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8/9/2019 InTouch Web
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in touchDiscussing the issues that affect theresidents of South BelfastConall McDevitt, South Belfast MLA
A community publication from Conall
McDevitt SDLP member of the NI Assembly
StreetsAblazeSouthBelfastMLAConallMcDevitton
thecostofviolence
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SDLP members have
staged a protest atStormont against
the Public Assemblies,Parades and Protests Bill.
The bill criminalises anyparade, protest or assembly of
more than 50 people where37 days notice is not given.
South Belfast MLA ConallMcDevitt (pictured withparty members including
leader Margaret Ritchie) hascondemned the bill as an
infringement on human rights.These proposals are
Stalinist and totally at oddswith the promotion of
diversity and tolerance.
KilltheBill!
South Belfast MLA Conall McDevitt (pictured with Cllrs NicholaMallon and Niall Kelly) has welcomed the introduction of alleygatingin areas around South Belfast. Speaking on the issue, McDevitt
has said: Alleygates have proven very effective in reducing anti-social behaviour and improving safety for all residents in the area.
McDevitt has called on the Minister for Justice to increase fundingin order to extend the scheme.
An SDLP public meeting on
the importance of elderly safe-
ty has been hailed as a great
success. The meeting was
attended by the local commu-
nity, PSNI representatives,
Age Concern Help and Age NI.
SDLP MLA Conall McDevitt
has vowed to work with the
local communities to create
neighbourhood watch schemessaying: These schemes have
proven to be very successful
in other areas throughout the
North, and it is my vision that
we can prove them to be every
bit as effective in South Bel-
fast.
Alley-great! SDLP lead the way onstressing the importanceof elderly safety
Below:Cllr Bernie
Kelly (farleft) and
MLA ConallMcDevitt (far
right) attenda public
meetingcalled by the
SDLP on theimportance
of elderlysafety.
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3
Who are mypublic representatives?
It was one of the greatexperiences of my life to have
represented the people of
South Belfast as a Councillor,
MLA and Minister. However,
the time has come to move
on and I am very happy that
Conall McDevitt has succeeded
me as MLA. He is able and
articulate, young and dynamic,
and brings great energy andcommitment to his work as an
MLA.
We are fortunate in the
calibre of our SDLP public
representatives; we have a
great team with Conall, our
councillors, Bernie Kelly
and Niall Kelly, and several
others waiting in the wings.
Im a believer in continual
renewal. Its what we needthroughout the North, and its
very important to give the next
generation a chance to affect
change.
Although moving on from
constituency work, I am
continuing to campaign on
a number of issues which I
championed in the Assembly,
including supporting thesurvivors of institutional abuse
and encouraging international
development.
It has been an absolute
privilege to represent you. I
capable hands of Conall, whom
I know will always strive to
passionately represent the
people of South Belfast.
Trailblazer retires
Outgoing South Belfast MLA,Carmel Hanna Continual renewal iswhat we need throughout the North
CommunityconsultationConall McDevitt wants to
hear from you! The South
Belfast MLA and his team will
be knocking on around 3,000
on both local and regional
issues. This will allow Conall
to effectively tackle the issues
that affect you. The three
most important issues raised
so far are:
1. Enhancing relationships
between communities.
2. Supporting local traders.
3. Community engagement
initiatives to reduce anti-
social behaviour, crime
and underage drinking.
To take part, please visit:tinyurl.com/conallmcd
Your MLAs for South Belfast
Your Councillors for Balmoral
Conall McDevitt
393a Lisburn Road
BelfastBT9 7EW
Tel 028 9068 3535Fax 028 9068 3503
Alasdair McDonnell MP
120a Ormeau Road
Belfast, BT7 2EBTel 028 9024 2474
Fax 028 9043 9935info@alasdair
mcdonnell.com
Niall Kelly
40 Grangeville Gardens
BelfastBT10 0HL
Bernie Kelly
393a Lisburn Road
BelfastBT9 7EW
Tel 07710 [email protected]
Carmel Hanna wishes Conall McDevitt well asnew MLA for South Belfast.
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4 Summer 2010in touch
Violence broke out
across many parts
of Northern Ireland
during the Twelfth
of July parading season. 82
was struck on the head with
a breeze block. Blast bombs,
bricks, stones and even golf
balls were hurled at police dur-
ing the riotous scenes involv-
ing children as young as eight.
