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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8013536.stm
Violence by dissident republicans cannot bring about Irish unity, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has said.
Armed groups "purporting to be the IRA have no right to hijack its name or mimic its actions", he told a public meeting in Galbally, County Tyrone.
"The IRA took armed struggle as far as it was possible to take it," he said, adding, "all actions have to be judged by how they advance the struggle".
Dissident republicans murdered two soldiers and a policeman last month.
Mr Adams said: "Some former activists, including former IRA volunteers, hark back to the 1970s or 1980s - this is not the 1970s or 1980s."
Following the murders of Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar in Antrim and Constable Stephen Carroll in Craigavon, Mr Adams' party colleague Martin McGuinness branded the murderers "traitors to the island of Ireland".
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/budget-northern-ireland-assembly-to-lose-pound123m-14277259.html
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
The Assembly will lose £123 million from its coffers as a result of Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget today, with politicians divided over the true cost to the economy.
The Chancellor announced plans to make £9 billion worth of additional efficiency savings a year by 2013/14 while continuing to invest in public services.
But while Finance Minister Nigel Dodds confirmed the Executive will lose £123 million in the next financial year, he said it will receive £116 million in additional funding over the next two years.
Secretary of State Shaun Woodward added that when all the budget measures were taken into consideration Northern Ireland would make a net gain of around £50 million in the next two years.
But critics claimed that when further rounds of cuts were implemented the cost to Northern Ireland could rise as high as £450 million.
Mr Dodds said: "While, it is disappointing that Northern Ireland has not been allowed to retain the savings from additional efficiencies, I note that the net impact is less than had been feared as a result of the £50.3 million of additional funding for the Executive in the current financial year and £66.1 million in 2010-11."
He said the impact of the additional efficiency savings for Northern Ireland for 2011-12 and beyond will only become clear at the next UK Spending Review.
He added: "However, for the short-term we must continue to prioritise frontline services and focus attention on maximising savings from back-office functions and potentially inefficient institutional structures."
Meanwhile, Mr Woodward also revealed that government had agreed to give Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde the millions he needs to help tackle dissident republicans with the first £28.7 million tranche of additional funding now available to the police.
But Assembly members were nevertheless concerned at the impact of the Chancellor's so-called efficiency savings.
Ulster Unionist deputy leader Danny Kennedy said the call for an additional £9 Billion of efficiency savings came on top of the £5 billion already in operation.
He said: "At this point the Finance Minister will have to get his head out of the sand and the Executive will have to urgently undertake a major revision of the priorities in the Programme for Government with job protection and job creation in mind."
Alliance Party Finance spokesman Stephen Farry said Northern Ireland faced a day of reckoning.
"This Budget provides a sobering measure of the depth of the current economic crisis and the austerity that will have to be incurred over years to come in putting things right today," he said.
"We will be entitled to a proportionate share from new financial commitments to training and employment measures and financial support for renewable technologies.
"Northern Ireland will therefore get a short-term financial boost from Barnett consequentials, in the range of £30m to £50m."
But he added: "In the longer-term, Northern Ireland risks taking its share of the announced £15billion 'efficiency savings'.
"Under the Barnett Formula, cuts of this scale would take £450 million out of our local budgets over the next few years."
A spokesman for the Secretary of State said the additional funds for police would ensure community policing was maintained.
He said the stark economic climate meant Northern Ireland would face additional financial pressures, as elsewhere in the UK.
He added: "But it is more than offset by the gains that have been negotiated."
Chairman of the Assembly's Finance Committee, Mitchel McLaughlin, warned the government against breaking pledges made to the Stormont administration.
"The Committee for Finance and Personnel is especially concerned at any potential move away from the negotiated settlement in the last Comprehensive Spending Review, as set out in the Executive's Budget for 2008 - 2011," he said.
"The Executive's Budget already provides for £800 million in cash releasing efficiency savings, which have been removed from departmental budgets for redistribution to frontline services and this presents departments with a significant challenge."
Speaking as a Sinn Fein representative, he added: "Sinn Fein believes that the only long term solution facing us on this island, both north and south, is a single strategy on taxation and regional and economic development.
"This budget as with previous British budgets will only serve to highlight the continued futility of partition and its detrimental impact on the lives of all citizens living here."
SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the budget was a mixed one for Northern Ireland. But he said the Executive had to respond to the new financial challenges it faced.
"The SDLP will be proposing the establishment of an Assembly committee to bring forward proposals to revise budget lines and spending profiles to ensure the best support for key economic sectors in the context of both the current downturn and future recovery," he said.
"Moreover we want to be able to explore innovative uses of public money to address the pressures caused by the global downturn and prospects for regional recovery.
"This committee should also consider proposals to ring-fence frontline public services and ensure more strategic targeting of efficiency saving."
Housing Minister Margaret Ritchie said the UK Government is investing an extra billion pounds in social housing and fuel poverty.
"I believe it is because he accepts the argument from people like me that social housing investment, in addition to tackling waiting lists and housing stress, is actually the best way to stimulate the economy," she said.
Secretary of State Shaun Woodward said the budget included an extra £27 million for Northern Ireland to boost measures such as winter fuel payments.
