I’ve been off my feet a little this week with a sinus infection but hoping to be back at it tomorrow, when I’ll be meeting the Education Authority and other organisations at the Knockbreda High site, to try and get a resolution to the ongoing anti-social behaviour and fires.
…and every other party found one way or another not to support it - including the Minister‘s own Sinn Féin colleagues! You couldn’t make it up.
I know it’s rare that I‘ll praise the Infrastructure Minister but she wrote to Council offering to fund the nature-sympathetic lighting of some routes in parks, where they connect w/ Belfast Cycle Network. Locally = Ormeau. Tonight I made proposal that we prepare the business case for this funding.
Translink fare freeze just isn’t enough in the current crisis. Fuel costs are going to continue to bite for some time to come. There’ll also be continued supply pressures. Infrastructure Minister should be working to find a way for a temporary reduction in fares to take some pressure off workers.
A graphic from SDLP South Belfast Councillor Séamas de Faoite updating residents on an enforcement case in relation to the unlawful tearing down of trees.
Dear Councillor de Faoite Nature: Unauthorised works to TPO Trees Location: Corner of Mount Merrion Avenue and the Cregagh Road Belfast, BT6 0LD I refer to previous correspondence concerning the above. Following an investigation of your complaint, I can confirm that Belfast City Council has now completed its investigations of this case and I can advise that: The offence under the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 has been remedied to the satisfaction of the Council in that eight replacement trees have been planted. These trees are commonly referred to as black poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’) and are the same species as the existing poplars on site. Accordingly, Belfast City Council does not intend to pursue this matter any further. You may also wish to note that in dealing with this investigation the Council will process your information in line with the GDPR requirements. A copy of the full Privacy Statement is available on our website https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/privacy or alternatively you can contact the Data Protection Officer by email dataprotection@belfastcity.gov.uk. If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely, Richard White Senior Planning Enforcement Officer
I reported NIHE for the unlawful removal of trees on Mt Merrion Ave. I asked NIHE to stop removing trees & replace those they’d already torn down. Investigation was opened & last week I got an update from Council’s enforcement team to confirm new trees have been planted & investigation has closed.
This was the kind of stuff the OG JC flipped tables over.
A collage of various occasions when DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley has met US President Donald Trump.
Jonathan Buckley was keen today to blame the fuel crisis on anyone else but his hero Donald Trump, who started the war in Iran. It’s worth continuing to remind people in Upper Bann and beyond that he’s a cheerleader for the person responsible for driving everyone’s bills up.
SDLP South Belfast Councillors Gary McKeown, Séamas de Faoite and John Gallen.
Fair play to Cllr. John Gallen who has worked to ensure that Lisburn & Castlereagh are getting involved with Fleadh Cheoil. This is going to be one of the biggest events in Belfast’s recent history & thanks to John’s work communities in Newtownbreda, Four Winds & Carryduff will be part of it.
SDLP South Belfast City Councillor Séamas de Faoite and former West Belfast SDLP MP Dr. Joe Hendron.
34yrs ago today Joe Hendron won West Belfast. A crucial moment in the quest for peace & a New Ireland. It demonstrated that Nationalists didn’t believe violence would achieve our aims & forced people back to negotiating. The Good Friday Agreement would’ve been possible without this victory.
Lots of reasons to have issues with the Church’s institutions, but JD and Trump threatening Rome for standing against war is totally bonkers.
Starmer still going ahead with the reciprocal State Visits for Trump?
There is an ongoing security alert in Orangefield Park. People are asked by the PSNI to stay away from the area.
SDLP South Belfast Councillor Séamas de Faoite at the old Knockbreda High School Site on the A55.
Dept Education are refusing to act against anti-social behaviour at Knockbreda High site. I asked them to secure it, to prevent weekly fires - they said no. This site should be home for Forge Integrated but the Exec cancelled funding. Wynchurch & Knockbreda residents are left dealing with the ASB.
“We hear a lot about minority rights and human rights. What about majority rights?” - Alliance Party Belfast City Council Leader Michael Long, in opposing Irish Language rights in a debate in Council tonight.
The Alliance Party also has to answer why it backed using an undemocratic manoeuvre that blocks all 60 Councillors from having their say - knowing that the majority would once again reject the Covenant. This wouldn’t have passed without Alliance’s votes.
