It’s Grim Up North

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Tory

Tory Peer Lord Howell a supporter of fracking, has told the House of Lords: ‘Would you accept that it could be a mistake to think of and discuss fracking in terms of the whole of the United Kingdom in one go’
‘I mean there obviously are, in beautiful natural areas, worries about not just the drilling and the fracking, which I think are exaggerated, but about the trucks, and the delivery, and the roads, and the disturbance, and those about justified worries.’
The peer from Guildford in Surrey added: ‘But there are large and uninhabited and desolate areas. Certainly in part of the North East where there’s plenty of room for fracking, well away from anybody’s residence where we could conduct without any kind of threat to the rural environment.’

Lord Howell is the father in law of George Osbourne the Chancellor.

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Dennis Canavan Calls For Referendum On Monarchy

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Scottish Independence

Dennis Canavan has said: “As to the possibility of another King George, it is important to remember that true democracy is based on the sovereignty of the people rather than the sovereignty of any monarch,” adding: “In an independent Scotland, the people of Scotland should therefore be given an early opportunity to decide whether they want to retain the monarchy or choose an elected head of state.”

SOCA Scandal

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SOCA

The Serious Organized Crime Agency is involved in a serious scandal.Covering up the wrong doing of large Companies and Banks as well as wealthy individuals. These Companies hired private investigators in order to obtain private data on individuals. This went on for years. SOCA investigated this and compiled a list of 101 clients who hired private investigators. The head of the SOCA demanded that the list be “kept in a safe in a locked room, within a secure building and that the document should not be left unattended on a desk at any time”. If journalists can be arrested for this why not leading businessmen?

Transition Is Never A Easy Thing

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APNI

The creation of 11 new Super Councils was never going to run smooth here. Councils right across the North are appointing what are known as Statutory Transition Committees.

Their job will be to oversee the reduction from 26 to just 11 Super Councils.

The Alliance Party is not happy about the appointment of two Unionist councillor’s by Castlereagh Council to a Transition Committee. They believe that they are entitled to at least one of the posts. On Lisburn Council they have appointed a SDLP councillor and a DUP Councillor which has upset SF who are threatening legal action.

A DUP spokesman said: “The guidance issued by the environment minister to councils in relation to the transition committees was guidance and not legally binding.

“Legal advice was sought in relation to these appointments by at least one of the councils in question which supported the view taken by members of the council.”

An Ulster Unionist spokesperson said: “Whilst the Alliance Party may disagree with the democratic decision of Lisburn and Castlereagh councils, this is the same party who acted tactlessly in their decision to remove the union flag from Belfast City Hall.

“After the last Assembly election the Ulster Unionist Party returned 16 Assembly Members and the SDLP 14. Both parties subsequently took up one place on the Executive. The Alliance Party, however, returned only eight Assembly members, yet shamelessly took two places on the Executive. Maybe they should take a look closer to home before coming out with such hypocritical statements.”

Live Long And Prosper

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England

In England today their is a North/South divide when it comes to life expectancy. In East Dorset men can expect to live to 83, 9.2 years more than men in Blackpool, Lancashire, which had the lowest male life expectancy at 73.8 years.

East Dorset had a life expectancy for women of 86.4 years, 7.1 years more than the lowest, the 79.3 year life expectancy in Manchester.

It seems if you live in the South of England you will live longer than if you live in the North of England.

Oh The Things They Say!

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DUP

“Have people learned nothing about the way these things operate in Northern Ireland? If you deny someone the right to do something – very often the reaction is precisely the opposite of what you desired.” So says Jeffrey Donaldson the DUP MP and well known film buff about the flying of flags.

Tory Secretary Of State Speaks Out

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Orange Order

Theresa Villiers has warned that the violence of the Orange Order will effect future economic investment in the North. After five days of rioting and attacks on the Short Strand the Orange Order seems to have learned nothing. Hundreds of Orange supporters be going through the courts and will end up with criminal records. The local economy will suffer greatly and what for? So Orangemen can rub their victory in Catholics faces a battle they won over 300 years ago. So much for Peter Robinson’s shared future. The complete lack of leadership shows that the Orange Order is a relic of a past that nobody but them wants to live in.

Parades Commission Debate At Stormont

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Orange Order

http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/21006891

PSNI Attacked By Orange Order In Woodvale

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Orange Order

Some of the trouble police dealt with on the 12th of July 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUEDaI6WBRc&sns=tw via @youtube

DUP MP Hit By Brick During Orange Order Riot

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Orange Order

Nigel Dodds the DUP MP is carried away after being hit on the head with a brick. The brick was thrown by a fellow loyalist during Orange Order rioting in North Belfast this evening.