He said of the package: "In a time of serious economic difficulty this is a big success for Northern Ireland - for the Northern Ireland Executive, for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and most importantly for the people of Northern Ireland."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8013004.stm
Politicians and lobby groups in Northern Ireland give their reaction to the measures contained in Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget.
The Northern Ireland Executive will have to find efficiency savings of £122m by 2011, although extra short-term funding of £116m has been promised to offset the longer term cuts. SHAUN WOODWARD, NORTHERN IRELAND SECRETARY
"Northern Ireland will be nearly £50m better off as a result of today's announcement, in addition to further measures which will support businesses and households across the UK.
"Whilst the government has expected Northern Ireland like everywhere else in the UK to make savings by greater efficiency around £122m, the Chancellor announced increased provision of £116 million for the Executive to spend on its Budget.
"In addition, Northern Ireland will also receive £27 million which help fund measures including extra Winter Fuel Payment.
"And because I want to ensure we fully support the needs of the PSNI, I have secured from the Chancellor an additional £28.7m to support their work and this is particularly welcome. It will enable the chief constable to address current pressures arising from increased criminal activity from so called dissident republicans.
"This government has consistently recognised the needs of people in Northern Ireland which is why we have worked hard to ensure a settlement which is fair and which will continue to support political development in the run up to the devolution of policing and justice powers to the Assembly."
NIGEL DODDS, NI FINANCE MINISTER
"While it is disappointing that Northern Ireland has not been allowed to retain the savings from additional efficiencies, I note that the net impact is less than had been feared as a result of the £50.3m of additional funding for the Executive in the current financial year and £66.1m in 2010-11.
"Although the impact of the additional efficiency savings for Northern Ireland for 2011-12 and beyond will only become clear at the next UK Spending Review, the reality is that we are entering a period of lower growth public spending of 0.7% per annum at the UK level, which will require careful consideration of administrative structures and the public service delivery chain in Northern Ireland.
"However, for the short-term we must continue to prioritise frontline services and focus attention on maximising savings from back-office functions and potentially inefficient institutional structures.
"As we move into 2009-10 the Executive will need to have an even greater focus on ensuring that every pound spent on public services delivers maximum value for money so that we can continue to provide a better quality of life for all the people of Northern Ireland.
"The outworking of today's announcements in respect of the 2009-10 financial year will be incorporated into the Executive's decisions as regards the forthcoming June Monitoring Round in line with local needs and priorities."
DECLAN O'LOAN, SDLP FINANCE SPOKESMAN
"Northern Ireland needs its own Budget. The position of Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds is untenable.
"Alistair Darling announced a new set of efficiency savings which cut the budget, cuts which will intensify for a number of years and are not offset by any increases.
"Nigel Dodds has said that he is disappointed by the cuts required. He needs to act.
"The SDLP has proposed £400m of new spending. It has the support of leading economists. The recession demands change.
"There are signs that Robinson and Dodds are giving in to the facts. Simon Hamilton today indicated that the Northern Ireland budget is not set in stone. It is time to announce a policy change."
GLYN ROBERTS, NI INDEPENDENT RETAIL TRADE ASSOCIATION
"On balance this is a disappointing Budget with very little for small businesses that are struggling with the recession.
"It is not just the independent retail sector which will suffer - the local economy as a whole will be adversely affected due to the extra efficiencies required.
"In the longer-term, the NI Executive risks taking its share of the £15bn efficiency savings.
"Cuts of this scale would take £450m out of our local budgets over the next few years and inevitably impact on the Programme for Government."
STEPHEN FARRY, ALLIANCE PARTY FINANCE SPOKESMAN
"Alliance is not convinced of the merits of the VAT cut. It amounts to a loss of £8bn, with little benefit in boosting investment for recovery. Northern Ireland's share of this is around £200m.
"Some of the spending commitments will be regionalised. We will be entitled to a proportionate share from new financial commitments to training and employment measures and financial support for renewable technologies.
"Northern Ireland will therefore get a short-term financial boost from Barnett consequentials, in the range of £30m to £50m. But the challenge now falls to our devolved Executive not to squander the opportunity, but to invest these resources in improving our society
"It is clear that a day of reckoning is approaching for Northern Ireland on public expenditure. It's vital that our Executive takes a responsible approach to its own finances."
JOANNE STUART, INSTITUTE OF DIRECTORS NI
"The growth in public spending will have to slow significantly over the next few years, and Northern Ireland, with its higher dependence on the public purse, will bear a disproportionate burden as a result.
"For business, the introduction of an enhanced first-year capital allowance of 40% for one year and some extra tax support for loss-making firms is positive news, particularly for small companies which dominate the local economy.
"But the benefit is spoiled by the rise in transport costs because of the Chancellor's need to raise funds through above-inflation rises in fuel duty and this will particularly affect our SME economy.
"With unemployment up again this month, assistance to get people back into work and provide them with the skills they need is welcome. We need to avoid a return to long-term unemployment which can blight a regional economy such as ours."
COLIN NEILL, FEDERATION OF THE RETAIL LICENSED TRADE
"As hundreds of pubs are shutting across the UK each month with thousands of jobs being shed it is beyond comprehension that the Chancellor should again raise the duty on alcohol, the third increase in the last year.
