The March of Progress, Google Maps Style

A wee while ago, I was arranging to meet up with a friend for a chat. We wondered where would be convenient to meet, and Costa at Holywood Exchange was suggested. Not knowing there was a Costa at Holywood Exchange (beside Ikea in Belfast), I took to technology to discover where it was. Google Maps is always my friend, and especially their amazing Streetview function. You get to see what places look like before you go there, so you know what to look out for, or which lane to be in.

While perusing Streetview on Google Maps, I discovered that their images, built up over several years have provided a glimpse into the development of the Holywood Exchange retail park, and the building of the Costa coffee shop. Three images, side by side, on one roundabout show the absence, construction, and finished article.

Here's the first, from May 2010.

The site is just waste ground, with the hint of what may be coming, the fence securing the site.

Fast forward to June 2012.

The steelwork of the building is now in place, but there's no hint of any coffee aroma yet - apart from the workmens' flasks.

Finally, we have the most recent image, from April 2015.

Costa is open for business, the building complete and full of customers.

Now, it may well be that I'm the only person on the planet who thinks this is interesting or amazing. I'm fully prepared for that! But isn't technology amazing, to show how one little site in the corner of a carpark has been developed, coming along in stages, progress being made, and only really properly seen in hindsight.

That's one of the reasons I (try to) keep a journal. Little markers along the way, charting moments of growth and progress, giving me the opportunity to look back, to see where I've come from, to celebrate what God is doing. The wasteland is showing signs of life. A new building is emerging - not a coffee emporium, but the temple of the living God as we living stones are built together. That's much more exciting than an espresso or a latte.

Book Reviews: The Day of the Jack Russell and Dr Yes

I've previously written about how much I enjoy Colin Bateman's books. Over the course of the summer, I read another couple of his, both from the Mystery Man series. The (fictional) owner of the (real life) No Alibis bookshop in Belfast doesn't just sell crime fiction, he also stars in it. Buoyed by his first successful mystery solved, and with a blossoming relationship with the jewellery shop assistant from across the road, and plagued by his mother, the stories continue to entertain as weird stuff happens and crimes are solved.

The Day of the Jack Russell (a title based on The Day of the Jackal) centres around the death and kidnapping of the Chief Constable's Jack Russell dog. What is its real significance in a world where grafitti artists are murdered and M15 seem to be involved? It's a rip-roaring tale that will make you bark with laughter. Seriously!

Dr Yes moves the story on to the dodgy world of plastic surgery, disappearances and murders. Is it all really as glamorous as it seems? Is beauty only skin deep? What lies beneath? The plot unravels like the bandages from a face lift, to reveal a glorious end result, with a few twists and turns along the way.

Both novels are written from the point of view of Mystery Man himself, with all the wry observations, cutting wit and weird personality quirks that brings (for example, working his way through the Starbucks menu item by item). They're a gift for Northern Irish people, with a very distinctive Ulster humour, but being recommended by the Richard and Judy book club, seem to make the transition to wider British culture. Expect lots of puns and jokes along the way.

If you fancy a chuckle, and want something a wee bit different to the standard crime novel, give these a go - but start with Mystery Man, the first in the series. These will make better sense in that order! The Day of the Jack Russelland Dr. Yesare both available for Kindle from Amazon.

Book Review: Mystery Man

You're probably fed up hearing of the latest Colin Bateman book I've read. This is the last one for a wee while! Bateman's books fall into several different categories. There are the stand alone novels which deal with a character and then finish, often catastrophically. There are the Dan Starkey novels, following the actions and inactions of Belfast's worst journalist. There are the Murphy's Law books (which I haven't started yet), which were turned into a TV series. And there's the Mystery Man series, partly based on the real life No Alibis bookshop on Botanic Avenue.

The first in the series, appropriately entitled Mystery Man, follows the owner of a failing bookshop, who, through a series of strange occurrences becomes a private investigator. The first case, involving a stolen pair of expensive leather trousers, soon develops into a much more sinister turn of events, with, as you've come to expect from Bateman's books, a murder or two.

The book is a romp through the world of book publishers, Nazi secrets, dancing and serial killers, with lots of black humour and laugh out loud moments as the jokes, puns, and accidents roll in thick and fast. If you've loved anything by Bateman, this will be no exception, and will spur you to continue onto the next in the series. Mystery Man is available from Amazonand for Kindle.

The Orange Order: Faith Proclaimed or Feet Parading?

The other day, I was in a national shop in a local town. The assistants are always polite, always friendly, mostly chatty. Picking up and scanning the copy of The Irish News I was buying, the lady quickly made a few assumptions and asked me who would win on Sunday. I had to confess that I didn't know what she was talking about. It turns out it was the GAA Football Ulster Final yesterday between Donegal and Monaghan, which was won by Monaghan 0-13 to 0-7, although I couldn't have told you that without looking.

