The Weekly Politics Digest!

Due to unforeseen technical difficulties and some web gremlins, some heavily unedited research for this week’s blog managed to publish itself as Blog 9! If you were one of the bemused readers to come across this, I apologise! Please ignore! The full, edited version which was mysteriously wiped, will take a little longer now to put together again! 🤷🏻‍♂️

Welcome back to Blog 8 of my Weekly Digest. The weekly roundup of selected political news from Northern Ireland, UK and the US. There’s plenty to pack in to this week’s instalment, again, so let’s not waste any time and dive right in there to those shark infested political waters, if we dare?

Edwin Poots is one big fish who has found himself in deep water this week. He has been accused of embarking on a spectacular solo-run from the NI Executive over their response to the current Covid-19 upsurge, thereby dispelling any enduring myths that there is ever any sense of collective responsibility up at good ship Stormont.

The Lagan Valley MLA and Minister of Agriculture, took to the airwaves to openly criticise the Executive’s decision to impose a 4-week ‘circuit breaker’ set of restrictions on NI. Of course, ministerial solo runs are nothing new to a historically dysfunctional, multi-party executive, but this one carried the added caveat that there was a blatant attempt by Mr Poots to sectarianise the issue, when claiming that nationalist areas were more acutely affected than unionist areas! Again, this is not something which has been entirely alien to NI politics over the years! However, it is particularly disheartening to think that not even an existential crisis such as a global pandemic can bring our politicians together in a spirit of collegiality and common purpose. 🤦🏻‍♂️

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood derided his comments as “pathetic” and called on DUP leader Arlene Foster to “rein him in immediately before he does any further damage to the public health messaging”. Ulster Unionist leader Steven Aiken also said Mr Poots “..should do the honourable thing and consider his position as an Executive Minister. He can’t have his cake and eat it; he can’t be in government and opposition at the same time.” Alliance justice minister Naomi Long also said “no-one voted against those regulations” and appealed for people to pull together, while a Sinn Féin spokesman described the remarks as “an absolute disgrace and entirely misleading”.

Speaking of a lack of collective responsibility, let’s not assume that this only applies to Edwin Poots, to be fair. Apparently, the three minor partners within the NI Executive, the SDLP, UUP and APNI, were only informed about the full extent of the raft of new Covid restrictions minutes before they were announced to the press, despite there being broad consensus in a previous Executive meeting!

It seems that petty party politics comes before all else in any given situation here. Even the announcement this week that the revised plans for the long delayed Casement Park GAA stadium development were to be given the green light, wasn’t immune to a bout of petty point scoring. (If you’ll pardon the obvious GAA sporting pun!) Sinn Fein obviously warmly welcomed the announcement by the SDLP Minister, Nichola Mallon, but their thanks and praise for finally getting the planning stage of the project over the line were reserved solely for West Belfast SF MP, Paul Maskey, rather than Ms Mallon! It simply wouldn’t do to give a rival party any credit for a good news story, now, would it? 🙄

There may be an ill wind blowing for Arlene Foster! On Tuesday the Audit Office published an 80-page report into the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO), a huge renewable electricity subsidy for wind turbines with which current First Minister, Arlene Foster was heavily involved in her previous Ministerial role. As with RHI, this subsidy was, for the most part, not funded by Northern Ireland. The Audit Office calculates that of the potential £5bn bill for the 20-year scheme, three quarters of it will come from GB electricity bill payers. I’m sure the average English voter in the shires will be delighted to hear they are subsidising yet another NI based renewable sinkhole for their hard earned taxes!

Even the Daily Mail, the newspaper of choice for Tory voting middle England, ran a double page spread on this story last week. They reckoned that one turbine near Ballymena generated around £48,000 worth of electricity last year but was also entitled to a whopping £287,000 in subsidies, meaning it will have paid for itself as much as three times over since being installed in 2017. This is RHI on steroids! Somehow, I don’t think we have heard the end of this one, not by a long shot! The sums involved are simply too eye wateringly vast to ignore and I’m not sure if Mrs Foster or her infamous SPAD, Andrew Crawford, can avoid being blown away if found culpable in another scandal of this magnitude! Watch this space!

A couple of hours after a stony faced Boris Johnson had addressed the nation this week to announce his 3 Tier Covid intervention plan, the minutes of a previous SAGE meeting were released, which showed the scientific advisers had called for a “rapid intervention”, including a short “circuit breaker” form of national lockdown three weeks previously!

“The more rapidly interventions are put in place, and the more stringent they are, the faster the reduction in incidence and prevalence and the greater the reduction in Covid-related deaths,” the minutes read. Added to that, SAGE also noted the well publicised problems with the Test and Trace system meant it was only having a ‘marginal’ impact on controlling the virus!

This is all highly damaging for the government, which is already reeling over its overall handling of the Covid-19 crisis from the outset. This certainly dispels any lingering notion that No.10 are ‘following the science’ when developing their ongoing Covid strategy! It’ll all end in ‘tiers’!

A former government race advisor has claimed that the PM has “no initiatives” to address the inequalities and prejudice faced by black people, questioning whether his new advisors even believe they exist.

Lord Woolley, ex-chair of the Government’s Race Disparity Unit, has accused Boris Johnson of wanting to “change the race narrative”, rather than addressing the systemic and endemic racism in society. In a withering critique, Lord Woolley said Mr Johnson believes people from ethnic minorities should “stop wallowing in victimhood”! He also claims that he was forced out of his role because the Prime Minister only wants people who are “demonstrably his” involved.

This could potentially be quite damaging for No.10, as they seek to respond positively to the ongoing BLM campaign in the UK, as well as fending off allegations of Islamaphobia within the Conservative Party!

Tory ministers are facing a legal challenge after failing to account for an estimated £3bn of private contracts during the Covid pandemic.

Three Labour, Lib Dem and Green MPs have now filed a Judicial Review against the government over its failure to disclose contract details quickly enough. In short, the Department of Health said £11bn of contracts had been agreed. Yet analysis of contracts data could find less than £8bn of contracts awarded by the government. So, where has the other £3bn gone? It’s not like this is just a bit of loose change, is it? Have they checked down the back of the sofa, I wonder? 🤔

With the government being so profligate with Covid contracts, the latest reports from the The Institute for Fiscal Studies would have made for painful reading. They said the scale of the Covid recession and Britain’s slow economic recovery would inflict lasting damage for the exchequer, leaving borrowing about £100bn higher by the time of the election in 2024 than forecast before the pandemic struck.