"For many the local pub is the hub of their community and not just somewhere to go for a drink.
"Previous research by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board showed that visiting a pub is the most popular activity amongst tourists visiting Northern Ireland.
"With this latest increase, the threat of closure is now a stark reality for our pubs and the impact on the tourism trade will be significant."
NIGEL SMYTH, CBI NORTHERN IRELAND
"There was little prospect of any major good news in this budget for Northern Ireland, and this has been proved correct.
The Chancellor has cut UK public expenditure growth to only 0.7% post 2011, which will equate under the Barnett formula to growth in public expenditure of less than 0.5% per annum in Northern Ireland.
The impact on Northern Ireland of efficiency savings in 2010/11 still remains unclear. The need for further public service reform and cultural change must be a top priority for the Executive to ensure public services are enhanced and not reduced.
"There are a number of welcome micro-measures which should help to stimulate investment and support struggling businesses.
"Increased investment allowances, a 'top-up' trade credit insurance scheme, a time-limited scrappage scheme for cars, a range of low-carbon initiatives and some support for housing will be welcomed by the business community, especially considering the Chancellor's tight fiscal constraints."
PHILIP MCDONAGH, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS NI
"Northern Ireland may have escaped the doomsday forecasts of immediate and massive public expenditure cuts - but the dark shadow of the Chancellor's axe still hangs over Stormont.
"The Northern Ireland Executive will have to find its share of the £9bn efficiency savings, on top of its proportion of the £5bn in savings announced in November's Pre-Budget Report, although that sum still remains under negotiation between the Executive and Treasury.
"This could have been worse, but from next year, the executive will now have to review its spending priorities, as will Westminster departments and the other devolved regions.
GERRY MCELWEE, ULSTER CANCER FOUNDATION AND ASH NI
"Today's 2% inflation-only tax rise is a missed opportunity and will do little to reduce smoking rates amongst local people.
"UCF had urged the chancellor to re-introduce a real price escalator on tobacco tax of 3% above the rate of inflation and to strengthen the government's anti-smuggling strategy.
The government's strategy needs to be underpinned by tough new targets to reduce the amount of smuggled tobacco and must prevent the tobacco industry seducing our children to be their future customers."
"UCF had also called for an overhaul of the current tax system that allows tobacco companies to deduct marketing costs as legitimate business expenses, thus reducing their liability for corporation tax."
DANNY KENNEDY, ULSTER UNIONIST PARTY DEPUTY LEADER
"At this point the finance minister will have to get his head out of the sand and the Executive will have to urgently undertake a major revision of the priorities in the Programme for Government with job protection and job creation in mind.
"We in the Ulster Unionist Party have been calling for this for the past eight months only to be met with a refusal to move on the part of the finance minister, who appears to be in denial."
"The Ulster Unionist Party has been consistently warning that Gordon Brown's mismanagement of the UK economy would have dire consequences for Northern Ireland. Today's budget has painfully shown how true this is.
"The DUP must surely now get its head out of the sand; they have told the people of Northern Ireland all was fine with the public finances. Today has exposed that line as utterly false."
BRIAN GRAY, NORTHERN IRELAND MANUFACTURING
"While the Chancellor predicts a contraction this year, which we can all see happening around us, he has been bold in predicting a 1.25% growth next year.
"Let's hope that he has got it right, given the difficult times being experienced by our members across Northern Ireland.
We would welcome the measures which he has announced in relation to the construction industry, and we would be particularly keen to see the investment for emerging technologies, and green manufacturing coming on-stream as soon as possible.
"NIM is keen to work with government to develop a green technology strategy as we believe that our manufacturing sector is well placed to benefit from developments currently taking shape.
"At the end of the day, however, the most important thing is to see the banks start to re-engage with business, especially SMEs so that day to day running is made much less difficult."
BRIAN WILSON, GREEN PARTY MLA
"While we welcome the commitment to cut carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 and the extra £1bn support for low-carbon industries, we feel that the chancellor has missed an opportunity to create a low-carbon economy by putting significant investment into renewable energy and creating thousands of jobs.
"The car scrappage scheme will attract more foreign imports and will not create jobs within the UK economy, so from that point of view it seems wasteful.
However if the government encourages the production of energy efficient cars as part of this scheme it might just kick start a new, green, environmentally-friendly motoring era."
"I'm also very concerned about how the efficiency savings will impact on the Northern Ireland services."
GRAHAM FUREY, ULSTER FARMERS' UNION
"We will be urging the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that if budget savings are to be found, government departments focus on ensuring that front-line services to the farming community are not affected.
"Unfortunately, the government has once again increased the duty on fuel. Approximately two-thirds of fuel costs are tax and the government should recognise that this ongoing taxation policy is having a damaging effect on our agri-food industry competitiveness.
"Farming families and rural dwellers tend to have limited or no access to public transport services and have longer travelling distances.
"Rising fuel costs are having a greater impact on these rural families and this is another issue which we will continue to highlight to the Treasury."