The assumptions were plain and obvious - buy the Irish News, be a Roman Catholic / Nationalist / Republican, and chat about Gaelic Football. It's precisely because those assumptions are in place (similarly, probably with those on the 'other side' who buy the Newsletter) that I wanted to share a couple of articles from The Irish News last week. Many who need to read them would never ever pick up a copy of The Irish News - but perhaps they'll read them here.

They are both by William Scholes, the faith and religion editor, and were published on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th July. First up, 'Faith proclaimed becoming lost to order's feet proclaiming.'

In it, he explores the 'juggernauts of religion, culture and politics' colliding for the Orange Order. Reflecting on the scenes from the Woodvale Road after they were banned from returning along the Crumlin Road past Ardoyne shops, he says, 'Sorting out where it stands on faith would seem to be central to that.' As he declares, 'Something has clearly gone badly wrong for the Orange Order, certainly in Belfast, if feet parading has become more important than faith proclaimed.'

While recognising that Belfast is a case apart, and in other places, such as Fermanagh, the Twelfth is an entirely different kind of a day, it all comes down to identity:

It seems to be a question of identity. If the Christian's identity lies "in Christ", then while flags, parades and other expressions of culture can remain vitally important, they are no all-consuming.

My thought is on how the actions of attacking the police can be a witness to the love of Christ and his concern for the lost.

The second article came a day later, entitled 'Orange Order needs to have critical friends.'

Scholes focuses on the debate in the recalled Stormont Assembly on Tuesday on the parades issue.

There was going to be a showdown. And after a weekend of violence, intemperate words and the usual blame game, this wouldn't just be any old showdown.
It would be Achilles stepping out of his tent on the Plain of Scamander and confronting Hector at the gates of Troy. It would be King Henry V at Agincourt on Saint Crispin's Day.
But in the end, it was more like Noggin the Nog. Or was it Mike the Knight?
Tuesday's debate at the recalled assembly was the build up to the let-down, at least for anyone expecting a full-on blood on the carpet battle..
For anyone who clings to the belief that politics is the answer to our problems, there were glimmers of hope to be discerned.

The end point and conclusion of his opinion piece should provide a plan for the future:

It is highly tempting for the silent majority of the Protestant community - as if it were a homogeneous bloc in the first place - to allow its apathy towards the Orange Order in Belfast to turn into disavowal.
But that would be a mistake. If Orange ears are apparently shut to nationalists, then it is for other Proetstants to help them see another way.
Some might prefer the order to stop paying lip service to a Christianity its actions at Woodvale contradict but as long as being "Christ-centred" is part of its DNA, Church leaders in particular will have a duty to be involved.

Two important articles, albeit almost entirely hidden away from the eyes who most need to see them, because they're appearing in the Irish News. We give thanks for the peaceful parade / protest on Saturday, but the order needs to find a new way forward, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the whole community as a matter of first priority.

Note: Both articles are used with the permission of the author, William Scholes.

Book Review: Divorcing Jack

Colin Bateman's books came highly recommended from a friend and former colleague. He told me about a night that he was reading such a book in bed, and ended up laughing so much and so hard that he woke his sleeping wife! Coming very late to the Bateman party, I nevertheless decided to keep an eye out for them, and where better to start than his very first novel, Divorcing Jack. Even better, it was bought in a charity shop in Bangor for the princely sum of 50 pence, with two others. Due to the need to switch off the Kindle during take off and landing on the aeroplane, I decided to begin my holiday with a dead tree book, this very one. And I laughed so much!

Divorcing Jack follows the lead character of Dan Starkey, a newspaper columnist in Belfast during the mid 1990s. After sharing one kiss with a woman not his wife, he is propelled into a high speed murder mystery chase around Belfast, Bangor, and the fictional town of Crossmaheart with an American reporter in tow, encountering many memorable characters, such as the Jack Russell, Mouse, the Alliance Prime Minister-in-waiting, a stripping nun, and terrorists of all sorts and shades. At times the action is gruesome; the language colourful; the characters fierce; but it all comes together with many groan-inducing puns which delighted me!

Here's a taster of Bateman's knowing asides and puntastic puns:

'I was brought up with Protestant tastes. Plain and simple.'

'His accent wasn't Belfast, but it wasn't country enough to be annoying.'

'Not so much a question of Finishing School as never having finished school.'

'God didn't reply, but then He was probably moving in mysterious ways.'

On meeting the nun: 'She gave me a look that was more Armalite than Carmelite.'

Reader beware that all human life is here, with the attendant language and actions, but in the end (with lots of unexpected twists to the last page) it's a satisfying read, full of Bateman's characteristic black humour which may be appreciated by a wider audience, but will go down well with the folks at home in Ulster.

