Shock As Man Makes Boat Race Interesting

Posted on April 8, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Thank you Trenton Oldfield.

“THE Boat Race” between Oxford University and Cambridge University is actually just “A Boat Race” between Oxford University and Cambridge University. While many of the rowere have been or are top class athletes, most are not international standard. It has been an annual event since 1830s.

Rather like the Grand National Horse Race or the FA Cup Final, it was traditional in the 1960s and 1970s for the Saturday afternoon  BBC Grandstand sports programme to come live from the banks of the River Thames on “Boat Race” Day.

As a purely sporting event, it does not deserve a place in BBC Schedules but is shown primarily because it is a social event…..providing of course that a person moves in those social circles. As a rule BBC producers DO move in those social circles but as a rule BBC audiences DO NOT move in those social circles.

It is…elitist. It is hardly a genuine sprting contest. The most exciting thing is the toss which determines which team has the winning  Surrey side (or is it Middlesex side?) of the River.

To protest “Elitism” yesterdays Boat Race was disrupted by Trenton Oldfield, a student at the London School of Economics. He went for a swim in the River Thames, causing havoc and causing the race to be re-started. Oxford were leading. Cambridge won the re-started race, seemingly influenced by a clash of oars (Oxford’s fault seemingly).

Trenton Oldfield has been charged with a Public Order offence. And there is much “tut-tutting” that he disruped the biggest day in the lives of so many splendid young people. All of which is complete nonsense.

The notion that two elite university rowing teams can just come up to London for a boat race along a busy waterway…….because it is a tradition is hardly the point.

Increasingly people are suffering privation at discovering Society is not nearly as fair as we are led to believe. Or allowed ourselves to believe. The two boat race crews and Trenton Oldfield were all in it together……the River Thames………so what exactly is the problem.

It is I think part of a larger disconnect. Normally I would be against party poopers but I have a certain regard for Trenton Oldfield. People who want to do……something…….almost anything ……to point up inequality can rely on my support. Teachers are clearly itching for a confrontation with the Government. For me, the merits of their case are secondary to the fact that they are doing “something”. Likewise the large number of people who are witholding payment of the Republic of Irelandd’s household charge are perhaps worthy of support. They are doing …something.

Those of us who believe people should do “something” all have thresholds. A Teachers Strike in England? Witholding proper payment in the Republic of Ireland.? Swimming in the River Thames during a boat race for toffs? Legitimate I would say.

 

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Football Result: SDLP Youth 6…UUP Youth 4

Posted on April 6, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

A game of two halves seemingly. SDLP were losing 1-4 at Half Time but came back to win 6-4.

Pic shows both teams. And £120 raised for the Chest, Heart & Stroke Association. Fair play to them.

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Olympic Update

Posted on April 6, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Another Irish Qualifier……Martyn Irvine (competing in the World Championships in Australia) earned Ireland a place in Track Cycling.

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PSNI Suspend Officers Over Racist & Sectarian Texts

Posted on April 6, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

The news that the Police Service of Born Iron has suspended four of its officers while it investigates racist and sectarian messages apparently sent (to each other)  by text is to be welcomed. The speedy suspension and the press conference called at short notice earlier today suggests that PSNI views the matter seriously. It also suggests that they will confront racism and sectarianism within its ranks. The contrast with the Metropolitan Police in London which has shown itself somewhat slow to act on allegations is marked.

Although the PSNI has only bee in existence for a little more than ten years, it does actually have an advantage over longer established police services. It was instituted as a direct consequence of the Good Friday Agreement and effectively (although not in the eyes of republican dissidents) starts with a clean slate. Revolutionary change was more radical than evolutionary change in (say) the Metropolitan Police.

The PSNI have moved quickly and are obviously sincere in dealing with racism, sectarianism, homophobia whatever. We actually have a police service that genuinely has the support of the three communities (unionist, nationalist and “lets get alongerist”). And people like Judith Gillespie the Deputy Chief Constable was clearly annoyed at being put in the position of having to brief the media about such a seemingly negative story.

Of course the officers concerned are entitled to defend themselves vigourously against the allegations. And certainly it will interesting to see how the Police Federation handle their case. It has not always given me the impression that it is on board with the new PSNI “culture”.

