SDLP Youth have called for the European Union to pressure Israel to end attacks on Gaza.
SDLP Youth Chair Peter Armstrong today said: “The international community must do a lot more to end the Israeli attacks on Gaza. In a single day the Israeli Army killed 270 people in retaliation for 1 Israeli dying in a mortar attack. Killing and injuring thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza is a completely disproportionate response. There must be another way. A peaceful solution must be sought. A ceasefire needs to be restored.
“World leaders need to put pressure on Israel to immediately end the bombardment. A message must go across from the EU that this is not acceptable, a breach of international law and it cannot continue.”
“SDLP Youth are calling on everyone to sign an emergency petition by Avaaz on their website at http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace/ which calls on the European Union to ensure that a ceasefire is restored, to stop the bloodshed and address the humanitarian crisis.”
Belfast City Councillor Tim Attwood is helping Tiny Life, Northern Ireland’s only premature baby charity.
On 20th December he will take part in a two day, two team challenge with one mission - to save Santa! It’s a live online event you don’t want to miss! Two teams of 4 will be battling against each other live on the Internet - facing numerous challenges over two days.
Please take a moment to visit www.helpsavechristmas.com and place your vote online for the team you think will win! If you’re right you might win an iPod.
The event starts on Saturday 20th December 2008 @ 2pm.
Well done to SDLP North Belfast MLA who today had his moustache shaved off for BBC Children in Need. Donations are still welcome - by calling Catherine on 028 9052 1319.
Fantastic news. Historical significance. A victory for Civil Rights. A ‘Cooler’ America.
Many didn’t have faith in America to elect such an outstanding candidate. We all thought they’d pick the idiot. Of course, Americans shouldn’t blame us for thinking this - as they previously elected Bush & Cheney (in 2000 and 2004!).
Certainly, if the world could vote, 87.3% would have voted for Barack Obama - a majority voting for Obama in every country and terrority (except FYR Macedonia & Albania where people voted for McCain - not sure what’s going on there..).
This is how our politicians summed it up:
The decisiveness of his triumph and the hope which it heralds is in contrast to the divisiveness of previous elections. His election is a sign of positive progress, not just in the United States but in terms of international leadership. Mark Durkan MP MLA, SDLP Leader
I congratulate President-elect Barack Obama and Vice-President-elect Joe Biden, not only because they have Irish roots, not only because they are pledged to continue to support our own peace process, but because what they have done is historic by any standard. We have reached a turning point in international affairs and I believe we can all be more optimistic this morning. Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP MLA, SDLP Deputy Leader
Today, I’m sure many Americans wish they had our system, where Obama would win on 4th November and be inaugurated on 5th November. Nevertheless, even if we have to wait until January for Inauguration Day, the next 4 years and hopefully the next 8 years should be a lot brighter than the previous 8 years under Bush. America is in troubled economic times, but it has a lot to look forward to.
President Obama has been left a huge amount of work by his predecessor, but we believe he can make huge changes to the US and the world. He recognises the importance of civil rights in America, he recognises that climate change exists, and he has plans to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Avaaz have set up a “Goodbye Bush, Hello Obama” message board. Well, more a message wall - if you sign up on their website, they will display your message on a giant wall in Washington DC.
Dear President Obama:
As citizens across the world, we congratulate you on your election, and celebrate your campaign commitments to sign a strong new global treaty on climate change, close Guantanamo prison and end torture, withdraw carefully from Iraq, and double aid to fight poverty. No one country or leader can meet the world’s most pressing challenges alone, but working together as one world in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation, yes we can bring real and lasting change.
We also have to recognise the hard work on the Republican side *cough*. They sure kept us entertained.
Via Niall’s blog, two prankster DJ’s from CKY Radio in Montréal phone up Governor Sarah Palin (before the election) who believes that she is talking to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Aisling Twomey-O’Connor has worked as an SDLP Administration Officer based in Stormont for more than 1 year. Everyday she brushes shoulders with the people in power – Assembly Members and Ministers. Aisling recognises that the corridors where she works are steeped with history and many interesting stories and characters, but that doesn’t faze the 27 year-old.
Aisling explains how she got involved in the SDLP, “Although I had not been a SDLP member before joining the staff at Stormont, I joined the SDLP Youth wing of the party and was elected to the position of Treasurer in June of this year.
“When I applied for the job I didn’t think had any chance of getting it, due to my lack of background in Northern Ireland politics. But I was very pleasantly surprised when SDLP General Secretary Gerry Cosgrove offered me the position. My role is a very busy one as I deal with many different issues and no two days are ever the same. However I have been lucky to have been working along with Catherine Matthews, who I think is the real boss of the SDLP!”