To complete yet another miserable week for Boris, he was forced to concede that no trade agreement with the EU has been forthcoming, with the clock ticking and time rapidly running out. What a time for the UK to be staring down the barrel of a no deal Brexit! 😳

It hasn’t been a great week for Sir Keir Starmer, either, in some respects, as he witnessed a series of resignations and a sizeable rebellion, as a number of Labour MPs ignored his orders and voted against new laws on undercover operatives. Sir Keir started the week well with his authoritative public address, appealing for an immediate circuit breaker lockdown from a seemingly dithering and inconsistent Tory government. But that was as good as it got for Starmer!

He had told his MPs to abstain on the third reading of the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Bill on Thursday. But 34 Labour MPs opted to vote against the legislation as it faced its final hurdle in the House of Commons. Embarrassingly for the new Labour leader, shadow ministers Margaret Greenwood and Dan Carden, were among the rebels, leading to their resignation from their front bench roles for defying the party’s whip. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the Labour rebels also included the party’s former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

The government’s bill is aimed at protecting undercover operatives from prosecution if they are forced to break the law on operations. The legislation will cover 13 law enforcement and government agencies, including the police, the National Crime Agency, the armed forces and the Prison Service. However, critics have described the bill as a “licence for government agencies to authorise torture and murder” as there are no specific limitations on the type of criminal activity that may be authorised.

In other UK news, we’re still, remarkably, on Ferrier resign watch! Yes, SNP MP, Margaret Ferrier, still says she will not resign despite the backlash over repeatedly breaching Covid-19 rules by travelling from Glasgow to Westminster in London after developing symptoms. Even senior figures within her own party, like Nicola Sturgeon, have called for her to step down. Will ye go, lassie, go!

Okay, now for our weekly hop across the Atlantic to see what’s going on stateside. Donald Trump initially refused to take part in a virtual Presidential debate this week, saying – “They cut you off whenever they want” Well, yes, Donald, that’s what stops it turning into a ranting Trump monologue, obviously! 🤷🏻‍♂️

Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden were due to meet in a town hall-style showdown on Thursday night. In the end they were interviewed in different locations simultaneously, but with no direct debate between the two. The contrast between the two couldn’t have been more marked. Biden was more open to questions from his host and gave frank and fulsome responses. Trump, on the other hand, was evasive and abrasive in equal measure, which incurred the ire of his capable questioner, Savannah Guthrie.

The President was forced onto the back foot as he repeatedly refused to disavow the pro-Trump conspiracy theory group QAnon after he reposted one of their tweets earlier this week, claiming that Osama bin Laden is still alive and American Navy SEALs actually killed his body double. Sure, Donald. Must be time for your pills again, there’s a good President! 😳

After the latest round of tv appearances and campaign rallies, National polls show Biden leading President Donald Trump by double digits or more — a massive gap 20 days before Election Day.
But the Electoral College system, in which states wield influence based on a formula that ultimately corresponds to the sizes of their populations, still gives Trump hope of piecing together a slender path to the 270 votes needed to win. Let’s not forget that Trump polled nearly 3.5m votes less than Hillary Clinton last time, and still won due to winning the right key states!

Let’s look at some map graphics, courtesy of CNN, which illustrate three possible election outcomes.

One endorsement the Don could probably do without ,though, was the seal of approval given by the Taliban on Saturday, the latest incredible headline in an election campaign season with no short supply of them. I kid you not! According to CBS News; Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told them in a phone interview: “We hope he will win the election and wind up U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.” Well, with friends like that, who needs… oh, never mind!

Finally, this week’s Twitter Twit Award goes to…. yes, you guessed it, it’s the one and only king of twitter himself, Donald Trump!

The claim by President Donald Trump on Twitter that he is now “immune” to Covid-19 having survived an initial infection sparked a new wave of controversy. “A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday”, he announced to his 87 million followers. “That means I can’t get it, and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!”

The social media channel quickly moved to censor Mr Trump’s message, saying it had violated its rules about “spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19”, while experts labelled his claims presumptuous. As for his loyal base? Well, they’ve always thought he was superhuman anyway!

Thank you for reading, folks. All being well, I’ll back with another update next week. Until then, stay tuned in, stay informed and stay safe! 🤓👍

Well, that week just flew in! Despite it only seeming like yesterday since I signed off on the last blog, so much has happened in the world of politics that I seem to have enough material for several blogs! I think it was Harold Wilson who said that a week was a long time in politics? How true! So, I had better get started, then, before there are any further developments! As per usual, we begin at home.

A disturbing graph tracking Northern Ireland’s performance in combating Covid-19 has been doing the rounds online in recent days. An interactive data analysis from the Financial Times allowed for a basic international comparison of countries and regions by showing new confirmed cases in the last seven days per million people. When Northern Ireland was included on the graph, it suggested we were currently among the worst for infection rates in the world! As bad as this seems, it doesn’t give the whole picture about what is really going on and there are other variables to take into account. So, as they used to say in the Dad’s Army sitcom, “DON’T PAANIIIC!!”

In any case, why have our infection rates spiked? Probably a whole combination of factors; more socialising and eating out (thanks for that, Mr Sunak and Mr Johnston!), non-compliance due to Covid fatigue and lax enforcement, the return of schools and universities (veritable Covid Petri dishes!), and often vague and contradictory advice from the NI Executive. It really shouldn’t be all that complicated, though, should it? 🤦🏻‍♂️

In other local political news, and by way of follow up to last week’s blog, Arlene and Michelle have now confirmed that they will appoint an interim Head of the Civil Service, after failing to agree on a permanent appointment. As the saying goes; they used to be indecisive, but now they’re not so sure!

Education Minister, Peter Weir, issued an official letter to confirm that he is determined to press ahead with the 2021 exam series for GCSE and A level pupils in NI, despite Scotland opting to scrap their equivalents in favour of predicted grades based on teacher-led assessment. Weir’s open letter was sent to all schools and contained a number of grammatical errors! Shock, horror! Well, that’s not exactly setting a great example, Mr Weir, is it? I think he should write it out correctly, ten times, in after-school detention! I’m happy to supervise! 😏

Meanwhile, over at Westminster, the government’s flagship immigration bill that would end freedom of movement rules in the UK, post-Brexit, and create a new points based entry system, has been defeated in the Lords. A Labour-led demand for an independent review of how restricting free movement (at the end of the Brexit transition period) would impact social care, saw peers defeat the government by 304 votes to 224 – a majority of 80. Ironic, given that this is almost exactly the same as the majority Boris has in the Commons! Karma?