A Postcard sold as a fund raiser for The Green Cross, the group which supported the families of Republican prisoners.

Starting with a clean slate in 2001 was a massive boost to the PSNI. It was as much about ridding the police of the lazy “canteen culture” of casual racism, sectarianism, sexism and homophobia. Of course it would be naive to think that all the seven thousand police officers think “politically correct” thoughts but the real point is that expressing racism, sectarianism, sexism, homophobia will not be tolerated within the PSNI. We already have a situation where 30% of the officers are Catholic (including many from the Republic of Ireland and indeed places like Poland) which is obviously an improvement. The confidence builder for the nationalist community is that in any PSNI three person patrol, there will probably be one Catholic……or maybe two…….or three……or none. The key thing is that it doesnt actually matter in 2012. It is OUR police service.

It would also be naive to think that all of the problems of the Past have disappeared. The “old” RUC was either honoured by an award of a George Cross and honourably stood down to facilitate the new PSNI (this is the official version). Or it was stabbed in the back by the British Government to pander to (unreasonable) nationalist demands (unionist version) or fobbed up with the George Cross and consigned to the dustbin of history (nationalist version).

What is certain is that the “old” RUC officers …the “Trevors” were bought off with massive compensation payments. No doubt they sit around in the RUC Athletic Association’s facilities at Newforge remembering how it was in the “old days”…….and while some find it disturbing that the members of the Sports Association refuse to get with the programme and change its name. ..it is in reality irritating but no big deal. Long after the old “B” Specials were similarly disbanded in disgrace, they had their old comrades society to comfort them.

But as they say such people simply fade away.

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There Goes The The Boston Bunglers

Posted on April 6, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

There is an interesting article by Ruan O’Donnell in the current issue of History Ireland.

The Boston Archive has vexated bloggers and journalists for a while.

In common with many individuals, Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre (thats what I thought too) have interviewed people who were involved in the Troubles. People were frank……perhaps they were even honest…….but the condition of the interviews was that they not be published until the interviewees had died.

Some controversy arises because Brendan Hughes, a former Officer Commanding Belfast Brigade IRA (he had worked his way up from the Second Batallions D Company) mentioned Gerry Adams quite a lot. This gave some succour to dissident Reublicans and other enemies of Adams, including hibernophobic blog sites. Alas despite their worst efforts, not many people in either West Belfast (2010) or County Louth (2011) changed their minds about voting Adams.

The interview archive …..is now held in Boston College.

Frankly I think a grave mistake was made in rushing to publish Hughes’ account after his death. The real value of the archive would be publication after everyone is dead.

I think it was an open secret that just about every historian and journalist and self-styled journalist had taped some interviews. But as is often the case somebody said something unwise. It was reported that one of the Price Sisters (dont ask me which one because I always get them wrong) had told a journalist of the existence of the archive. She herself had contributed. There is some dispute as to whether the interview was properly conducted….but thats not the central issue.

The Police Service of Norn Iron would like access to the tapes. Boston College is making some kinda principled stand on academic fredom and the terms under which the archive was given to them. The PSNI are obliged to follow up leads but I suspect that they are as aware of historians holding on to material as anyone else.

Alas Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre are NOT academics. They are journalists.

And lets be frank……there is no WRITTEN amnesty in the Good Friday Agreement. But there is no way that any signatory to the Good Friday Agreement will be charged or imprisoned for an offnce before 1998. “Creative Ambiguity” is the phrase.

There is a completely unnecessary court case being conducted in USA. Should the archive be opened to facilitate PSNI?

The politicians know the score. The historians knew the score. The PSNI knew the score.

It was a journalist who screwed it all up by reporting it.

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Minister Joan Burton

Posted on April 6, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

I have never been a big fan of Labour Minister Joan Burton. Frankly I am not a big fan of the Irish Labour Party. They rarely take an interest in the North…..and too many like Eamonn Gilmore and Pat Rabitte had connexions to Democtratic Left and earlier connexions.

Mostly the Irish Labour Party shows interest in getting into coalition with (mostly) Fine Gael and then doing the right wing dirty work that harms its own voters. Just like the Liberal Democrats. Accordingly no Labour revival (it happens every two decades) is really sustainable because the Party lets down its core vote …………..it happens every two decades.

