Welcome back to Blog 5 of my Weekly Digest! And what a week it has been! I’m afraid it’s mostly about Covid on the domestic political front this week. There’s no escaping it! However, first let’s begin with something that’s much more painfully familiar to us – the DUP and SF failing to agree on something!
Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill have failed to appoint a Head of the NI Civil Service, despite taking more than nine months to decide, and despite their former head civil servant, David Sterling, having recently retired! It is understood that the three candidates interviewed by the First and Deputy First Ministers were Richard Pengelly, Sue Gray and Peter May, all current Permanent Secretaries of Health, Finance and Justice, respectively.
In the wake of the RHI scandal, there was widespread agreement within the NI body politic that the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) required urgent and radical reform. However, the BBC revealed this week that the DUP and Sinn Fein ministers had decided not to appoint any of the three candidates. Ms O’Neill said that they would now appoint an interim head of the civil service. UUP leader Steve Aiken said the situation “raises serious concerns”. He said that Arlene and Michelle had “failed in one of the most important recruitment processes within government at the height of a global pandemic”. I’m pretty sure that one of the final three candidates being married to a senior DUP figure had nothing to do with this particular bout of indecision/disagreement. No, sir! Definitely not! That’s ridiculous, surely? Isn’t it?
Our very own Sammy Wilson, MP, was pictured not wearing a face mask on the London Underground this week, while travelling from Westminster to Heathrow Airport, a journey of approximately 40 minutes. Taking stubborn, curmudgeonly obstinacy and downright irresponsibility to whole new levels, it would seem. Unless, of course, you’re a player or supporter of Dungannon Clarke’s GAA team!
They also caused no small amount of controversy and consternation when players and supporters celebrated wildly on the pitch after their victory in the Tyrone County GAA final. This contravened all manner of current Covid restrictions. It hasn’t been a good week for Covid compliance, all round, evidently!
One person who definitely wasn’t in attendance at the Tyrone GAA final, however, was SF MLA and Dungannon local, Colm Gildernew, despite the king of the curmudgeons himself, Jim Allister, accusing him in the NI Assembly of being present. In embarrassing scenes for the usually very diligent TUV leader, he had misread Gildernew’s tweet, which stated that he had failed to get a ticket for the County Final at Healy Park, Omagh, and was instead having to settle for Dungannon Park! The Assembly then witnessed a rare apology from wee Jim! One for the Stormont scrap book, there, me thinks!
Among the raft of new measures introduced this week to combat COVID 19, was the extension of the ban on spectators attending sporting events in various stadia. (Excluding GAA matches, obvs!) This comes as a real blow to many professional football clubs, particularly in the lower leagues, who depend on this revenue source. The goal celebrations just aren’t the same in front of empty stands. Arsenal fans, however, shouldn’t notice too much difference at the Emirates Stadium, otherwise known as The Library!
Speaking of new Covid measures, it is no longer permissible to meet your nan in your house, but you can take her to get sloshed down at the local pub, if you like! What a strange world we inhabit at the moment!
And speaking of pubs! After a month of encouraging people to go out to pubs and restaurants, the government is again trying to blame young people for rising cases and a second wave! Several outbreaks at various universities throughout the country and some well timed Stephen Nolan hyperbole about the Holylands area of Belfast, have seemingly confirmed the government’s convenient narrative that the current spike is mostly the fault of those hard partying young ‘uns! It has nothing whatever to do with the fact that many young people also work in customer facing part-time jobs, or that it may have something to do with the government’s often contradictory and confusing advice and guidance, more generally!
Face palm of the week award goes to – Matt Hancock, who has candidly admitted that he wished he had known the coronavirus could spread asymptomatically sooner – despite the government’s advisers saying symptom-free transmission could “not be ruled out” in a document drafted back in February. Oops! The Health Secretary (yes, that is his actual job) said not having a developed understanding of how the virus spread was his biggest regret in the aftermath of the UK outbreak, which has led to the deaths of 41,788 people and 136,330 hospitalisations! Here’s a photo of Mr Hancock, looking appropriately gormless!
