issue 29, 2014

Independent Social Affairs magazine for community/voluntary sectorwww.viewdigital.org Issue 29, 2014

Portraitof theartistBrian Ballard: I would love to seethe Ormeau BathsGallery reopeningto the public

Story - Pages four to nine

VIEW

http://www.viewdigital.org

Issue 29

0-21 Audiences NI andVIEWdigital linkup for DrivingDigital Day

VIEW, Issue 29, 2014 www.viewdigital.org Page 2

Page 10 – Joan O’Harafrom Solas tells of herdelight over award

Page 13 –Whypeople areflocking tofriendship club

Pages 16-17 –VIEW looks at hard-hittingbook about theeffects of austerity in UK

CONTENTS


EditorialBrian Pelan, Editor

PhotolinePhotographer Kevin Cooper has more than 25 yearsexperience in Press and PR photography. Kevinworks to a wide of clients in community and voluntary sector organisations as well as the tradeunion movement.

For quotations, contact Kevin Cooper at Email: [email protected]: 028 90777299 or M: 077 12044751

VIEW, Issue 29, 2014 www.viewdigital.org

Iam not a regular visitor toart galleries, especially inBelfast. On the rare

occasions that I do drop in, Ioften feel overwhelmed atthe work on view. The goodthing is you will often findsomething that appeals toyou – it’s a personal feelingand one that I enjoy whenthe sensation occurs.

A recent visit to an exhibition at the OrmeauBaths Gallery – which hasbeen closed to the publicsince 2011 – was a positive experience on a number oflevels and led to the decisionto put the story on the frontpage of this issue and a number of pages within it.

Local artist Brian Ballard,with the help of friends, recently secured – on a temporary basis – the reopening of the gallery tomount an exhibition of hiswork, spanning over 50 years.The display, which runs untilDecember 6, has a variety ofpieces – abstract, figurativeand portraits. It is simplystunning and should beviewed by everyone – if onlyto lift the spirits in a city hitsby austerity, cutbacks, job

losses and political tension.On the opening night of

the exhibition, MarianneO’Kane Boal, who curatedthe works, said it would begreat if the Ormeau BathsGalley could be reopened ona permanent basis as the city needs more locations to display art to the widerpublic.

At a time when cuts arevery much a part of the public landscape, VIEWwould like to back calls for

the gallery to be open again –perhaps the Belfast CityCouncil would support such amove and provide funding.

Many artists in Belfastand further afield would loveto have the chance to displaytheir work in such a beautifulbuilding. In time, the OrmeauBaths Gallery could be aplace, once again, where art,including photography andfilm, could be shown. Wehave a lot of local talent thatdeserves a venue befitting oftheir work.

The majority of people are highly dependenton public venues to appreciate different forms of art. Instead of cutting thearts budget in Northern Ireland – perhaps because itis viewed as an easy target –we should all seek to lobbyfor its protection.

A good place as any tostart would be to back anycampaign to reopen theOrmeau Baths Gallery. If successful, I would be thefirst in the door.

As a child, I first learnt toswim in the Ormeau Baths. Itprovided a public servicethen – it should do so again.

A piece by Brian Ballard


The last pic The Ormeau Bath Gallery shut its doo talks to artist Brian Ballard as the Bel reopens to host a collection of his wo

Born in Belfast, Brian Ballardtrained firstly at the Collegeof Art, Belfast and then at theCollege of Art, Liverpool. Hestill lives in Belfast but spends

long periods of time living and workingin his house on the remote and ruggedisland of Inishfree, off the coast ofDonegal.

“I have always believed that ordinary people, so called ordinary people, have difficult access to paintings, says Brian. Galleries can oftenbe daunting spaces. It can sometimes behard to get people to look at art, including my exhibition.

“I try sometimes to bring my paintings to people. Three years ago Iopened up a space at Sinclair House onRoyal Avenue in Belfast. I turned a former cafe into a pop up gallery alongwith my daughter Lisa. We put up 21paintings so that people walking passthe building could see them. Passers byjust came in to the gallery and chattedwith me. They loved the fact that theycould chat with a 'real artist' as they described me,

“The visitors book was filled withcomments such as ‘I was walking by on awet day and I came in and felt lifted bythe place and felt at peace’.”

“The former Ormeau BathsGallery, which closed due to funding difficulties in 2011, once performed thatfunction. I would love to see it reinstated as a place where peoplecould view art.

Brian described how he managedto secure the space at the OrmeauGallery. “I had to find a big space for myexhibition. Many of them had been instorage for years. The only space available was the Baths. It's for sale and Ithink I may be the last person to get iton a short term lease, We tidied it up,the pictures are on the wall and wewant people to come in.

He said he would back any effortsto reopen the Ormeau Baths Gallery.“I've been saying to everyone that thisplace is amazing. We shouldn’t lose thisplace but it may still be lost. I gotgoosebumps all over me the first time Iseen my paintings hung on the walls.Some of these pieces were done 50years ago and they have been in storage ever since that time. It's time

that they got out.”Marianne O'Kane Boal, who

curated the exhibition, said: “In an idealworld it would be wonderful if theOrmeau Baths Gallery could reopen asa public gallery.