Every Day a Holi-Day

Belfast is becoming a cosmopolitan city. The influx of new people groups has led to a rise in the number of community festivals. Indeed, rather than just orange and green, the city explodes in a rainbow of colours for lots of feasts and festivals.

At the weekend, there was the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi (the Festival of Colours) at the Kings Hall. Icedcoffee had a report and lots of pictures, but it was the description of the festival that caught my attention:

In most areas, Holi lasts about two days. One of Holi’s biggest customs is the loosening strictness of social structures, which normally include age, sex, status, and caste. Holi closes the wide gaps between social classes and brings Hindus together. Together, the rich and poor, women and men, enjoy each other’s presence on this joyous day. Additionally, Holi lowers the strictness of social norms. No one expects polite behavior; as a result, the atmosphere is filled with excitement and joy.

As they celebrate the beginning of spring and throw paint at each other, these Hindus experience for a day or two the reduction of the strict social structures. It seems that once the festival is over, the old barriers are back in place again.

How different for those in Christ - where every day is like a Holi day:

'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' (Galatians 3:28)

Touring the Underworld

It seems that any time you're talking about death, the old question always arises: burial or cremation? From there, the discussion will lead on to talking about the crematorium, what it's like, what really happens, and stories you've heard from a friend of a friend.

I'm sure you've heard some of them: that you can't be sure whose ashes you're getting; or that they take the bodies out of the coffins and resell the coffins; or that a pacemaker/bottle of whiskey/something random will explode in the crem.
As a minister, I've often led services up at Roselawn Crematorium in Belfast, and the staff had always been offering a tour to show me what it's really like. Recently I was able to take them up on the offer, and Pat, one of the attendants, showed me around.

Immediately, you can forget the preconceptions mentioned above. It's a very professional, dignified service Roselawn provide, and it was fascinating to see how it all works behind the scenes.

Normally, at the end of the service, the coffin is lowered from the chapel to the lower level. From there, it's transferred onto a trolley, and brought to one of the four (what's the word? ovens? incinerators? cremators?) ovens. Checks are made that the person's name matches the card taken from the register in the office, then the coffin is 'charged' or placed into the oven. The person's name card is then attached to the front of the oven. This means that you're very sure to receive your loved one's remains.

Roselawn has four ovens, which are fired up in preparation for the half-hourly interval committals, with the process taking about two hours. There's some heat involved, reaching temperatures of around 1000° Centigrade at its hottest, although the ovens are all monitored individually with their own computer system and screen for temperature/smoke/etc.

When the cremation has been completed, the remains are removed from the oven and placed in the container (whether a box or urn), to be either collected by the family or undertaker, or scattered by the staff in the gardens of remembrance. Again, the name is checked from the same card, so that you can be sure you're receiving the right remains.

There's really no mystery, and certainly no dodgy dealings in the underworld. It was very interesting to see what happens after the committal, and I'm very grateful to Pat and Eddie for showing me around. There is also the possibility of families or members of the public being shown the workings of the Crematorium, just contact the office to arrange it.

Photo by HeideKlein_OrangenKopf from Flickr.

HMV Face The Music

Another new year, another major UK music retailer is facing hard times. Two years ago the shops formerly known as Virgin Megastores, repackaged as Zavvi closed in Belfast and across the UK. This was the same time as Woolworths shut up shop, and things looked bleak for the UK music sector on the high street. At the time, HMV purchased some of the Zavvi stores, including Abbeycentre and (possibly) the Victoria Square shop, and HMV was (in Belfast anyway), the only major music retailer.

Almost exactly two years later, and now HMV are reporting problems, with plans to close 40 HMV stores and 20 Waterstones branches this year. While they haven't announced which shops will close, it's fairly likely some of these will be in Northern Ireland, which raises the question of where we'll be able to actually go and buy a CD in and around Belfast in the next year.

It seems that Apple downloads and Amazon mp3s and online shopping is bringing about a big change in the music market. Rather than having to go into town to actually buy a cd, now you can lie in bed, hear a song on TV and within a minute or so buy it, download it, and be listening it on your iPod. How can high street shops compete with that? Tough times are ahead, and not just for the staff who will be laid off as these shops close.

The Link

If you're interested in the kind of things we're doing at St Elizabeth's, you might want to have a look at The Link, our special Christmas publication with an eye towards the wider Dundonald community.

Photo Walk Belfast

As you've probably guessed, I'm getting into my photography more and more. We're more than halfway through the 365 photo challenge, and Flickr keeps me taking and sharing photos, and seeing the work of other people (which is so much better than mine).



