Twinterview with IoD Northern Ireland (@IoDNI)

On Thursday Basil has a quick fire interview over Twitter, known as a Twinterview, with IoD Northern Ireland (@IoDNI). Here's some of the stand out moments from the interview:


One:

@IoDNI the biggest concerns are skills shortage, access to finance, high rates and debt overhang from property bubble
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

@IoDNI skills shortage requires re shaping of education by Unis and FE. Parents must be convinced of viability of creative industries
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

Another interesting question:

@IoDNI @niassembly failed to address the issue of business rates. Rents have fallen by 50% rates have not. Half of our high streets vacant
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

@IoDNI @niassembly no joined up thinking between education DETI DCAL around growth industries
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

@IoDNI @niassembly no political leadership to unite community and allay civic unrest.
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

@IoDNI emphasis on capital allowances. Funding for Mentoring staff for firms taking on less skilled and out of work in addition to wage sup
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

@IoDNI the protests were catastrophic for business, counterproductive for protesters and hugely destructive for Investment
— Basil McCrea (@basilmccrea) October 31, 2013

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Youth unemployment - A train-wreck in slow motion

A train-wreck in slow motion: European youth unemployment pic.twitter.com/usFecIQMuA
— Pedro da Costa (@pdacosta) June 2, 2013

Our previous post on youth unemployment here when youth joblessness in NI rose to 22.5%.

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A protestant party for a protestant people

In a previous post here ('A catholic party for a catholic people') we covered Patrick Murphy's critique of Sinn Fein in The Irish News - a party that operates to the exclusion of the protestant people of Northern Ireland. The DUP are the opposite side of the same medieval coin. As Alex Kane said:

"The DUP (along with the UUP) regards its primary task as the protection, promotion and preservation of unionist interests. Put bluntly, that means doing everything possible to undermine the republican, united-Ireland agenda. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein (with the SDLP) sees its primary task as continuing to erase, or at least blur, the signs, symbols, touchstones and benchmarks which sharply define Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom."

And as we said in the previous post here, the Assembly cannot stand if parties cannot come to realize that they owe a duty and responsibility to those people who are perceived to be on the other side.

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The two worlds of Northern Ireland, Ctd

It's self-evident that the political class in Northern Ireland is entirely out of step with a people rapidly advancing in civilisation. As Mick Fealty said:

"The irony is that in general terms, sectarianism is on the slide, and mixed marriages are up and the wider population is beginning to adopt a more open view of how the world works than many of their most senior politicians." 

Politicians stand as fountainheads for the most extreme: talking singularly about the past, parades and victims. Yet, as Brian Rowan said of the parading stalemate of summer 2013, "The standoff is in one part of Belfast, and here and everywhere else, people have other worries - food, bills, jobs, education."

The effect of this cause is apathy and indifference which only sustains the bogus cause. A negative and hideous feedback loop. Taking a line from Alex Kane, moderate unionism and nationalism has been replaced with opt-out-couldn't-care-less-about-the-whole-thing-anymore unionism and nationalism. We need to break and replace the negative with a virtuous feedback loop.

This requires a two strand remedy and the dismantling of the older order. Northern Ireland needs a new generation of journalists and new politicians.

A New Generation of Journalists

Micheál Martin leader of Fianna Fáil said: "Fundamentally, a public discourse once solely focused on conflict has not evolved a new approach. There are only a handful of journalists who pay any attention to the wider cultural, social and economic dimensions of relations within Northern Ireland and between North and South."

A New Generation of Politicians

Alex Kane said: "Northern Ireland needs a new political generation, a new agenda and new political parties. It needs people who will work together to make Northern Ireland a success. It needs a generation of politicians who will refuse to accept that stalemate, mutual veto and same-old, same-old elections are the best we can hope for."

Previous posts on "The Two Worlds of Northern Ireland" series here, here, here, here, here and here.

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The two worlds of Northern Irelands, Ctd with Rick Wilford

The recent Radio 4 series, 'The Young Devolutionaries' featured a number of young people from the home nations including Northern Ireland. Rick Wilford of Queen's University Belfast made a number of encouraging contributions. In particular Rick Wilford noted how, compared to precious generations, the young people of Northern Ireland are in a far different place compared to their parents. He said:

"One of the things that struck me post-devolution is how much for positive and enthusiastic they are. There isn't a deep seated animosity towards "the other". I think there is a recognition that because they share so much in common, in the sense of social media and music and so on, that they have more in common that what divides them."

The reality is that Generation Y in Northern Ireland has largely got beyond the cold and uncompromising mental categories of the Troubles. This contrasts with a political class that is very much committed to serving the more extreme, intransigent and backward looking. The asymmetry between the young person, and the political forum is sharp and brutal.

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If Stormont politicians act like children then people on the street will act like children

Barton Creeth (@bartoncreeth) wrote in an article for the Queen's blog Compromise after Conflict here:

"The patterns of conversation and conflict management modeled by our political leaders matter because they filter through to all levels of society. How our politicians treat each other up in the Assembly and on television directly impacts those in interface areas, as these patterns manifest themselves in the relationships between our differing communities."

Alex Kane said something to the same effect: "The divisions at executive level mirror the divisions at street level." He added: "This isn't a peace process as such, but rather the management of stalemate. Politicians may lob words rather than bricks but the damage is similar." Barton Creeth mooted a solution: "Good relationships, at all levels of society, are the lynchpin of political stability."

Northern Ireland needs responsible, imaginative, courageous and transformative leadership, not perfunctory and tokenistic managerialism. As was written on the blog previously here, politicians needs to behave as the rest of civil society is expected to. Balanced. Well-tempered. Courteous. Not capricious, mean and wilful as so often is the case. Obama said in his inaugural speech that "the time has come to set aside childish things." Northern Ireland needs the same. Northern Ireland politicians need to set the example.

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A catholic party for catholic people

Patrick Murphy wrote in the Irish News:

"By representing only nationlists, you [Sinn Fein] have abandoned the Protestant people to unionism - which is more Daniel O'Connell than Wolfe Tone. You speak of a lack of leadership among unionists - but your lack of leadership towards what should be your own Protestant people is even more marked. (Critics of the newly formed republicans - they were just Catholics with guns. The same argument today would suggest that they are now just Catholics.)"

He continued: "An Ireland united, not by a common concept of nationhood, but by deprivation. That's why we thought you might like to reconsider your position in Irish politics." As Dr Cillian McGrattan said elsewhere, "Sinn Fein reaching out to unionism strategy is a nonsense."

The same can be said for the status quo unionist parties. Alex Kane has written of the political dangers of apathy and indifference to non-traditional voters. He said: "The Assembly cannot survive if unionist/nationalist parties refuse to accept that they have responsibilities to both sides - not just their own."

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