An IT blunder meant thousands of people weren’t told they had been exposed to Covid-19. Public Health England admitted they had missed 15,841 cases from their calculations. The positive cases took days to show up in official figures. It was revealed that the source of the error was not a complex data or computer system failure. Instead, the potentially deadly data aberration between September 25 and October 2 appears to have occurred due to an Excel spreadsheet reaching its maximum size. Really? They were using an Excel spreadsheet for this? Has the government’s track and trace data management been outsourced to a GCSE ICT class? Even I know it was a dumb idea to use Excel for this and I’m practically ICT illiterate! Downing Street said it had launched an investigation into the error. Oh well, that’s okay, then! 🤦🏻‍♂️

It’s grim up north! Furious northern leaders lambasted Government plans to shut pubs and restaurants next week in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. The Government is expected to announce fresh restrictions for northern regions on Monday amid a worrying surge in Covid-19 cases.

About 10 million people in the North will be locked down, with Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle set to go straight into Tier 3 under a new traffic light style system for grading Covid risk in England. The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, tweeted: “No discussion. No consultation. Millions of lives affected by Whitehall diktat. It is proving impossible to deal with this Government.” Ouch!

While many within the hospitality sector and elsewhere are desperately worried that further lockdowns will mean the death-knell for their livelihoods, they will be relieved to know that at least MP’s will be okay! It has been revealed that MPs, some of whom are still working from home, will get an additional £3,360 on top of their salary of £81,932. How comforting! 🤨

There was plenty of entertainment and no little amount of political theatre across the big pond this week, as the Trump circus continued apace, with increasingly bizarre political stunts throughout the week. The Covid-positive President took his narcissistic tendencies to whole new levels and was even accused of putting people’s lives at risk, particularly his security team, during an extraordinary, aberrant car trip from hospital to wave to fans. The US President briefly left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he was being treated, in a motorcade last Sunday. He was filmed by the astounded media, waving to cheering crowds while wearing a mask, despite virus patients generally being required to quarantine for 14 days! 🤦‍♂️

Donald Trump then claimed he may be immune to Covid-19, in a frankly unhinged message broadcast after he checked out of hospital. The President was admitted on Friday, being treated for Covid-19 with steroids, antibiotics and a cocktail of experimental therapies – most unavailable to ordinary Americans. But he checked himself out of Walter Reed military hospital on Monday evening, staging an elaborate and theatrical arrival at the White House.

Filmed on the famous Blue Room balcony, and adopting an almost Mussolini like pose, the President claimed the virus, which has killed 210,000 Americans, is really nothing to worry about and even suggested his apparently miraculous recovery could be because he is “immune” to it. Just wow! 😲

However, in an apparent and long overdue rebuke to the President’s hyperactive thumbs, not to mention his very casual approach to facts, Social networks have cracked down on misinformation about coronavirus. His Facebook post, which claimed that Covid-19 was no more deadly than seasonal flu, was removed under the social network’s anti-misinformation rules. Twitter added a note to the same post on their platform noting that it was misinformation. For the record, among reported COVID-19 cases in the US, nearly 6% have died – some 210,000 people. In comparison, the death rate of seasonal Flu is around 0.1%. So, Covid-19 has killed more Americans than the last five years’ worth of Flu! 💁🏻‍♂️

What should have been the main event this week, the Vice-presidential debate, was overshadowed somewhat by Trump’s antics. However, the US voting public should really pay close attention to this sideshow, given the age and questionable health of both main actors, these two could have very real prospects of assuming the position in the Oval Office at some point. As the saying goes, they’re ‘only a heartbeat away’ from the Presidency! As it turned out, the winner of the debate turned out to be a cheeky fly, which landed on Mike Pence’s head and had a casual stroll about on his immaculately groomed bonce! Once the insect had landed it became the main talking point, and not in a good way for the Vice President. Trivial moments can become seminal moments, as Theresa May can testify! Kamala Harris, to her credit, resisted the urge to make any obvious jibes about Pence’s policies being so rotten, they were attracting flies etc. She didn’t need to, as she was miles ahead of the wooden and predictable Pence, anyway!

Well, that’s about it for this week! It’s been a bit of a marathon effort, and I’m sure there are lots of other worthy political news snippets lying on my cutting room floor, to be honest. However, I have to be diligent and judicious with the word count, unfortunately! See you all next week! 👋🏻

BLOG 6!

For those of you still prepared to indulge me in my weekly bout of spleen venting, welcome back! For any newcomers, welcome to McGuck’s weird Weekly Digest world! This is my slightly acerbic take on this week’s political events, shenanigans and goings on in NI, UK and the USA! So, buckle up and brace yourselves, as it’s been a bit of an explosive train wreck of a week, politically speaking!

As always, we begin our weekly politics odyssey right here in good ol’ Norn Iron! The headlines are being dominated by a dramatic increase in the infection rate here for Covid-19, which prompted NI Health Minister, Robin Swann, and the NI Chief Medical Officer, to issue dire warnings about the possibility of having to take more drastic lockdown measures again if we can’t bring the current spread under control. It would appear that Strabane, Legenderry and QUB Halls of Residences, in particular, are best avoided at the moment!

Fresher’s Week must’ve been great craic altogether this year, not! At least QUB are taking care of their student’s welfare by offering to provide food deliveries for self-isolating students, at a cost of £210 for 2 week’s worth of supplies! That’s a lot of Pot Noodles and Tayto crisps! When price checked at Tesco, however, the same items could be purchased for £55! Yes, you read that correctly! Well, that will put the partying out of them now, at least, as they’ll have blown their entire student loan on groceries!

Someone who doesn’t need to struggle to get by on a student loan is Mr Ian Paisley Jnr. Yes, he came in for some criticism here last week, but he just can’t seem to keep himself out of the spotlight for all the wrong reasons at the moment. It seems Ian Jnr was in trouble (again!) with the parliamentary Standards Commissioner. He has had to apologise for failing to register a free, luxury family holiday in the Maldives. However, unlike previous free holidays he had availed of in Sri Lanka, he was deemed not to have breached the rules on paid advocacy on this occasion, therefore, no further sanction was necessary! Great! Let’s get on Tripadvisor and see if we can guess which human rights abusing paradise island will be next on the travel agenda! No wonder he looks delighted here, as he hitches a ride to the airport with DUP Leader, Arlene Foster!

