intouch web

8/9/2019 InTouch Web

1/16

1

in touchDiscussing the issues that affect theresidents of South BelfastConall McDevitt, South Belfast MLA

A community publication from Conall

McDevitt SDLP member of the NI Assembly

StreetsAblazeSouthBelfastMLAConallMcDevitton

thecostofviolence


2/16

2 Summer 2010in touch

SDLP members have

staged a protest atStormont against

the Public Assemblies,Parades and Protests Bill.

The bill criminalises anyparade, protest or assembly of

more than 50 people where37 days notice is not given.

South Belfast MLA ConallMcDevitt (pictured withparty members including

leader Margaret Ritchie) hascondemned the bill as an

infringement on human rights.These proposals are

Stalinist and totally at oddswith the promotion of

diversity and tolerance.

KilltheBill!

South Belfast MLA Conall McDevitt (pictured with Cllrs NicholaMallon and Niall Kelly) has welcomed the introduction of alleygatingin areas around South Belfast. Speaking on the issue, McDevitt

has said: Alleygates have proven very effective in reducing anti-social behaviour and improving safety for all residents in the area.

McDevitt has called on the Minister for Justice to increase fundingin order to extend the scheme.

An SDLP public meeting on

the importance of elderly safe-

ty has been hailed as a great

success. The meeting was

attended by the local commu-

nity, PSNI representatives,

Age Concern Help and Age NI.

SDLP MLA Conall McDevitt

has vowed to work with the

local communities to create

neighbourhood watch schemessaying: These schemes have

proven to be very successful

in other areas throughout the

North, and it is my vision that

we can prove them to be every

bit as effective in South Bel-

fast.

Alley-great! SDLP lead the way onstressing the importanceof elderly safety

Below:Cllr Bernie

Kelly (farleft) and

MLA ConallMcDevitt (far

right) attenda public

meetingcalled by the

SDLP on theimportance

of elderlysafety.


3/16

3

Who are mypublic representatives?

It was one of the greatexperiences of my life to have

represented the people of

South Belfast as a Councillor,

MLA and Minister. However,

the time has come to move

on and I am very happy that

Conall McDevitt has succeeded

me as MLA. He is able and

articulate, young and dynamic,

and brings great energy andcommitment to his work as an

MLA.

We are fortunate in the

calibre of our SDLP public

representatives; we have a

great team with Conall, our

councillors, Bernie Kelly

and Niall Kelly, and several

others waiting in the wings.

Im a believer in continual

renewal. Its what we needthroughout the North, and its

very important to give the next

generation a chance to affect

change.

Although moving on from

constituency work, I am

continuing to campaign on

a number of issues which I

championed in the Assembly,

including supporting thesurvivors of institutional abuse

and encouraging international

development.

It has been an absolute

privilege to represent you. I

capable hands of Conall, whom

I know will always strive to

passionately represent the

people of South Belfast.

Trailblazer retires

Outgoing South Belfast MLA,Carmel Hanna Continual renewal iswhat we need throughout the North

CommunityconsultationConall McDevitt wants to

hear from you! The South

Belfast MLA and his team will

be knocking on around 3,000

on both local and regional

issues. This will allow Conall

to effectively tackle the issues

that affect you. The three

most important issues raised

so far are:

1. Enhancing relationships

between communities.

2. Supporting local traders.

3. Community engagement

initiatives to reduce anti-

social behaviour, crime

and underage drinking.

To take part, please visit:tinyurl.com/conallmcd

Your MLAs for South Belfast

Your Councillors for Balmoral

Conall McDevitt

393a Lisburn Road

BelfastBT9 7EW

Tel 028 9068 3535Fax 028 9068 3503

[email protected]

Alasdair McDonnell MP

120a Ormeau Road

Belfast, BT7 2EBTel 028 9024 2474

Fax 028 9043 9935info@alasdair

mcdonnell.com

Niall Kelly

40 Grangeville Gardens

BelfastBT10 0HL

Tel [email protected]

Bernie Kelly

393a Lisburn Road

BelfastBT9 7EW

Tel 07710 [email protected]

Carmel Hanna wishes Conall McDevitt well asnew MLA for South Belfast.