SEAMUS MCALEAVEY, NI COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION
Mr McAleavey chaired a panel of voluntary group representatives who gathered to watch Mr Darling deliver his Budget.
"The consensus was that this was an election budget and the Chancellor did the absolute best that he could in very grave economic circumstances.
"Reducing growth in public expenditure from 2011 to 0.7% will squeeze Northern Ireland significantly and the delivery of public services will be affected.
"The Chancellor has been optimistic in his assumptions and our fear remains that the next budget following a general election could see a further much more drastic correction take place."
ALAN BRIDLE, BANK OF IRELAND ECONOMIST
"As widely expected, this budget is the harbinger of a harsher public expenditure climate particularly from April 2011 onwards. While details have yet to be revealed, the projected 0.7% increase in real terms (revised down from +1.1% in the Pre-Budget Report) could read across to a near zero rate of growth for this region.
"The Executive could have a little more cash but above-inflation allocations in some departments will have to be offset by significant cuts elsewhere.
"Furthermore, it is not clear immediately the extent to which this region will be expected to share the pain of efficiency savings before 2011.
"The pre-announced hikes in income tax, changes to allowances and squeeze on pension contribution relief will have limited impact on Northern Ireland given the skew in the local earnings distribution but look quite punitive nonetheless and a potential blow to enterprise.
"Local businesses will welcome the temporary increased capital allowance for new investment to 40% and the proposed top-up credit insurance scheme and some other smaller measures but overall I would say that the very modest expectations have been met."
JENNIFER MCCANN, SINN FÉIN FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBER
"As predicted by Sinn Féin, the British Chancellor has reneged on previous British Government assurances that the executive could retain and reinvest efficiency savings in frontline services and infrastructural projects.
"What Alistair Darling has announced today runs contrary to earlier commitments by the British government with respect to efficiency savings in the absence of a Peace Dividend.
"While some parties seem to believe that the extra money announced in the budget today for the north goes some way to compensating for the additional £123m extra efficiency savings now being imposed for years 2010/2011, they are overlooking the fact that this is in effect a cut of £123m in the Block grant that will not be recovered in subsequent years.
"In light of this typical slight of hand by the British Treasury today, I would appeal to those parties who opposed the Sinn Féin motion for the acquisition of more fiscal powers for the Assembly to rethink their position."
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0422/breaking77.htm
BARRY ROCHE
Wed, Apr 22, 2009
A 51-year-old Englishman was today sentenced to two years in jail for possessing 220 live rounds of ammunition found in his house by gardaí after they received reports of that partially burnt Northern sterling notes were found near his home.
Don Blaney of Cnoc Abhainn, Old Church Road, Passage West in Cork had denied a charge of possessing 220 rounds of assault rifle ammunition at his home on February 18th 2005 but was convicted following a five day long trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court last November.
Insp Mary King told Blayney's sentencing hearing today that the ammunition was found in a lunchbox in an attic room when gardaí searched Blayney's house after receiving reports that two partially burnt Northern sterling notes were found in a neighbour's garden.
During the trial Sgt Peter Quinn told the court that when he asked Blayney about the discovery, he replied: "I have absolutely no idea what that is. I do not honestly know where they came from. I swear I don't know. I have never seen them before."
Blaney later told the trial that he rejected with every fibre of his being having any knowledge of how they got there. "I cannot speculate on who may have put them there, I am not prepared to go into a guessing game, I really do not know," he said.
The trial also heard evidence from Sinn Féin member and republican, George Hegarty who said he called to Blaney's home on an almost daily basis for years and he testified during the trial, "I know Don definitely did not put them (the ammunition) there."
In the course of pleading for mitigation for his client and pointing out that his client had no previous convictions, defence counsel Tom Creed SC said that George Hegarty was no longer welcome at Blaney's house.
Imposing sentence, Judge Murphy noted that Blayney had been convicted by a jury after a trial and he had no doubt but that a custodial sentence had to imposed, observing that the type of ammunition exacerbated the offence.
He noted that the maximum sentence was ten years but given all the mitigating factors including the absence of any previous conviction, his age, his cooperation with the probation service, his low risk of re-offending, he sentenced him to two years in jail.
© 2009 irishtimes.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/22/eta-basque-terror-arrest
Eta suspect faces extradition hearing over terrorism in Spain
Henry McDonald in Belfast
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday 22 April 2009 10.07 BST
A second suspected Basque terrorist has been arrested in Northern Ireland.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed that it has detained a 32-year-old from the Basque country following an arrest operation earlier today in west Belfast.
The man will be taken to Laganside court in the city later this morning where he will face an extradition hearing.
A PSNI spokesman said the man detained is wanted in connection with terrorist incidents in Spain.
Security sources said the arrest was connected to the capture of a leading Eta militant in France last week.
This is the second time that an Eta suspect has been arrested and tried before the courts in Northern Ireland over the last 12 months.
Convicted Eta killer Iñaki de Juana Chaos is currently fighting extradition from Northern Ireland to Spain. The 53-year-old Eta bomber is on bail and has to remain at his address in Belfast until his next hearing on 15 May.
Chaos is wanted for allegedly writing a letter to be read out in his name encouraging Basque terrorism.
