Tommy Gallagher: SDLP politician dies at the age of 82
'A constant force for good'
The SDLP leader and MP for South Belfast, Claire Hanna, described him as "a towering figure" in Fermanagh and "a constant force for good" in his native Belleek."He leaves behind a lasting legacy not only in politics, but as a teacher, a GAA player and coach and someone who always worked for the betterment of his local community," Hanna said."His loss will be felt far across the political spectrum, such is the esteem he was held in by colleagues from all parties." She said the SDLP stalwart would be warmly remembered for the difference he made to the lives of the young people he taught and those he coached and played alongside over many years."Tommy got involved in the SDLP and politics at a very difficult time and he was rightly proud of the role he played as part of the SDLP team leading up to the Good Friday Agreement. "He did his part to deliver peace on this island and build a better future for our young people."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
3 hours ago
- Spectator
What Suella Braverman's plan for quitting the ECHR gets right
This morning's paper on leaving the ECHR from Suella Braverman and the Prosperity Institute doesn't say much that hasn't been said somewhere before. It reiterates the fairly obvious political case for a UK ECHR exit. It talks about the erosion of sovereignty over immigration, policing and vast swathes of social policy; the baneful 'living instrument' doctrine that means we have now effectively given a blank cheque to a self-selecting and unaccountable bench to second-guess our democratic process in ever more intrusive ways; the Strasbourg court's arrogation of powers, such as the right to order interim measures never contemplated in 1950; and so on. The paper then goes in detail through the legal machinery of disentanglement, starting with the obvious point that the Convention itself provides for a right to leave on giving six months' notice, and then describing the legislative and administrative processes involved. But don't be fooled. This may not be exciting reading (Suella is, after all, a lawyer); but the appearance of this document at this time matters a lot. One very significant point is that the paper in one place meets head-on the arguments lazily trotted out as slam-dunk wins for the case against withdrawal. Does the UK's good reputation depend on ECHR membership? Doubtful. There are plenty of countries not members of regional agreements that are admirably free (think Canada and Australia), not to mention ECHR members that, shall we say, leave something to be desired (stand up, Azerbaijan). Reform the ECHR from within? We've tried that, and it's had no effect in the areas that matter. Tweak the Human Rights Act? It won't work with the Strasbourg court sitting in the background waiting to pounce. The right of the EU to withdraw police cooperation under the Withdrawal Agreement if we denounce the ECHR? Bring it on, and if need be, call their bluff. They have as much to lose as we have: it's a small risk, and one worth taking. What of the elephant in the room, the Good Friday Agreement? More awkward, but nothing insuperable here. For one thing, it doesn't actually bar the UK from withdrawing from the ECHR. Instead it talks much more vaguely of the incorporation of ECHR provisions in Ulster law and court remedies to enforce it. If necessary, there must be some political horse-trading here, and in the end, Westminster must be prepared to put its foot down and face down Irish nationalists if necessary in the interest of a common rights regime in the UK. To this extent, the Braverman document has continued the process of moving ECHR scepticism away from the fringe and placing it firmly in the range of the sayable and even politically plausible. More to the point, it also fills another void. So far, calls to ditch the ECHR have suffered from a similar difficulty to that which faced the Leave movement right up to the 2016 referendum and might well have tipped it into defeat: it has been heavy on criticism but light on practicalities. By laying down in some detail the measures to be taken to remove the ECHR from our law both in form and substance and opening these to debate, this may well reassure electors otherwise wavering. Looking more widely, today's events could just indicate a subtle shift in political tectonics. Doubts about the way the ECHR is chipping away at the institutions of this country are engaging electors who might previously have shrugged off human rights as something remote and unconcerning. Whenever they read of an undeserving visitor to this country allowed to stay, often at our expense as taxpayers, on the basis of family life here or possible beastliness abroad, they increasingly connect this with the ECHR; so too when, as a harassed commuter or housewife, they find they cannot go about their business because of some demonstration said to be protected by a European right to cause inconvenience to the public. Nor is it only electors. Teasingly, this morning's Telegraph said that Suella's proposals had cross-party backing not only from key figures on the Tory right (predictable: after all, even Kemi has said she is open to talk of abandoning the Strasbourg regime) and also from Reform, whose position has always been clear, but also from the DUP and even some from blue Labour (no names yet, but an educated guess might light on figures like Jonathan Brash, the free-thinking MP for Hartlepool). Whisper it quietly, but human rights scepticism is becoming the new mainstream. Defenders of the Strasbourg status quo are shrinking to an increasingly small caucus of senior Labour figures, Tory grandees and a motley collection of urban intellectuals and academics. It's quite possible that within a few years, ECHR enthusiasm will have declined to a niche interest in much the same way as, say, Euroscepticism did twenty years ago. Now that's a change worth contemplating.
