A Tale Of Three Churches (RTE “Would You Believe?”)

Posted on December 7, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

Mick Peelo is Irelands leading Religion journalist/broadcaster. RTE showed the first of a two parter (in their “Would You Believe?” series) made by Peelo on the condition of the Irish Catholic Church in 2011. The programme featured how three churches/parishes were coping.

The parish of Rivermount in North Dublin is perhaps notorious for being the parish with the lowest level of Catholic observance…..the figure of three per cent was mentioned…….THREE PER CENT!

The parish priest Fr Seamus Aherne, middle aged, bearded and slightly hippy-ish and no clerical collar was very upbeat. He welcomed the demise of the “clerical church”. If people dont come to Church, then he welcomes that all engagement with his flock is on the basis that they are letting him into THEIR lives. The Church is really too small for GOD. The Church structures try to tame GOD. Holy Mass every morning seems like good fun ……an interactive experience. As a parishioner says they are there for “life”, the priests come and go.

Fr Ahernes assertion that the Church is not the Popes Church or the Bishops Church is undermined by Archbishop Martin….it is a structured Church

Jesuit theolgian Fr Gerry O’Hanlon suggests that it is just too difficult to call yourself a Catholic in Ireland (because primarily of abuse scandals and the structure). Archbishop Diarmuid Martin argues that it is not specifically a matter of the Church itself collapsing but rather the structures within which Irish Catholicism worked are collapsing.

The Association of Catholic Priests is the radical wing of the Irish Catholic Church. They believe in married priests, women priests and all the good liberal agenda and they want accountability. “The Bishops are chosen for Orthodoxy not Leadership”. There are no priests under 40 in the Diocese of Killala in the West of Ireland. The average age of an Irish priest is almost 60. The position cannot be sustained.

Peelo visits the Parish of Killinenagh in County Clare. In 1998……around the world there were eight parish natives who were priests in various parts of the World and the parishioners were a proud people. The small village even produced a Bishop in its history. Now it is a “priestless” parish. A priest from a neighbouring parish says Sunday mass and there is no longer daily Mass. The people are “hurt” that the Bishop took away their priest to fill in gaps in his diocese. Yet oddly, the people seem not to have formed prayer groups or risen to the challenge. They seem the proverbial lost sheep in need of a pastor/shepherd. Their Bishop……Bishop Kieran O’Reilly is a relatively young man….a man ordained for African Missions. He talks about involving the Laiety and seems to mean it.

In Porterstown, in County Dublin……..the priest is on leave. And the Women have taken over. They conduct services without a Consecration……….but lead the prayers recognisable as a Mass…..including the distribution of Communion. They are after all eucharistic ministers.

And perhaps thats the way things have to go. More Laiety. More Women. More Accountability.

And refreshing to see a film about the Irish Catholic Church which did not have “abuse” as a central theme. There are effectively two reasons for a person to distance him/her self from the Church. One is an intellectual reason….based on the direction the Church has taken since the late 1970s….a swing away from the Spirit of Vatican II and towards a conservative Church ….this has led people to leave the Church. Especially Liberals. There was a time in my lifetime when liberals in the Church were in the ascendency. The second reason to leave the Church is of course……paedophilia…………and the inadequate response to it. But essentially this is an emotional response rather than intellectual.

The second part in Peelo’s documentary is next Sunday.

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The Leveson Inquiry…Witnesses Week 3 (Monday)

Posted on December 6, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

A quiet day.

Alec Owens, former Investigator with the Information Commission is going thru spreadsheets taken from Private Investigator Steve Whittamore in Operation Motorman in 2003. It has been Owens contention last week that there was no prosecutions of journalists and editors because they were deemed in the words of a former colleague to be “too big”. A report from the Counsel for The Information Commission makes it clear that as early as 2003, it was believed editors would have known.

Francis Aldhouse is former Deputy Information Commissioner. Aldhouse “cannot recall” a meeting with Owens where he (Aldhouse) suggested that the media was “too big” to deal with. It is his view that hs boss Richard Thomas wanted to approach the Press Complaints Commission about the illegality. The evidence presented today is new to Aldhouse.

Peter Burden has written about the methods used by tabloidists in a book “Fake Sheiks” (a reference to a leading tabloidist Mahzer Mahmood). He speaks first about tabloid invention…..such as the “kidnap plot” involving David Beckham. He also makes a similar comment in respect of Mahmoods sting on members of the Pakistani Cricket team (some were recently jailed for corruption).

