Orange rumblings and a lot of Euros
The Orange Order issued a statement today urging its members to vote for Orange = unionist = no news, you may well think.
But I gather there were some rumblings behind the scenes from brethren sympathetic to the UCUNF's Jim Nicholson, who objected to the section in the in which Jeffrey Donaldson appears in front of an Orange Lodge banner. The critics reckoned the broadcast, and a photo in Jim Allister's election handout of the TUV leader taken together with the Orange Grand Secretary Drew Nelson, breached the Order's policy of not lining up with one party. However when the statement emerged it did not include any expression of concern about "election communications".
On the topic of rumblings, I gather that not everything went entirely smoothly behind the scenes at Stormont Castle in the run up to by the First and Deputy First Minister alongside the Chief Constable on the topic of Kevin McDaid's murder. In some ways it mirrored the historic appearance by the three men back in March, although the choreography of yesterday's statement appeared more haphazard.
However the barbaric killing of Mr McDaid is far too serious for anyone to play politics with, and it was therefore heartening to see that the First and Deputy First visited the McDaid and Fleming families in Coleraine this morning to express their solidarity.
My guest for Saturday's Inside Politics is the DUP's Diane Dodds. I shall also be joined by Fionnuala O'Connor and Queen's Sidney Elliot, who, I hope, will be in a position to pass comment on the Politics Show. Sunday's Politics Show is a one hour special covering a recent election debate between all seven candidates which was filmed at Queen's University earlier in the month.
Inside Politics, as usual, is on Radio Ulster just after the one o'clock news. A word of apology, by the way, to those of you who had wanted to contribute questions for my Inside Politics interviewees. I just didn't get my act together in time for this election, and was slightly concerned it might step on the toes of "Talkback" which, as you may have heard, does just that. However when I get advance warning of interviews in the future I shall try to remember to solicit your views.
And I know you have all been waiting patiently to learn the answer to the extra bonus question which I left out at the Errigle pub quiz. I had asked you "Between 2000 and 2013 how much money is Northern Ireland due to get from Europe? a) 963 million Euros b) 2.63 billion Euros or c) 26.9 billion Euros?"
The answer, according to the local EU Information Office, is b) 2.63 billion Euros.
The more eagle eyed of you (thanks David Gordon of the Belfast Telegraph) noticed that I told the Errigle regulars that a UK MEP was paid £63,291, whereas since April the salary has gone up to £64, 766. Apologies. According to today's Times the successful candidates have another pay rise to look forward to next month, taking them up to
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