In South Belfast, police
were attacked with paintbombs, missiles and at least
passed the Ormeau Bridge.
With images of the dis-
turbances beamed across the
globe, many fear that the
repercussions of such scenes
will stretch far beyond the
streets of Ardoyne.
South Belfast MLA Conall
McDevitt, who observed thechaos unfold in the area, said:
Counting the cost of the TwelfthRight:A scene from
the OrmeauBridge
during thedisturbances
of this yearsTwelfth of
July.
Images of the Ormeau Bridge
-
ment to this city. Neither can
we afford the cost of policing
and cleaning up after these
disruptions.
that the bad press could seri-
ously undermine the upcoming
US-NI Economic Conference,
threatening to scupper poten-
tial US investment.
Whilst the North boasts a
well-educated workforce, high-speed connectivity and low
operating cost environment,
securing the attendance of
leading executives may become
this years Twelfth holiday.
P
olice have been broadly
praised for their efforts
to stop the riotousscenes. However, many
have criticised DUP-SFs per-
ceived inaction.
PSNI assistant chief con-
stable Alistair Finlay, criti-
cised First Minister Peter
Robinson and Deputy First
Minister Martin McGuinness,
remarking on their relative
silence prior to July 12th and
Those of us who witnessed the
violence on the Ormeau Bridgeduring the Twelfth know that the
youths involved are not repre-sentative of the lower Ormeau
community. Their actions mustbe condemned.
But the sad reality is that a
minority on both sides see theTwelfth as an opportunity to
behave inappropriately.Every year in my street, the
parade leaves a trail of litter andurine as it passes through. That
is the courtesy some marchersand their supporters show.
Celebrations of culture and faith in neutral spaces-Not on residential streets Conall McDevitt, South Belfast MLA
No matter what way you
dress it up, if you are not anOrange supporter and bands
come marching up your street,it feels like an invasion.
This does not happenwhen parades pass throughneutral spaces, such as city
centres. That is why I believeOrange parades should respect
residential areas and focus oncreating welcoming celebra-
tions of their culture andfaith in neutral spaces
and not on resi-dential streets.
Millions: The amount of taxpayers pounds squandered in attempting toquell the chaotic scenes of this years Twelfth of July riots. Whilst this
it is feared that the long term damage to jobs, tourism and the global
perception of Northern Ireland will cost much more. Is it now time for aserious debate on how to deal with the contentious parades issue?
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A separate butequal vision of
Northern Irelandwont addressthe underlying
prejudice evident
on our streetsConall McDevitt,
South Belfast MLA
in the immediate aftermath.
strategic leadership, he said.
South Belfast MLA Conall
McDevitt said: It is time to
acknowledge that the SF-
DUP approach to paradingwill do nothing
to break this
cycle.
A separate
but equal vision
of Northern
Ireland wont
address the
-
udice evident onour streets, he
said.
McDevitt
also said it is
vital for the SF-DUP coalition
to show more serious commit-
ment for a community rela-
tions and reconciliation policy,
and increase investment in
children.
Children should be put at
the heart of everything we do.
As a region we treat children
very poorly. We dont invest in
early years or primary schools;
only last month Caitrona
Ruane withdrew importantfunding for com-
munity rela-
tions work with
young people.
Then we won-
der why chil-
dren come out
to riot, he said.
Mr McDe-
vitt urged theDUP and SF to
withdraw their
much-criticised
public assem-
blies bill and engage all parties
in designing an effective policy.
There is much to discuss,
but the solution does not lie
with the police; it lies with gov-
ernment, McDevitt said.
Above:Police
observe aburning car
wreckage inthe Ardoyne
area duringthe Twelfth
riots.
I know that if I had enough
money to invest somewhere,the land that my parents came
from would absolutely bethe last place I would do so. I
wonder where they will all be
of putting money into thatblack hole?
Canadian web user (CBCWebsite)
Having grown up in NorthernIreland but resided on the
mainland for the last 10 years,I see the situation there
as completely farcical. I am
embarrassed to hail froma country which only evermakes the headlines due to
a backward and blinkeredminority, and a political system
which constantly appeases it.Richard Jones, London
(BBC Website)
Grow up and move on withyour lives. We are sick of it. If
they dont want to stop, leavethem to it, and stop all funding
from the mainland. We coulddo with reducing our spending,
especially on unruly idiots...Pathetic!