A modest Aisling may well brush aside her experience and knowledge of Northern Ireland Politics but that is not to suggest that this young woman doesn’t know anything about politics and people. On the contrary! During her time at Manchester Metropolitan University she got involved in student politics, and was elected as Vice President.
“I have always been very political since high school and always had comments on my report card like “has no problem sharing her views with her peers”. It seems it was destiny for me to end up working for a political party,” explains Aisling.
“I graduated from MMU Cheshire in 2004 with a BA Hons American Studies. Throughout my time at University, I became involved with the Student Union and served as Site Officer (VP) for my University. As vice president, I represented the Students on Student Staff Forum and Faculty Committee. Unfortunately I had been bitten by the politics bug – In the presidential election at my university, I was defeated by 14 votes out of 1800. “
Turning to her work with the SDLP at Parliament Buildings in Stormont Aisling says, “I am always taken back with this building; there is so much history here and it in surrounding buildings. One of the most interesting and amusing facts of this building is that it survived the Blitz by being covered in cow manure. It is very surreal working here as you may find yourself queuing up for your lunch with Mark Durkan or BBC reporters such as Martina Purdy.
“If you were to ask me what the highlight of my first year within the SDLP has been, many would expect me to say that it’s been working with the best political party in Northern Ireland. But I have to confess that my highlight so far has to be is when I met Gary Lightbody from Snow Patrol, one of my favourite bands. I was so nervous; I hardly said more than two words to him the whole day. Amazing the people you meet here.
“I am very proud to work for the SDLP and I hope that I can continue to have a part to play within the SDLP.”
Skerries Councillor Maura Hickey has been rated ‘top date‘ by members of Coleraine Youth Forum at a political speed dating event to mark Local Democracy Week.
Cllr Hickey was delighted with her win: “Engaging with young people is very important and although this event was light hearted in nature we must continually give our attention to issues that affect them. Now they have got a taster for speaking to their elected members, I encourage them and all young people to speak to their local Councillor’s at anytime not just at planned events like this.”
Via Slugger, PR-guru and former SDLP advisor Conal McDevitt was on the Politics Show on Sunday. He was asked who is winning the PR battle during the current impasse at Stormont?
The truth is that all sides are losing. It doesn’t really matter now whether it was the DUP or SF who started this mess. It matters more who has the balls to negotiate and work out a situation where our Executive can meet, free from deadlock, to get down to the real business of government and solve the many many problems facing people in NI.
The results (pdf, 14mb) are discussed in the Belfast Telegraph which has a breakdown of what it all means:
Twenty-two percent of the children said they have been physically bullied at school, 39% have been bullied in other ways, 10% have experienced bullying by text message or on the internet and 51% think that children in their school get bullied.
More children said they had been bullied at school in the last two months by getting called names, getting left out of games, or having nasty stories spread about them on purpose than said they had been physically bullied at school — for example getting pushed around or threatened or having their belongings stolen.
The vast majority of children said their school had a set of rules on bullying (87%) and that they had talked about bullying in their class (88%).
As far as I’m aware, it’s the first time this survey has been carried out online, with 3,440 children at many schools across Northern Ireland completing the survey over the Internet. Previous surveys had to visit individual schools to run a survey so they couldn’t include that many young people.
In 2003 the Young Life and Times Survey (687 pupils surveyed and some were post-primary pupils) posed the question: “Do you think that pupils at your school get bullied?”. The 2003 survey indicated that 18% thought pupils got bullied ‘A lot’ but the 2008 survey shows only 5%. There’s still work to be done but such a change has to be positive.
On bullying, Mark Durkan has suggested what is needed is an “integrated, preventative and responsive strategy that brings together schools, communities and families to address the very serous and, sadly, growing problem of bullying“.
The survey also dares to ask what P7 pupils think of the 11+! Not surprisingly, 61% of those that got grade A wanted to keep the 11+, but 51% of those that got grade D wanted to get rid of it.
There’s no real consensus among children on whether it should stay or go. The results demonstrate that plans to replace the 11+ by the Education Minister Catríona Ruane are a mess, and it’s both parents and children who are confused about what is happening. Some children are scared they or their friends will fail the test; they don’t think it’s fair that 2 tests decide your future school, and some children wish to keep the transfer test because they aren’t aware of any proper proposed alternative.
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to develop policy which supports Mutual Societies and Building Societies and puts people, not profit at the heart of finance.
We’ve been so busy with university freshers fayre’s over the past few weeks that I forgot to mention Cllr Colin McGrath has been continuing his weekly video diaries.
We covered the first 3 videos, but he’s now on his 6th. They are all available here but here’s the latest one:
On Friday the 