4/16


Violence broke out

across many parts

of Northern Ireland

during the Twelfth

of July parading season. 82

was struck on the head with

a breeze block. Blast bombs,

bricks, stones and even golf

balls were hurled at police dur-

ing the riotous scenes involv-

ing children as young as eight.

In South Belfast, police

were attacked with paintbombs, missiles and at least

passed the Ormeau Bridge.

With images of the dis-

turbances beamed across the

globe, many fear that the

repercussions of such scenes

will stretch far beyond the

streets of Ardoyne.

South Belfast MLA Conall

McDevitt, who observed thechaos unfold in the area, said:

Counting the cost of the TwelfthRight:A scene from

the OrmeauBridge

during thedisturbances

of this yearsTwelfth of

July.

Images of the Ormeau Bridge

-

ment to this city. Neither can

we afford the cost of policing

and cleaning up after these

disruptions.

that the bad press could seri-

ously undermine the upcoming

US-NI Economic Conference,

threatening to scupper poten-

tial US investment.

Whilst the North boasts a

well-educated workforce, high-speed connectivity and low

operating cost environment,

securing the attendance of

leading executives may become

this years Twelfth holiday.

P

olice have been broadly

praised for their efforts

to stop the riotousscenes. However, many

have criticised DUP-SFs per-

ceived inaction.

PSNI assistant chief con-

stable Alistair Finlay, criti-

cised First Minister Peter

Robinson and Deputy First

Minister Martin McGuinness,

remarking on their relative

silence prior to July 12th and

Those of us who witnessed the

violence on the Ormeau Bridgeduring the Twelfth know that the

youths involved are not repre-sentative of the lower Ormeau

community. Their actions mustbe condemned.

But the sad reality is that a

minority on both sides see theTwelfth as an opportunity to

behave inappropriately.Every year in my street, the

parade leaves a trail of litter andurine as it passes through. That

is the courtesy some marchersand their supporters show.

Celebrations of culture and faith in neutral spaces-Not on residential streets Conall McDevitt, South Belfast MLA

No matter what way you

dress it up, if you are not anOrange supporter and bands

come marching up your street,it feels like an invasion.

This does not happenwhen parades pass throughneutral spaces, such as city

centres. That is why I believeOrange parades should respect

residential areas and focus oncreating welcoming celebra-

tions of their culture andfaith in neutral spaces

and not on resi-dential streets.

Millions: The amount of taxpayers pounds squandered in attempting toquell the chaotic scenes of this years Twelfth of July riots. Whilst this

it is feared that the long term damage to jobs, tourism and the global

perception of Northern Ireland will cost much more. Is it now time for aserious debate on how to deal with the contentious parades issue?


5/16

5

A separate butequal vision of

Northern Irelandwont addressthe underlying

prejudice evident

on our streetsConall McDevitt,

South Belfast MLA

in the immediate aftermath.

strategic leadership, he said.

South Belfast MLA Conall

McDevitt said: It is time to

acknowledge that the SF-

DUP approach to paradingwill do nothing

to break this

cycle.

A separate

but equal vision

of Northern

Ireland wont

address the

-

udice evident onour streets, he

said.

McDevitt

also said it is

vital for the SF-DUP coalition

to show more serious commit-

ment for a community rela-

tions and reconciliation policy,

and increase investment in

children.

Children should be put at

the heart of everything we do.

As a region we treat children

very poorly. We dont invest in

early years or primary schools;

only last month Caitrona

Ruane withdrew importantfunding for com-

munity rela-

tions work with

young people.

Then we won-

der why chil-

dren come out

to riot, he said.

Mr McDe-

vitt urged theDUP and SF to

withdraw their

much-criticised

public assem-

blies bill and engage all parties

in designing an effective policy.

There is much to discuss,

but the solution does not lie

with the police; it lies with gov-

ernment, McDevitt said.

Above:Police

observe aburning car

wreckage inthe Ardoyne

area duringthe Twelfth

riots.

I know that if I had enough

money to invest somewhere,the land that my parents came

from would absolutely bethe last place I would do so. I

wonder where they will all be

of putting money into thatblack hole?