This week’s Twitter twit of the week award goes to SF MLA, Gerry Kelly! (They’re making a habit of this!) Gerry has made no secret of his PIRA past. Well, he can’t exactly hide it, really, as he was convicted of the Old Bailey bombing in London and sent to the Maze prison, whereupon he helped organise and lead a mass escape of 38 PIRA prisoners in 1983. Mr Kelly shot and wounded a prison officer and another officer was stabbed and later died from his injuries. This week, Mr Kelly, who now serves on the NI Policing Board, controversially tweeted on the anniversary of the escape. He described the breakout as being “one of big Bob’s best ops!” (A reference to the recently deceased veteran Republican, Bobby Storey) He followed that up by stating that he was “proud of being part of the biggest escape in British penal history!” Perhaps, it might have been advisable to keep these insensitive thoughts to himself, or to a private WhatsApp group, at the very least? Here is Gerry, demanding to chamois the bonnet of a police Land Rover, because it was “boggin’, so it was!”

Speaking of twits, Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, was hitting the headlines again this week, after leaks from her department suggested that the Government has considered setting up a detention centre in the Ascension Islands, (get your Google Maps out!) using decommissioned oil platforms in the North Sea, or requisitioning disused ferries! Other potential locations being looked at by the Home Office include the Shetlands and the Isle of Wight. There was even a suggestion that they could use wave machines to push asylum seeker dinghies back towards the French coastline, but it was pointed out that this would run the risk of simply capsizing the dinghies instead! Surely, they never seriously discussed this, did they? Really? It’s getting more like an episode of ‘In The Thick Of It’ by the week with this Tory government!

Now, before you accuse me of a lack of balance, here’s a twit who’s not a Tory – Margaret Ferrier, MP SNP, also hit the headlines this week. There have been calls for her to resign after she travelled from her constituency in Scotland to Westminster on Tuesday, despite having tested positive for Covid-19 on the Monday night! Her grossly irresponsible act has attracted criticism from all quarters and even Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has called on her to resign. Her days may be numbered!

And speaking of numbers! It has been another poor week for the hapless Boris Johnston, as he got confused about his own government’s latest Covid restrictions, then followed that up by announcing a “ huge investment” for a hospital in Leeds, but couldn’t recall the actual amount of the investment and was left floundering in a tv interview, desperately appealing to his aides to bail him out! Is Boris the perfect example to highlight Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson’s assertion during the exam results debacle, that there’s a danger that some people end up being promoted beyond their abilities?

Boris’ problems don’t end there, either. The government was forced into an embarrassing climb down in the Commons this week in regard to initiating new Coronavirus restrictions and enforcement without consulting parliament. Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, announced that they would relent and give parliament a say in future decisions after around 50 Tory MP’s threatened a backbench rebellion.

Also, despite the controversial Internal Market Bill passing through the various stages in the House of Commons, it may still face stiff opposition and/or delay from the more deliberative House of Lords. Plus, the EU have launched formal legal action against the UK Government over the matter, which breaks international law.

To finish off what was a pretty grim week for the PM, his rather eccentric father was pictured out shopping without wearing a face mask! Tut, tut! Stanley shouldn’t feel too bad, though, as he wasn’t the only one to mistakenly flout the Covid rules this week. Ex-Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was photographed at a dinner party with 8 other guests, rather than the regulation 6! Oh dear! The Daily Mail will no doubt be calling for him to be clapped in irons forthwith! Both men were very apologetic and neither received a fine for breaking the rules!

And so to a big week in politics in the USA! It began with the announcement of conservative judge, Amy Coney Barrett, as Trump’s pick for the US Supreme Court vacancy, as predicted here last week! There was a lavish, ceremonial nomination launch at the White House with dozens of invited guests present and barely a face mask in sight! It has now been said that this may well have been the ‘super spreader’ event that led to Trump aide, Hope Hicks, contracting the Covid virus, then passing it on to the President and his wife Melania on board Air Force One! Questions have been repeatedly asked about Trump’s seemingly cavalier attitude to observing any Covid restrictions, such as the wearing of face masks! Here is Ms Hicks pictured with President Trump!

At the time of writing, Mr Trump has been taken to a military hospital as a precaution but is said to be suffering fairly mild symptoms. Well, it’s not like he’s old, overweight or likely to have any underlying health issues, is it? Let’s avoid the urge to use the phrase ‘Covid Karma’, shall we?

Then, there was the big reveal by the New York Times regarding Trump’s federal tax returns, or lack of them! Despite declaring himself to be a billionaire, Mr Trump only paid $750 in federal taxes last year! Just for the record, the average Joe American paid over $15,000! In ten of the previous fifteen years he paid zero! Apparently, he claims to be so much in debt that he cannot be liable for the taxes! I’m no financial expert, but something doesn’t add up here! Clearly, the IRS (Inland Revenue Service) agrees, which is why they are currently engaged in a legal battle with Trump’s lawyers to reclaim almost $100m in unpaid taxes from him. If he loses that one, he’s in big trouble!

The main event in the US this week, however, was the first of the live, televised presidential election debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. I think it’s fair to say that the media and public reaction to the often chaotic and bad tempered affair was more entertaining than the event itself.

The consensus among many commentators?

The losers of the night were the American public. The Times in the UK wrote, “The clearest loser from the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden was America.” The paper went further, saying the event “was not a debate in any meaningful sense” but rather “an ill-tempered and at times incomprehensible squabble between two angry septuagenarians who palpably loathe each other”.

“That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,” said CNN host Jake Tapper. “That was the worst debate I have ever seen. It wasn’t even a debate. It was a disgrace.” His CNN colleague Dana Bash had even harsher words: “I’m just going to say it like it is. That was a s— show.”

“Honestly, sitting through that debate felt like getting a COVID test in both nostrils at once,” said Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

I think you get the gist! This was car crash TV at its worst! An overbearing Trump, constantly interrupted Biden as he tried to speak and was barely contained by the Fox host/moderator, who looked an increasingly frustrated figure. Highlights, if you want to call them that, were Trump’s refusal to condemn far right extremist groups, like the Proud Boys, whom he merely asked to “Stand down, and stand by!” He also defended his Supreme Court nomination of the conservative, devout Christian, Amy Coney Barrett. Trump also bragged about standing up to “big pharma”, by allowing the sourcing of cheap, generic drugs. (Not likely!) There was also a blunt defence of his leaked tax returns which, let’s face it, is fairly indefensible! There was a chink of light on climate change when Trump admitted that it exists and that humans are at least part of the cause. However, he followed up by defending his actions on promoting the gas guzzling car industry, continued coal production and also reiterated his belief that the annual wild fires on the west coast were mainly due to poor forest management!