Every so often, we have a Flickr meet-up in Belfast (photo from the last I was at, just before Christmas!), normally setting off from the City Hall gates and heading off in a particular direction to see what we can see and take photos of. But this Saturday, things are going international. It's time for the third annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk in Belfast.

At present there are over 28,000 people signed up to do over 1100 photowalks worldwide, and there's one this Saturday in Belfast. Meeting at 9.45am we'll go for a dander, some craic, some photos, and some food (hopefully). There are still 33 spaces for the group of 50 max, so if you've got any sort of a camera, come along - it'll be well worth it for the fun alone!

If you're not in Belfast, check out the website for other walks happening this Saturday.

Some time next week I'll upload the photos from the day on Flickr and share some here too...

General Election: Second Round

Following the first review of most of the candidates' election communications for the constituency of East Belfast in tomorrow's General Election, a second round of election communications have arrived. This time, though, we'll deal with them all in one fell swoop, with new things or heightened emphases as polling day quickly approaches.

Naomi Long: Alliance

Naomi's second communication (this time addressed to me) is much bigger, but seems to contain much of the same information, just in bigger text boxes and bigger photos. On the plus side, she answers the nagging question from the first leaflet of double or triple jobbing, with a pledge that 'if elected to Westminster, she has committed to stand down from the Assembly to ensure that East Belfast has full-time representation in Parliament.' On the down side, she is still perpetuating the 'spin' on election results from the 2007 Assembly election, presenting herself as just 52 votes behind Peter Robinson (while neglecting to admit the huge distance between Alliance and both the UUP and the DUP). She now has included Facebook information, so a plus one for social media!

Trevor Ringland: Conservatives and Unionists

We've received two further communications from the Unionists. The first had much the same material, with a few more photos from Trevor's day out in East Belfast, at some new locations - including the reconciliation statue in Stormont Estate. In this communication he also now comes out in favour of the public inquiry into the City Airport runway extension. Sadly, though, it's hard to look past a couple of clangers - what Mark Devenport has been calling the Spellection: on writing about the importance of tourism in East Belfast, Ringland says 'From the Titanic quarters to Parliament buildings...' (Have we more than one Titanic Quarter now? Maybe that's why it's all so expensive...); and the worst clanger, 'Nothen Ireland'.

His second election communication contained a personal message from Trevor Ringland, addressed to my wife. (Should I be worried?) Ringland is coming out fighting, mainly against the Alliance Party, as he says: 'Trevor Ringland is the only candidate who can win this seat from Robinson. The figures speak for themselves. Alliance has always trailed in third. Every vote counts in this election, and with your support, we can put an end to the neglect of East Belfast at Westminster. A vote for Alliance in a vote for Robinson.' At least he is arguing on the basis of fact on the election results. On the plus side, we actually see that he has a change of clothes, with photos of him wearing something other than the outfit he wore for every photo on the first two election leaflets!

Peter Robinson: Democratic Unionist Party

In his final election communication, Peter Robinson is firmly attacking his unionist opponents - perhaps this is where he sees the battle most fiercely fought, rather than against Alliance (sorry Naomi). There are lots of photos of Robinson in various places and situations - a DUP rally, a primary school, visiting a centenarian, with the Orange Order, with troops in Iraq (?) or Afghanistan (?), with Barack Obama, in Parliament, on a building site, and with Citizens' Advice.

There are sections against the UUP/Conservative link up, as well as against the TUV, appealing for unionist unity. However it is on the back page that Robinson becomes his most vitriolic, and perhaps even applies some double standards. He is trying to argue that he is the only local unionist worthy of being elected, and so he writes:

'Peter Robinson lives in the constituency - his unionist opponents live outside the area, one as far away as County Armagh... Peter Robinson knows East Belfast and its people - some of his opponents are tourists and would need Sat Nav to find their way about the area.'

There are several factors about what he has said here:

1. Peter Robinson has only just been moved back into the constituency - he couldn't have said that if Dundonald hadn't been shifted from Strangford to East Belfast again, which would indicate that prior to this election, he wasn't himself in the constituency.

2. There is no legal barrier on anyone living outside a constituency standing for election, nor no residency condition.

3. Is Peter Robinson and the DUP applying this standard for its other candidates? After all, Willie McCrea lives in the Mid-Ulster constituency but is standing in South Antrim, and, as a prime example of double standards, Nigel Dodds, standing in North Belfast, lives as far from that constituency in a provincial town as David Vance does from East Belfast. Should Nigel Dodds therefore not be standing in North Belfast and a local resident be up there instead? Or are the DUP exercising double standards in this attack on its opponents?

The election communications have now been printed and distributed. It's almost time for the x to be crossed and votes cast. This time round, Northern Ireland votes will be counted virtually as soon as polls close at 10pm, rather than the next day. I'm still debating whether I should sit up for a while to watch the results as they come in, or go on to my bed. Any ideas?