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New SDLP Representatives Announced

Posted on December 5, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

A key part of Alasdair McDonnell’s SDLP Leadership Campaign….was his plan to make the SDLP “battle ready” with SDLP representatives appointed to fill gaps in the Partys strength and give the Party a visible presence in places where it was losing ground.

Alasdair McDonnell made good on that promise today with the first wave of tenappointees. They are Pat McDaid (Craigavon), Yvonne Leonard (Newry), Oonagh McNickle (Limavady), Nicola Turtle (Lisburn), Serena Hyland (Dungannon), Anne Sheridan (South Armagh) and John Coyle (Irvinestown). It also includes a friend Malachy Quinn (Dungannon) and a young woman, Christine Wilson (Lisburn) who I have met a few times and who was elected to the SDLP Executive last month.

The name getting most prominence in the story is Peter Devlin from North Belfast. I also met Peter at last months Conference. He is the son of SDLP legend…..and wider socialist legend Paddy Devlin. I declare an interest here. I canvassed alongside the late Paddy Devlin on my first night as a SDLP member in May 1973…nearly thirty nine years ago.

There is something exciting going on in SDLP. It wont all be plain sailing but there’s something in the air…….which is hard to explain. And it seems good.

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Sean Rogers MLA Elect

Posted on December 5, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

Sean Rogers has been selected by SDLP in South Down to be co-opted into the Stormont Assembly to replace Magaret Ritchie who will now be concentrating on her role as Member of Westminster Parliament.

Seemingly 239 people voted in the Selection Meeting and Sean Rogers won by just 14 votes.

In 1973 when the SDLP won three seats out of seven in the area, Eddie McGrady, Paddy O’Donoghue and Frank Feely were based respectively in Downpatrick, Newcastle and Newry. When SDLP selects three candidates since then it has usually been on that basis. In 2003 SDLP lost a seat here. It was  sitting members Eamonn O’Neills who lost by about 50 votes to Margaret Ritchie. Since then the two seats (Ritchie/PJ Bradley and Ritchie/McKevitt) have been based around Downpatrick and Newry/Warrenpoint. The Newcastle based folks therefore had a reasonable enough shout at getting the vacated seat as a co-option to balance and boost the Party standing against Willie Clarke…perceived rightly or wrongly as a weak link for Sinn Féin Remember as well that part of the Downpatrick end of the constituency was hived off to Strangford. From 2001 to 2011 I think he SDLP has lost no seat at Council level in Downpatrick. And I think actually gained a seat in Crotlieve DEA from 2005 to 2011. So at least is “holding”. With McKevitt only beating O’Neill by around 500 votes in 2011, there is a certain logic in boosting the mid Down area and raising the profile of a candidate. The balance of probability is that the three candidates who contest the next election will be balanced geographically ……with 35% of vote in 2011 (Margaret Ritchie, Party Leader got 20%) so a balanced ticket in a lot of ways is the better option to have a chance of taking three.

Critics have noted that Rogers is a 53 year old retired teacher. As to the middle aged  “argument” well its hardly an argument at all. In footballing terms the SDLP has a good “senior” team” and a good “youth team” but for all kinds of reasons which are not relevant to this particular discussion but rather an internal one….the “reserve team” linking the two might be a problem. In that sense the SDLP actually needs people who are experienced without having long term ambitions.

Hes an ex-teacher……..Catholic Grammar School principal which could possibly mean that he probably relates to all those Catholic grammar school parents,the subject of much interest and debate that the DUP relates more to them.. Presumably more in touch with feelings on selection/non selection than any “unionist outreach”.

I dont know if Mr Rogers has any electoral form (I couldnt be bothered looking thru records but I dont recall any council activity) but perhaps in keeping with many, the nature of his previous employment did not lend itself to overt political activity……and his retirement allows a certain freedom. I am sure many of us can identify with that. (EDIT……he was actually elected as a first time (?) councillor for Mournes DEA to the Newry & District Council in May 2011).

Yet it seems to me that having a member of an (alleged!) caring profession like a teacher is actually a good thing. Rather than something to be mouthed as an ineffectual insult. The SDLP was arguably born at a very bad time over 40 years ago. I dont suppose those joining in 1970-1973 saw it as a great bandwagon of potential success. A lot of people (teachers like Paddy O’Donoghue & Seamas Mallon solicitors like Paddy Duffy & Paschal O’Hare, doctors like Raymond McClean & Joe Hendron) were prepared to put their shoulders to the wheel.