Keir Starmer had to settle for a live zoom broadcast of his leader’s speech, during Labour’s ‘virtual’ Party Conference this week. It’s not really the same without the raucous applause and standing ovations from the Party faithful, though, is it? Nevertheless, these are unprecedented times and Keir sought to make the best of it, with a rousing appeal to the so called ‘red wall’ constituencies in the north of England that were lost to the Tories in the recent General Election.
As if making his speech in the South Yorkshire constituency of Doncaster weren’t enough to get the message across, he appeared in front of an actual red brick wall! Okay, Keir, we get it! He sought to distance himself very clearly from the previous Corbyn leadership and to present himself as a credible PM in waiting; “It’s time to get serious about winning. That means we have to change, and that’s what we’re doing…..This is a party under new leadership!”
See what I mean by that wall? Subtle as a…erm…well, brick, really!
Meanwhile, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said he wouldn’t extend the furlough scheme, which saved thousands of jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Instead, he announced a new ‘Jobs Support Scheme’, which will top up the wages of employees in “viable jobs”. The Government will pay 22% of the overall wages of eligible workers. Meanwhile employers will be expected to pay 55% of wages, even if their staff are only working a third of their hours. The new scheme has been welcomed by some but criticised by others who argue that significant job losses are now unavoidable in the coming months! Meanwhile, national debt soared to its highest level since records began, as Covid-19 pushes up borrowing! The National Debt reached a record £2.024 trillion at the end of August – which is up almost £250 billion compared to the same time last year! Mind boggling sums to you and me! No wonder Rishi looks shocked!
The chorus of criticism against the government’s UK Internal Market Bill continues to grow louder! Ex-PM, Theresa May, launched a full frontal assault on the government’s plan to give itself powers to renege on parts of the EU Withdrawal Agreement that relate to Northern Ireland. She described the plans as “reckless” and “irresponsible” and said they “risked the integrity of the United Kingdom”, as they would not only tarnish Britain’s reputation globally as an upholder of the law but could even contribute to a reunited Ireland. In a damning speech in the House of Commons, she said: “I cannot emphasise enough how concerned I am [that] the Conservative government is willing to go back on its word to break an international agreement signed in good faith, and to break international law.” Ouch!
Now, here’s one Truck Fest that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun! There could be two-day-long queues of up to 7,000 trucks in Kent post-Brexit, a leaked letter from minister, Michael Gove, has warned. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, tasked with preparing for a No Deal Brexit, has written to hauliers and logistics groups informing them of the government’s “reasonable worst-case scenario” plan. The pessimistic scenario is considered a “worst-case” at the end of the Brexit transition period if hauliers fail to prepare for changes to customs rules. I can just hear the CB radios going full tilt;
“Well, that’s a big 10-43, there, Good Buddy Gove! Someone call the smokie bears, c’mon!” (Only truckers and people born before the 1990’s will understand this CB gibberish!)
And so to the home of big trucks and CB radio – Murica!! 🇺🇸
Trump is pouring fuel on concerns he may not relinquish his office should he lose the presidential election in November. Asked on Wednesday whether he’d commit to a peaceful transition, one of the cornerstones of American democracy, he replied: “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.” Um, that’ll be a no, then?
Meanwhile, further protests and violence erupted in Louisville, Kentucky, this week, after it was revealed by the State Attorney General that they would not charge any police officer with the killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black medical technician, who was shot dead in a botched night time raid. One officer involved the raid was charged, but only for shooting into an adjacent apartment! Well, that’s going to put a lid on the ongoing race riots, isn’t it? Not!
The other big news story of the week in the US has centred around the passing of the US Supreme Court Judge, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Donald Trump is expected to name conservative judge, Amy Coney Barrett, to fill the vacancy on the US Supreme Court following Bader Ginsburg’s death. This could have far reaching implications for the direction of the court in the future, if Coney Barrett is appointed. She is a devout Catholic and unapologetic right wing conservative, who has expressed a wish to see the landmark Roe Vs Wade case overturned, for example, which would end legalised abortion in the states. An emotionally charged topic and highly controversial! Watch this space for confirmation hearing updates!
That’s all for this week,folks! As always, I’ll try to keep us all posted regarding the latest political developments over the coming week, too. In the meantime, don’t be a Sammy and wear those face masks, where appropriate, keep to a safe social distance, keep sanitising, and wash your hands! It’s not rocket science!
The Weekly Politics Digest! 