General Election: Vote TUV?

In the fifth of our General Election communications review for the constituency of East Belfast, we turn to the newest unionist party on the block, Traditional Unionist Voice, and their candidate David Vance.

With a huge picture of himself on the front, the communication weighs in as a 4 page A4 glossy booklet, with plenty of information on his views, and the wider political issues. However, it is clear that the TUV is seeking to fight its major battle against the dominance of the DUP, having come out from the wings of the DUP (led by Jim Allister) in the aftermath of that party joining the powersharing executive as equal partners with Sinn Fein.

To that end, in the 14 text boxes found throughout the leaflet, 10 of them contain a direct reference to either the DUP or some member of the party, always in a negative connection (unsurprisingly, of course!). Particularly in focus is the person and work of Peter Robinson, with the figures of his (and Iris') expense claims from the last Parliament being quoted several times, as well as the connections between the DUP an Sinn Fein in the Assembly.

The other four text boxes, while not directly referring to the DUP are clearly written with them in mind, seeking to present the TUV as the party able to provide fulltime representation at Westminster, and the party who will not break their election promises (nudge, nudge).

Interestingly, there's also a section on addressing controversial issues of sovereignty (opposing the Lisbon Treaty and calling for a referendum), immigration (using a points system for skilled workers rather than an open door policy), and climate change (which is as a result of 'suspect science').

On the use of photos, it seems strange that Peter Robinson features in as many photographs on David Vance's literature as David Vance does himself - three times each. Now obviously the photos are carefully chosen to maximise the potential damage to Robinson and boost the Vance campaign - so we see Peter Robinson smiling alongside the box alleging that the Robinsons were operating a 'who wants to be a millionaire political lifestyle'; Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness alongside the text arguing that Stormont is a shambles because of the mandatory coalition; and that infamous shot of Peter at his desk and Iris in a full head-back cackle of a laugh which sits beside a call for voters to say 'no to scandal and sleaze.'

So much for the content. Anything to say about what is said? Well, there's no mention of David Vance's previous membership of the Bob McCartney UKUP (who?), and it does seem that most of the arguments are (again) on issues connected to Stormont, and not Westminster - for which this election has been called. You almost get the feeling that these leaflets could be reused at the next Assembly election without alteration - except that one sentence needs to be changed to make some sense.

'If you expect better then vote for a man who'll be there do the job - vote Vance x.'

I really do expect better - someone 'to' do the job of proofreading, never mind representing East Belfast!

Once again, there's no reference to social media, but there is a website specifically for the campaign, which has a live twitter feed for his campaign.

It's hard to know how the result will turn out - perhaps the rage at Peter Robinson's performance in the past will be raised and focused by this election communication, and Vance can turn enough people to win the seat. I just don't know.

General Election: An SDLP Future?

It can be easy to feel sorry for the SDLP candidate standing in the General Election in the East Belfast constituency. In an area which is resoundingly unionist, you might almost think 'what's the point of standing?' Yet fair play to Mary Muldoon. Her campaign literature arrived in the post yesterday, so she shall be my fourth review today, leaving the TUV for tomorrow and Sinn Fein if we receive any before Saturday.

Compared to the big booklets and huge folded sheets of other candidates, Muldoon isn't spending much on her campaign literature. One glossy A5 sheet with picture and slogan on one side, and some blurb on the other. The battle Muldoon faces isn't so much to win the seat, but rather seems to be worded to reflect the battle within the nationalist and republican community: 'It is vital to vote in this election and to vote for an honest voice who will take their seat and represent the people of East Belfast.'

Following some biographical information, mostly on her experience in Belfast City Council, there are also the promises of what she will do if elected. That's a big 'if' - perhaps emphasized by the exclamation marks at the end of each pledge: e.g. 'I will oppose cuts to the NI Budget to ensure funding for Hospitals and Schools!' I'm not sure if those exclamation marks are well chosen, but they are perhaps the most enthusiastic of the election promises being made by any of the candidates thus far.

Because there isn't a great deal of detail on her campaign literature, it's harder to discuss it and pick faults, but perhaps what is worth noting is that she firmly comes out against the runway extension at the City Airport - the most open statement I've seen on the issue.

As well as the writing on the back of the sheet, there's also the obligatory pictures, so we see Mary with a constituent when she was canvassing during her last election run out (which must have been the 2007 Assembly election), one with new party leader Margaret Ritchie, and one down in Titanic Quarter in which one of the Harland and Wolff cranes makes an appearance.

Again, social media isn't being widely used in East Belfast, indeed there isn't even any contact information at all (apart from that required by the legislation of printer and publisher/promoter).

