Derry blogger and rights campaigner, Pauline Mellon, with a piece that initially featured on her blog Diary of a Derry Mother on 5 February 2001.
  • I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician - Charlie Chaplin
I despair at times, I really do despair! So what do I despair about you may ask? Well as you might guess from the above Charlie Chaplin quote, 'politicians'.


Quite a number of our political leaders in my eyes just don't pass muster, and in the news this week on a number of occasions my belief that the majority of politicians here are little more than clowns has been reinforced.

First up this week is John O'Dowd, who has a habit of coming across as little more than a gulpin. Famously O'Dowd dismissed complaints from the UUP, SDLP and Alliance party about being kept in the dark about a shared future plan, Mr O'Dowd's response: "So what?" So bearing that in mind it gives an indication of what some might consider a shared future.

This week John O'Dowd has refused to apologise to the TUV leader Jim Allister for taking 57 days to answer a letter despite the Northern Ireland Ombudsman saying Jim Allister was owed an apology.


However, Mr O'Dowd, told the BBC he was only sorry so much time had been wasted on this issue. "In my opinion, it just should have been dealt with in a more mature fashion by Mr Allister from the start and I'll not be wasting any more time on it."

Maybe John O'Dowd should take his responsibilities a little more seriously and deal with them a little more maturely. Like a schoolboy caught doing wrong in the playground O'Dowd seems to be more interested in trying to deflect blame rather than holding his hands up, saying ' a mistake was made, we'll do better' and putting the matter to bed. It must be great to be grown up!

Sadly another politician who would need to think before they speak is O'Dowd's party colleague, Derry City Councillor Patricia Logue. Logue in a UTV interview today seemed to imply that the organisers of the annual Bloody Sunday March had a responsibility for young people attacking the Fountain estate on Sunday night.

Firstly news reports state that the attacks happened after 7pm, nearly two hours after the march dispersed and was not on or near the parade or rally route and secondly there was no acknowledgement from Councillor Logue that the interface is a well known flashpoint and not just around the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Fountain Interface Trouble

Further trouble at city interface

Fountain peace wall 'must stay'

Fountain residents in constant fear of attack

What I would say as a mother to anyone throwing a petrol bomb into residential area is to think of the Quinn children who were murdered by Loyalists when their home was petrol bombed in 1998.

A petrol bomb is a deadly weapon, it can maim, it can kill, and whilst I agree with Cllr Logue that these attacks should stop, I feel her attempt to link the Bloody Sunday parade to these attacks is the product of another agenda.

Just Doesn't Pass Muster!

Derry blogger and rights campaigner, Pauline Mellon, with a piece that initially featured on her blog Diary of a Derry Mother on 5 February 2001.
  • I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician - Charlie Chaplin
I despair at times, I really do despair! So what do I despair about you may ask? Well as you might guess from the above Charlie Chaplin quote, 'politicians'.


Quite a number of our political leaders in my eyes just don't pass muster, and in the news this week on a number of occasions my belief that the majority of politicians here are little more than clowns has been reinforced.

First up this week is John O'Dowd, who has a habit of coming across as little more than a gulpin. Famously O'Dowd dismissed complaints from the UUP, SDLP and Alliance party about being kept in the dark about a shared future plan, Mr O'Dowd's response: "So what?" So bearing that in mind it gives an indication of what some might consider a shared future.

This week John O'Dowd has refused to apologise to the TUV leader Jim Allister for taking 57 days to answer a letter despite the Northern Ireland Ombudsman saying Jim Allister was owed an apology.


However, Mr O'Dowd, told the BBC he was only sorry so much time had been wasted on this issue. "In my opinion, it just should have been dealt with in a more mature fashion by Mr Allister from the start and I'll not be wasting any more time on it."

Maybe John O'Dowd should take his responsibilities a little more seriously and deal with them a little more maturely. Like a schoolboy caught doing wrong in the playground O'Dowd seems to be more interested in trying to deflect blame rather than holding his hands up, saying ' a mistake was made, we'll do better' and putting the matter to bed. It must be great to be grown up!

Sadly another politician who would need to think before they speak is O'Dowd's party colleague, Derry City Councillor Patricia Logue. Logue in a UTV interview today seemed to imply that the organisers of the annual Bloody Sunday March had a responsibility for young people attacking the Fountain estate on Sunday night.

Firstly news reports state that the attacks happened after 7pm, nearly two hours after the march dispersed and was not on or near the parade or rally route and secondly there was no acknowledgement from Councillor Logue that the interface is a well known flashpoint and not just around the anniversary of Bloody Sunday.

Fountain Interface Trouble

Further trouble at city interface

Fountain peace wall 'must stay'

Fountain residents in constant fear of attack

What I would say as a mother to anyone throwing a petrol bomb into residential area is to think of the Quinn children who were murdered by Loyalists when their home was petrol bombed in 1998.

A petrol bomb is a deadly weapon, it can maim, it can kill, and whilst I agree with Cllr Logue that these attacks should stop, I feel her attempt to link the Bloody Sunday parade to these attacks is the product of another agenda.

16 comments:

  1. Pauline, I just listened to a politician make a great speech. He mentioned the learning disabled children twice within the first few minutes, and carers shortly after. All the way through he made references to front line services. In the south over half of the children with Down's syndrome lost their medical cards, and Adams and Sinn Fein are right to oppose this, but in the north Sinn Fein are not in opposisition and it maybe useful to look at what is happening here.

    In the Maureen Sheehan centre that is in Albert st learning disabled services have not been slashed but have disappeared altogether. The Nurses that used to be based there are gone. The social workers have gone and are now based in the centre of Belfast. The admin staff there have been cut, so that if you ring all you can do is leave a message on a machine.

