Archive for August, 2010

Bled Vision

Published August 29, 2010 Uncategorized 18 Comments

I’m attending the Bled Strategic Forum. This is a global, strategic, geopolitical and economic conference run by a tiny Balkan country of around 2m people.

In short, just a little larger than Northern Ireland with a substantially bigger and more positive footprint. This is a society that has embraced democracy and outward focus instead of a fixation on Slovenia or even the Balkans.

I’ve just returned from the gala dinner where delegates from across the world – mostly diplomats – heard General Colin Powell outline why Slovenia punched above its diplomatic weight. Now I’m listening – admittedly intermittently – to a presentation by the OECD on why innovation and technology are drivers of economic growth.

Northern Ireland’s shambolic political parties could never put on a show like this because all they do, collectively, is contemplate their navels.

Well done Slovenia.

Labour: A Leader for the Whole of the UK?

Published August 5, 2010 Opinion 8 Comments

Kris Ballance, a local Labour Party activist, has had a very useful post published over on the Labour blog site Labour Uncut…

During the last election, Cameron tried to seize an opportunity that no other party in Westminster has publicly tried to do before – he wanted to have a government that would represent the whole of the United Kingdom and would contest every Westminster seat to ensure that that happened.

Granted, it was on many levels a disaster for them. Instead of fielding their own candidates, the Tories linked up with the Ulster Unionists to agree 18 candidates between them, many of whom had grave misgivings about the arrangement and none of whom won.

He argues, however, that the new Labour leader should take a leaf out of Cameron’s book and that whoever wins the Labour leadership race should be seeking to represent the whole UK.

The Conservative pact with the UUP was a disaster – largely because the Conservative Party linked with an incompetent, and rudderless, and sectarian, UUP.  But at least the road to hell was paved with some good intentions on the part of David Cameron.
All the prospective Labour leaders have a moral and ethical responsibility to help Northern Ireland rid itself of sectarian defined politics.  Our turnout at the general election was the lowest in the UK – largely because voters could not choose between one useless sectarian party and another.  The bickering over ‘nationalism’ or ‘unionism’ is circular and pointless.
It’s about time that the Labour Party contested elections in Northern Ireland.  If it seeks to govern the United Kingdom it has a moral imperative to seek a mandate of govern every part of the UK.  And the new Labour Party leader should be arguing that.

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Musings on things political and secular…

This is my site where I share my world views for anyone who might be remotely interested. Visit only if you think the content is interesting. Oh and comment is free. So go right ahead and agree or disagree. But, please, be kind and polite (especially to me).
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