Canadian web user (CBCWebsite)

Having grown up in NorthernIreland but resided on the

mainland for the last 10 years,I see the situation there

as completely farcical. I am

embarrassed to hail froma country which only evermakes the headlines due to

a backward and blinkeredminority, and a political system

which constantly appeases it.Richard Jones, London

(BBC Website)

Grow up and move on withyour lives. We are sick of it. If

they dont want to stop, leavethem to it, and stop all funding

from the mainland. We coulddo with reducing our spending,

especially on unruly idiots...Pathetic!

Dan Malone, Liverpool(BBC Website)

It was a bit like a Euro Disney

theme park for rioting. It wasludicrous.

Fr Gary Donegan, Ardoyne

The cost of policing last

night...is the equivalent ofa ward in a hospital. Its the

equivalent of a primary school.Chief Constable Matt

Baggott

Global View

What did otherpeople make of

this years Twelfthtrouble?

Follow Conall McDevitt on Twittertwitter.com/conallmcd


6/16


20s plenty for South Belfast

Mr McDevitt has

been working

closely with

residents in his

campaign to reduce the speed

limit from 20 to 30mph. SouthBelfast householders have

been increasingly worried and

frustrated due to many side

streets being used and abused

by drivers as rat runs in

With a vision to redesign

and reconceptualise the streets,

Mr McDevitt has been at the

forefront of this campaign andhas been working closely with

the people of South Belfast, as

well as other concerned lobby

groups.

Further to a Freedom

of Information Request

submitted by McDevitt to

the PSNI in June, it was

discovered that not one single

by the PSNI for a speedingoffence on a sample of rat runs

between Lisburn and Malone

Road. This is the case despite

the existence of a police station

at the bottom of Adelaide

Park and Cranmore Park.

Questioning this revelation,

McDevitt said: We must

challenge the PSNI on this

point and discover whether thepolice are simply ignoring the

problem.

Mr McDevitt calls for a

change in attitude in the way

we drive and travel. The MLA

believes that a decrease in

speed along with redesigning

the streets will make them

accessible, inviting, and safe

for cyclists and pedestrians.

Why 20 really is plenty

If hit by a car at 30mph

death. If hit by a car at 20mphthe chance of death is reduced

to one in forty. 20mph zones in London

have shown a 42% reduction

in all casualties within 20mphzones compared with 30mph

areas. Lower speeds on

residential roads make themmore attractive for cyclists and

pedestrians.

SDLP MLA Conall McDevitt arriving at Parliament Buildings on his 18mile return daily commute from the Lisburn Road. Mr McDevitt purchased

his bike tax free on the ride to work scheme and saves the public 7.20a day by choosing this mode of transport. McDevitt challenges all other

MLAs to join him in his efforts to travel healthily and lead by example.

On your bike!

Prevention rather than

cure is the key to change.

Simply putting in speed bumps

will act only as a short term

measure whereas changing

the attitude of drivers will

create a long term solution tothe problem. My vision is to

redesign the streets.

Public support for this

campaign is incredible. I would

like to thank all those who

got in touch to express their

views, as they are greatly

appreciated. he said.

Currently advocating a reduction in the speed limit in urban residential

areas from 30mph to 20mph, MLA Conall McDevitt is calling on theAssembly to back his proposals to change the law.

Myvisionis toredesignthe

streets.ConallMcDevitt


7/16

7

Education

Pre-school

pressuremounts onparents

Local MLA Conall

McDevitt has

expressed his concern

over Education Minis-

ter Caitrona Ruanes failureto satisfy demand for nursery

school places in the South Bel-

fast area.

Mr McDevitt said: AgainMinister Ruane has failed to

deliver on her promise to pro-

vide a pre-school place for eve-

ry child in his/her immediate

pre-school year.

This has become an annu-

al problem which has left frus-

trated parents with no choice

but to look to the private sec-

tor. The private sector should

holes left by the Ministers

funding cuts, he said.

Mr McDevitt added: Fami-

lies should never be left with-

out provision for their children.

The issue must be addressed

and resolved by the next school

year so that every child is ade-

quately provided for.

As an Intensive Care doctor,

I am aware both of the tragicconsequences of road accidents

and of the various initiatives on

place. There is no doubt that20mph results in fewer acci-

dents, fewer deaths and fewerserious injuries than 30mph.

Speeding in Osborne Park isextremely dangerous and

an accident waiting tohappen. This is a busy park

with children walking toand from school and res-

idents coming and going.Anything to reduce the

speed and promote personal

safety is very welcome.