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Hosting Open a ‘tribute' to people of Northern Ireland, says George Mitchell
It was a 'special treat' to return to Northern Ireland for the Open at Royal Portrush, former US senator George Mitchell has said. Mr Mitchell, who chaired the 1998 Good Friday negotiations to their successful outcome, said hosting the Open was a 'tribute to the people of Northern Ireland'. Advertisement Speaking to the PA news agency at the tournament on Sunday, Mr Mitchell said: 'It is a great pleasure for me to return to Northern Ireland at any time. 'I spent six years here working towards peace and I've had the pleasure of coming back often since then. 'This is a special treat for me because my son Andrew, who was born during the time I worked in Northern Ireland, is a very good golfer and very much interested in golf. 'And so the chance to travel with him back to Northern Ireland and to be at the Open is really, for me, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.' Advertisement The 91-year-old said: 'We've had a great time, he walked the entire course yesterday. I couldn't do that, but I enjoyed watching the golfers.' Mr Mitchell said he was hoping for a 'great outcome' on the final day of the Open. He said: 'For me, although I'm an American and proud of it, always will be, a very large part of my heart and my emotions will always be in Northern Ireland with the great people here.' The 153rd Open Championship was being held at Royal Portrush in County Antrim (Mike Egerton/PA) Asked about the progress made in Northern Ireland since the peace process, which now saw the region hosting high-profile international sporting events, Mr Mitchell said: 'I think too many people – here and elsewhere – associate Northern Ireland with political violence and upheaval. Advertisement 'But in fact, as we've seen over the last quarter-century, the people of Northern Ireland are energetic, intelligent, active and I think it is a great place to live, work, visit – whether you're here to watch a golf tournament or do anything else. 'So I think it is, in a way, a tribute to the people of Northern Ireland that the Open is here again and hopefully will be back again often.' He said: 'It is pretty hard to top Portrush on a beautiful weekend as has been the case this weekend, and so I look forward to coming back again.'
ITV News
4 days ago
- ITV News
Little-Pengelly ‘saddened and disappointed' by cancellation of sport summer camp
North Down Cricket Club has said its decision to cancel a children's camp in Comber involving young people from East Belfast GAA was not influenced, and had been taken before, any comment from Goldsprings Orange Lodge. In an updated statement on Thursday afternoon, the club said concerns were raised with it privately and later publicly on social media. Posting on Facebook today, the lodge said it supports cross-community initiatives but suggested the GAA "remains overtly political in its constitution". Cricket Ireland has made alternative plans for the camp, which was due to take place tomorrow. Earlier the Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, has expressed her disappointment at the cancellation of the cross-community sports camp. First Minister Michelle O'Neill also reiterated her dismay. On Wednesday, Cricket Ireland announced it plans to step in to arrange a similar sports camp at Stormont later this month. Speaking during a visit to the Open in Portrush on Thursday, Ms O'Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly both expressed disappointment at what had happened. Ms Little-Pengelly said 'while there are legitimate questions to be asked of the GAA around their lack of inclusion, this is not the time or place'. 'Sport can be a great unifier,' she said. It's been really disappointing, very saddened to see that the club felt that they had to cancel this particular summer camp. 'I've reached out, and I've been speaking to the North Down Cricket Club. 'Of course, there are legitimate questions to be asked of the GAA around their lack of inclusion and the barriers that many feel to participation, but this is not the time or place. The time and place for that is not a children's summer camp. 'Cricket has been a great unifier right across all different types of religions, races, politics, we see that play out every single week, and I think it's really disappointing that these young people won't get that opportunity to play cricket at that summer camp but I'm continuing to work with the club, and with others, to see what the opportunities may be in the future.' Michelle O'Neill said: 'I was so deeply disappointed that anyone thought it was appropriate to advocate that these kids should not be invited along. 'For kids to come together through the medium of sport. It's just something that should always be a positive experience. So it makes me really sad to actually hear that someone doesn't want those kids to be invited. 'It's just totally not acceptable. Young people should play sport together, young people from all different backgrounds should always be encouraged to come together.' Ms O'Neill added she was 'quite dismayed by the fact that somebody thought it was appropriate to actually advocate against that'.