Biden for his part, was more coherent, if a little ponderous at times, and failed to land any knock out blows on his ranting adversary. He probably did well to keep his temper in check, particularly when Trump kept repeating unfounded allegations about his son’s business dealings. Joe’s big problem remains his age. Even though he’s only 3 years older than Trump, it can seem like more sometimes. That may seem unfair, but it’s how the American electorate may look at it, too! Overall, however, as many of the commentators noted, there were no real winners here, especially not the American people themselves.

On a final note, Trump’s apparent illness has thrown up the spectre of his administration seeking to delay the November election. Being behind in the polls, this would obviously suit him by buying more time. He may even be able to announce the roll out of a Covid vaccine by then! However, let me assure you that this is unlikely, as the election date is pretty much set in stone, as per the US Constitution and would require new legislation to be passed in Congress. The Democrats currently control the House of Representatives, so that won’t be happening!

So, that’s all for this week, folks! Stay tuned for more news and going’s on next week in the crazy world of politics! Until then, stay safe and stay informed!

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!

Hi everyone, and welcome back to McGuckin’s Weekly Digest, Blog 4! Plenty to get our teeth into this week, so what’s on the menu, I hear you ask? As usual, we’ll sample the starters in good ole Norn Iron, before meandering our way across the Irish Sea for our main course, then finally winding up in the US of A for our mouth watering dessert!

Money to burn? Figures obtained by the always excellent Sam McBride in the News Letter, show that Sir Patrick Coghlin was paid more than £1,000 a day to chair the RHI Inquiry – that’s a whopping £648k in total! However, even his earnings were surpassed by those of one of the inquiry’s junior barristers. Given what was for many a fudged Inquiry outcome, does this represent value for money? And does it simply compound the monumental waste of money that already occurred via RHI itself? All I know is, I’m clearly in the wrong profession!

• 

Speaking of money! Never look a gift horse in the mouth, seems to be the order of the day for many in our political class in NI. DUP MP Ian Paisley is certainly no exception, as evidenced by the fact that he has been fined £1300 by the Electoral Commission following an investigation into two councils each paying £1,500 to attend a DUP dinner in Ballymena in 2017 featuring Michael Gove. The probe found the councils were impermissible donors. This is not Mr Paisley’s first brush with regulatory authority in matters of finances/expenses, it is fair to say!

When is a u-turn not a u-turn? Under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, there will be a requirement for some border infrastructure at NI sea ports – “Approved points of entry are a legal requirement for the purposes of protecting public health, securing safe food supply and protecting animal and plant health.”
This week the News Letter reported that a source had said that Mr Poots’, the NI Minister responsible, made a decision to halt work on border infrastructure following a DUP meeting at which senior party figures urged him to do so. However, Mr Poots later claimed that this was “erroneous and untrue!”, before instructing his department officials to resume with the seaport preparations! Hmm! Is there something fishy going on?

Talk of an Irish Sea border provides me with a convenient segway (or kayak) to GB! Boris Johnston and Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, both refused to rule out a second national lockdown this week, saying it would be the “last line of defence” against Covid-19. It comes amid claims Government scientists have called for a two-week national lockdown in October to slow the spread of the disease.
Or, as Johnston referred to it – a “circuit break”, featuring tightened rules across the country, but with schools and most workplaces remaining open.
Mr Hancock said: “The last line of defence is full national action and I don’t want to see that but we will do whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic.”
It was another poor week at the Dispatch Box for Boris, too, with ex-Labour leader, Ed Miliband, standing in for Keir Starmer, giving him a right roasting. Angela Rayner, fancying her chances, also tore another couple of strips off him, too! I think it’s fair to say that Boris would need to considerably up his game on the floor of the Commons, before the Tory backbench rumblings of discontent become too raucous! The folded arms, incredulous face routine is wearing very thin and is no substitute for sharp ripostes and well briefed, detailed and prepared answers!

Meanwhile, the international repercussions for the UK government over the proposed Internal Market Bill, just keep rumbling on! Amal Clooney, the high-profile human rights lawyer, has resigned from her position as the UK’s special envoy on media freedom, also in protest at the UK government’s intention to breach international law through the Internal Market Bill. In a stinging denunciation of Boris Johnson’s threat to override Britain’s international treaty obligations in the EU withdrawal agreement, the barrister described the government’s actions as “lamentable”. Ms Clooney, of course, is married to famous American actor, George Clooney, which is of no consequence, other than it conveniently provides me with a very tenuous link to US politics! Very tenuous is all I need!

A much less tenuous link would be Joe Biden, the Democratic Presidential candidate, who weighed into this particular row, too, when he declared that there would be no chance of a US-UK trade deal under his administration, if the UK went ahead with their illegal amendment to the EU Withdrawal Agreement, as it would have potentially adverse implications for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Joe is fiercely proud of his Irish roots, with his ancestors hailing from near Carlingford, right on the Irish border, no less! He is also fiercely conscious of the powerful Irish-American lobby in the US and the votes that come with it! He’s not so Sleepy Joe, after all, perhaps?

In other US political news, Donald Trump has come in for criticism for his climate change denying response to the twin natural disasters striking the east and west coast of the US right now. With wild fires raging out of control in Oregon and California in the West and successive hurricanes battering the east coast in Florida, Donald blamed the fires on poor forest management and said the warming climate would get colder again very soon! Oh dear! I’ll leave Dr Fauci to respond appropriately for all of us!

Roger Stone, the flamboyant former associate of Donald Trump, who was recently pardoned by the President, after being convicted of lying under oath to the Mueller Inquiry and numerous other offences, is refusing to retire into relative obscurity. This week, as Trump’s former election campaign strategist, he decided he would give Donald some timely advice! He suggested that if Trump were to lose the forthcoming Presidential election in November, that he should not accept the result and simply declare martial law to remain in power! Okaaay! Prison can do really strange things to some people, obviously! Let’s hope Trump dismisses his advice as just crazy talk! It is just crazy talk, right? Right?! Gulp!

And finally, we cannot depart this week without mentioning the sad passing of US Supreme Court Judge, Ruth Bader Ginsberg! Appointed during the Clinton era, she has been a stalwart liberal voice on the court for a number of decades. She was also well regarded as something of a feminist icon, having spoken out on women’s issues consistently over her long and illustrious legal career, as well as breaking through the infamous glass ceiling in what was a very male dominated profession.