We fear it will be a mat-ter of time before someone is

hurt. The current situation isextremely dangerous and we

believe corrective action mustbe taken as a matter of urgen-cy.

Our streets are being used as

thoroughfares between thebusy Malone Road and the

even busier Lisburn Road andon countless occasions I have

witnessed outrageous epi-sodes of speeding.

On the ground

Community CommentsConall McDevitt sought feedback from South Belfast residents on his 20mph initiative.Below are some of the comments received from householders:

Again MinisterRuane has

failed to deliveron her promise to

providing a pre-school place for

every childin his/her immediate

pre-school year.

Conall McDevitt, South

Belfast MLA


8/16


OutandAbout

inSouthBelfast

Conall and Soniarun for Concern

Olympic legend Sonia OSullivan was in Belfast

to train some of those running for ConcernWorldwide in this years Belfast Marathon.


9/16

9

South Belfast SDLP MLA Conall

McDevitt has welcomed theintroduction of the new Lisburn

Road Courtesy Bus Initiative, say-ing: This is a fantastic idea and

a great opportunity for traderson the Lisburn Road. It will help

to ensure that the Lisburn Roadremains an accessible and desir-

able shopping destination for all.After the success of the trial in

May, Hugo Finlay from the Lis-burn Road Business Association

said: For too long the main mar-keting and promotional message

for Belfast has been orchestrat-ed by big name national compa-

nies with big budgets. The LRBAintends to change that.

I hope to see the service

resuming in the autumn months,this time targeting the hotels and

tourists, Finlay said.

Bus boosts businessLeft: Conall McDevitt with

staff of NI Chest Heart andStroke.

Far Left: SDLP MLA ConallMcDevitt welcoming the Ulster

Museums recentsuccess on winning the Art

Fund Prize.Middle Left: Councillor Niall

Kelly converses with Secretaryof State of the United

States Hillary Clinton.Middle Far Left: ViceChair

of the All Party Group onInternational Development

Conall McDevitt, with theFormer British Minister for

Overseas Development MikeFoster.

Bottom Right: CouncillorBernie Kelly launching the

Senior Citizens Convention.Below: Conall McDevitt withSenator David Norris at the

Pride Talks Back debate.

Bottom: Conall McDevitt with

Queens Pro-Vice-Chancellor

Professor Tony Gallagher andGordon Douglas.

Read Conall McDevitts blogoconallstreet.com


10/16


C

onall McDevitt has

welcomed recent

progress in the cam-

for survivors of institutional

abuse. The South Belfast MLA

has been at the forefront of

the campaign acting as a rep-

resentative for the survivors.

A public inquiry into the

alleged abuse at state-funded

Catholic-run institutions is

sought by victims, along with

an apology from the First andDeputy First Ministers.

Mr McDevitt, who accom-

panied victims to a meeting at

Stormont in front of the First

and Deputy First Minister

said: There is no question in

my mind that there is a deter-

Minister and Deputy First

Minister to begin work on theissue and put it at the centre of

the Executives agenda.

This was a constructive

meeting which has shown

me, and the survivors whom I

represent, that the First and

First Step forward for victims of institutional abuse

Deputy First Minister can and

will acknowledge that children

were failed, McDevitt said.

The South Belfast MLA is

will be able to do something

that will try and draw a line

in the sand for the survivors of

abuse.

Facing criticism over the

cost of such public inquiries,

Conall

McDevittaccompanies

survivors of

institutionalabuse totheir meeting

with theFirst and

Deputy FirstMinisters.

South Belfast MP Dr.

Alasdair McDonnell

has challenged the

Republics Minister of

Finance to intervene in order

of First Trust Bank by its

Southern-based owner AlliedIrish Bank.

Dr. McDonnell, an

outspoken critic of unfair

banking practices, said that

the human impact in terms

devastating.

First Trust operates 48

full service branches, two Head

mean the loss of livelihoods for

all of these workers and their

families, he said.

Dr. McDonnell has written

to the Finance Minister Brian

Lenihan outlining his concerns

First Trust has built up a

strong customer loyalty base

current economic climate, that

is no mean achievement.

I am urging Minister

Lenihan to positively intervene

to save the livelihood of so

many people, Dr. McDonnell

said.