He was released from prison in August after serving a lengthy sentence for his involvement in a bombing campaign in the 1980s during which 25 people died. He was released after 18 years in 2004 but was then rearrested and ordered to serve another three. Chaos is regarded as one of Eta's most dedicated terrorists from the 1980s.
There is a small Basque community in Belfast based in the west of the city where they receive support from Sinn Féin. During the Troubles the Provisional IRA established links with Eta and the two terror groups trained together in the Middle East. Eta also introduced PIRA to the Colombian narco-terrorist group Farc and helped set up a bomb-training-for-dollars programme that netted the Provisionals millions in cash.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/sf-dups-climate-change-stance-means-sammy-must-go-14277091.html
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Environment Minister Sammy Wilson was today accused of becoming increasingly isolated after his party leader effectively dismissed his views on climate change.
Sinn Fein today said it would be impossible for the DUP to keep Mr Wilson in the post given his continued belief that mankind cannot be blamed for global warming.
The Environment Minister today repeated his controversial views, days after Mr Robinson said it was government policy and party policy to combat climate change.
Sinn Fein Environment spokesman Daithi McKay said: "I welcome the fact that Peter Robinson supports the Sinn Fein position on the causes of climate change and that he has given his Environment Minister a 'slap on the wrist' for his recent behaviour.
"The joint First Ministers both recognise that climate change is 'one of the most serious problems facing the world' and for Sammy Wilson to robustly challenge that position today is in itself a challenge to his own party leader."
On Monday in the Assembly Mr Robinson said climate change policies were written into the Programme for Government and he effectively tackled his Environment Minister's contention that man is not to blame for global warming.
"I think the scientific evidence is on the side of those of us who believe that man is having an impact on climate and therefore there is a necessity on the part of the Executive to be dealing with those issues," said Mr Robinson.
He added: "And even if it weren't so, I have to say the possibility that it were, should be enough to alert any responsible Executive to take whatever measures it can."
Mr Robinson said climate change "is a serious problem facing the world".
"The position as outlined in the Programme for Government directly flows from the DUP manifesto of 2007 to which all the people in this party are obliged to keep and to uphold," said the DUP leader.
He added: "I really don't care too much whether there is a (scientific) consensus or not, I just believe that it is still appropriate for us as an Executive to take action to prepare for any potential eventuality."
Today Mr Wilson repeated his belief that the scientific evidence was not conclusive and he questioned whether money spent on fighting climate change could be better spent on public services.
"For the vast majority of people... the discussions are about the real day to day problems that people face," said Mr Wilson.
He said of global warming: "I don't believe it's one of the most serious problems facing the world at all."
Mr Wilson said his party and the members of the Executive had a right to hold different views on the issue of climate change.
But Sinn Fein's Mr McKay said: "Peter Robinson has now indicated that the debate on the causes of climate change within the DUP is now over.
"Will he now demonstrate this position by ensuring that Sammy Wilson ceases to undermine what is obviously the accepted position not only of his own party leadership and the Executive but of the vast majority of people?"
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/weary-visteon-protesters-remain-firm-and-resolute-14277572.html
Thursday, 23 April 2009
The sun is going down over the Visteon factory in west Belfast. Day 22 of the workers sit-in protest is stretching into evening, and inside the mood is calmer, after another round of Press interviews, protests, banner-waving, and visits from well-wishers.
They bring them sandwiches, drinks (non-alcoholic, the men point out), toiletries. But most of all they bring them moral support. If all these men can do is sit it out, then at least they know they are not on their own — in spirit anyway.
But away from the media soundbites, the honking of car horns from other workers in other firms heading home on the M1, what is it really like inside Visteon now?
The smell of oil and molten plastic still lingers in the air. One-and-a-half metre tall blue plastic boxes are neatly lined up and filled to the brim with manifolds for the new Ford Explorer 4x4. The last box in the line has the words ‘all done' scrawled on the side in permanent marker.
The vast room is interwoven with footways and forklift runs. They are like mini streets, dividing the plant into its different sections. A community made up of ordinary people, and one replicated in factories and workplaces across Northern Ireland.
Donal Murphy (57), from Belfast, is showing us around. He’d been working for the firm for 40 years when the plant closed down. Married to Francis (55) for 36 years, the couple have four children, Roisin, Donal, Francis and Angela, all aged between 21 and 30.
It is clear that Donal put great store in the work that he and his colleagues did in these eerily silenced environs.
“What you're looking at here is state of the art machinery. This is our secret weapon. It's called a Helium Leak Tester,” he says, the old pride in his work hard to hide despite the trauma of the past few weeks.
And it’s odd. Odd to hear a working man who feels he’s been thrown onto the scrapheap hang on to a residue of affection for the job. Odd to hear a kind of loyalty when it is clear that it is not a two-way process.
And so we look on at a complex device that we couldn't begin to understand.
Warming to his theme, Donal continues: “The molecules in Helium are six times smaller than that of air. We pump Helium at high pressure through the fuel rail. It's important because the rail brings fuel to the engine. If there's a leak in it we'll get it. Every piece of machinery we need is here. Given the word, we could have this place up and running again in four hours.”