Dan Malone, Liverpool(BBC Website)
It was a bit like a Euro Disney
theme park for rioting. It wasludicrous.
Fr Gary Donegan, Ardoyne
The cost of policing last
night...is the equivalent ofa ward in a hospital. Its the
equivalent of a primary school.Chief Constable Matt
Baggott
Global View
What did otherpeople make of
this years Twelfthtrouble?
Follow Conall McDevitt on Twittertwitter.com/conallmcd
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6 Summer 2010in touch
20s plenty for South Belfast
Mr McDevitt has
been working
closely with
residents in his
campaign to reduce the speed
limit from 20 to 30mph. SouthBelfast householders have
been increasingly worried and
frustrated due to many side
streets being used and abused
by drivers as rat runs in
With a vision to redesign
and reconceptualise the streets,
Mr McDevitt has been at the
forefront of this campaign andhas been working closely with
the people of South Belfast, as
well as other concerned lobby
groups.
Further to a Freedom
of Information Request
submitted by McDevitt to
the PSNI in June, it was
discovered that not one single
by the PSNI for a speedingoffence on a sample of rat runs
between Lisburn and Malone
Road. This is the case despite
the existence of a police station
at the bottom of Adelaide
Park and Cranmore Park.
Questioning this revelation,
McDevitt said: We must
challenge the PSNI on this
point and discover whether thepolice are simply ignoring the
problem.
Mr McDevitt calls for a
change in attitude in the way
we drive and travel. The MLA
believes that a decrease in
speed along with redesigning
the streets will make them
accessible, inviting, and safe
for cyclists and pedestrians.
Why 20 really is plenty
If hit by a car at 30mph
death. If hit by a car at 20mphthe chance of death is reduced
to one in forty. 20mph zones in London
have shown a 42% reduction
in all casualties within 20mphzones compared with 30mph
areas. Lower speeds on
residential roads make themmore attractive for cyclists and
pedestrians.
SDLP MLA Conall McDevitt arriving at Parliament Buildings on his 18mile return daily commute from the Lisburn Road. Mr McDevitt purchased
his bike tax free on the ride to work scheme and saves the public 7.20a day by choosing this mode of transport. McDevitt challenges all other
MLAs to join him in his efforts to travel healthily and lead by example.
On your bike!
Prevention rather than
cure is the key to change.
Simply putting in speed bumps
will act only as a short term
measure whereas changing
the attitude of drivers will
create a long term solution tothe problem. My vision is to
redesign the streets.
Public support for this
campaign is incredible. I would
like to thank all those who
got in touch to express their
views, as they are greatly
appreciated. he said.
Currently advocating a reduction in the speed limit in urban residential
areas from 30mph to 20mph, MLA Conall McDevitt is calling on theAssembly to back his proposals to change the law.
Myvisionis toredesignthe
streets.ConallMcDevitt
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Education
Pre-school
pressuremounts onparents
Local MLA Conall
McDevitt has
expressed his concern
over Education Minis-
ter Caitrona Ruanes failureto satisfy demand for nursery
school places in the South Bel-
fast area.
Mr McDevitt said: AgainMinister Ruane has failed to
deliver on her promise to pro-
vide a pre-school place for eve-
ry child in his/her immediate
pre-school year.
This has become an annu-
al problem which has left frus-
trated parents with no choice
but to look to the private sec-
tor. The private sector should
holes left by the Ministers
funding cuts, he said.
Mr McDevitt added: Fami-
lies should never be left with-
out provision for their children.
The issue must be addressed
and resolved by the next school
year so that every child is ade-
quately provided for.
As an Intensive Care doctor,
I am aware both of the tragicconsequences of road accidents
and of the various initiatives on
place. There is no doubt that20mph results in fewer acci-
dents, fewer deaths and fewerserious injuries than 30mph.
Speeding in Osborne Park isextremely dangerous and
an accident waiting tohappen. This is a busy park
with children walking toand from school and res-
idents coming and going.Anything to reduce the
speed and promote personal
safety is very welcome.