McDonnell fights to save First Trust Bank

Finance

Left:Dr. Alasdair

McDonnellhas written

to theFinance

MinisterBrian Lenihan

outlining hisconcernsregarding any

First Trust

Bank

Mr McDevitt has also said that

he does not believe the process

equals a blank cheque being

handed to lawyers.

The survivors will accept aprocess of inquiry that is both

time and cost limited. They do

not want the inquiry to end up

costing the state a dispropor-

tionate amount of money.


11/16

11

Several large-scale plan-

ning developments

have threatened to

have a detrimental

impact upon neighbourhoods

within South Belfast. How-

ever, South Belfast residents

groups I have worked with in

opposing these developments

have shown a resilience whichis truly commendable.

The Piney Hills residents

group is of particular com-

mendation as they have con-

sistently challenged planning

decisions that could change the

character of their area.

Piney Hills has been tar-

geted by developers, which

could be damaging to the char-acter of the local area.

The Dub Lane residents

group has also adopted a pro-

active approach: they fought

against an application by

Queens University to build

residential homes on a near-

-

ing concern about the impact

of more housing in an already

congested area.Queens University needs

to be more open and trans-

parent about developments.

Whilst we are very proud of

institution in South Belfast,Queens have a poor record of

engaging with local residents.

Sitting on the Councils

Town Planning Committee

and working with residents

groups has convinced me of the

need for residents to have the

right to appeal applications.

I would therefore encourage

anyone who has an issue with

any planning developments tocontact me.

South Belfast residents groups deserve praise

Bernie KellySDLP South Belfast Councillor

Securing cross-party

support for individuals

with autism and their

families through a

motion I submitted to Council

was of great importance to me. After hearing a movin

account of how the disability

affected the life of a mother of

an autistic child who contacted

me, I brought the matter before

Council.

Autism is not covered in

Disability Discrimination

legislation, meaning that

individuals with autism haveno redress when they are

services.

I called for those with autism

and their relatives to have

improved rights and increased

supported by all political

parties in Belfast City Council.

Autism

M

y role as Chairper-

son of the SDLP

Womens Group,as well as work-

ing on the South Belfast

Partnership Board, allows

me to see the important role

women play in commu-

nity groups through-

out South Belfast. We

need to ensure that

their work is appreci-

ated and their voices

Womens affairs role will prove a welcome challenge

Womens affairs

are heard. This is something I

am deeply passionate about,

and so I was delighted to be -

person on Womens Affairs

by SDLP Leader Margaret

Ritchie.

It is important for de-

mocracy that women

are able to participate

fully in society and

play a part in decision

making.

393A Lisburn Rd

Belfast BT9 [email protected]

07710931323

Above:Cllr Bernie

Kelly, with

membersof thePiney Hills

residentsgroup

Council supportsmotion to help thoseaffected by autism


12/16


Student issues

South Belfast MLA

Conall McDevitt is

opposing proposals

which aim to drasti-

cally increase university stu-

dents tuition fees.

The Russell Group agroup which represents univer-

sities including Oxford, Cam-

bridge and Queens have pro-

posed that graduates should

be asked to start paying back

their student loans earlier and

at a higher interest rate.

Criticising the scheme, Mr

McDevitt said: The proposal

by the Russell Group of univer-

sities is short sighted and must

be opposed.

Mr McDevitt has urged stu-

dents and parents among oth-

-

tion towards the proposals.

Almost 7000 people haveregistered their disapproval of

the Russell Groups scheme via

a Facebook group initiated by

McDevitt. The SDLP member

plans to bring a petition to the

NI Assembly including all the

names in the Facebook group.

Join Facebook Group:tinyurl.com/2el6b7l

McDevitt launches oppositionto student fees proposals

South Belfast MLA

Conall McDevitt has

called on the larger par-

ties to show more proac-

tive leadership in the recovery

of the NI economy.

South Belfast has been vis-

ibly suffering due to the eco-

nomic downturn. Streets have

continued to decline, with

many established shops shut-

ting their doors. CDC Leisure,owners of the Limelight, have

also gone into administration.

McDevitt said: To date the

DUP-Sinn Fein led Executive

has failed to address the reces-

sion. Our local businesses do

not see any great leadership

from those in key government

departments,

Mr McDevitt criticised theDUPs indecision on the econ-

omy.