What is also highly significant about her passing, however, is the fact that the sitting President gets to nominate her successor. Trump will be very keen for this to happen with indecent haste, ie before the November election. It was Bader Ginsberg’s dying wish, however, that her replacement would not be nominated until after the election. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate Majority leader had previously argued against Obama making a Supreme Court nomination in similar circumstances, so he will maintain this principled stance now, right? Wrong! He has already called for Trump to proceed with the nomination process as quickly as possible! This promises to be a hotly contested affair in the weeks ahead, adding to an already bitterly partisan Congress in the grip of election fever! Another Trump Supreme Court appointment has the potential to drastically alter the make up and character of the court in a very rightward direction!
That’s all for now, folks! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading! Stay tuned for next week’s instalment of the Weekly Digest! I’ll leave you with a typical image of the feisty wee woman herself. RIP, Ruth Bader Ginsberg!

Welcome back to Blog 3 of McGuck’s Weekly Digest, and what a week it has been in the world of Politics! We have had a veritable smorgasbord of headlines to choose from in N.I., U.K. and U.S. politics, but I’ll try my best to pick out the ones that have exercised/annoyed/entertained/disturbed me the most! Not an easy task!
As usual, let’s start with our very own little, stagnant political backwater! It’s been an eventful week up at good ship Stormont with one thing and another. In the by now well worn, choreographed routine, the big two of SF and DUP had to find a convenient excuse to put recent difficulties to one side, without anyone losing face, due to the realisation that there was actually more important stuff that they had to be seen to be dealing with – and dealing with it together!
So, faced with rising COVID-19 infections and a need to present a united front against this common threat, Arlene had to drop her insistence that there would be no more joint press calls with Michelle until she apologised for breaches of the COVID regulations at the funeral of veteran republican, Bobby Storey, some weeks back! Michelle made a statement about her ‘regret’ in relation to the incident, but there was no fulsome apology forthcoming. Clearly, this was all we, or Arlene, were going to get, and it would have to suffice! The resumption of the joint F&DFM press briefing was to deal with a worrying rise in COVID infection numbers and to announce a raft of new restrictions for particular, worst affected post code areas in NI.The range of new restrictions were strangely presented alongside the announcement of dates for the further easing of other restrictions, causing some consternation and confusion for many. It may have been important, therefore, when presenting such seemingly conflicting advice, and when seeking the public’s continued compliance, that the messengers have retained a sufficient degree of credibility, moral authority and trust with the public? Um, yep! I’ll leave you to work out whether this is the case for Arlene and Michelle, or not!

Most of this week’s big news has been over in the Westminster bubble, however. Firstly, Boris Johnson has been under mounting pressure to backtrack over the appointment of ex-Aussie PM, Tony Abbott as a post-Brexit Trade Adviser, amid growing condemnation of his misogynistic and homophobic comments and his record of climate crisis scepticism.
It came after the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, raised ‘serious concerns’ regarding Abbott’s suitability for the role – this was echoed by human rights groups Amnesty International and Liberty, the TUC, women’s equality body the Fawcett Society, and environmental campaigners Greenpeace. Anyway, why would you want a trade envoy whose idea of diplomacy is threatening Vladimir Putin with an Aussie rules tackle, as Abbott did when he was Australian PM? That clearly wouldn’t end well – for Abbott, obvs! Despite the furore, Abbott’s appointment has been confirmed! Watch this space!

The biggest news of the week, however, must be Boris’ & Co’s decision to table an amendment to the previously agreed EU Withdrawal Agreement that he freely signed and used to win over voters with his “Oven Ready Brexit Deal’ slogan back in December. To do so, however, would be an illegal breach of international law! We had the unedifying spectacle, therefore, of the NI Secretary, Brandon Lewis, standing at the dispatch box in the Commons, openly admitting that the UK Government would be reneging on parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, saying…”yes, this does break international law, but only in a very specific and limited way.” Ah, well, that’s okay then, isn’t it? Does this mean that we, too, can break laws, as long as it’s only in very specific and limited ways? I’m sure the judge will be more than sympathetic! What an appalling example for the government to set! Any credibility or trust they may have had with their EU negotiating counterparts has surely evaporated with this shenanigans!

Lewis was the unfortunate messenger because this has everything to do with the NI related parts of the Withdrawal Agreement, and is an attempt to roll back on the dawning realities of an effective customs border down the Irish Sea! Unfortunately, it is also being perceived as an attack on the sanctity of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and a potential threat to the peace process itself! None other than Nanci Pelosi, Democrat Leader in the US Congress, has stated that any attempt by the UK Government to alter the terms of the historic peace agreement would mean that there would be no chance of a UK-US trade deal!
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Boris, as he attempts to play high stakes poker with the EU in order to secure the most advantageous post-Brexit trade deal. I fear he may have over played his hand this time, however!
Another significant consequence of the government’s actions was that Jonathan Jones, the head of the UK’s government legal department quit his post in disgust only hours later, Rowena Collins Rice – Director General at the Attorney General’s Office – announced she was also quitting. You see, lawyers have a professional duty not to be law-breakers or to facilitate law-breaking, believe it or not! Embarrassingly, these were just the latest in a number of senior civil servants to walk out on the Tory government since March.
Speaking of Brexit, it’s not all bad, as the first trade deal of the post-Brexit era has been struck, which ensures that 99% of British goods can enter Japan without tariffs, or extra charges. However, this deal was largely an easy cut and paste job, mostly reflecting the agreement that already existed between the EU and Japan. The expected boost to GDP of 0.07% over the long term is a tiny fraction of what might be lost from leaving the EU.There is also a good reason why Japan was so keen to ensure this deal was secured in record time. It stands to benefit from 80% of the total estimated £15bn boost to trade for both countries. Seems fair! Although, there will be a significant boost to the UK cheese producing industry, apparently! Blessed are the cheese makers, then, eh?

And so to America, where they are being consumed by devastating fires in California and Oregon, where the fires of race riots and ongoing protests still burn strongly, and where the COVID death toll creeps inexorably towards the 200,000 mark! Yes, you read that correctly! Donald Trump is continuing to take a political battering for his alleged gross mismanagement of the Covid Crisis, in particular. A new book being published by none other than Bob Woodward, one half of the famous journalistic duo who exposed the Watergate scandal and brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon, has shone a piercing light on Trump’s presidential failings! In the book, entitled ‘Rage’, it has been revealed by Trump himself, in exclusive, recorded interviews with Woodward, that he knew about the potential impact of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic on the US as early as the beginning of February, but chose to do nothing to mitigate against it. He has effectively admitted that he failed to carry out his most essential duty as President, to protect US citizens from harm! There are plenty of other fascinating and potentially highly damaging revelations in the book, too, and all from the horses mouth, as it were! Hence, proving the old adage, ‘give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself!’