We fear it will be a mat-ter of time before someone is
hurt. The current situation isextremely dangerous and we
believe corrective action mustbe taken as a matter of urgen-cy.
Our streets are being used as
thoroughfares between thebusy Malone Road and the
even busier Lisburn Road andon countless occasions I have
witnessed outrageous epi-sodes of speeding.
On the ground
Community CommentsConall McDevitt sought feedback from South Belfast residents on his 20mph initiative.Below are some of the comments received from householders:
Again MinisterRuane has
failed to deliveron her promise to
providing a pre-school place for
every childin his/her immediate
pre-school year.
Conall McDevitt, South
Belfast MLA
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OutandAbout
inSouthBelfast
Conall and Soniarun for Concern
Olympic legend Sonia OSullivan was in Belfast
to train some of those running for ConcernWorldwide in this years Belfast Marathon.
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South Belfast SDLP MLA Conall
McDevitt has welcomed theintroduction of the new Lisburn
Road Courtesy Bus Initiative, say-ing: This is a fantastic idea and
a great opportunity for traderson the Lisburn Road. It will help
to ensure that the Lisburn Roadremains an accessible and desir-
able shopping destination for all.After the success of the trial in
May, Hugo Finlay from the Lis-burn Road Business Association
said: For too long the main mar-keting and promotional message
for Belfast has been orchestrat-ed by big name national compa-
nies with big budgets. The LRBAintends to change that.
I hope to see the service
resuming in the autumn months,this time targeting the hotels and
tourists, Finlay said.
Bus boosts businessLeft: Conall McDevitt with
staff of NI Chest Heart andStroke.
Far Left: SDLP MLA ConallMcDevitt welcoming the Ulster
Museums recentsuccess on winning the Art
Fund Prize.Middle Left: Councillor Niall
Kelly converses with Secretaryof State of the United
States Hillary Clinton.Middle Far Left: ViceChair
of the All Party Group onInternational Development
Conall McDevitt, with theFormer British Minister for
Overseas Development MikeFoster.
Bottom Right: CouncillorBernie Kelly launching the
Senior Citizens Convention.Below: Conall McDevitt withSenator David Norris at the
Pride Talks Back debate.
Bottom: Conall McDevitt with
Queens Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Professor Tony Gallagher andGordon Douglas.
Read Conall McDevitts blogoconallstreet.com
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10 Summer 2010in touch
C
onall McDevitt has
welcomed recent
progress in the cam-
for survivors of institutional
abuse. The South Belfast MLA
has been at the forefront of
the campaign acting as a rep-
resentative for the survivors.
A public inquiry into the
alleged abuse at state-funded
Catholic-run institutions is
sought by victims, along with
an apology from the First andDeputy First Ministers.
Mr McDevitt, who accom-
panied victims to a meeting at
Stormont in front of the First
and Deputy First Minister
said: There is no question in
my mind that there is a deter-
Minister and Deputy First
Minister to begin work on theissue and put it at the centre of
the Executives agenda.
This was a constructive
meeting which has shown
me, and the survivors whom I
represent, that the First and
First Step forward for victims of institutional abuse
Deputy First Minister can and
will acknowledge that children
were failed, McDevitt said.
The South Belfast MLA is
will be able to do something
that will try and draw a line
in the sand for the survivors of
abuse.
Facing criticism over the
cost of such public inquiries,
Conall
McDevittaccompanies
survivors of
institutionalabuse totheir meeting
with theFirst and
Deputy FirstMinisters.
South Belfast MP Dr.
Alasdair McDonnell
has challenged the
Republics Minister of
Finance to intervene in order
of First Trust Bank by its
Southern-based owner AlliedIrish Bank.
Dr. McDonnell, an
outspoken critic of unfair
banking practices, said that
the human impact in terms
devastating.
First Trust operates 48
full service branches, two Head
mean the loss of livelihoods for
all of these workers and their
families, he said.
Dr. McDonnell has written
to the Finance Minister Brian
Lenihan outlining his concerns
First Trust has built up a
strong customer loyalty base
current economic climate, that
is no mean achievement.
I am urging Minister
Lenihan to positively intervene
to save the livelihood of so
many people, Dr. McDonnell
said.