    The A and E at the city hospital is shut, the RVH is barely coping. In an era where public money is scarce millions is wasted policing Twaddel .

    It costs the trust £75 per day to look after someone in a day centre, yet millions is going on twaddel and stalemate in stormont means a 5 million fine per month? In day centres, staffing levels are down and struggling, huge savings are being made in transport for learning disabled, and other services such as respite has to be ordered sometimes up to 6 months in advance.

    Gerry Adams should know this, so basically Pauline as one parent to another, the politicians are not passing muster they are simply failing. It's ok to oppose the cuts in the south and stand at the pulpit and say it shouldn't be but Sinn Fein are in stormont and when all is said and done this is happening on their watch

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  2. That's what politicians do, they follow the party agenda regardless of the moral issues involved. They are opportunistic, parasitical reprobates, the majority anyway.
    Seen comedian Billy Connolly talking about politicians he said "don't vote it only encourages them" as long as we justify there existence we have to tolerate there self serving, delusional, sociopathic agendas

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  3. I have said this before so I apologise if people can't follow politics-Sinn Fein is opposed to the Welfore Reform Bill and despite Tory fines of 5 million a time that bill will not be passed by Sinn Fein-the Brits drew a line with their fines-There is no one who can argue that Sinn Fein did not go the extra mile-maybe went to far for some- but that's it if that bill is going to be pushed through-

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  4. Michael, how will the fine be paid? Who will suffer to pay it? The 5 million a month will be subject to interest increasing rather like compound interest, amounting to anything up to 200 million. Sinn Fein going the extra mile opposing cuts but paying the shortfall, could you explain the difference? What difference is there to bringing in cuts as opposed to the block grant being cut ? Either way it's less money and that means services suffer. It means the machine I refered to earlier to take a message when you ring still isn't putting a person there, it still means more shortages in hospital beds, it's the same difference is it not?

    This is a gesture for elections only, either way the British have you by the balls.

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  5. Gerard-

    "This is a gesture for elections only,either way the British have you by the balls "-

    It ain't no gesture and it's a good thing that there are plenty of females in the leadership going by your argument -

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  6. Michael, The issue of whether or not this is an election ploy can be examined if you like? No where did sinn fein say they will not implement this bill. They have said that they will oppose it, that they will take a stand against it, but not that these changes outlined in this bill will not come in to effect sooner or later. The bill has 3 parts, the implementation of the universal credit system, the sanctions and the bedroom tax. It can be found here

    By April the new technology to roll out these changes will come in to effect and the old automated system will be done away with. This means if the north does not join in with the rest of Britain (parity) we will have to get our own. To do this would cost millions and is not an option.

    I respect Sinn Fein for taking a stand, but by their own admission they are playing a waiting game. The purpose of the waiting game was firstly to see how things would pan out with the pilot schemes in much of Britain, and secondly for the above reason. It makes them look good to the electorate.
    If you are saying that Sinn fein would rather walk away from Stormont rather than bring in this act, that to would do them no harm. The act could then be introduced by default and Sinn Fein could claim that they had nothing to do with it.

    Sinn Fein are no longer in opposition, they will have to deal with the changes this bill will bring. they cannot pin the blame on others if these changes take place on their watch and they will.

    If you have a constructive argument that will rid me of these opinions I'd like to hear it. theres no point in talking gender politics, because male or female, this stuff will still have to be dealt with.

    I find having read this blog, its a blog of discussion. There really is no need for you to hide behind the womens skirts. You can come out and say your piece.

    Gerard.

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  7. Gerard,

    very true.

    The author of the current piece, Pauline, is also very much a prisoners rights activist.

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  8. Anthony

    After reading that statement I contacted Pat Ramsey's office this morning to raise concerns. Pat's advisor Emmet contacted Maghaberry to find out what was going on. Emmet was told that the heating system has been broken throughout the prison for the past few days and that every effort is being made to have it fixed. When he questioned the failure to provide hot meals he was told that the gas cookers could not be used for health and safety reasons on Saturday but that this has been rectified since.

    Gerard

    I feel prisoners are generally overlooked that is when they are not being looked down on. As Monsignor Raymond Murray would say "They are human beings, people with names, not numbers."

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  9. You can't take the stoop out of some -I have noticed that a lot of the stoops in the 80s are now trying to be hardline-the 6 county fools-

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  10. Pauline,

    good job. You have kept on the prison case so persistently.

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  11. Michael



    Would it be an idea for you to contact your party members to find out what's going on? As i'm sure they would be a lot more sympathetic than the 'stoops.'

    I contacted one of your party members a few weeks ago over a prisoner in Hydebank and have yet to receive a response. I'm sure you won't have the same trouble.

    Look forward to hearing from you.

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  12. MH

    I'm unsure if you are directing that comment at me, but I'd like to comment on it. It's rather like a blackmail clause, warning warning stoop in our midst, so ignore or vilify.

    That is a classic Sinn Fein response.

    Are you implying I am an SDLP supporter or member, because in the 8os like the 90s or the 70s I was in no party, simply an ordinary person with a political view point.

    Can you answer the questions put?

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  13. Gerard

    I am quite sure that comment was for me as Michael has referred to me as being an Sdlp supporter in the past.



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  14. Pauline, thank you for clearing that up. It's a silly comment to make towards anyone, as if having a different opinion or supporting a particular party means any points made are invalid.

    Keep up the good work for prisoners, and keep going with the writing. You're doing an excellent job.

    Gerard.

    ReplyDelete