In other US news, it has been revealed that there are currently a number of lawsuits in process against the Director General of the US Postal Service (USPS), for his alleged deliberate denigration of the service and of sorting offices, in particular. Significant quantities of mechanical sorting machines have been removed or taken out of service, for example. This is being seen as a deliberate act of electoral sabotage by the Trump appointee, according to many on the Democrat side of the political divide. Trump has been pedalling the narrative that the USPS won’t be able to cope with upsurge in postal votes during the forthcoming election and claims that it is wide open to abuse and voter fraud. Ironically, he has ordered the downgrading of the service, precisely as an act of voter suppression in some Democrat controlled Districts, allegedly. He’s really pushing the envelope there, isn’t he? This is a developing story, so I’ll try to keep you all posted! Oh dear!
Well,that’s all I have for you this week. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and maybe even learned something you didn’t know already! Stay safe everyone, especially if you’re living in one of the named and shamed postcodes!

Hello again everyone and welcome back to my weekly politics blog. As with last week’s inaugural blog, I will begin at the parochial parish pump that is Norn Iron politics! And it doesn’t get any more parochial than a good, old fashioned dispute about FLEGS! We do love a good fleg row here, I must say! There are few places on earth as attached to their flegs as us, to be fair, and we didn’t disappoint this week. The BBC kicked it all off by displaying an info-graphic on their flagship morning news programme to highlight the differences in COVID-19 travel restrictions across the different devolved regions of the UK. Problem was, they displayed the Irish tricolour flag to represent Northern Ireland. Oh dear! DUP MP, Ian Paisley Jnr, was predictably outraged! We love a bit of maximum offence outrage in NI, too! He was straight on to the Director General of the BBC to demand a fulsome apology, which was duly given by the very contrite presenters on the same programme the following morning. Phew! Crisis averted! As the recently departed John Hume once wisely said; – “You can’t eat a flag!” Well, indeed!

I also noted this week that the Belfast City Council Planning Committee approved a final planning application for the controversial Tribeca regeneration scheme in the Cathedral Quarter area of the city. It is controversial because there have been numerous objections to it from architectural heritage and community arts based organisations that it will erase the architectural character of the area in favour of gentrified, homogeneous glass fronted corporate towers. What was interesting to note, however, was the fact that it was voted through on the committee with DUP and SF votes only. All other parties objected! I’ll leave you to work out what you think that tells us about how far apart these two parties really are when it comes to matters of the purse!

It’s been another very difficult week for the seemingly hapless Prime Minister, Boris Johnston. The government’s Covid response has come in for more criticism after their confusing and contradictory implementation of local lockdowns in Bolton and elsewhere. Maybe they should consult with the local authorities in those affected areas a bit more? Or, does that just sound too much like common sense?

Boris Johnson has also been accused of breaking the Government’s own social distancing rules after at least 50 Tory MPs packed into a room ‘cheek by jowl’ to hear him speak. The Liberal Democrats have demanded an investigation after Mr Johnson addressed the MPs in a committee room on Wednesday night, despite a sign on the door warning only 29 people should be in the room to stop the spread of coronavirus. Just 40 minutes after the meeting finished, the prime minister’s office tweeted a warning that gatherings of more than 30 people were banned under social distancing rules. Hypocrisy much?

To top it all, poor Boris was absolutely annihilated at the Dispatch Box by Keir Starmer in PMQ’s this week! Boris was censured by the speaker for consistently refusing to answer questions, then, was reprimanded for accusing Starmer of supporting the IRA, by virtue of being in the same shadow cabinet as Jeremy Corbyn for a few years! Starmer quite understandably demanded a full retraction and apology for the untrue remarks. You were clutching at straws, there, Boris, and becoming more desperate to get one over on the seemingly unflappable Starmer by the week!

When Hungarian PM, Viktor Orban, forced a law through parliament undermining the independence of the country’s judiciary, the EU and numerous international organisations condemned the regime’s blatant moves towards authoritarianism. When the Polish government passed a law to make it possible for judges to face disciplinary procedures if they make rulings that the government did not like, democracy and human rights watchers were also appalled. It should follow then that democratic politicians and organisations from all political traditions should be equally outraged by the UK government’s fresh attack on Judicial Review — the mechanism by which members of the public can challenge the government when it breaks the law — because, arguably, it is adopting similar authoritarian tendencies. It is fundamental to the rule of law that no one is above it, especially the government!

Unintended consequences? Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has told MSP’s that a draft Bill will be drawn up setting out the timing, terms and question for a new Scottish independence referendum. With the most recent opinion polls showing a clear majority in favour of independence, could this herald the beginning of the end for the United Kingdom as we know it?
And so to America, where it’s all been kicking off between Donald Trump and Joe Biden this week! You’d almost think there was an election on! A clearly very angry Joe Biden castigated Donald Trump after it was reported that the US president had called dead soldiers ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’. ‘If what is written is true, it’s disgusting,’ Biden said. ‘It affirms what most of us believe to be true: Donald Trump is not fit to be Commander in Chief.’
Trump reportedly made the remarks when he cancelled a visit to pay respects at an American military cemetery outside Paris in 2018. He has denied the allegations, as he routinely does, which were first reported in the Atlantic magazine. If proven to be true, however, this could severely dent Trump’s prospects for re-election. He does have some previous with this sort of thing, it has be said. He once publicly criticised his former Republican nomination rival, Senator John McCain, for being a loser because he was shot down, captured, tortured and imprisoned while serving as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam war!
In another outrageous episode, Donald Trump has suggested that people in the state of North Carolina should vote twice in the November election, once in person and once by mail, although doing so is a crime.
“Let them send it in and let them go vote,” Trump said in an interview with WECT-TV in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Wednesday when asked about the security of mail-in votes. “And if the system is as good as they say it is then obviously they won’t be able to vote” in person.
In a clear rebuke to the President, the state Attorney General, Josh Stein, tweeted; –
“President Trump outrageously encouraged” North Carolinians “to break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election. Make sure you vote, but do NOT vote twice! I will do everything in my power to make sure the will of the people is upheld in November.” Perhaps the Donald has been speaking to Gerry Adams again? Vote early, vote often, as some used to say in NI back in the day, eh Donald?
So, that’s my blog complete for this week, folks! Consider yourselves fully updated on the latest political developments and goings on. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading! See you all next week!

A weekly round-up of politics related news stories that have caught the ever critical and cynical eye of Mr McGuckin at Lagan College.