SDLP proposals to

campaign for a corpo-

ration tax reduction

to match the South

DUP-SF indecision costing jobs?

by Finance Minister, Sammy

Wilson. The Ministers stance

represents a sharp u-turn in

DUP policy, directly contra-dicting former Finance Min-

ister Peter Robinsons sup-

port of lowering NI

corporation tax.

Mr McDevitt has

criticised Mr Wil-

sons stance as pro-

foundly wrong.

The South Belfast MLA

emphasised the serious need

for a reduction in the NI cor-

poration tax, saying the issue

of negotiations with the new

British Government.

Mr McDevitt also urged

the SF-DUP Executive to con-

and sustainable local industry.

Lisburn Road

is one of theareas visibly

affected bythe economic

downturn.

MLA ConallMcDevitt

plans to bringa petition

against theRussell

Groupsproposalsto the NI

Assembly.


13/16

13

Households across

South Belfast have

received the Fix My

the past few weeks, and the

response has been remarkable.Launched in May, the Fix

My Street campaign is a fan-

tastic opportunity to drastical-

ly improve our neighbourhoods

and build a stronger, safer, and

cleaner South Belfast in which

to live. The scheme focuses on

dealing with problems such as

potholes, broken kerbstones,

I have been busy contacting

the various statutory agencies

to ensure that the issues which

residents have raised with

me will be addressed as soon

as possible. Please feel free

to contact me if you have any

issue that needs addressed.

Successfor

FixMyStreet

campaign

Niall KellySDLP South Belfast Councillor

Problem shared? Problem Solved!

Dog fouling in Orchardville: The dog warden

area to help tackle the problem.

Poor pavements in Ormonde and Upton: Iliased with Roads Service to discuss repairs and

devise a long term solution

Crossroads: Pressure put on Road Service to

Streetsahead: Fix

My Streethas helped

improve our

streets

Local government has been hit

by a number of scandals over

believe that we have a duty

to the ratepayers of Belfast toshow them how we make deci-

sions. Therefore, Belfast City

Councils decision to support

my motion calling for Council

meetings to be streamed

-

cant act of openness and

transparency.

The decision means

that all monthly meet-ings of Belfast City

Council next

year will be

streamed live

online and

archived

for later

view-

ing.

A landmark ofopenness andtransparency

Council on the net

People in the Finaghy

area are sick and tiredof looking at the green

monstrosity which

has replaced the old railway

bridge. This new bridge needs

work carried out on it so that

it no longer is the eyesore that

it has become. I have called

on the Minister for Regional

Development, Sinn Feins

Conor Murphy, to immediately

The ugliest bridge in Ireland?Railway Bridge

address residents concerns in

relation to the Finaghy railwaybridge by doing something to

improve its appearance.

The bridge has been dubbed

The Ugliest Bridge in Ireland

and it doesnt take much to see

why this is the case. The old

red brick bridge on the other

hand was a local landmark

the character of the area.Cllr Niall Kelly at the green monstrosity.

40 Grangeville Gardens

Belfast BT10 [email protected]

07828733125

Follow Niall Kelly on Twittertwitter.com/niallkellysdlp


14/16


Oideachas

Nl an cras aistrithe

dalta n bhunscoil

go dt an mhenscoil

in it an scrd

aistrithe 11+ ag obair i gceart

de reir Chonall McDevitt,

cras a chuir Caitrona

Ruane, Aire Oideachais anTuaiscirt i bhfeidhm. Fs, t

na scoileanna gramada ag

cuir scrdaithe iontrlacha ar

dhalta aistrithe agus t na

scoileanna neamroghnaocha

ag sid cras an Aire.

I riteas a deisigh an

McDevitt dirt s,

Is m anois n riamh lon

na ndalta i gceantair irithe

nach bhfuil ag tabhairt aghaidh

ar na scoileanna gramada

agus bonn tuismitheoir

ag roghn na scoileanna

neamhroghnaoch is fearr - d

bharr sin t barraocht ilimh

ar chuid de na scoileanna sin.