Donal's passion is overwhelming. He describes what each machine and each area does. But sometimes the anger is clear while he speaks.
Donal knows the chances of him and his workmates being given four hours notice to start the production line are more than remote.
For men like Donal this isn't about a lump sum. “What people need to understand is that we don't want a big payout. We just want our jobs back.”
Tuesday morning's High Court decisions created a sobering mood amongst men at the plant.
The High Court action which seeks to brand the sit-in illegal was adjourned until tomorrow in order to grant the men more time to seek legal advice.
Donal explains: “We know the police may have to come in at some stage. But they will have to physically remove us.
“That means the police coming into west Belfast and trying to remove working class men from a local factory. It won't look good. And we have the full support of the whole community.”
Outside, around 15 men sit by the gate, carefully monitoring who comes up the lane towards them. An oil drum emits a warm glow as the wood inside it crackles. Even
though the factory is shut the men have still maintained discipline.
Donal says: “We used to work a three-shift system when the plant was open.
“The guys who do the night time protest are the guys who used to work the night shift. We're keeping routine.
“As far as the picket at Ford showrooms go, we just pick our days to protest. There's great camaraderie and teamwork amongst us. If we hadn't have acted the way we did we would have been done and dusted.”
Donal explains how the protest has relied a lot on the local community over the past few weeks. “We haven't really had to buy much. Loads of local companies have been donating food and money.
“The community spirit has been fantastic. Politicians have been good as well. It's the first time we've seen them all agreeing on something.”
Donal is now afraid that his home life will suffer. “I was planning an early retirement. Two of my kids are in Australia and I wanted to go out and see them someday. I've started to sign on for job seekers' allowance but even if I do get a job I'll be working until I'm 75.”
Kevin McKee (40) lives locally and was in his seventeenth year at Visteon. He is married to Maria (40) and they have four young children, Maria, Conal, Caolan and Cara. We meet Kevin at the roadside motorway protest.
The men have built a makeshift platform where they wave at commuters on the motorway during rush hour to garner support. Even though usually there's nobody on the platform, horns are constantly tooting.
Kevin explains how his kids keep him going: “My son Caolan drew me a coloured poster while at school. It says ‘Don't buy Ford. Save all the people that worked in Visteon.' It's amazing how tuned in kids can be.”
And he pointed how support hasn't wavered over the last few weeks.
“The atmosphere here is still pretty upbeat. We are always in the Press and we are keeping ourselves busy.
“For example, we have being doing on-site CV building courses and conducting mock job interviews. My wider family have been great. They've been bringing the kids to school and stuff. My wife gets a lot of support in her work. When we were picketing the Boucher Road showroom a woman pulled up and gave us a tenner for food.
“Another lady who had done her week’s messages pulled up at the front gate and gave us two bags full of biscuits.”
Sean McCaffrey (47) is married to Moya and has two children, Lisa (21) and Stephen (17).
I first spoke to Sean three weeks ago just after the protest had begun. At the time he spoke of his devastation and how he had worked at Visteon all his life.
He also talked of how his son had refused to take change for his school bus fare and that his wife was losing sleep.
When we catch up with Sean he is weary after a long day at the plant. “I've been here since a quarter to seven this morning. I was going to go to a mate's house but he wasn't in.
“When I'm at home the mind starts to wander so I decided to come back to the plant.
“There was a bit of a quiet period this morning during the court hearing.
“They may try and evict us but there'll be more than 210 workers here.”
Sean continues his work but speaks of his regret at having to sign on.
“I've never been to the dole office before. As I said the last time I spoke to you, as soon as I left school I started working here. I have to take advantage of the on-site training and keep active.
“ I went for the job seekers' interview last week. I got in the wrong queue three times. It's the small things like that that are frustrating.”
James Moore is from Carrickfergus and is married to Mary (42) and has four children, Hannah (10), Olivia (8) and twins Grace and Sarah (4).
James turns 43 next week. “It's not a great birthday present. The fact that my wife doesn't work makes it worse.
“But that was the biggest appeal of the job, that Mary could stay at home and one income was enough.
“I don't think I'll be able to find a job after this where I'll earn enough to get by.”
James also vents his frustration at some politicians. “Coming from a Protestant background I have to say that Sinn Fein and the Socialist Workers Party have been the only people making a difference. Even the Alliance party have responded to us. Unionists have been a waste of time.”
Paddy Hughes (58) lives locally and is single. “I've worked here for 32 years. It's been bad for all of us but it's the younger ones I feel sorry for.
“They're only getting into the way of it. Big business has the backing of the law. Our pensions were the only thing we signed over to Visteon.
“When the plant was owned by Ford we were told that we could keep our pensions with them but we would have to work until we are 65. It was like turkeys signing up for Christmas.”
The most obvious thing about all the men here is their overwhelming sense of betrayal.
They feel that Ford has a lot to answer for, that promises were broken.
Night is falling at Visteon in west Belfast.
Paddy and his colleagues will man these gates through the night, wondering what the next weeks, days or even hours will bring.
And as the smoke from the fire drifts across the nearby motorway, the tired men forlornly stroll beside the gates, poignantly standing guard.
