Minutes of the 17^th Meeting of the 161^st Session

3^rd April 2008 ~ Kirwan Theatre ~ Speaker of the Year

AND so it was that the 17^th meeting of the year was held in the Kirwan Theatre with Paddy Cluskey chairing. Main business for the evening was the Speaker of the Year Final 2008, but before that we had Private Members’ Time. Ronan Harrington proposed the motion ‘That This House Would Mandate the Corresponding Secretary to write to Tony Blair, Congratulating him on ten years in power’.

Ronan told us how Tony Blair has overall had a positive effect on Britain, on Ireland, and on the world. Except maybe Iraq, but never mind that. Ronan said how Blair had dragged the Labour Party into modern politics and won them their first election in 18 years, and then continued to keep them in power ever since. Although Iraq may have been a mistake, it was MI5 and the CIA that came up with the dodgy information, not Blair.

Dan Colley opposed the motion. He told us how Blair happily accepted bogus information and bad evidence from the Americans and let himself be bullied into war by George Bush. Although he may have had that awkward-but-charming Hugh Grant quality about him, he ultimately failed as a politician by letting himself get fooled into going to war.

Anthony Doherty also opposed the motion and said how although Ireland found a friend in Tony Blair, he let the credit crisis unfold under his watch, while Muireann O’Dwyer proposed, saying how Blair made the Labour Party electable for the first time in 18 years by kicking out the radical socialists and moving policies towards the centre-ground.

Tony McDonnell opposed the motion, saying how he allowed Labour to abandon its core socialist policies and that the result is strikes by public service workers and an attack on the Health Service and British Rail. Tony also said how he led Britain into Iraq in an imperialistic invasion for oil, and for that alone, he should hang.

The final speaker on the motion was Dave Finn, who proposed the motion. Dave told us how Blair was a strong leader who took control of the Labour Party away from the trade unions and forced the Tories to look for Blair-like leaders for their own party.

With that the motion was put to the House, and Carried.

So onto main business- the Speaker of the Year Final for 2008. The motion for the evening was ‘That This House Regrets the Political Career of The Rev. Ian Paisley’.

On the judging panel for the competition were Dr. Paul Walsh HLM, Steve Lydon, and Ciaran Duffy HLM as Chairperson.

In first proposition was Conor Kelly. Conor said how Paisley’s opposition to change, his absolute beliefs and refusal to move with the times for so long should be regretted. He said how Paisley’s refusal to engage in the peace process for so long cost his own community many lives and needless suffering. Not only that, but he also tried to cripple to Northern Ireland gay rights movement too.

Dan Colley opposed the motion, saying how Paisley was not a cause, but a symptom of trouble in the North. The Six Counties, Dan said, were doomed from the start with the Unionists having no option but to adopt a siege mentality, and Ian Paisley was right to refuse to deal with Sinn Féin until the IRA’s guns were gone.

Julie Maher proposed the motion. She told us how Paisley should be condemned for taking so long to start to deal with the Nationalists, and for trying to keep Northern Ireland a bastion of Protestantism and Unionism while neglecting the large minority of Catholics. He held back progress for a decade over his refusal to support the Good Friday Agreement, and this was done for nothing, she added.

Niamh McNally opposed the motion, with a record eleven points of rebuttal. Niamh argued how Paisley was a distinct and effective voice for Northern Unionists in both Stormount and Westminster by refusing to back down from his core beliefs. Seeing as the most extreme unionists backed Paisley, he was actually the one who brought them to them negotiating table when the time was right.

Sean Butler opposed the motion, and told us how ultimately, Paisley will be seen as the man who said ‘yes’, when the time was right. He stood for the wishes of the Unionist people and served them well in protecting them from the IRA and the Republic, and history will judge him as the most important man in Northern politics for decades, Sean said.

Joe Quinn proposed the motion, saying how Paisley directly incited mobs and riots against Catholics, and tried to destroy the civil rights movement while in its infancy. Joe said how Paisley hasn’t really changed and is merely the next generation of hard-line Unionism and anti-Catholicism. Joe also told us how the man holds a criminal record and has been ejected from several parliaments for his behaviour, while also standing in the way of progress over the Good Friday Agreement.

Ronan Harrington opposed the motion, and said how Paisley was a bad-ass mo-fo, but that Northern Unionists needed such a person to protect them from dirty Fenian terrorists and the Church-run Republic. Unionists like him saw themselves as like settlers in the West Bank, constantly under threat of attack, and he led them well, only negotiating when the IRA had destroyed their weapons.

Nuala Kane spoke in proposition, and questioned whether it is reasonable and rational to adopt a siege mentality when facing the IRA and a hostile Irish Republic. She said how Paisley contributed more to the problems of the North more than being a product of those problems, and for this, his political career should be regretted. Not only this, but he fuelled the flames of hatred for decades and stood beside the great injustices against Catholics. Finally, Nuala told us how Paisley knew power-sharing was the only viable way of governing the North, and he stood against it until the very end.

Zoe McNair was the final proposition speaker, and told how sometimes you have to act belligerently in order to fully-represent your constituents. Seeing as Britain would have considered handing over the North to the Republic, Paisley was needed as a tough-taking, no-shit-taking stalwart against the IRA, the British, and the Irish, and ultimately, he did a good job. When Paisley was ready to deal, you know the time is right, she said.

With that the motion was opened to the floor. Alan Lyons spoke in proposition and said how ultimately he was a man more sinning than sinned against, with Paisley supporting gerrymandering of elections and denial of civil rights for Catholics, while Dave Finn opposed the motion, saying how Paisley failed in his objective of crushing the IRA, as he now sits in government buildings with former ‘Ra terrorists.

With that the motion was put to the House, and Defeated, while the judges went away to decide on the winner of Speaker of the Year. Runner-Up went to Sean Butler of 2^nd Arts, while the winner was named as Nuala Kane, our very own Schools Convenor here, from Medicine.

These are the minutes.