McDonnell fights to save First Trust Bank
Finance
Left:Dr. Alasdair
McDonnellhas written
to theFinance
MinisterBrian Lenihan
outlining hisconcernsregarding any
First Trust
Bank
Mr McDevitt has also said that
he does not believe the process
equals a blank cheque being
handed to lawyers.
The survivors will accept aprocess of inquiry that is both
time and cost limited. They do
not want the inquiry to end up
costing the state a dispropor-
tionate amount of money.
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11
Several large-scale plan-
ning developments
have threatened to
have a detrimental
impact upon neighbourhoods
within South Belfast. How-
ever, South Belfast residents
groups I have worked with in
opposing these developments
have shown a resilience whichis truly commendable.
The Piney Hills residents
group is of particular com-
mendation as they have con-
sistently challenged planning
decisions that could change the
character of their area.
Piney Hills has been tar-
geted by developers, which
could be damaging to the char-acter of the local area.
The Dub Lane residents
group has also adopted a pro-
active approach: they fought
against an application by
Queens University to build
residential homes on a near-
-
ing concern about the impact
of more housing in an already
congested area.Queens University needs
to be more open and trans-
parent about developments.
Whilst we are very proud of
institution in South Belfast,Queens have a poor record of
engaging with local residents.
Sitting on the Councils
Town Planning Committee
and working with residents
groups has convinced me of the
need for residents to have the
right to appeal applications.
I would therefore encourage
anyone who has an issue with
any planning developments tocontact me.
South Belfast residents groups deserve praise
Bernie KellySDLP South Belfast Councillor
Securing cross-party
support for individuals
with autism and their
families through a
motion I submitted to Council
was of great importance to me. After hearing a movin
account of how the disability
affected the life of a mother of
an autistic child who contacted
me, I brought the matter before
Council.
Autism is not covered in
Disability Discrimination
legislation, meaning that
individuals with autism haveno redress when they are
services.
I called for those with autism
and their relatives to have
improved rights and increased
supported by all political
parties in Belfast City Council.
Autism
M
y role as Chairper-
son of the SDLP
Womens Group,as well as work-
ing on the South Belfast
Partnership Board, allows
me to see the important role
women play in commu-
nity groups through-
out South Belfast. We
need to ensure that
their work is appreci-
ated and their voices
Womens affairs role will prove a welcome challenge
Womens affairs
are heard. This is something I
am deeply passionate about,
and so I was delighted to be -
person on Womens Affairs
by SDLP Leader Margaret
Ritchie.
It is important for de-
mocracy that women
are able to participate
fully in society and
play a part in decision
making.
393A Lisburn Rd
Belfast BT9 [email protected]
07710931323
Above:Cllr Bernie
Kelly, with
membersof thePiney Hills
residentsgroup
Council supportsmotion to help thoseaffected by autism
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12 Summer 2010in touch
Student issues
South Belfast MLA
Conall McDevitt is
opposing proposals
which aim to drasti-
cally increase university stu-
dents tuition fees.
The Russell Group agroup which represents univer-
sities including Oxford, Cam-
bridge and Queens have pro-
posed that graduates should
be asked to start paying back
their student loans earlier and
at a higher interest rate.
Criticising the scheme, Mr
McDevitt said: The proposal
by the Russell Group of univer-
sities is short sighted and must
be opposed.
Mr McDevitt has urged stu-
dents and parents among oth-
-
tion towards the proposals.
Almost 7000 people haveregistered their disapproval of
the Russell Groups scheme via
a Facebook group initiated by
McDevitt. The SDLP member
plans to bring a petition to the
NI Assembly including all the
names in the Facebook group.
Join Facebook Group:tinyurl.com/2el6b7l
McDevitt launches oppositionto student fees proposals
South Belfast MLA
Conall McDevitt has
called on the larger par-
ties to show more proac-
tive leadership in the recovery
of the NI economy.
South Belfast has been vis-
ibly suffering due to the eco-
nomic downturn. Streets have
continued to decline, with
many established shops shut-
ting their doors. CDC Leisure,owners of the Limelight, have
also gone into administration.
McDevitt said: To date the
DUP-Sinn Fein led Executive
has failed to address the reces-
sion. Our local businesses do
not see any great leadership
from those in key government
departments,
Mr McDevitt criticised theDUPs indecision on the econ-
omy.