The Alliance Party has to answer why it thinks British Soldiers should get preferential treatment here, when so many of us have spent the last number of decades trying to ensure equality.
Tonight Alliance joined the DUP in an undemocratic, and in my view underhanded, manoeuvre to force Belfast City Council to adopt the British Armed Forces Covenant. The SDLP has consistently warned that this covenant risks creating a hierarchy of access to public services and a hierarchy of victims.
A polling graphic from the Belfast Telegraph showing Matthew O’Toole and Naomi Long tied as the most popular Assembly leader/Minister amongst unaligned voters.
A paragraph from the Belfast Telegraph which reads: On 37%, Naomi Long is down three points to become the least popular party leader. Her approval rating has fallen most significantly with Alliance/Green voters — down 11 points — who score Ms Hanna (60%) more highly than Mrs Long (57%).
On BBC Radio Ulster this morning the Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party said Naomi Long was the most popular leader amongst “unaligned” voters. The polling would suggest the opposite - tied with Matthew O’Toole as Leader of the Opposition and Claire Hanna, SDLP Leader, ahead.
Very sad news from Kent. I survived meningitis twenty years ago this Spring. It is an incredibly scary experience for anyone to go through, but I’d encourage people to act fast if they think they, or someone they know is experiencing the symptoms.
St. Pat’s for All was founded 26 years ago in response to the exclusion of Irish LGBT+ groups from New York’s official St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. A quarter of a century on it is one of the biggest annual Progressive celebrations in the city.
SDLP South Belfast City Councillor Séamas de Faoite speaking at St. Pat’s for All in Sunnyside, Queens, NY.
Irish American actress Kate Mulgrew speaking at St. Pat’s for All in Sunnyside, Queens NY, alongside former New York City Council Member Danny Dromm.
A banner calling for freedom for Palestine, Congo and Sudan at St. Pat’s for All, Sunnyside, Queens NY.
A large shamrock sign with the slogan “Gays Against Guns” on it at St. Pat’s for All in Sunnyside, Queens NY.
Áthas mar chineál friotaíochta. It was lovely to join dear friends and new friends alike at St. Pat’s for All earlier this month in Queens, New York.
I’m sure I’m not the only person to notice an Irish political party is mocking all their graphics up to look like @joedotie.bsky.social graphics? I’m presuming that’s so that the Meta algorithm puts them in front of more people 😅
I'm not entirely sure how they did it, but they've completely cleared the streets around my office in Midtown #NYC.
They paid a lot of people good wages to do the job effectively, thank you for coming to my socialism talk
SDLP South Belfast Councillor Séamas de Faoite on site on Carolan Road where parking and congestion issues are causing real problems.
Carolan Rd needs a solution to its traffic problems. Previous interventions by DfI haven’t helped. Today I met with Principals of Forge Integrated & Wellington College to agree some actions & I’m now writing to the Infrastructure Minister to ask for her assistance to protect children and residents.
A photo of the information screen on a Belfast Glider with an error message that reads “Can’t install updates”.
Another delay from the Infrastructure Minister in delivering Glider. East & West Belfast have benefited massively from Glider, with a huge increase in passenger journeys & footfall, yet communities in North & South Belfast are once again expected to wait for the infrastructure we desperately need.
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
We’ll be keeping the pressure up to get this finally delivered, having first secured its approval alongside the Ravenhill Road crossing with the support of Greens, DUP and Alliance.
Work is now progressing between the Department and BT to ascertain where the cabling will go and whether any existing cables will need to be moved - we’ve said this needs to be expedited so there are no further delays.
A social media graphic from SDLP South Belfast City Councillor Séamas de Faoite, highlighting Séamas standing on the Knockbreda Road in Rosetta, with two Engineers from the Department for Infrastructure standing behind him.
SDLP South Belfast Representatives Councillor Séamas de Faoite and Matthew O’Toole MLA on the Knockbreda Road.
🚦 Earlier today @otoolematthew.bsky.social and I met with senior Department for Infrastructure Engineers on the Knockbreda Road. We expressed our extreme frustration at the prolonged delay in delivering the crossing, which will allow us to open the gate in to Cherryvale.
“They’ll grow out of it”
I don’t know how many times I heard that growing up about gay people.
Very happy in my life as a gay adult, and that I didn’t try to suppress reality in order to “grow out of it”. Wishing the same for Trans folks.