These men have been the lifeblood that fuelled the plant for so long.
And now the sun is going down over Visteon. . .
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/eyauqlqleyql/rss2/
22/04/2009 - 12:13:47
Unemployment has risen sharply and economic output has dropped as the global downturn today tightened its grip on the North.
The latest unemployment figures show the number claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has increased to 43,900, with an extra 1,900 signing-on last month.
And while unemployment rates have jumped from 4.2% to 5.7%, there has also been a sharp decline in output in both the production and service sectors as demand drops.
The Alliance Party’s enterprise spokesman Sean Neeson said: “This is deeply worrying news which shows how badly Northern Ireland has been affected by the global economic downturn.
“My thoughts are with those who are feeling the worst effects of these tough economic times.”
He said the local economy was rocked by regular announcements of large scale redundancies.
Despite the jump in unemployment confirmed today by the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) said the rate compared well with other regions.
The North's unemployment rate remained below the UK average rate (6.7%) and was the lowest of the UK regions.
It is also lower than the European Union (7.6%) and Ireland (8.8%) rates for January 2009.
But critics have said that the North's economy has been protected by the comparatively large number of public sector employees.
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “Following the significant job losses announced in April, particularly in the manufacturing sector, I met with the Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey and we have agreed to do all that we can to help businesses and local workers plot their way through this challenging recession.
“We will work together to support our private sector, focussing on the provision of practical support and advice as well as implementing training and re-skilling programmes and assistance.
“Our officials are working closely to explore and identify new measures to help alleviate the current pressures being felt in companies across Northern Ireland.”
The minister said that the wider economic downturn was also having a wider impact on demand, which was hitting local businesses.
“Output in the last quarter of 2008 was down in both the production and service sectors,” said the minister.
“The sharp fall in production sector output was the second successive quarter in which output declined.
“While the decline in this sector has come later than in the UK as a whole, we are now seeing the effect of reduced demand spreading across the economy.”
She added: “Maintaining competitiveness by controlling costs is important but companies also need to engage existing and potential customers to identify their changing needs, in the current economic climate.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0422/breaking41.htm
Wed, Apr 22, 2009
Heineken suffered a bigger-than-expected drop in volume of beer shipped in the first quarter and said the impact and duration of the downturn remained unclear.
The brewer which employs 425 people in Cork under its subsidiary Heineken Ireland, said in its first ever quarterly update today that consolidated volume of beer shipped fell 6.3 per cent, discounting acquisitions, notably last year's purchase of Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) assets.
Western Europeans drank 9.8 per cent less of its brands such as Heineken and Amstel, central and east European thirsts diminished 12 per cent and in the Americas by 16 per cent.
Volumes grew 16 per cent in Africa, including key market Nigeria, and by 3.4 per cent in the Asia-Pacific.
The few analysts willing to give forecasts had expected volumes to be flat to slightly lower.
Heineken said the drop had resulted from the downturn, distributor destocking, smoking bans in bars, excise duty increases, the cold winter and its own efforts to hike prices.
"Beer is relatively resilient but not immune in the current trading environment," chief financial officer Rene Hooft Graafland told a conference call, adding that there were no signs of a downturn in the growth zone of Africa.
He noted the first quarter was a less important one for the company, making up only 18 per cent of annual beer volumes in 2008, and did not offer clear conclusions for the full year.
"But we were able to increase prices, they are in the market and they are sticking," he said.
Revenue also fell on a like-for-like basis, but only 1 per cent, supported by higher prices. Including acquisitions, it grew 24 per cent to €3.05 billion ($3.94 billion).
World number two brewer SABMiller, which has a larger emerging market footprint, said last week it sold less beer than expected in the first three months of 2009 with a fall in underlying beer volumes of 1 per cent.
Just over half of Heineken's 2008 revenue came from western Europe, where brewers are fighting over a shrinking beer market.
Heineken's involvement in that market grew after it bought Scottish & Newcastle with Carlsberg for £7.8 billion ($11.31 billion) last year, mainly getting S&N's British assets.
Agencies
© 2009 irishtimes.com
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0422/breaking37.htm
CHARLIE TAYLOR
Wed, Apr 22, 2009
Almost two million computers around the world, including a small number in Ireland, were recently taken over by malicious hackers, it was revealed today.
US software security firm Finjan announced this morning that it had discovered a network of 1.9 million computers which had been infected with malicious software, or malware and was being tracked to a gang of cybercriminals based in the Ukraine.
As the malware was remotely controlled by the gang, they were able to read e-mails, copy files, record keystrokes, send spam and make screenshots. Such networks can also be used to mount a “denial of service” attack, where a significant number of PCs are set-up to try to contact an individual firm or country’s computer systems at the same time, leading the system to crash.
Finjan said the criminal network of remotely controlled computers, known as a botnet, was the largest ever discovered. It is known to have started operating in February and affected 77 government departments around the world.
The computers were compromised by people visiting infected websites. While no Government departments in Ireland were affected by the malware, around 17 domains were, Finjan said. In addition, 1,611 Irish bots were discovered.
The server which controlled the botnet has now been shut down and law enforcement agencies around the world have been supplied with information about the server.