SDLP proposals to
campaign for a corpo-
ration tax reduction
to match the South
DUP-SF indecision costing jobs?
by Finance Minister, Sammy
Wilson. The Ministers stance
represents a sharp u-turn in
DUP policy, directly contra-dicting former Finance Min-
ister Peter Robinsons sup-
port of lowering NI
corporation tax.
Mr McDevitt has
criticised Mr Wil-
sons stance as pro-
foundly wrong.
The South Belfast MLA
emphasised the serious need
for a reduction in the NI cor-
poration tax, saying the issue
of negotiations with the new
British Government.
Mr McDevitt also urged
the SF-DUP Executive to con-
and sustainable local industry.
Lisburn Road
is one of theareas visibly
affected bythe economic
downturn.
MLA ConallMcDevitt
plans to bringa petition
against theRussell
Groupsproposalsto the NI
Assembly.
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13
Households across
South Belfast have
received the Fix My
the past few weeks, and the
response has been remarkable.Launched in May, the Fix
My Street campaign is a fan-
tastic opportunity to drastical-
ly improve our neighbourhoods
and build a stronger, safer, and
cleaner South Belfast in which
to live. The scheme focuses on
dealing with problems such as
potholes, broken kerbstones,
I have been busy contacting
the various statutory agencies
to ensure that the issues which
residents have raised with
me will be addressed as soon
as possible. Please feel free
to contact me if you have any
issue that needs addressed.
Successfor
FixMyStreet
campaign
Niall KellySDLP South Belfast Councillor
Problem shared? Problem Solved!
Dog fouling in Orchardville: The dog warden
area to help tackle the problem.
Poor pavements in Ormonde and Upton: Iliased with Roads Service to discuss repairs and
devise a long term solution
Crossroads: Pressure put on Road Service to
Streetsahead: Fix
My Streethas helped
improve our
streets
Local government has been hit
by a number of scandals over
believe that we have a duty
to the ratepayers of Belfast toshow them how we make deci-
sions. Therefore, Belfast City
Councils decision to support
my motion calling for Council
meetings to be streamed
-
cant act of openness and
transparency.
The decision means
that all monthly meet-ings of Belfast City
Council next
year will be
streamed live
online and
archived
for later
view-
ing.
A landmark ofopenness andtransparency
Council on the net
People in the Finaghy
area are sick and tiredof looking at the green
monstrosity which
has replaced the old railway
bridge. This new bridge needs
work carried out on it so that
it no longer is the eyesore that
it has become. I have called
on the Minister for Regional
Development, Sinn Feins
Conor Murphy, to immediately
The ugliest bridge in Ireland?Railway Bridge
address residents concerns in
relation to the Finaghy railwaybridge by doing something to
improve its appearance.
The bridge has been dubbed
The Ugliest Bridge in Ireland
and it doesnt take much to see
why this is the case. The old
red brick bridge on the other
hand was a local landmark
the character of the area.Cllr Niall Kelly at the green monstrosity.
40 Grangeville Gardens
Belfast BT10 [email protected]
07828733125
Follow Niall Kelly on Twittertwitter.com/niallkellysdlp
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14 Summer 2010in touch
Oideachas
Nl an cras aistrithe
dalta n bhunscoil
go dt an mhenscoil
in it an scrd
aistrithe 11+ ag obair i gceart
de reir Chonall McDevitt,
cras a chuir Caitrona
Ruane, Aire Oideachais anTuaiscirt i bhfeidhm. Fs, t
na scoileanna gramada ag
cuir scrdaithe iontrlacha ar
dhalta aistrithe agus t na
scoileanna neamroghnaocha
ag sid cras an Aire.
I riteas a deisigh an
McDevitt dirt s,
Is m anois n riamh lon
na ndalta i gceantair irithe
nach bhfuil ag tabhairt aghaidh
ar na scoileanna gramada
agus bonn tuismitheoir
ag roghn na scoileanna
neamhroghnaoch is fearr - d
bharr sin t barraocht ilimh
ar chuid de na scoileanna sin.
Mar gheall air sin, nldalta irithe cheantair
roghnacha na scoileanna
sin - na dalta is faide cona
uathu, agus t siad in ann
it a fhil ansin. Lena chois
sin t tuismitheoir irithe
taobh amuigh an ceantar
roghnaochta ag sid seolamh
na ngaolta le pist a fhil
isteach sna scoileanna sin.