Oh my God they were middle class. How awful. Yet there appears to be a parallel with 1971 and 2011. People joining and/or working for the SDLP are hardly motivated by the fact that it is a roaring success just now. Far from it. In school staff rooms, the Bar Library, doctors surgeries, there are probably the same kinda public spirited people.

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Cant We All Just Get Along………….For Christmas?

Posted on December 3, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

Over two thousand people watched the first live Belfast City Council meeting on the Internet last night. Sinn Féin were probably a bit nervous about it as the Mayor Niall Ó Donnghaile (26) was going to be roasted over his refusal to meet a 14 years old member of the (British) Cadet Force.

A willing mob resembling the mob from the American cartoon show “The Simpsons” descended on Springfield City Hall to protest Mayor Quimby……oops I mean Belfast City Hall to protest Mayor Ó Donnghaile.

As it turned out, inside the City Hall it was all very civil. Niall was indeed roasted by the unionist parties and protected (like kindly uncles) by his Sinn Féin colleagues. But he had apologised for causing offence and everybody wanted to move on……he did have to survive a lecture from his Deputy Mayor Ruth Patterson……who ironically on principle does not shake hands with her own Mayor or his Sinn Féin colleagues……..but even she said “he is young……and will learn from this”.

So we moved on……it’s Christmas after all. We have a great big sign on the City Hall wishing everyone a happy Christmas…….and seemingly An Cultúrlann (the Irish Language Centre in West Belfast) is offering a great big sign in Gaelic “Nollaig Shona Duit” to go in the City Hall grounds.  A lovely gesture…….and not costing the Council anything. Who could possibly object? ……..well Deputy Mayor Ruth Patterson and her DUP and UUP colleagues. In an act denounced as “bad faith”, the so called middle of the road Alliance Party (who hold the balance of power in the City Hall) sided with the republicans in Sinn Féin and SDLP. And as a consequence we will have a Gaelic “Nollaig Shona Duit”.

Yet this is typically Belfast. A week that began with an argument based on the Mayor’s inability or unwillingness to look a “foreign” (British) cadet force member…ended with an argument based on the Deputy Mayors inability or unwillingness to look at a sign in a “foreign” (Irish) language. The great difference is that the Mayor got it wrong and apologised. To quote Cllr Ruth Patterson again……..”he is young ……and will learn from this”. Or put it another way ………”Ruth Patterson is middle aged………and will not learn from this”.

The mob comprising Comic Book Guy, Ned Flanders and Krusty the Clown all returned home. But inside the City Hall their politicians had snatched Defeat from the Jaws of Victory.

Yet at Stormont, Sinn Féin and DUP and the other Parties) talk about our “Shared Future”…….a meaningless phrase as we have not had a shared past.

We really make too much of “Shared Future” as something that is defined for us by the “lets get alongerist” community. My future is shared……..with those that choose to share it. It is a micro thing. And if everybody did that…….would there really be a problem?

Yet a Shared Future is too often taken to mean that this is where History ends. The End of (Irish) History. We should, we are told accept that there is no History to be made in the Future. Just get on with it  and effectively stop working towards any Aspiration. As unionists have effectively attained their Aspiration in 1922, and nationalists have effectively been chipping away and undermining that aspiration for as long……then accepting that History has stopped is more suited to unionism…..lets be frank here the unionists saw the Good Friday Agreement as a barrier to a united Ireland. Nationalists see the opposite. The Good Friday Agreement is the bridge to a united Ireland. It follows that the outworking of that Agreement should be influenced by these different mindsets.

I dont think unionism has every really understood the full outworking of “parity of esteem”. Indeed as I said in 1998 when David Trimble signed up to Parity of Esteem……it was the great “Gotcha” moment. Unionism is not compatible with Parity. When Trimble signed up to Parity of Esteem, he signed away Unionism.There was no turning back from that……….eg Irish language, the full ramifications of Irishness, ……..a Shared Future has at times been seen by me at least as a unionist device to regulate, codify and limit Parity of Esteem.

At the beginning of this week, the Mayor of Belfast tried to impose a limit on Parity of Esteem and was loudly and rightly condemned. People marched to the City Hall to protest. Mayor apologises. He got it wrong (and thats the very best interpretation that can be put on it) Yet the week ended with unionists trying to limit Parity of Esteem with the Christmas message debacle.

Is that a Shared Future? A young Protestant/unionist woman can be marginalised in the City Hall. Seemingly thats put right. But Irish speaking citizens can be marginalised….they speak a “foreign language” after all (as one unionist councillor put it). If the Shared Future is one where the Mayor must put aside his position on a uniform he sees as foreign then it has to include one where unionists cant get worked up about a “foreign language”. To accept the first and reject the second would mean that the outworking of a Shared Future is indeed “unionist” in tone.

