Following a report of an alleged suspicious approach in East Belfast on 21st May 2013, the Police Service of Northern Ireland has determined that there was nothing untoward in this instance. However, the PSNI has said, If parents are concerned … Continue reading Suspicious Behaviour? If you’re concerned please report to Police
“It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Sir W Garth Morrison, KT, CBE, RN, Vice-President of The Scout Association and former Chief Scout went home earlier today.“After a brief illness, bravely borne, Sir Garth passed … Continue reading Gone home: Sir Garth Morrison KT CBE
Following the attack on the Animals in War memorial and the Bomber Command memorial in London this weekend, the RAF Benevolent Fund has appealed to the public to support them in the maintenance of the Bomber Command Memorial for which … Continue reading Bomber Command Memorial damaged – appeal for funds from RAF Benevolent Fund
Following this afternoon’s vote in the debate on the third reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, Christopher Lovell has expressed his disappointment at Tim Farron’s “abstention” today. It seems that Mr Lovell who lives in Leeds, not in Tim’s constituency, feels that because there is no vote recorded by Tim Farron in today’s debate, Tim abstained. I counter that this is not true. Tim did in fact, quite clearly not vote. It has been suggested by Erskine May that there is a procedure in Parliament to register an abstention: voting in both lobbies (Erskine May, Parliamentary Practice, 23rd edition, 2004, p412).
A House of Commons Briefing Paper, Divisions in the House of Commons, SN/PC/06401 states
If fewer than 40 Members, including the Speaker and the tellers, participate in a division, it does not meet the quorum required. The House then moves on to the next business, and the subject of the division is postponed until the next sitting day. Members who wish to defeat a particular item of business may engineer a division and then stay out of the lobbies, as they can thus render the division inquorate. Continue reading “Disappointed with Tim Farron or Naomi Long? I’m not…”
This afternoon we have seen the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill pass its third reading in the House of Commons. Many people start claiming that Equal Marriage is home and dry. This is quite far from the case. The Bill … Continue reading We’re being left behind in Northern Ireland: why I am a proud Liberal Democrat
Students across Northern Ireland and throughout these islands are free to assemble in their student unions without fear of arrest for sedition. Sadly, this is not so in the case of students in Swaziland. Former President of the Swaziland National … Continue reading NUS calls for Maxwell’s release in Swaziland
The prosperity of Northern Ireland is dependent on the skills of its workforce and its ability to meet the needs of the local economy, to support a strong export-oriented marked, and to secure the wealth creating opportunities of the future. … Continue reading Moving Northern Ireland plc forward: developing leaders for tomorrow
We all know how much we in Ireland like to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, coming up soon is the Breton equivalent: Gouel Erwan, St Yves. Well this year, the Breton Association in Ireland has chosen to celebrate it in Belfast. Breizh Eire, association des Bretons d’Irlande a choisi de faire cette année la Gouel Erwan à Belfast. Ca va donner ! Slante ! The event came to my attention this afternoon when there were two buskers in Castle Lane in Belfast city centre who were sounding distinctly rustic. Having passed them walking towards Waterstone’s I asked them on the way … Continue reading Celebrating our Saints: it’s one way of celebrating our European identity
Two hundred years ago, the foundation stone of the new Parish Church of St George on the site of the old Corporation Church beside the River Farset in Belfast was laid. Three years later, it was duly dedicated and opened. Two hundred years of witness to the city have passed with an emphasis through most of that on quality Church Music, so it was unsurprising that the opening concert of the Bicentenary Celebrations would be a fantastic display of church music.
The choir of St George’s was joined by the Schola Cantorum of St Peter’s Cathedral Belfast and from Worcester Massachusetts the choirs of All Saints’, Worcester and Notre Dame Academy, Worcester.
The four choirs combined to open the concert with the Magnificat in C by C.V. Stanford followed by Mozart’s Ave verum corpus. Hearing these pieces took me back to singing as a boy Continue reading “Bicentenary Celebrations begin with fantastic concert at St George’s Belfast”
We all know the traditional red brick terraced houses found in Belfast. Many have been demolished in recent years, but there are ways to retain them and make the fit for twenty-first century living. The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society has created a short film which demonstrates how our undervalued stock of traditional terraced houses can be retrofitted using energy–efficient measures. Using the retrofit scheme carried out by Hearth on the 19th century terraces on McMaster Street as an example, the film highlights the importance of harnessing the embodied energy in existing buildings and aims to unmask the concept of retrofitting. PLACE are holding … Continue reading McMaster Street terraces transformed: ‘Quality Streets: Retrofitting Traditional Terraces’
Gyronny Herald 