Mar gheall air sin, nldalta irithe cheantair

roghnacha na scoileanna

sin - na dalta is faide cona

uathu, agus t siad in ann

it a fhil ansin. Lena chois

sin t tuismitheoir irithe

taobh amuigh an ceantar

roghnaochta ag sid seolamh

na ngaolta le pist a fhil

isteach sna scoileanna sin.

Nl amhrasar bith nachbhfuil crasinoibreachcurtha in itan scrdaistr ithe 11+ag CitronaRuane agus

go bhfuilpist agustuismitheoirthos leis.

Cras aistrithe Ruane ag teip

B

elfast Councillors

Niall Kelly and Bernie

Kelly have pledged to

continue highlighting

residents concerns regard-

ing the Emerald Roadhouse

licensed bar/entertainments

venue.

The licensed site currently

occupied by Emerald Road-

house (formerly the Deven-

ish Arms) has been the sub-

with locals. Operating in a

residential area in Finaghy,

many have complained of late

night noise, revellers urinat-

ing in gardens, broken glass,

licensed premises.

The Emerald was granted

a new entertainments licence

by Belfast City Council inMarch . The licence, which was

from SDLP Councillors, means

that entertainment will once

again be provided on the site.

Cllr. Niall Kelly, who is now

the vice chair of the licensing

committee, has been actively

involved in trying to manage

the problems associated with

the site. The SDLP Councillor

said: We worked closely with

the management of the Deven-

ish, the PSNI and Belfast City

Council to ensure that this

problem was managed and I

am delighted that anti-social

behaviour in the area has been

drastically reduced.SDLP Councillors voted

against the Emerald Road-

house licence application as

local residents were not being

given the opportunity to voice

their concerns to the Council

and Emerald Roadhouse man-

agement at a public meeting.

In previous years, Councillors

Bernie Kelly and Niall Kellystaged a number of productive

public meetings to discuss the

site, ensuring the attendance

-

cials so that residents could

suitably voice their concerns.

Councillors represent concerned residents

Above:Cllrs NiallKelly and

Bernie Kellyoutside the

Devenish.

T fearg ar thuismitheoir

nach fidir a gcuid pistiteanna a fhil sna scoileanna

itila agus t cuid mhr

acu ag dul chuig an bhinse

achomhairc lena bhfil

isteach. Olc is uile mar at

an scal faoi lathair is measa

ars a bheas s m ironn cuid

de na grimearscoileanna as

tisteanna iontrla a sid.

Nl amhras ar bith nachbhfuil cras inoibreach curtha

in it an scrd aistrithe 11+

ag Citrona Ruane agus go

bhfuil pist agus tuismitheoir

thos leis. T prinn le

hathbhreithni a dhanamh

ar an chras aistrithe n beidh

s ina phriseach cheart ars

an bhliain seo chugainn mura

ndantar.

With the new Emeraldbusiness in its early stages,

Councillors Niall Kelly and

Bernie Kelly have also urged

residents to report any inci-

dents to them or contact the

PSNI.


15/16

15

What would you

say is your iden-

tity? Is it your

gender, you age,

your class even? Perhaps you

identify yourself as being Irish,

or alternatively, as a Britishcitizen. In Northern Ireland,

our identity is something that

The Troubles have created

a legacy of communities that

live apart. For too long people

have grown up and lived in

separate neighbourhoods, been

taught in separate schools,

followed different sports andhave been slow to share the

workplace. Make no mistake,

this segregation has fuelled

over the past

40 years, and

continues to

divide us in

our daily lives.

Is it even possible there-

fore, for people of differentviews and aspirations to have

a common, or shared identity?

When I talk to young north-

erners, it pleases me to meet

people who are proudly North-

ern and proudly Irish. Many

are proudly British too and

most happy to be Europeans.

This isnt a dilution of the

identity, but a realisation thatthere are many different facets

to what makes us whole.

There is now a genuine

cry going up in Northern Ire-

land for a new type of politics

Conall McDevitt South Belfast MLA

Finding the path to atruly shared society

Make nomistake, thissegregation

has fuelledthe conflictover the

past 40years, andcontinues

to divide usin our dailylives.

A final thought

not the outdated sectarian

bickering of old but poli-

tics of consensus-building and

partnership focused on prob-

lem solving: the politics of the

future rather than the politics

of the past.If we are to truly move for-

ward as a society, we must

learn to really live together,

respecting and acknowledg-

ing our differences, but also

embracing and furthering the

attributes we hold in common.

