Diary of Mr Poots 2
After all the build up to Edwin Poots' grilling by the Stormont Culture Committee, the Sports Minister emerged from today's encounter looking unperturbed. The meeting in the Senate chamber concentrated on the ever controversial proposal for a multi-sports stadium at the Maze.
When the special hearing was arranged the focus had all been on the pressures within the DUP over an "IRA shrine" at the Maze. These pressures had, apparently, led to the redrafting of a statement on the project by Mr Poots, toning down his advocacy of the Maze site.
The Ulster Unionist David McNarry wanted to know who was running the Culture Department, Mr Poots or his senior colleagues in the DUP. But the question was raised alongside a host of others, enabling the minister to simply avoid supplying the Committee with an answer. Later the question of an "IRA shrine" was raised - Mr Poots insisted no unionist would contemplate it, and there the matter rested.
With nothing much new either on internal DUP affairs or IRA shrines, the meat of the hearing concerned sport and business. The minister expressed "horror" at the thought of Northern Ireland having to play their international football matches overseas because of the continuing problems at Windsor Park. And he revealed that the GAA has ruled out any of the Belfast options.
As Mr Poots' evidence continued, the position of the IFA Chief Executive Howard Wells came under greater scrutiny as documents showed that Mr Wells had a personal preference for the Maze, although the IFA was keeping an open mind about venues. That annoyed the anti-Maze NI Football Supporters.
Whether by chance or design the focus seemed to slip from Mr Poots to Mr Wells. In a letter read out to the Committee Mr Wells said it was "unlikely that any Belfast driven initiative will sit well with the concept of a shared future".
The IFA is exploring the options of playing NI internationals in Scotland or England (but not, it seems, the Republic).
Perhaps they should try Hong Kong where David Healy made his debut for Fulham against Portsmouth. The stadium looked fine but the NI players looked overcome by the heat, and NI's leading goal scorer couldn't find the net to overturn Pompey's one goal lead. So maybe forget Hong Kong and stick to Craven Cottage, given that half the side is already there.
I'm 
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If Mr Poots thinks he's in hot water over the Stadium/Conflict Transformation Centre issue, it'll be as nothing compared to the issue of the promised Irish Language Act. Tomorrow he meets Gerry Adams who this week issued the minister with a memo: You're not just the minister for English speakers you know....
oooohhhhhh, scary, he's meeting Gerry Adams, I'm sure the Minister is quaking!! Just because he's meeting the "Bearded wonder" does not mean your going to get your political language enshrined in legislation. It needs cross community consensus Concubine.
Mark
IF YOU TELL A LIE LONG ENOUGH鈥︹︹︹︹︹
Sinn Fein鈥檚 promotion of the Maze Shrine is slick but fundamentally dishonest. Far from being a beacon for conflict resolution the proposed Shrine is just another self-serving contrivance by Sinn Fein to rationalize the murder and mayhem that was visited on Northern Ireland over thirty plus years. Glorifying psychopaths in this way would be akin to the State acknowledging that their actions were justified. In its pursuit of a Shrine it will be the same old Sinn Fein story: 鈥淚f you tell a lie long enough, loud enough, and often enough, the people will believe it鈥.
Susie
Carryduff
'Irish' Language Act...
I suggest both Concubhar and GP make reference to - which is 'double Dutch' for novices but also deals with pronunciation.
As the proposed 'Irish' Language Act will be written in both English and 'Irish', let's hope the translation does not get into difficulty with 'th' and 't', e.g. 'thirty-three and a third' would be translated as: 'turty-tree and a turd'. Perhaps Gerry will give his expert guidance on this one!
Martina
IF YOU TELL A LIE LONG ENOUGH鈥︹︹︹︹︹
Sinn Fein鈥檚 promotion of the Maze Shrine is slick but fundamentally dishonest. Far from being a beacon for conflict resolution the proposed Shrine is just another self-serving contrivance by Sinn Fein to rationalize the murder and mayhem that was visited on Northern Ireland over thirty plus years. Glorifying terrorists in this way would be akin to the State acknowledging that their actions were justified. In its pursuit of a Shrine it will be the same old Sinn Fein story: 鈥淚f you tell a lie long enough, loud enough, and often enough, the people will believe it鈥.
Susie
Carryduff
How many people here actually speak exclusively Irish? Is is more than the number of people who speak exclusively Chinese or Polish?
If it really means that much to the Shinners let them have their act, but who is it going to benefit in practical terms?
It can hardly be claimed this proposed Gaeltacht (please excuse any spelling error) area in Belfast is anything but artificial. Everybody living in it will be bi-lingual.
Maybe they need to show something for killing 300 odd Catholics, more than 200 children, nearly 140 women and over 500 civilians.
Didn't quite get the united Ireland, but being able to read how to check your testicles for lumps in Irish is the next best thing, isn't it?
And the same goes for Ulster-Scots. You know how in Holby City one of the doctors keeps pumping the chest when it's clear to the rest of them the patient is dead?
By all means speak it amongst yourselves, but stop asking for my tax money to promote it to a dis-interested nation. It's like trying to get the Egyptians to speak hieroglyphics. Actually it's more like trying to get Northern Ireland fans to watch synchronised swimming when David Healy is one on one with the keeper against England.
Stercus tauri.