: New year honours list

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Fifty-five individuals from Northern Ireland have been recognised in the new year honours list for their service to society. Across the UK, 984 awards were announced. Order of Bath Companion (CB) Carol Patricia Moore, lately director, justice policy, Department of Justice Order of the British Empire Dame Commander (DBE) Professor Judith Eileen Hill CBE, chief executive, Northern Ireland Hospice Commanders (CBE) Catherine Elizabeth Bell, deputy secretary, Department for Employment and Learning Professor Jack Crane, state pathologist Officers (OBE) David William Best, director...[full story]

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: James Naughtie’s America

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Seasoned political journalist James Naughtie shares his thoughts on the US presidential race, and what makes a good interview, with Peter Cheney. Less than a year before the USA chooses a new President, Jim Naughtie finds that many Americans no longer believe in the American Dream. The BBC Today Programme presenter has covered every presidential election since 1988 and is discussing the current state of US politics after speaking at the Belfast Festival at Queen’s. “Many Americans, say aged between 30 and 50, are profoundly sceptical of the idea with which they grew up, that it was...[full story]

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: Inside Northern Ireland’s 1981 archives

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Peter Cheney trawls through the 1981 papers, which depict a province caught in the grip of turmoil. The Troubles took 114 lives that year, including the 10 republican hunger strikers. Today’s political leaders took to the streets and were very much outside the establishment. Reactions to Sands’ death A compelling weekly bulletin from the Northern Ireland Office (file NIO/12/194A) describes the first week of May 1981 in grim detail. The medical prognosis of the hunger strikers had a direct bearing on the security situation outside the jail. “As anticipated in the last bulletin Sands’...[full story]

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: Sharing

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Ministers suggest action on ‘peace walls’ and shared education but language and the past are two major obstacles. The Executive claims that “much progress has been made” in creating a shared and better future and it “remains as committed as ever” to achieving that. However, the first step of its “Building a Strong and Shared Community” chapter relies on three separate sports stadia projects, rather than the single one proposed under direct rule in 2006. The whole community can unite around the World Police and Fire Games in Belfast (1-10 August 2013) and plans for a major...[full story]

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: How others see Europe

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Insularity and caution will damage Europe’s standing in the world, according to diplomats. Peter Cheney considers the view from New Zealand and the USA. Foreign observers are warning that an inward-looking and risk-averse Europe will fall behind the rest of the world. agendaNi asked American and New Zealand diplomats for their perspective on a continent in crisis. Vangelis Vitalis is New Zealand’s Ambassador-designate to the EU, and the son of Greek migrants. “The euro zone crisis is transfixing us in Wellington,” he states. However, Vitalis is also troubled by Europe’s changing...[full story]

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: European Parliament visitors’ centre

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Peter Cheney visits the Parlamentarium, the European Parliament’s new visitors’ centre in Brussels. To promote itself to an apathetic public, the European Parliament has opened its first visitors’ centre and coined a new word in the process: Parlamentarium. Four days before it opened its doors, I joined a group of Czech students for a tour. You can’t miss the entrance, lit up like a Times Square sign, although its surroundings are grey and drab. As the tour gets under way, a darkened room shows grim scenes from the 1930s and 1940s, and then leads into a brighter timeline from...[full story]

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: MLAs’ books of the year

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
As thoughts turn to Christmas reading, Assembly members share their favourite reads of 2011. Conall McDevitt Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs is an epic tome. It chronicles and dissects with brutal honesty and openness the life and works of one of the most complex and driven business leaders and innovators of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. I would commend to anyone who is really interested in pushing the boundaries, be that in business, government or society. Paul Girvan My favourite book is the Bible. It is worthwhile, because it has stood the test of time, and as...[full story]

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: MLA Art exhibition

Monday, October 10th, 2011
A display of poems, paintings and photographs highlighted the talents of MLAs and the relevance of art to society as a whole. Peter Cheney sums up the MLA Art exhibition. Original examples of political art were on display at Parliament Buildings over the summer. Thirty-six Assembly members submitted 44 contributions to the MLA Art competition, organised by Belfast’s Metropolitan Arts Centre. Danny Kinahan took the overall top prize. His ‘Homage to Basil Blackshaw’ comprises four blocks of colour, with an etching of Parliament Building on each, and is based on Blackshaw’s piece...[full story]

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: The state of sport

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Northern Ireland’s sportsmen and women are enjoying a run of successes one year before London 2012. agendaNi sums up the year so far and the province’s sporting plans. It’s clear that Northern Ireland is excelling at sport in 2011. At the highest level stand the golfing achievements of Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke, following on from Graeme McDowell’s victory last year (see pages 106-107). Major personal achievements have also been chalked up by our athletes. Jason Smyth set a new Northern Ireland 100m record (10.22), a 0.1 second improvement on his previous best. Fifteen year...[full story]

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: Ministerial Q&A – Carál Ní Chuilín

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
agendaNi asks Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín about her priorities and commitments over the new Assembly’s term. In brief, what are your ambitions for sport? One of the five priorities of the Executive is to promote tolerance, inclusion, health and well-being. Sport is a key vehicle for achieving this. Greater physical activity reduces obesity and promotes well-being, which improves physical and mental health. This, in turn, has benefits across society, both tangible and intangible. Sport can and does make a very real difference in people’s lives: people of all ages, backgrounds...[full story]

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