of a potential heave.
But as one in six seats were eliminated from the Assembly this year, a
decimation of the weakest candidates has hit across the board with the
nationalist SDLP, unionist UUP and DUP and socialist PBP all lined up to
book losses amid an overall turnout of 65%, a sharp increase on last
year.
In contrast, Sinn Fein looks like it could hold on to virtually all of
their seats. Party campaigners said they believed that voters who have
fallen away from the organisation in recent years had returned due to
the party’s more hardline statements against the DUP and the ‘status
quo’.
The party’s female candidates put in a particularly strong performance,
with new party leader in the North, Michelle O’Neill, topping the poll
in Mid-Ulster by more than 10,000 votes, and with all three SF
candidates are set to be elected comfortably.
A new Sinn Fein candidate, Orlaithi Flynn, topped the poll in Belfast
West where all four SF candidates are also set to be elected amid the
demise of high profile SDLP candidate, Alex Attwood. Another female SF
candidate, Caoimhe Archibald, has topped the poll in East Derry, the
first time the party has done so.
Despite a 9% swing to Sinn Fein from the socialist People before Profit
in west Belfast, their candidate, Gerry Carroll, looks to have held on
to his seat. In Foyle, however, the People before Profit candidate Eamon
McCann looks set to lose out as both the Sinn Fein and SDLP have put in
a strong performance there.
In South Down, Sinn Fein overtook the SDLP for the first time on the
back of a 7% increase in votes. Sinn Fein’s Northern Chairman Declan
Kearney saw a surge in his vote tally to allow him to top the poll in
South Antrim, the first time the party has done so since Mitchel
McLaughlin in 2007.
On the unionist side, the DUP could be facing losses in both south
Belfast and north Belfast as a result of a fall-off in loyalist votes,
with high profile candidate Emma Little Pengelly set to lose her seat in
the south of the city. The UUP is struggling to hold seats west of the
river Bann, where the overall nationalist vote appears to be
significantly up, and it is in a battle to hold seats against the DUP in
the unionist heartlands east of the Bann.
In contrast, Alliance leader Naomi Long topped the poll and was elected
on the first count in east Belfast. The moderate unionist party was
optimistic it would hold its seats and possibly make a gain.
The following is the current seat tally after 15 of 90 seats declared:
SF 7, DUP 5, Alliance 2, UUP 1. Further updates will be published here
as they become available.
Posted by Jim on
IRISH-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2017
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Irish Americans have made an indelible mark on the United States. From Dublin, California, to Limerick, Maine, from Emerald Isle, North Carolina, to Shamrock, Texas, we are reminded of the more than 35 million Americans of Irish descent who contribute every day to all facets of life in the United States. Over generations, millions of Irish have crossed the ocean in search of the American Dream, and their contributions continue to enrich our country today.
From our four Irish-born Founding Fathers to Thomas Francis Meagher, the Irish revolutionary who became an American hero after leading the Irish Brigade during the Civil War, Irish immigrants have shaped our history in enduring ways. Throughout the centuries, hard-working Irish Americans have contributed to America’s innovation and prosperity — tilling the farms of Appalachia, working the looms of New England textile mills, and building transcontinental railroads — often overcoming poverty and discrimination and inspiring Americans from all walks of life with their indomitable and entrepreneurial spirit in the process. From these early beginnings rose generations of Irish Americans who continue to lead our cities, drive our economy, and protect and defend the land they embrace as their own.
American culture carries an unmistakably Irish-American imprint. Our literature, cinema, music, dance, sports, and visual arts are filled with the names and influence of great Irish Americans.
Irish Americans should be proud of the deep cultural, historical, and familial ties that have contributed to the strength of our vibrant transatlantic relationship with Ireland. As we honor the past during Irish-American Heritage Month, we also celebrate a bright future of friendship and cooperation for generations to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2017 as Irish-American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Irish Americans to our Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
Posted by Jim on
The polls have closed in the Six County Assembly election with voter
participation reported to have substantially recovered from the record
low voter turnout in last year’s Assembly election.
The first seats are due to be declared on Friday afternoon, with some
counts expected to extend into Saturday.
The poll to the Stormont Assembly is the second in 10 months. It was
called after Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness quit the position of Deputy
First Minister in protest at the failure of DUP leader Arlene Foster to
step aside ahead of an inquiry into alleged corruption.
There were dozens of reports of polling stations with substantially
higher voter numbers than last year. While some appeared to have been
influenced by the controversial culling of the voter register by the
electoral authorities earlier this year, the general trend was up.
Turnout is understood to have ranged from over 80% in parts of Tyrone
and Fermanagh, where voter participation is traditionally high, to below
50% in parts of Belfast, where bouts of heavy rain appear to have taken
their toll.
Commentators have predicted overall turnout should reach 60%, a 6%
increase on last year’s election and could reach up to the 63% reached
in last year’s European referendum. The official turnout will not be
known until the counting process gets under way on Friday.
Five Assembly seats are up for grabs in 18 constituencies, with the
overall number returned falling from 108 to 90 as a consequence of the
implementation of previously agreed reform measures.
Most interest in this election is focussed on the key level of 30
assembly members which the DUP must retain in order to hold on to their
veto over political change under the 2006 St Andrews Agreement.