To her credit, Joan Burton is taking her role as Minister for Social Protection seriously. I wonder if she sees herself as the Guardian of the real Labour flame ……who sees the Democratic Left (née Workers Party, Official Sinn Féin, Official IR………oh wait it never existed did it?) as the tail wagging the Labour Dog. Since the merger with Labour the Democratic Left entryists …….Gilmore, Rabbitte, de Rossa, Kathleen Lynch, Sean Sherlock have done better than the old Labour faces……Quinn and Shortall……..and Burton.

Yet her criticism of fellow Minister ……..Phil Hogan (Fine Gael) for meeting disgraced Independent TD, Michael Lowry over a constituency matter……..seems over the top…and even dangerous. While there are friendships across the political divides and hostility within parties, it is surely inevitable that Mr Lowry is on first name terms with his former Fine Gael colleagues and indeed many of the other members of An Dáil.

For all his faults, Michael Lowry is an elected member of An Dáil……he was sent there by the voters of Tipperary North. He has the right to put constituency matters to any Minister including Phil Hogan and Joan Burton. And they have a duty to hear those constituency concerns.

It would be churlish of me to point out that one or two members on the Sinn Féin benches are alleged to have a dodgy past. Would Minister Burton meet them? And it would be even more churlish of me to point out that if the Official IRA……….ever existed ……..which of course it er didnt….no sirree……….Minister Burton might have to stop talking to lots of people.

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I Had A Dream

Posted on April 6, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

I suppose it is inevitable that the dreams we dream reflect in some way our everyday concerns….family, Manchester United,work etc. Now that I am retired I rarely dream about work. Now that I have developed an interest in politics, I find myself dreaming about politics which is a waste of good sleep time.

Last night, I dreamt I was invited to attend a meeting but the person who invited me to the meeting did not show up……..and all of the folks who knew I was going were not there either. As the meeting room started to fill up most of the attendees were giving me strange “who is he?” looks and on one occasion when I left the room someone took my chair. The alarm clock went off before the conclusion of the dream.

Of course strange things happen in dreams. A few weeks ago Cliff Michelmore interviewed me. Yes I really am stuck in the 1960s. And more recently, I attended the SDLP Conference in a hotel near Warrenpoint……it was chaired by BBC Newsreader Kenneth Kendall who is now in his 80s.

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Sky Hack Hacks

Posted on April 5, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Not surprisingly BBC News was giving greater prominence than Sky News to the story that Sky News journalist Gerard Tubb hacked email account of the “Canoe Man”.

Being public-spirited an’ all Tubb gave the information to the Cleveland Police which used this as evidence. According to Sky News this prima facie was clearly in the “public interest” even though no such defence exists. But surely if the Police themselves had obtained this information, illegally…it would not have been admissable in court. But information obtained illegally by a journalist IS admissable. Im not sure how that adds up. Are journalists really above the Law?

We are led to believe that the incident is now being reviewed by Cleveland Police. Disturbingly Eve Pollard and the normally sane Labour MP, Stephen Pound reviewing tomorrows newspapers on Sky News (!!!) took the view that it WAS in the Public Interest. So thats all right then.

But a question that might be asked is…..how did Gerard Tubb get the skills to hack an email account? How did he know that Yahoo was “weak”? In what week do they teach this stuff in Journalism School?

Meanwhile James Murdoch has resigned……and presumably wont be making many visits to Britain for a while.

British Courts seem to have no problem extraditing people to the United States. I hope the courts in the United States are as accomodating.

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RTE Drop “Prime Time Investigates”

Posted on April 4, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

Nobody can deny that there has been a lot of scandals……..political, financial, Church over the past two decades. Nor can anyone deny that there is an ongoing “drugs war” among the criminal classes. RTE deserves a lot of credit for exposing many scandals thru programmes like “Prime Time Investigates”.

But much of the good work has been undone by the fact that this programme subtitled “Mission To Prey”  seriously libelled a Catholic priest, Father Kevin Reynolds, accusing him of raping a Kenyan teenager and fathering a child. It is hard to imagine a more serious allegation. Father Reynolds had volunteered to take a DNA test before the programme was broadcast. RTE refused the offer. Subsequent DNA tests showed that Father Reynolds is entirely innocent. He was awarded a substantial out of court settlement against RTE.