Not much detail, but then, to be fair, her candidature will help the overall performance of the SDLP in terms of vote share (being the only party standing candidates in each constituency), but not much chance of taking the seat.

General Election: DUP2Win?

In the third of my reviews of the General Election literature in the East Belfast constituency, we turn our attention to the sitting MP, Peter Robinson, who on top of his Westminster job continues to be an MLA and First Minister of Northern Ireland.

Three jobs would seem to be a lot for anyone, but there's no signs that Peter Robinson will step down from one or other of his seats if elected to Parliament again. This despite the recent scandals, and ongoing questions surrounding the transfer of some land in our village of Dundonald. Robinson has been under pressure recently, and perhaps it's being worked out in the way his campaign team are failing to engage with the electorate.

On Monday night I was sitting in the house, with one ear listening for the doorbell announcing some canvassers visiting. Instead, the DUP team were very quickly slipping the election communication through the letterbox and moving on - without ringing doorbells or knocking the doors. No attempt at all to speak with potential voters. I even went out to the door, and the guys say me, but hurried on their way. Not exactly a positive sign, unless they presumptively imagine that my part of Dundonald is either going to automatically vote for him, or is a lost cause so they just want to get their information out without causing a scene.

So as to the information itself, there's quite a bit of it, contained in an 8 page A5 booklet (which also contained an A5 4 page flyer for the local council candidate in the by-election caused by Iris Robinson's resignation). 7 pictures of Peter, so I think Trevor Ringland is still winning for most pictures of himself. Despite being the sitting MP, Robinson seems to be under pressure in the booklet, coming out fighting with material on the expenses scandal in page 2, quoting Sir Thomas Legge who gave him a clean bill of health.

The fight continues on pages 3, 6 and 7, where Peter the fighter is presented positively compared to 'a novice' given his personal experience in those multi-tasking jobs we've mentioned previously, as well as comparing the DUP to other unionist parties in the areas of unionist unity, strong positive leadership, representing unionism and with long-term strategy. Having seen campaign leaflets from other constituencies, these sections are the same across the board, with just some special East Belfast and Peter Robinson sections where the local candidate is introduced in each constituency.

However it's interesting that unionist unity is now presented as a key concern, whenever the DUP are the largest unionist party. If memory serves correctly, they were less keen on unionist unity when they were the smaller unionist party, on the hardline fringe of things. However now that there's a possibility of a Sinn Fein First Minister in the next Assembly they're very concerned to protect their position, especially since the TUV has comfortably moved into the gap left when when DUP shifted into government with the Shinners.

As with some of the other candidates in East Belfast, there does appear to be some confusion as to what the election is all about, with the issues discussed in the Assembly being referred to as if they are the main thing, rather than the particular issues concerning Westminster.

Again, there are no references to Twitter or Facebook or such things, and the only website link is to dup2win.com which has been on the go for many years, and didn't seem to have individual pages for each of the candidates standing in the election.

Time will tell if Peter Robinson will still be MP for East Belfast come the 7th May. It's hard to tell at this stage how the unionist vote will split, and how many votes will be lost to the Conservatives and Unionists, and the TUV. Alliance are also talking up their chances, but as I've said before, I can't seem Naomi Long winning through.

DUP2win? We'll see.

General Election: Alliance for All?

The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland's candidate in the East Belfast constituency is current Lord Mayor of Belfast, Naomi Long. However, I'm not sure that she actually wants my vote.

You see, her recent election communication came through the post, and was only addressed to my good lady wife. So maybe I shouldn't even be reviewing it, seeing as I didn't get one myself!

Much smaller than the Conservative and Unionist candidate's paper, Long's is an A4 glossy sheet (carbon neutral, we're assured), folded into three. Just three pictures of Naomi, a portrait, one at the Tall Ships Festival, and one with her fellow Alliance candidates (or is it their MLAs?)

As with their election posters, Alliance are working through a series of contrasts - sharing works, segregation costs; partnership works, deadlock costs; justice works, crime costs; respect works, bigotry costs. Given that Alliance currently don't have any MPs, they instead choose to focus on the things that they're doing in the Northern Ireland Assembly for us, which, while possibly interesting, aren't really the things that are at stake in this election. (Like other parties, perhaps they need a basic education in the different decision-making bodies and which powers are enjoyed by Councils/Assembly/Westminster.

There is also quite a lot on the person and experience of Naomi Long, who perhaps has an even higher profile at present thanks to her time in the Lord Mayor's chair in Belfast City Council. Perhaps this is the reason she's standing, to ride high on the publicity generated from her Council job - but with no word within the literature that she would give up her Council and Assembly seats if elected to Westminster.

She also includes sections in Chinese and Polish, to reach the local ethnic communities - perhaps something unique for the Alliance party in this campaign? However, there is just the general Alliance website, with no reference of an address, email address, Facebook or Twitter at all. Indeed, it took a bit of searching to find out anything about the election, as the Elections section on the website is from the 2005 elections!