The Ulster Unionists and nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP), have presented themselves as an alternative cross-community
partnership to the outgoing SF/DUP coalition. However, they did not
field enough candidates to replace them.
Three weeks of talks have been set aside to allow attempts to restore
power-sharing between Sinn Fein and the DUP. If the three-week
post-election deadline passes, British Direct Ruler James Brokenshire is
legally obliged to call yet another election.
However, in similar situations in the past, the British government has
opted to unilaterally suspend the Assembly and reimpose full Direct Rule
from London while negotiations continued.
One issue in the forthcoming talks is likely to be Sinn Fein’s call for
the introduction of an Irish Language Act, which the DUP has vetoed and
vowed to oppose.
While this can be resolved by the British government introducing an
Act at Westminster during a period of Direct Rule, the biggest sticking
point in the talks is still likely to be the position of Arlene Foster,
who has vowed to return to office as First Minister regardless of Sinn
Fein’s insistence that she appoint a replacement during the corruption
inquiry, a process which could take up to a year.
Sinn Fein’s northern leader Michelle O’Neill, who has taken over the
position vacated by Martin McGuinness, was upbeat as she filled out her
ballot paper in her home village of Clonoe, County Tyrone.
“It’s great that so many people are coming out to vote,” she said. She
thanked everyone who voted for Sinn Fein. “What Sinn Fein wins in this
election will be a win for all and we will carry our mandate through to
the post election negotiations,” she added.
Posted by Jim on February 25, 2017
For Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Welcome to “What’s the Craic?” a monthly gathering of people dedicated to the culture and heritage of Ireland! Meg O’Malley’s has been our host on the first Tuesday of the month for over five years where we, between 5:00 P.M.-6:30 P.M., continue to celebrate all things Irish.
This month’s entertainment is troubadour Billy Delaney. Although Billy would like to think he’s on vacation down here in the sunshine state, he can’t help himself but play, sing, and story-tell, which he does with talent, humor, and a sense of shenanigans. This will be Billy’s third visit and we’re looking forward to it. We realize seating has been challenging recently (thank you for your support!) and we hope to bring in more tables and chairs to accommodate everyone.
Head inside afterwards to listen to the Meg’s Session Players, who play every Tuesday, 6:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. Their traditional playing is a rarity in this part of Florida and a joy to listen to.
This month celebrates St. Patrick’s Day and we hope you can join Meg O’Malley’s and the Ancient Order of Hibernians with our annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, in Historic Downtown Melbourne. The parade will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 11 A.M. And for the first time the Grand Marshall will be a woman, Margot Neuendorf. Margot is the Florida state president of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and is committed to her church and community, as well. Congratulations to a wonderful woman for a well-deserved honor!
Sláinte
Posted by Jim on
British Prime Minister Theresa May has been condemned after she hit out
at the families of those killed by British soldiers and their legal
representatives during a debate at the Westminster parliament.
May told the House of Commons that “it is absolutely appalling when
people try to make a business out of dragging our brave troops through
the courts”.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill said May had insulted the many victims of
British state forces and described the comments as “dangerous and
disgraceful”.
“In the past we have had attacks, directed by the British government
through its agents and proxies, on those who have campaigned to uphold
the rights of victims and who have worked to hold the British state to
account,” she said.
“Those who work for human rights and who hold the British state to
account should not be subject to this disgraceful attack. No one can be
above the law and everyone should be held to account.”
May’s comments recalled those of Home Office Minister Douglas Hogg who
in 1989 told MPs in the Commons that some lawyers in Belfast were
“unduly sympathetic to the cause of the IRA”. Belfast defence lawyer Pat
Finucane was murdered weeks later by a loyalist unit almost entirely
comprised of British agents.
This week the Court of Appeal in Belfast dismissed the appeal by the
Finucane family against the refusal of the Tory government to honour its
commitment to a public inquiry into his assassination.
May’s comments were also matched by DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who
launched an extraordinary tirade against those organisations who pursue
justice for victims of state killings and war crimes.
“It is wrong that our veterans are sitting at home, wondering if perhaps
a third or a fourth investigation is now going to take place into their
case, simply because some hot, fast-thinking, make-a-quick-buck human
rights lawyer in Belfast thinks it’s a good idea to reopen this case,”
he told MPs.
In response, Mark Thomson of Relatives for Justice said it was the
clearest example of double standards on the part of the DUP and Tories
given their continued stance against any form of amnesty.
“We need to be clear for families; there is no time limit on criminal
activity, killings and murder that the British army were involved in
here. There will be no statute of limitations. This is illegal in
domestic and international law and any attempt will be challenged in the
courts and the UK government know that full well.”
He said there was an attempt to present soldiers as victims when they
might be asked for the first time ever, in an independent way, about
killings they carried out.
“It is a rearguard action by the ‘establishment’ against any form of
accountability concerning the past,” he said.
“Defending the indefensible as they did throughout the conflict is no
longer an option as part of transition in which they will finally be
held to account within a human rights compliant process. This too
includes accounting for agents, collusion and murder.
“Nonetheless presenting armed soldiers who killed people here as victims
is insulting and deeply offensive to the many hundreds of families who
had loved ones killed by the British army.”