“The sophistication of the malware and the staggering amount of infected computers proves that cybergangs are raising the bar,” said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technical officer of Finjan.
Almost half of the infected machines were in the US. Six percent of the botnet were from the UK, while Canada, Germany and France were among a number of countries which were affected by the botnet.
The malware was designed to work in the Windows XP operating system and took advantage of security vulnerabilities in a range of browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and Safari.
© 2009 irishtimes.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Botnet is a jargon term for a collection of software robots, or bots, that run autonomously and automatically. The term is often associated with malicious software but it can also refer to the network of computers using distributed computing software.
While the term "botnet" can be used to refer to any group of bots, such as IRC bots, this word is generally used to refer to a collection of compromised computers (called Zombie computers) running software, usually installed via worms, Trojan horses, or backdoors, under a common command-and-control infrastructure.
A botnet's originator (aka "bot herder") can control the group remotely, usually through a means such as IRC, and usually for nefarious purposes. Individual programs manifest as IRC "bots". Often the command-and-control takes place via an IRC server or a specific channel on a public IRC network. This server is known as the command-and-control server ("C&C"). Though rare, more experienced botnet operators program their own commanding protocols from scratch. The constituents of these protocols include a server program, client program for operation, and the program that embeds itself on the victim's machine (bot). All three of these usually communicate with each other over a network using a unique encryption scheme for stealth and protection against detection or intrusion into the botnet network.
A bot typically runs hidden and complies with the RFC 1459 (IRC) standard. Generally, the perpetrator of the botnet has compromised a series of systems using various tools (exploits, buffer overflows, as well as others; see also RPC). Newer bots can automatically scan their environment and propagate themselves using vulnerabilities and weak passwords. Generally, the more vulnerabilities a bot can scan and propagate through, the more valuable it becomes to a botnet controller community. The process of stealing computing resources as a result of a system being joined to a "botnet" is sometimes referred to as "scrumping."
Botnets have become a significant part of the Internet, albeit increasingly hidden. Due to most conventional IRC networks taking measures and blocking access to previously-hosted botnets, controllers must now find their own servers. Often, a botnet will include a variety of connections and network types. Sometimes a controller will hide an IRC server installation on an educational or corporate site where high-speed connections can support a large number of other bots. Exploitation of this method of using a bot to host other bots has proliferated only recently as most script kiddies do not have the knowledge to take advantage of it.
Several botnets have been found and removed from the Internet. The Dutch police found a 1.4 million node botnet and the Norwegian ISP Telenor disbanded a 10,000-node botnet.[1] Large coordinated international efforts to shut down botnets have also been initiated.[2] It has been estimated that up to one quarter of all personal computers connected to the internet may be part of a botnet.[3]
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0423/1224245215512.html
GERRY MORIARTY,
Thu, Apr 23, 2009
A MAKEOVER for the peace walls separating nationalist and loyalist areas in Belfast was unveiled yesterday.
Images of unionist history, traditions, politics and culture have replaced the older and darker references to the UVF, the UFF and KAT (Kill all Taigs) that are painted on the wall at Cupar Way in the Shankill.
As well as references to the Orange Order, to Lord Edward Carson and the Somme there is also mention of international matters such as the conflicts in Iraq and the Middle East along three stretches of the 500m wall.
It is all part of a scheme to generate a positive image of the Shankill, according to project co-ordinator Roz Small of the Greater Shankill Partnership.
“The people chose what they wanted on the wall. Everything came out of community consultation.” One of the art pieces features a father with his Orange collarette walking happily with his young son, also in an Orange Order collarette, and his daughter. Edward Carson is depicted with his quotation: “Only a fool would fight if there is an opportunity for accommodation”.
The second work includes a quotation from the late Progressive Unionist Party leader David Ervine: “Our divided society can be a better place to live. There are great opportunities for Northern Ireland, we just have to grasp them.” The third piece includes a painting of loyalist community worker Baroness May Blood and general exhortations for people to seize work and educational opportunities.
One local man yesterday agreed that the pieces “brighten up the area” but as for the chances of the wall ever coming down, he recalled the terrible sectarian violence at this interface and emphatically said: “No, it’ll never happen, we need the wall.”
Ms Small said there was a hope that Northern Ireland’s 40 or more peace walls would eventually be toppled.
The work was commissioned shortly before Christmas and the three pieces were carried out by Dublin artists Brian Maguire and Brian O’Connor, Northern Ireland artists Alan Cargo and Eleanor Wheeler, and John Johnston and Dee Craig, also from the North.
© 2009 The Irish Times
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jIw3C2gKfnukFQYeNut7AuSCsjAA
Sinn Fein has called for Dail support to save historic 1916 buildings on Dublin's Moore Street.
Campaigners believe a new retail complex may threaten 14-17 Moore Street - the last refuge of Easter Rising rebels who were fighting in the GPO.
Sinn Fein has drafted the Bill which it hopes will be supported by the Greens, Fine Gael and Labour. "If the Government implements this Bill, it could save from destruction the final resting place of the leaders of the 1916 Rising," said TD Aengus O Snodaigh.
Copyright © 2009 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
Updated: 10/4/2009
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