DISGUSTING AND CHILDISH

[Wasp]

Again the mask has slipped, sf/ira are shown once again for what they really stand for and that is bitterness and hatred of all things British, well apart from when it comes to benefits.

The Sinn Féin Mayor of Belfast, Niall Ó Donnghaile has been criticised after he refused to present a Duke of Edinburgh Award to a teenager who is also an army cadet.

During the service at Belfast City Hall on Monday evening, the Lord Mayor stopped presenting the certificates to the group when it became clear that one of the recipients was a representative of the Army Cadet Force.

Instead Gordon Topping, Chair of the Duke of Edinburgh Advisory Committee, finished the presentation.

Councillor Ó Donnghaile said he stepped down in order not to "shirk" his responsibilities "as an Irish Republican".

In order to avoid any unnecessary sensitivities to either party, it was arranged for the outgoing chairman of the organisation to present some of the certificates alongside me.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Niall Ó Donnghaile

Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt claimed the service did not start on time and the incident was an example of Cllr Ó Donnghaile's "inability to represent all the citizens of the city".

"Actions speak louder than words and thanks to the actions of the Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Belfast, 150 award winners, plus friends and parents were kept waiting for 45 minutes.

"This is absolutely shameful. So much for Sinn Féin's fine rhetoric about a shared future. So much for an Ireland of equals."

DUP Cllr Gavin Robinson slammed the Mayor for reportedly keeping the recipients and their families waiting before he appeared, and for snubbing the cadet.

"Our Lord Mayor is supposed to be both dynamic and pragmatic. Instead, he has shown just how politically prejudiced he is. In fact, he has taken a step back from where his Sinn Féin predecessors were five years ago.

The Alliance Party have also been highly critical of Mr Ó Donnghaile's snub.

""I am appalled at what happened", said the party's Belfast City Council Group Leader Máire Hendron.

"We are trying to build a shared future and I am very shocked.

"Being Lord Mayor is about representing and respecting everyone in the city of Belfast and I am deeply annoyed at Niall Ó Donnghaile's behaviour", Cllr Hendron added.

"The message that this incident sends out is very troubling."

[Wasp]

HUMPHREY CONDEMNS LORD MAYOR FOR REFUSING TO PRESENT AWARD
29th November 2011

Alderman William Humphrey MLA, a former High Sheriff and Deputy Lord Mayor, has expressed outrage over reports that the Lord Mayor of Belfast stopped presenting Duke of Edinburgh Awards at City Hall half way through the ceremony last night upon discovering that one of the recipients had achieved her award through the Army Cadets.

Alderman Humphrey said:
“This episode has once again exposed the lack of commitment to a shared future by this Lord Mayor and his lack of respect and tolerance for traditions other than his own.

Having decided to hand out these awards, it is disgraceful that he should stop doing so half way through due to his own intolerance of a particular youth organisation. This latest act of narrow-mindedness follows on from his removal of portraits of the Royal Family from the Lord Mayor’s Parlour, refusal to attend the wreath-laying on the Somme Anniversary and on Remembrance Sunday, refusal to attend the Homecoming event for soldiers returned from Afghanistan and even his petty refusal to use the term Lord Mayor.

What message has the narrow actions of Belfast’s First Citizen sent to our young people? He talks about inclusion but by his actions practices exclusion. He should consider his position and resign.

[Wasp]

A statement from the Duke of Edinburgh Awards said: "Each year the awards are presented to all award winners by the Lord Mayor and, when appropriate, jointly with the Lord Mayor's partner if they have chosen to present.

"We are delighted that this year there were over 166 young people from all backgrounds receiving their award in recognition of their achievements - this year was no different and we took every action to ensure all the young people attending received the same attention on the evening.

"The Army Cadet Force is one of a large number of youth organisations in Northern Ireland which makes the DofE programme available to all young people."

[Wasp]

Belfast Unionists Issue Summons For Special Council Meeting



Belfast City Hall unionists have come together to present a summons for a special council meeting to discuss the actions of the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Féin). On 28th November 2011 in City Hall, the Lord Mayor refused to present a Duke of Edinburgh’s award to a fifteen year old girl. The teenager was a member of the Armed Cadet Forces.

The summons, which will be presented to councill officials tomorrow morning at 0900hrs has been signed by members of the Democratic Unionist Party, Ulster Unionist Party, PUP and independent unionist alderman, Frank McCoubrey and reads:


“This council: Is appalled that the Lord Mayor politicised the Duke of Edinburgh Awards presentation in City Hall on 28th November by refusing to present an award to a young member of the Armed Cadet Forces; affirms that the civic position of Lord Mayor is about representing and respecting everyone within this city and calls on the Lord Mayor to publicly apologise for his actions and the gross offence caused. Failure to do so immediately would render his position untenable and he should resign”

In a joint statement, Alderman Robin Newton, leader of the DUP Group in Belfast City Council and Alderman David Brown, UUP Group leader said:


“The Lord Mayor has brought his office into disrepute by his actions and it is hard to underestimate the groundswell of public revulsion that he has generated. The vast majority of Belfast people, regardless of their background are appalled by his actions. It is now beyond any reasonable doubt that he has no intention of acting as a Lord Mayor for everyone.


Throughout his term of office he has behaved in an exclusionary and backward-looking way. To snub a fifteen-year old child, on what should have been a happy ocassion for her and her family, represents one of the lowest points that City Hall politics has ever witnessed. Such petty bigotry has no place in modern society.


We are sending a message that all political representatives need to take a stand for genuine inclusion and fairness. At this juncture it is our hope that colleagues from other parties in the council will add their signatures to our requisition”.

[leeside]

That whole incident is ridiculous in fairness. I just googled him as i dont know what he looks like. He looks about 15. How the fuck did he get in?

[Wasp]

We are meant to be building bridges, we are meant to be a more tolerant society and if this was against an adult then it would have been bad enough, but against a child, a young girl makes it absolutely disgusting. He should resign immediately or kicked out by his party.

The unnecessary hurt and embarrassment this wanker caused to an innocent child is unbelievable but then again the rights and feelingsd of a child dont count when it comes to anything British. If he done that to a child of mine I would be in custody