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Censorship On Slugger O’Toole

Posted on December 1, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

Andy Pollak from the Centre of Cross-Border Studies in Armagh posted a piece on Slugger O’Toole yesterday “Why are Irish researchers so uninterested in North-South cooperation?”

About 8.30am today, I saw a reply from a fellow Sluggerite and posted a comment , which I obviousy thought reasonable enough. A Slugger editor has removed my post as I am considered off topic and for you Latin speakers “it is an adhominem argument against the cross border institute”.

Some people would just call it Censorship.

Anyway…….I am always eager to give Slugger a boost.

So here is the link to the thread………http://sluggerotoole.com/2011/11/30/why-are-irish-researchers-so-uninterested-in-north-south-cooperation/

And here is my comment in all its “ad hominem argument against the cross border institute”

I have to agree with TXXXXX. I was at the Georgian Day in Armagh on Saturday. Lots of nice little stalls selling stuff and some interested me and some didnt interest me.
But no stall holder ran after me berating me for not being interested……..they should have no expectation that I will be interested in their wares.
If the stall holder has a bad day on Saturday, it might be his/her “fault” rather than mine.

Cross Border studies pre-date the Institute and will post-date the Institute.
Peacemaking is NOT an academic activity. For the life of me I cant see how the words “the lack of interest shown by our university academics and researchers in this important and innovative aspect of peacemaking and politics, economics and society on this island”……makes any kind of sense.

Rather like the military parade where the proud mother said “they are all out of step but my Johnny”.

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Jeremy Clarkson…Sack Him!

Posted on December 1, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

I have never cared much for Jeremy Clarkson or his “Top Gear” motoring programme. A load of petrol heads drooling over camshafts and gearboxes is not my idea of fun. Clarkson has emerged from this niche market into general TV presenting and “journalism”……developing a public persona that is bluff, ultra-conservative and politically incorrect. He has already gained notoriety for saying that “train journeys are delayed by suicide jumpers” and that “truck drivers murder prostitutes”.

Somehow he gets away with this because he is….in BBC terms……box office.

Tonight on “The One Show” which is essentially a television programme about ……….television……..he was asked what he thought of the Public Service Strike. Now in itself we have to wonder why a TV “celeb” is actually asked that kind of question.

So typically Clarkson replies “I think they should be shot………taken out of their houses and executed in front of their families”.

I find that disgusting. Not least because I have known people who were “executed” in front of their families. Yet he will get away with it. He has after all…….apologised. So thats all right then.

Well no……..its not all right at all. To post a Facebook status…..seriously or flippantly calling for a riot is now illegal. People have a criminal record  for this. Is calling, seriously or flippantly for people to be shot dead…….not as serious? There is a campaign under way already…..calling for his sacking. He will ride out the storm and the right wing tabloids will rally round him, claiming he is a victim of “political correctness gone maaaaaaaaaaaad”

But there is actually a precedent. Some three years ago on BBC Radio, Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, telephoned Andrew Sachs (the 80 year old actor from “Fawlty Towers”) and unable to talk to him, left a message on his answer machine……..in which Mr Sachs was informed that Mr Brand had had sex with his granddaughter.

The Right-Wing tabloids demanded action and no amount of contrition from Ross or Brand could save them. They were suspended from the BBC. Jonathan Ross has since left the BBC and joined ITV. His career has not recovered.

Doesn’t this proper action against Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand set a precedent for how Jeremy Clarkson should be treated?

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Part Of The Union…On Strike In Belfast

Posted on December 1, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

My wife persuaded me to join her on the Picket Line today. She is a social worker and Unison member. So off to Belfast.

Good to see Alex Attwood and Brian Heading of the SDLP out supporting the workers. Also got the chance to exchange pleasantries with members of the Workers Party (sic), a “Party” which seems to exist for the sole purpose of giving cover for shop stewards too cowardly to join the SDLP. The Workers Party is a non threatening alternative to Politics. (if you ignore their 1970s connexions……..and God knows they find it easy to ignore).

Typically the DUP, UUP and Jim Allister crossed the Picket Line at Stormont. Typically SDLP did not cross the Picket Line. And I have an unconfirmed sighting of at least one Alliance Party member on the Hill.

I saw some Sinn Féin MLAs at the Belfast City Hall rally. At least one of them having a hard time with pickets who see that Sinn Féin are trying to have this both ways. They voted FOR the cuts in the Executive and are out on the streets…………protesting their own decision!

