Martina Purdy
Is the one who is doing all the real work around here. As I write, she is about to cover Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness shaking hands with President Bush (if not with each other) and she has just sent back some pictures of the Stormont 2 meeting Hillary Clinton. The Presidential hopeful said she had enjoyed reminiscing about old times with both men. I find it hard to imagine this included repeating all those things the Big Man used to say about her hubbie during the 1990s.
Not only has Martina been covering the US trip, she also had a long film broadcast last night about Ian Paisley Junior's role in a £50 million land deal at Ballee near Ballymena, which also involved the developer Seymour Sweeney of Giants' Causeway fame.
Whilst Ms Purdy has been slaving away in Washington, I have just returned from London where I had to fulfil a long standing engagement with the 91Èȱ¬'s internal "College of Journalism". Delayed at Heathrow on the way back, I wished I could be beamed, "Star Trek" style, back to Belfast.
I am guessing David Clement, a prominent member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, has similar day dreams. Next week he will address a Transport and Environment seminar in Belfast, advocating the development of a tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland in order to enable train travel from the south west of Ireland to South Korea.
I am not sure that I want to go to South Korea anytime soon, but I am sure others do. Let's get this imaginative project off the ground (or should that be below the ground?). Who could take on such a venture? Perhaps if he doesn't secure the Causeway, Mr Sweeney might have the time...
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Mark
QUESTIONS FOR PAISLEY JUNIOR FROM ONE OF THE CURRENT OWNERS OF THE PUBLICLY-OWNED PRIME DEVELOPMENT SITE AT BALLEE (OH YES………….& SOME ADVICE FOR HIM AS WELL)
Junior is in the mire again with his vigorous support of a number of business interests seeking to purchase one hundred acres of publicly-owned prime development land at Ballee, Ballymena. As is the case with the Causeway Visitors’ Centre, Junior’s role in the Ballee imbroglio is far from clear.
In selling publicly-owned land, Government has a duty, nay, an obligation to maximize the return to the Exchequer. In this case, it appears that Junior, a Government Minister, has been lobbying hard to keep the price as low as possible for the prospective purchasers and their financial backers (including the ubiquitous Seymour Sweeney).
Call me old-fashioned, but Junior’s energetic lobbying would prompt most fair-minded people to ask themselves whether or not his involvement raises the suspicion of a conflict of interests. While the DSD is responsible for managing the land at Ballee no one should forget that it is owned by Northern Ireland’s 1.742 million people; the DSD is simply acting on our behalf. For myself, as one of these owners, and because I want assurance that my Government is acting on behalf of all of its citizens, I demand that Paisley Junior answers the following questions surrounding his involvement in Ballee:
1. What is the timeline of your involvement in Ballee?
2. Who are the prospective purchasers and their financial backers?
3. Can you provide proof positive that the prospective purchasers are constituents of yours?
4. What is your relationship with the prospective purchasers and their financial backers? i.e.
(i) have you had or are you involved in any business/commercial transactions with them, either directly or through a third party (including family)? If so, please provide details.
(ii) Are you involved on a social/personal basis with any of them e.g. private dinner engagements, holidays together, lobster fishing. If so, please provide details.
(iii) Have you ever exchanged gifts in a private capacity with any of them? If so, please provide details.
(iv) Have you ever received gifts in your capacity as a Government Minister/MLA from any of them? If so, please provide details.
(v) Have you ever nominated/supported any of them for Awards such as OBEs/MBEs; for membership of representative organisations such as CBI; for membership of the Boards of Public Bodies?
(vi) Have you ever provided character references on behalf of any of them? If so, please provide details.
5. What representations have you made on behalf of the prospective purchasers and their financial backers to other Executive Ministers and/or their Departments, Agencies or NGOs? Please provide details.
6. Can you list all the occasions that you met the prospective purchasers and their financial backers, both in your capacity as a Minister and as an MLA? Please provide details, including lists of participants for each meeting and any Government expenditure incurred (eg engagement of external consultants/advisers at Government expense).
7. Are any of the prospective purchasers and their financial backers current or former members of the Democratic Unionist Party? If so, please provide their names.
8. Have any of the prospective purchasers and their financial backers given Donations, Loans or Gifts-in-kind to the Democratic Unionist Party? If so, please provide Donor names and the amounts donated (+ interest rates charged in the case of Loans) and/or nature and value of Gifts-in-kind.
I am researching further areas of concern in this matter and I shall submit a second set of questions shortly. In the meantime, to allay public disquiet it is imperative that Junior provides comprehensive answers to the questions that I have posed.
Finally, I would turn to the Assembly’s Committee on Standards and Privileges and ask that august body whether or not it is looking into the activities of Paisley Junior (sorry, Ian Paisley, Jnr) in light of public unease about his involvement with land developers? Come on Standards & Privileges Committee, you have been silent too long!
Oh, nearly forgot………my advice to Paisley Junior is: SEE LESS OF SEYMOUR IF YOU DON’T WANT TO USHER IN ‘THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF PAISLEY.’
Susie
Carryduff