Many apologists for RTE and Journalism will thin that the matter should have ended there. In fact, Father Reynolds had been suspended from his parish and had to live elsewhere before proving his own innocence. Not so Aoife Kavanagh, the journalist who defamed Father Reynolds. It took a campaign to have Ms Kavanagh put on suspension by RTE. She is still on suspension.

In the wake of an inquiry into the incident RTE has now axed “Prime Time Investigates”. Apologists for Journalism are angered that this is an over-reaction. But the programme itself has exposed wrong doing in high places………including the Catholic Church. People have been held to account. Surely it is only right that the programme-makers including Ms Kavanagh are held to account.

Let this be clearly understood….this is not an attack on Press Freedom. It is an attack on the abuse of power by RTE journalists. Donnybrook 2012 is Wapping 2011. Rupert Murdoch had no hesitation in closing down his title “News of the World” when the brand became toxic. RTE should have no hesitation in closing down one of its titles……..when it loses public confidence and becomes toxic.

It will of course be described (by journalists) as pandering to a lynch mob and a witch hunt. It is nothing of the kind. And before journalists cry crocodile tears, they should realise that within months of being closed down, “News of the World” was re-branded and re-launched. As will “Prime Time Investigates”.

Journalists who dismissed the English phone hacking scandal as a “one off” on which they happily commented have been forced into shamed silence by the revelations in the Leveson Inquiry. This is how Journalism works…….a double standard.

RTE has been accused of having an anti-Catholic agenda? And certainly the “Mission To Prey” programme gives credence to this. But it should be noted that many of RTEs leading journalists, including Seán O’Rourke publicly criticised their employer for the intial seeming grudging apology issued to Father Reynolds and the lapse in RTE standards.

But there is an interesting little statistic from the Irish Census (2011). Apparently 84% of the population of the Republic of Ireland are “Catholic”…despite the scandals of the past two decades. A heartening figure for Catholics and one which contradicts the narrative in most media and blogger circles………..so it will not be mentioned. Some blog sites have a preference for “life and times surveys” in the Belfast Telegraph. Faced with a life and times survey and hard facts like an election ora census…………a blog site with an agenda will always prefer the Belfast Telegraph.

Nobody would ever want a situation to arise where jobs in RTE were allocated to reflect the proportions in the population. But the Census shows that 84% of the Republic’s population are Catholic. What exactly would a census at RTE show? That non-Catholics are perhaps “over-represented” at Donnybrook?

Last week, I posted about Kate Adie’s observation that she could not understand the Troubles until she was on assignment in the BBC Belfast Newsroom…..and noted how few Catholics there were.

Have things changed? The Media and the Blogosphere still seem to be living in a world which has not recognised the dominace of DUP and Sinn Féin. A bland “lets get alongerist” agenda and narrative prevails.

Take last years Assembly Election where 57% of the votes went to DUP and Sinn Féin……..would an exit poll at Ormeau Avenue or Havelock House reflect this?

 

 

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Titanic…The First Centenary

Posted on April 3, 2012 by fitzjameshorse

The Titanic Centenary is perhaps the first much anticipated centenary of the decade. Its treatment in the media, especially local TV News is an indication of how the “decade” is likely to be treated.

The Titanic is not nearly so politically contentious as the other centenaries. But it has been obvious that the local media is operating as little more than a publicity machine for the Titanic Experience and the agenda of the Norn Iron Executive. A bevy of local hacks have been in the Titanic Quarter lobbing “soft” questions at Arlene Foster (whose Ministerial brief includes Tourism) and the spokespersons for Norn Iron Tourist Board and the Experience itself.

This kinda Sycophancy might be tolerable in our (very) localised weekly newspapers, which will feature several pages on an eighteenth birthday party or a fiftieth wedding anniversary…….but just how low have local TV News standards fallen that we must watch daily broadcasts (“puff pieces”) for the Titanic “Festival”. Even a local newspaper would have the ethics to publish this kinda thing under “Advertising Feature”.

Yet the Conflict Resolutionists and the “lets get alongerists” must be rubbing their hands at just how shallow the local TV journalists can be. The lack of any real critique of the Titanic “project” has exposed the local media as the kinda people who will not go “off message” when contentious commemorations arise.

Shame on them.

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