Opinion

PSNI policy on paramilitaries under spotlight following Boreland murder

Newton Emerson

Newton Emerson

Newton Emerson writes a twice-weekly column for The Irish News and is a regular commentator on current affairs on radio and television.

In her first interview since leaving as former secretary of state, Theresa Villiers argues that the UK should adopt a Australian-style points immigration system. Picture by Ann McManus
In her first interview since leaving as former secretary of state, Theresa Villiers argues that the UK should adopt a Australian-style points immigration system. Picture by Ann McManus In her first interview since leaving as former secretary of state, Theresa Villiers argues that the UK should adopt a Australian-style points immigration system. Picture by Ann McManus

THE PSNI has defended its practice of treating paramilitaries as community leaders, following the loyalist murder of UDA ex-‘brigadier’ John Boreland. In a statement it said: “the reality of policing in a post conflict and divided society is that sometimes challenging conversations need to take place and police are therefore prepared to engage with those who can constructively assist us in keeping people safe. Our code of ethics and our statutory obligations guide us in such engagements.” Few would doubt the need for ugly pragmatism in Northern Ireland but why does it seem to err so much in one direction? There rarely seems to come a point where leading loyalists in particular are considered insufficiently constructive, despite the PSNI’s overwhelming ethical and statutory obligation to arrest them.

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As insults go, calling someone “more of a Chihuahua [than an] attack dog” barely qualifies as rude. UUP MLA Steve Aiken, who earned this barb from Arlene Foster, took it as an unwitting compliment and tweeted a picture of a Chihuahua baring its teeth. The real reason the first minister’s opponents seized on her remark is that it epitomises her continuing inability to bring graciousness and gravitas to her role. The fact that Aiken was questioning the DUP’s stance on Brexit made the Chihuahua riposte worse, as Foster’s first defining test as a leader is reconciling her position on Europe to the view of Northern Ireland as a whole. Peter Robinson also had a sharp tongue and a temper but he knew to rein it in before he reached the top. Could he not have taught his favoured pet that one simple trick?

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An enormous rat was smelled last year when Kincora was omitted from Westminster’s historic child abuse inquiry. Former secretary of state Theresa Villiers insisted the separate Northern Ireland institutional abuse inquiry examine it instead, although it lacks Westminster’s powers to compel witnesses and evidence from the rest of the UK, most notably from the intelligence services. However, the Westminster inquiry has since been thrown into limbo by the departure of its third chair in two years, while the Northern Ireland inquiry has managed to get a deputy director of MI5 to appear before it, if only anonymously and by video link. Perhaps things have worked out as well as was ever likely.

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Theresa Villiers has given her first interview since being ousted from the cabinet, telling the Daily Telegraph the UK must adopt an Australian-style points-based immigration system. This has caused the SDLP to accuse her of “going back on assurances she made before the EU referendum” that there would be “no return of a hard border in Ireland.” The SDLP does not seem to realise that London and Dublin have always coordinated their immigration policies to maintain the common travel area, with the Republic remaining outside the EU’s Schengen zone so that this could continue. New UK immigration rules will not apply between both parts of Ireland - they will apply around both Britain and Ireland.

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Whenever the Orange Order is criticised, a certain kind of unionist likes to point to the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Everyone else then rolls their eyes at such laughable whataboutery, given the AOH’s small size and general inoffensiveness. But that was before Tyrone AOH president and ‘prominent republican’ Gerry McGeough told a US radio interview that Catholic judges and prosecutors in Northern Ireland are “traitors” who “we will deal with” come the Celtic Paradise. In response, the AOH said McGeough will not be disciplined as his right-wing sectarian ranting was done in a personal capacity. This so perfectly matches the dubious morality we have come to expect from Grand Lodge that orange-green balance is in sight, contributing in no small way to political stability. Bravo!

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The Stormont executive has a well-staffed and resourced press office, issuing ministerial statements in a standard format via a centralised website. Yet Sinn Féin finance minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir continues to build a parallel online promotional empire, including a Facebook page featuring pictures of himself and an email newsletter featuring thoughts from himself. This all uses the executive’s branding and imagery and is linked from its website but its official standing is unclear and no other minister has anything like it. While Facebook is free, the newsletter is distributed by MailChimp, a marketing service for small businesses that charges for more than 2,000 subscribers. If and when the minister has 2,000 subscribers, who will be paying the fee?

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UTV is to drop its late evening news programme after being purchased by ITV, ending what must be one of the most cost-effective current affairs broadcasts in television history. By rostering staff and recycling footage across the organisation, UTV in its prime could put out a half-hour ratings-busting bulletin for less than Stephen Nolan’s daily parking tickets. A producer once told me she had made an entire edition for £150, which may have been a slight exaggeration. Still, reports that ITV has swung the axe for both scheduling and budgetary reasons suggest pennies are being pinched to a desperate extent.

newton@irishnews.com