Nl amhrasar bith nachbhfuil crasinoibreachcurtha in itan scrdaistr ithe 11+ag CitronaRuane agus
go bhfuilpist agustuismitheoirthos leis.
Cras aistrithe Ruane ag teip
B
elfast Councillors
Niall Kelly and Bernie
Kelly have pledged to
continue highlighting
residents concerns regard-
ing the Emerald Roadhouse
licensed bar/entertainments
venue.
The licensed site currently
occupied by Emerald Road-
house (formerly the Deven-
ish Arms) has been the sub-
with locals. Operating in a
residential area in Finaghy,
many have complained of late
night noise, revellers urinat-
ing in gardens, broken glass,
licensed premises.
The Emerald was granted
a new entertainments licence
by Belfast City Council inMarch . The licence, which was
from SDLP Councillors, means
that entertainment will once
again be provided on the site.
Cllr. Niall Kelly, who is now
the vice chair of the licensing
committee, has been actively
involved in trying to manage
the problems associated with
the site. The SDLP Councillor
said: We worked closely with
the management of the Deven-
ish, the PSNI and Belfast City
Council to ensure that this
problem was managed and I
am delighted that anti-social
behaviour in the area has been
drastically reduced.SDLP Councillors voted
against the Emerald Road-
house licence application as
local residents were not being
given the opportunity to voice
their concerns to the Council
and Emerald Roadhouse man-
agement at a public meeting.
In previous years, Councillors
Bernie Kelly and Niall Kellystaged a number of productive
public meetings to discuss the
site, ensuring the attendance
-
cials so that residents could
suitably voice their concerns.
Councillors represent concerned residents
Above:Cllrs NiallKelly and
Bernie Kellyoutside the
Devenish.
T fearg ar thuismitheoir
nach fidir a gcuid pistiteanna a fhil sna scoileanna
itila agus t cuid mhr
acu ag dul chuig an bhinse
achomhairc lena bhfil
isteach. Olc is uile mar at
an scal faoi lathair is measa
ars a bheas s m ironn cuid
de na grimearscoileanna as
tisteanna iontrla a sid.
Nl amhras ar bith nachbhfuil cras inoibreach curtha
in it an scrd aistrithe 11+
ag Citrona Ruane agus go
bhfuil pist agus tuismitheoir
thos leis. T prinn le
hathbhreithni a dhanamh
ar an chras aistrithe n beidh
s ina phriseach cheart ars
an bhliain seo chugainn mura
ndantar.
With the new Emeraldbusiness in its early stages,
Councillors Niall Kelly and
Bernie Kelly have also urged
residents to report any inci-
dents to them or contact the
PSNI.
-
8/9/2019 InTouch Web
15/16
15
What would you
say is your iden-
tity? Is it your
gender, you age,
your class even? Perhaps you
identify yourself as being Irish,
or alternatively, as a Britishcitizen. In Northern Ireland,
our identity is something that
The Troubles have created
a legacy of communities that
live apart. For too long people
have grown up and lived in
separate neighbourhoods, been
taught in separate schools,
followed different sports andhave been slow to share the
workplace. Make no mistake,
this segregation has fuelled
over the past
40 years, and
continues to
divide us in
our daily lives.
Is it even possible there-
fore, for people of differentviews and aspirations to have
a common, or shared identity?
When I talk to young north-
erners, it pleases me to meet
people who are proudly North-
ern and proudly Irish. Many
are proudly British too and
most happy to be Europeans.
This isnt a dilution of the
identity, but a realisation thatthere are many different facets
to what makes us whole.
There is now a genuine
cry going up in Northern Ire-
land for a new type of politics
Conall McDevitt South Belfast MLA
Finding the path to atruly shared society
Make nomistake, thissegregation
has fuelledthe conflictover the
past 40years, andcontinues
to divide usin our dailylives.
A final thought
not the outdated sectarian
bickering of old but poli-
tics of consensus-building and
partnership focused on prob-
lem solving: the politics of the
future rather than the politics
of the past.If we are to truly move for-
ward as a society, we must
learn to really live together,
respecting and acknowledg-
ing our differences, but also
embracing and furthering the
attributes we hold in common.