There is one possibly misleading section which seems to inflate her chances of winning the election, on a dubious political premise. I'll quote the section, then take it apart.

"Your vote is crucial. This is the most open Westminster contest in East Belfast in a generation but if you want change, only Alliance can deliver. Naomi was elected 52 votes behind Peter Robinson and over 1400 votes ahead of Reg Empey in the last Assembly election. Alliance can win in East Belfast, but your support is crucial. On the 6th May, make your vote work for you. Vote Alliance."

On the face of it, Naomi only needs 53 more people to vote for her and she would take the seat. That sounds doable, doesn't it? Except it's not quite as it seems. Either Alliance don't understand statistics and election results, or else they are deliberately using them in this way to present a false impression.

You see, while Naomi was just 52 votes behind Peter Robinson himself, in the constituency of East Belfast, for their three candidates combined, the DUP received 11,155 first preference votes. (Peter Robinson got 5635, Wallace Browne got 3185, and Robin Newton 2335). Alliance has one candidate, Naomi Long, who received 5583 votes. That is, just about half the number of DUP first preference votes, or 5572 votes behind. That's a lot more than just the 52 votes being presented in the campaign literature.

Indeed, taken as a whole, while Naomi Long's personal first preferences outweighed Reg Empey's, the UUP as a whole (with three candidates and a poor balancing of first preferences across the constituency) received 6516 first preferences. That is, 933 more than Alliance. So Naomi Long and Alliance come into this General Election in third place, with a long way to go to beat the Conservatives and Unionists, let alone the DUP.

Her best chance may come if thousands defect from the DUP to the TUV and UCUNF, so that the three unionist parties are fairly evenly split, and she sneaks ahead by a couple of votes. Otherwise, despite this bigging up of her chances, I think it's safe to say Long won't be heading to Westminster, unless on a holiday.

General Election: Ringland for Change?

This is the first in a series of intended impartial reviews of the election literature received for the East Belfast constituency in the General Election of 2010. Hopefully as the series progresses this week we will actually receive the election communications from the other parties...

The Conservatives and Unionist Candidate is high-profile former British and Irish Lion rugby player, Trevor Ringland. His glossy A3 campaign literature was the first received in our neck of the woods, and the only doorstep caller thus far in the election. Change is the big word, both on the title page, and throughout the literature.

Through a series of short articles and soundbites, the Conservative and Unionist priorities are discussed. First up, a message from David Cameron and Sir Reg Empey, which doesn't say much, and emphasises the fact that Northern Ireland's voice can finally be heard in Westminster through the introduction of 'normal' politics via the Conservatives. The other boxes talk about economics, jobs, reducing sectarianism, and 'helping those who need help most'. (Is that a split infinitive?)

Perhaps the most recurring theme is the series of photos of Trevor Ringland in various places within East Belfast. Despite his attempts to vary the photos (some with jacket on, or off), it seems that he took about ten minutes to drive round certain parts of the constituency and get his (sometimes poor) photograph taken at the locations. So, Trevor at Harland and Wolff, Trevor at the Odyssey, Trevor at the Science Park in the Titanic Quarter, Trevor at the City Airport, Trevor talking to two Chinese (tourists?) at the Titanic Pump House, Trevor at a wee shop at the bottom of the Newtownards Road, Trevor slightly further up the Newtownards Road at the East Belfast Mission.

Perhaps these are the recognisable shots of East Belfast, but has he forgotten that Dundonald has been added to his constituency? Not to mention the rest of the Newtownards Road, through Ballyhackamore, Knock, Belmont, and so on...

There seemed to be a few clumsy moments. "A Northern Ireland for all inside a United Kingdom for all, while co-operating constructively for our mutual benefit with the others we share this island with." That last phrase doesn't seem to sit well - is there a 'with' too many?

Or consider perhaps the most ambiguous piece of diplomacy when talking about the Geroge Best Belfast City Airport:

"The airport contributes to the economy of East Belfast, but the needs of the travelling public must be balanced with the rights of local residents."

So are you in favour of the extension of the runway or not, Trevor? Should we seek to expand the economy, create jobs, as you write elsewhere, or do you not want to press that for fear of losing votes from the flightpath of the airport - hence all the photos of you down at the bottom of the Newtownards Road?

Finally, there were big sections on how to contact Trevor, and a space to write your comments or questions. New technologies and social media being used by this Conservative and Unionist candidate are Facebook and Twitter.

Trevor presents a well-crafted local perspective, although he may have a hard job trying to unseat Peter Robinson.

So Long, Strangford; 'Ello East Belfast!