The strike seemed well supported. Certainly Transport ceased. All Council Work seemed to cease.Government Departments were  behind the action but rural areas seemed more solid.  Health (save for the emergency staff in place) was also pretty solid.

The one area where there was division seems to be Education. I’d like to see an analysis of just what happened in the Education sector. In Scotland for example 90% of schools were closed but in Norn Iron the figure is just 60%. There is a marked reluctance of people of Faith from some of the reformed churches  to take strike action so I speculate that Catholic schools were more likely to be closed.

 

 

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Belfast Mayor Makes Eejit Of Himself

Posted on December 1, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

In the summer….Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Féin) succeeded fellow Republican Pat Convery (SDLP) as Mayor of Belfast and as he is only 25 years old was hailed as the new face of Sinn Féin. Niall has had a run of good publicity, the MTV nonsense was a big success.

But his luck has run out. On Monday night he was awarding “Duke” of Edinburgh certificates to Belfast teenagers but seemingly got an attack of the vapours when he noticed  a 14 year old girl, wearing the uniform of the British Cadet force. He handed over the ceremony to another person.

Bad decision by the Mayor. But I see it in the context of diversity rather than being specifically anti-royal or anti-British. In multi cultural Belfast its quite possible that a young Polish guy might become a cadet in Polish Army. And obviously a young British person might be a cadet in British Army. And a young Irish person might be an Irish Army cadet. Now I dont suppose all of them would want a  “Duke of Edinburgh” award. But no politician of any hue should have an issue with presenting an award to anyone wearing the military uniform of Poland, Britain, Ireland etc

But as an Irish nationalist and vehement anti-Royal (before and after 1688) I cant imagine why the Mayor was presenting these awards. I actually find the awards ceremony itself a bigger issue for a genuine republican. If the Mayor agreed to do that in the first place then he has to do it without fear or favour. It would have been a lot better if he had asked the ever willing deputy Cllr Robinson (DUP) to do this kinda thing. Nobody would have been offended. The Mayor could easily have fended off criticism that he didnt present them in the first place and he wouldnt have looked like a prat for falling between two positions.

Like I say, I would certainly have difficulty with presenting Duke of Edinburgh awards. But……..Im not Mayor of Belfast……yet. In the spirit of all that required “lets get alongerism” I could probably fix a smile to my face long enough to endure the nonsense. Or more likely ……telephone in sick.

Yet this is going to be a bad week for Sinn Féin. Their sure-footedness is letting them down a bit. And this is an example.

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The Leveson Inquiry…Witnesses Week 2 (Wednesday)

Posted on December 1, 2011 by fitzjameshorse

In some ways todays Leveson Inquiry was low key. The biggest news of the day was the one day strike by public service workers and there was a feeling of anti-climax after the evidence of Paul McMullan, which can politely be described as bluntly honest.

Alec Owens, former second in command at the Office of the Information Commissioner, a body in charge of data protection enforcement. He gives evidence on Steve Whittamore, convicted of illegally accessing data for newspapers. Owens suggests that his bosses at the time were relunctant to go after the newspapers and journalists and this led to Owens resigning in disgust.. Seemingly Whittamore had 17,000 requests from journalists to obtain addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations etc. There were thousands of names in Whittamores notebooks. Owens recognises that he may have acted illegally in releasing details of the “Operation Motorman” case to the Press but clearly believes it was in the public interest.

Mark Lewis, solicitor who represents among others, the Dowlers gives evidence of The News Of The World putting him under surveillance…….and worse putting his 14 year old daughter under surveillance. Today he was given an apology in court.

Damp Squib of the Day……Alastair Campbell, former Spin Doctor-in-Chief to Tony B Liar. Memories of Campbell’s last televised appearance at court……the Hutton Inquiry into the death by suicide of Dr David Kelly and the dodgy dossier on the War on Iraq are still too fresh for me. That Inquiry is generally believed o have white-washed the Government. And Campbell has spent years trying to re-build his reputation.

Maybe thats what he was trying to do today but I found him unimpressive. His evidence suggests that The Daily Mirror hired private detectives to spy on him and Peter Mandelson. Ironic really as Campbell worked at the same newspaper under Robert Maxwell, a major crook.

Campbell scores some points by noting that Rupert Murdoch, an American citizen and the Barclay Brothers and Lord Rothermere (proprietors) are tax exiles. Frankly there was not much new in Campbell’s. He got some punches in at The Daily Mail and its culture of negativity under Paul Dacre. And criticised the Press Complaints Council as everyone so far has done.

 

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