The real task of reconciling
end violence and to reduce ten--
way to a truly shared society; a
society which we can all iden-
tify with, and a future we can
all be proud of.This Shared Society is the
foundation for a new kind of
politics, and the philosophy on
which the Good Friday Agree-
ment is built.
To achieve this, we must
change, and change radically:
we need to make the North
work at a regional govern-
ment level. It also means get-ting serious about the econ-
omy because
we will
never
build
a strong all-Ireland economy if
we have a weak northern one.
We need to make the North a
place where sectarianism is
the real enemy and govern-
Those who are offering lit-
of tribal identity are actually
missing the point. There is an
enormous difference between
this vision of a Shared Soci-
ety which I believe in and the
uneasy coexistence that the
two parties leading our gov-
ernment seem to be content
with.SF-DUP have spent three
years dodging their responsi-
bility under the Good Friday
Agreement t
seek a shared
society. Facing
the last West-
minster elec-
-
ly begrudgingly produced a
Cohesion, Sharing and Inte-gration document, which pro-
vides no practical leadership
at all. It contains no serious or
The SDLP believes in a
United Ireland- Unambigu-
ously. But to work towards
this goal, we cannot be in deni-
al about Northern Ireland as a
region, or refuse to participatein British politics. We must
work towards a shared society,
so that everyone can see the
There is now a genuine cry going up in NorthernIreland for a new type of politics: the politics of the
future rather than the politics of the past.
Find Conall McDevit t on Facebookfacebook.com/conall.mcdevitt
-
8/9/2019 InTouch Web
16/16
16 Summer 2010in touch
South Belfast MLA
Conall McDevitt
has called on the
Executive to catch
up with the people of the
North in its approach to the
use of Fairtrade products.
McDevitt has discovered that
there is no option to purchase
Fairtrade cotton uniforms or
bed linen in the Health Service
while the Minister for Edu-cation Caitrona Ruane has
aware of a single school which
includes a Fairtrade option in
its school meals contracts.
With Belfast being the
only city to be awarded both
UK and Ireland Fairtrade sta-
tus, it would be expected that
this leadership would comefrom the top down, and not the
Fairtrade Forward?People lead, Executive follows
bottom up. Fairtrade status
means showing a commitment
to the use of Fairtrade prod-
ucts, but one must ask where
this commitment is in reality,
McDevitt said.
Calling on the Ministers
to ensure the use of Fairtrade
products is promoted within
departments, McDevitt said:
The Executive is totally out
of step with thinking in theNorth, where it is the consum-
ers who have embraced Fair-
trade; sales are doubling every
year. It is time the Executive
caught up and showed a real
commitment to the developing
world by creating sustainable
trade opportunities for small
nations.
The SDLP sees climate change - and in particular
its impact on poverty - as the pressing globalissue of our time. Central to
SDLP values is the concept ofthinking globally, and acting
locally.In South Belfast the
SDLP team has beeninvolved in the Transition
Town project, which aims
to the problems ofclimate change by
looking at ways toimprove transport,
local food, health,energy generationand links with local
government.
More information
Visitwww.TransitionTownBelfast.org, or contactClaire Hanna on 07729208258.
Claire Hanna, SDLP International Secretaryand Windsor Representative
Think global, act local
Useful information
Conall McDevitt MLA393a Lisburn RoadBelfast, BT9 7EW
Tel 028 9068 3535Fax 028 9068 3503
Alasdair McDonnell MLA, MP120a Ormeau RoadBelfast, BT7 2EB
Tel 028 9024 2474Fax 028 9043 9935
Cllr Niall Kelly
40 Grangeville GardensBelfast
BT10 0HLTel 07828733125
Cllr Bernie Kelly393a Lisburn Road
BelfastBT9 7EW
facebook.com/conall.mcdevitttwitter.com/conallmcd
[email protected]/niallkellysdlp
Community ConsultationTo take part in Conall McDevitts community
consultation, please visit:tinyurl com/conallmcd
If you wish to report an issue with your
please contact your local representative.
Fix My Street
Published by Conall McDevitt MLA, 393a Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7EWDesigned and produced by Brendan Hughes and Aoife Clayton.