Welcome to my new politics blog entry, where I basically give my tuppence worth about political news stories or events in NI, UK and the US that have risen above the media dirge and caught my notoriously limited attention span. I hope you will find my ramblings in some way informative, if not mildly entertaining, at least! You do not necessarily have to agree with me or my assertions, of course, and some of you may just simply enjoy being irritated by me on a weekly basis, which is great! Happy reading!
“The danger of the blogosphere is reading only those you agree with.” – Molly Ivins (American Journalist)

They say a week is a long time in Politics, and the last week has been no exception! There has been a lot going on, both in the UK and the US, as well as in little ole Norn Iron! So, where does one start?
Well, there’s no place like home, as they say, so, let’s start right here in Northern Ireland/North of Ireland/Ulster/Occupied 6 Counties…okay, I’m not doing that every week, so let’s just go with Norn Iron or NI, shall we?
N. IRELAND POLITICS
Tweet of the week (or should that be twit?) has to go to SF MLA and ex-MEP, Martina Anderson, for her ill-conceived social media post regarding the proposed pension payments for Troubles victims. In a now deleted tweet, she said the £800m would primarily go to “those involved in Britain’s dirty war in Ireland.” Or, to “..those involved in collusion.”
Given that the proposed payments cover many victims from both Protestant/Unionist and Catholic/Nationalist backgrounds, her assertions simply don’t stack up and are a clear distortion of the reality. The tweet has illicited widespread condemnation from all political quarters, and even had some SF representatives voicing their discomfort. Whatever legitimate reservations they may have about how the victims pensions are to be distributed, this was no way to articulate them! Martina, of course, has a bit of previous for this sort of thing, and is increasingly being regarded as the ‘embarrassingly rude old auntie’ type figure within the Party. Quick, hide the sherry!

Another NI story grabbing my attention this week was the eye wateringly generous pay rise awarded to MLA’s staff! Having reversed a key expenses scandal reform and returned to themselves the power to set their own expenses, MLAs have massively hiked the pay of their staff – some of whom are their relatives or fellow politicians! Some staffers can expect to receive an inflation and pandemic recession busting 48% raise! Now, call me a grizzled old cynic but I detect more than a whiff of the ‘snouts in the trough’ about this move! I’m also starting to think I’m in the wrong job and must update my CV! Seriously, though, this really won’t do much to restore the voting public’s confidence in the good ship Stormont, post-RHI and other financial scandals. There’s no de-railing this particular gravy train, it would seem!

Let’s also give a special mention to our NI Education Minister, Peter Weir, for his Herculean efforts to drive all GCSE and A level pupils and their teachers to distraction and beyond via the exams fiasco! He followed that up this week with school visits, where he didn’t observe the Covid-19 health and safety guidance that his own department had issued to schools only days previously! Minimal social distancing was in evidence in the press photos and he clearly didn’t wear a mask or visor at any stage! Oh dear! (Insert face palm mental image!)

And so to wider UK politics. The current Westminster regime never fail to disappoint in the face palm stakes, either, it would appear! PM, Boris Johnson had to cut short his holiday in a remote coastal location in Scotland, after inadvertently revealing the whereabouts of his cottage bolt hole to the press. He also managed to irritate the cottage and land owner by pitching a tent in an adjoining field without their permission. A nearby herd of Aberdeen Angus’ were said to be unmoooved by the whole episode! (Sorry!) However, that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg for Boris, as his problems on the political front continue to mount. The Brexit bus has ground to a halt, with negotiations on a trade deal with the EU going nowhere. It was conceded by the EU negotiators this week that it is increasingly likely that ‘No Deal’ will be the inevitable outcome, given the short timeframe remaining.
Speaking of buses, Boris and his controversial adviser sidekick, Dominic Cummings, have been busy throwing senior civil servants under his famous London Routemaster bus. After beheading the most senior Civil Servant in the Foreign Office and Cabinet Office, he has rid himself of Public Health England and those he regards as to blame for recent exam U-turns, Sally Collier of Ofqual and Jonathan Slater of the Department for Education. They have inexplicably gone to save the skin of the hapless Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson! This purge of Civil Servants is being seen by some as a worrying Whitehall power grab by Number 10, which contravenes the long held but unwritten code of neutrality which the Civil Service proudly maintains.
Meanwhile, the government is still attracting criticism for their continued mishandling of the COVID-19 Pandemic response, with their guidance often appearing vague and contradictory, all while the dreaded R rate creeps ever upwards again! Reports this week also predicted a lengthy recession ahead, with potential unemployment levels not seen since the early Thatcher years of the 1980’s! I’m old enough to remember the 80’s and it was pretty bleak, as well as being the decade that style forgot, too! (Remember the mullet hairstyle? Just think Tiger King and you’ll get the picture!) Furthermore, just to add to Boris’ woes, opinion polls this week show Keir Starmer’s Labour narrowing the gap against the Tories, so that they are virtually neck and neck! Quite the turnaround for a Labour Party that was left in tatters after their crushing General Election defeat! Maybe Boris could pick up the phone and get some advice from his mate, Donald, across the Atlantic?….um? Maybe not!
Mr Trump has plenty of his own problems to deal with, it seems. It seems somewhat appropriate that it is hurricane season stateside, as the Trump administration are being battered on several fronts! With Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, comfortably ahead in the latest option polls, the Donald will have his work cut out to secure that prized second term!
In the last week, in Wisconsin, police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back. An apparently pro-Trump vigilante then allegedly shot dead two protestors in Kenosha. On Saturday , after Trump supporters clashed with protesters in Portland, a man apparently belonging to night
None of this bodes well for America as we head into the wing organisation was shot dead.-a rightve rhetoric to fire up his voting ratchet up the divisikey election period, where Trump will want to base.
Trump, of course, accepted the official Republican Party nomination this week, in a glitzy, Kardashian-esque, televised event in the immaculately groomed grounds of the White House. Worth noting was the fact that six of the key speakers had the surname Trump. A clear sign that this a real family affair and that there is an obvious intention to build a Trump political dynasty. It’s all starting to look a bit worryingly North Korea, from that perspective!
The Donald will have to fight the election without one of his key advisers, however. In a surprise move, long time aide, Kelly-Anne Conway, quit the White House last week to spend more time with her family, apparently. This is the woman who famously coined the phrase “we use alternative facts” when defending the White House administration’s very loose interpretation of the truth/reality. When she announced her resignation on Twitter, it didn’t go exactly as she would have liked, however, as her own teenage daughter took to social media to pour scorn on her, both for her politics and also for her parenting! Oops! Totes awks, as we say!
We started with an embarrassing tweet, so it seems appropriate to leave on one as well. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my first weekly round-up? I’ll be keeping my beady eye out on events again this forthcoming week, so stay tuned to stay up to date! Thanks!