We're now in the run-up to the General Election on 6th May, and candidates have a few days left to decide if they're standing. This is our first General Election since we moved home, and already we're on the move again.

Up to now, Dundonald was part of the Strangford constituency (formerly represented by Iris Robinson MP), but before we get a chance to vote on Iris' replacement, we've been moved into her husband's constituency, East Belfast due to the boundary changes. Both Dundonald and the surrounding wards have been added to East Belfast, so as well as getting to know the constituency (which stretches from the Odyssey to Ballybeen), we'll have a new bunch of candidates to get to know.

Following the deadline of 20th April I'll have a full list of candidates, but for now, those confirmed include under pressure First Minister Peter Robinson (DUP), Trevor Ringland (UCUNF), David Vance (TUV), Naomi Long (Alliance), Mary Muldoon (SDLP) and Niall O Donnghaile (Sinn Fein).

Home Again

Well, you might have noticed the silence on the blog over the past few days. A week off, in Lanzarote, and mostly away from the Internet. So there were no updates. However, there were plenty of books read - 7, to be precise, which will be reviewed (or at least mentioned) in due course. Makes me wonder just how many more books I could get read if some of my free time wasn't spent on Facebook and such like.

As well as reading the books I also made sure that my photo a day was taken so I'll need to update those as well this week. In due course I'll blog a bit more about the holiday, but for now I'll relax and take it easy!

I'm back to work on perhaps one of the busiest weeks in the church year - Holy Week. We're doing things differently this year, with St Elizabeth's, Dundonald Presbyterian and Dundonald Baptist coming together for the week, meetings rotating round the various churches. Tomorrow night is a Youth Night, and meetings each evening are at 8pm. The speaker is Andy Lines from Crosslinks, taking us through the account of the Passion from Mark's Gospel. You'll be most welcome to join us for any or all of the meetings!

Wallace Busted by BRA

This year is not to be The Wallace High School's year for the Schools Cup, despite a brave show in today's semi final against Belfast Royal Academy. The game ended 16-12 in BRA's favour, with an exciting finish as they ran out worthy winners.

Playing into the sun in the first half at Ravenhill, Wallace gained a surprisingly large lead, with two tries and one conversion. Despite BRA looking the stronger side, they only managed one penalty to end up at halftime with Wallace leading by 12-3.

Those twelve points were all Wallace would score as the second half appeared to be mostly encamped in the Wallace half, their defence under siege for most of the time, and the BRA pressure paid off. BRA's strength was on show, whereas the Wallace players seemed to struggle with cramp later in the game. Another two penalties meant that it was 12-9 in the last five minutes, but BRA always
looked like scoring. The pressure paid off with a converted try with two minutes left on the clock. Wallace failed to regroup and push for the needed try in those last two minutes, and BRA gained their ticket to the final on St Patrick's Day with a solid performance. Their supporters, who had been silent all day finally came to life right at the end, but still they were fairly quiet.

All in all a good game of rugby, a fair performance by Wallace, but BRA deserved to win. All the best to them in the final against either Methody or Ballymena Academy.

Club Litter

It seems that Cornmarket is increasingly the new centre of Belfast. Now that the Streets Ahead work has been completed (eventually) and the new Spirit of Belfast statue has been installed, Cornmarket is very busy on a Saturday. Perhaps it's due to it being the interface between Victoria Square and the rest of the city centre. Maybe because there's actually some space to stand and catch passersby. Maybe because it's a pedestrian area free from encroaching traffic. Whatever the reason, Cornmarket and Arthur Square is busy on Saturdays.

It's the place where the Belfast Vineyard Church offers prayer for healing. It's also where the publicity people for the various nightclubs and entertainment hotspots gather, giving out their flyers to those they deem clubworthy. As a point of clarification, I've never been invited to their clubs. All these people are involved in giving out postcards to tempt revellers, but today I noticed a worrying pattern of almost deliberate littering on the streets of Belfast.

I accept that occasionally someone will throw down a leaflet they've been given. The promoters can't really do much about that. But that leniency should only be when the promoters are putting leaflets in peoples' hands. We followed two promoters down Castle Lane. The guy was leaving his postcards on the roadworks barriers every three steps or so - perhaps in the hope someone would find them and be persuaded to come to the club. But as soon as he set them down, while his hand was still beside them, they were blowing off onto the footpath. Not a great idea for his promotions, and a blatant case of littering. Besides, he isn't likely to come and lift all the ones that survive until Sunday morning, is he, so yet more littering, and more work for the council street cleaners.

How can they continue to get away with this littering? Will it end up even worse as more nightspots get into the promotions circuit? Belfast City Council has already spent lots of money on ads on the side of buses and bus stops about the worsening state of litter. It's wrong all the time, but even more so if it's being done by businesses.