The real task of reconciling

end violence and to reduce ten--

way to a truly shared society; a

society which we can all iden-

tify with, and a future we can

all be proud of.This Shared Society is the

foundation for a new kind of

politics, and the philosophy on

which the Good Friday Agree-

ment is built.

To achieve this, we must

change, and change radically:

we need to make the North

work at a regional govern-

ment level. It also means get-ting serious about the econ-

omy because

we will

never

build

a strong all-Ireland economy if

we have a weak northern one.

We need to make the North a

place where sectarianism is

the real enemy and govern-

Those who are offering lit-

of tribal identity are actually

missing the point. There is an

enormous difference between

this vision of a Shared Soci-

ety which I believe in and the

uneasy coexistence that the

two parties leading our gov-

ernment seem to be content

with.SF-DUP have spent three

years dodging their responsi-

bility under the Good Friday

Agreement t

seek a shared

society. Facing

the last West-

minster elec-

-

ly begrudgingly produced a

Cohesion, Sharing and Inte-gration document, which pro-

vides no practical leadership

at all. It contains no serious or

The SDLP believes in a

United Ireland- Unambigu-

ously. But to work towards

this goal, we cannot be in deni-

al about Northern Ireland as a

region, or refuse to participatein British politics. We must

work towards a shared society,

so that everyone can see the

There is now a genuine cry going up in NorthernIreland for a new type of politics: the politics of the

future rather than the politics of the past.

Find Conall McDevit t on Facebookfacebook.com/conall.mcdevitt


16/16


South Belfast MLA

Conall McDevitt

has called on the

Executive to catch

up with the people of the

North in its approach to the

use of Fairtrade products.

McDevitt has discovered that

there is no option to purchase

Fairtrade cotton uniforms or

bed linen in the Health Service

while the Minister for Edu-cation Caitrona Ruane has

aware of a single school which

includes a Fairtrade option in

its school meals contracts.

With Belfast being the

only city to be awarded both

UK and Ireland Fairtrade sta-

tus, it would be expected that

this leadership would comefrom the top down, and not the

Fairtrade Forward?People lead, Executive follows

bottom up. Fairtrade status

means showing a commitment

to the use of Fairtrade prod-

ucts, but one must ask where

this commitment is in reality,

McDevitt said.

Calling on the Ministers

to ensure the use of Fairtrade

products is promoted within

departments, McDevitt said:

The Executive is totally out

of step with thinking in theNorth, where it is the consum-

ers who have embraced Fair-

trade; sales are doubling every

year. It is time the Executive

caught up and showed a real

commitment to the developing

world by creating sustainable

trade opportunities for small

nations.

The SDLP sees climate change - and in particular

its impact on poverty - as the pressing globalissue of our time. Central to

SDLP values is the concept ofthinking globally, and acting

locally.In South Belfast the

SDLP team has beeninvolved in the Transition

Town project, which aims

to the problems ofclimate change by

looking at ways toimprove transport,

local food, health,energy generationand links with local

government.

More information

Visitwww.TransitionTownBelfast.org, or contactClaire Hanna on 07729208258.

Claire Hanna, SDLP International Secretaryand Windsor Representative

Think global, act local

Useful information

Conall McDevitt MLA393a Lisburn RoadBelfast, BT9 7EW

Tel 028 9068 3535Fax 028 9068 3503

Alasdair McDonnell MLA, MP120a Ormeau RoadBelfast, BT7 2EB

Tel 028 9024 2474Fax 028 9043 9935

Cllr Niall Kelly

40 Grangeville GardensBelfast

BT10 0HLTel 07828733125

Cllr Bernie Kelly393a Lisburn Road

BelfastBT9 7EW

[email protected]

facebook.com/conall.mcdevitttwitter.com/conallmcd

[email protected]

[email protected]/niallkellysdlp

[email protected]

Community ConsultationTo take part in Conall McDevitts community

consultation, please visit:tinyurl com/conallmcd

If you wish to report an issue with your

please contact your local representative.

Fix My Street

Published by Conall McDevitt MLA, 393a Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7EWDesigned and produced by Brendan Hughes and Aoife Clayton.

intouch web

Documents