“This building is ideally suited tothe showing of art. It has four impressive galleries of varying scales anddimensions. As the Ballard exhibition has shown the gallery still provides the perfect stage for art eventhough it has not been used for threeyears. It was exciting for me to curate apainting exhibition in the space and onethat was accessible and of interest tothe public. If the gallery was to reopen itshould be purchased by Belfast CityCouncil and run as a public gallery. Iagree with the Arts Council's statement at the time of closure thatthe high rents of the building were unsustainable.”

Marianne added: “Art is accessibleto communities, certainly. It depends onthe type and breadth of art shownthough. I feel it is very important toshow traditional art forms - painting,sculpture, drawing, printmaking and notonly devote contemporary spaces tophotography and new media. Both typesof art are valid but often it is conceptualart that is shown at the expense of traditional practice.

“Art can be made more accessiblethrough making it relevant to peoplegenerally. The public like to see Belfastartists who are known in the city.”

Curator Marianne O’Kane Boal



cture show? ors to the public in 2011. VIEW lfast landmark building temporarily

ork which spans over 50 years

Artist Brian Ballard in a temporary studio he set up at the Ormeau Baths Gallery in BelfastImages: Brian Pelan



Paintings by Brian Ballard which are on display at the Ormeau Baths Gallery until December 6



Interior of the Ormeau Baths Gallery and the outside of the building, right, on Ormeau Avenue, Belfast



Specialist consultancy in:-

communication – campaigning – advocacy

Providing

strategy – digital content – training

Harry Reid Associates

Mobile:07717582208

Email:[email protected]

Twitter: @HarryReid53

Website: harryreidassociates.com

Contact

TIPPERARY woman Joan Hendersonhas won a top award for helpingBelfast children with special needs.

Joan set up the charity Sólás havinggrown up with a sister who has DownsSyndrome and is passionate about ensuringthere are more services and support available to families.

She was awarded the 2014 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Elevator Award,worth €30,000, after quitting her job as anengineering lecturer at Queen’s Universityto set up the charity.

Highly trained retired teachers volunteer their time to deliver the educational support programme at thecharity’s premises at the junction of Donegall Pass and the Ormeau Road insouth Belfast.

“We are just delighted to have won

the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland ElevatorAward. It has been a tough five years butthis makes it all worthwhile.

“We hope this will put us on the mapand let people know what we are about,”said Joan.

One stand out moment for Joan sinceshe started Sólás was last summer, providing support to the child of a singlemother.

“She was just so grateful of the support. To help a group of people thatoften don’t have a voice, it motivates youevery day of the week,” she added.

Sólás provide a range of supportprogrammes for children and young peoplewith a broad range of additional needs. Itsprogrammes help with educational support, social development and parentsupport.

Joan tells of delight after winning award

Passionate: Joan Henderson



By Una Murphy

Inequality in Britain is nowback to the 1840s, it has beenclaimed at a recent event held in

Belfast.Michael Pyer from Developments

Trusts NI told the group’s first policy symposium that in some areas of Britaincreeping privatisation had followed thegrounding down of local government services.

The meeting had been called to discuss development issues within theThird Sector (Voluntary, Community, SocialEnterprise).

Delegates heard that big private companies often failed to deliver effective services – such as G4S at the London

Olympics.Neil

Berry from Locality in England said

there was a huge spend bythe public sector on multina-

tionals such as G4S, ATOS, SERCOand CAPITA but local community

organisations could provide more effectiveservices as well as save money.

John Little from Vanguard Consulting,who has worked with the Housing Executive in Northern Ireland, the biggestsocial housing provider in Europe, said:“This is not a crisis of funding it is a crisis of thinking”.

He said: “The message is cut, cut, cut –it’s like buying a race horse and cutting two

legs off and saying it is going to win theDerby. It’s not going to happen.”

Mr Little said a challenge must bemade to politicians and policy makers “Doyou want to save the day - carpe diem - ordo you want to sit there?”

He added that the emphasis should beon providing effective and efficient services. “The more you try to save themore it costs.”

Alasdair McKinley from the ScottishGovernment and Wendy Reid from theDevelopment Trusts Association Scotlandsaid a minister for local government andcommunity empowerment and a pilot programme ‘Strengthening Communities’had given local communities in Scotlandmore power.

• Visit dtni.org.uk for more details

The message is cut, cut, cut –it’s like buying a race horseand cutting two legs off ...‘ ’



Stephanie MitchellComment

Looking round Belfast Friendship Club (BFC) ona Thursday evening, at what seems like a hugeand unruly family of 40 to 60 people, I

sometimes wonder how many other settings existthat attract such a diverse bunch of individuals whoseem to have so much in common and, betweenthem, create such a happy atmosphere. One elementof my role is to ‘hold’ this space.

From many walks of life and from all over theworld, including these islands, we are caterers, writers, au pairs, cleaners, students, artists, academics, volunteers, interpreters, IT professionalsand so on. Some are working in Belfast, some arelooking for work and others, seeking asylum, usuallywish to support themselves through paid work butare not allowed to do so. Others have no entitlement to public funds of any kind.

People move freely between the tables, creatinga warm buzz of conversation and much smiling andlaughter is evident. The barriers of race, belief, classor income that usually separate people seem not toapply here. Starting out as a small-scale project in2009, BFC has now become more of a social movement, attracting people from 20 plus nationalities and many walks of life. Every week fiveto 10 newcomers arrive and most return, bringingwith them more people.

Regardless of how or why we find ourselves inBelfast, our humanity comes to the fore on Thursday evenings, spilling over into the street whenmembers greet each other in the city centre. Foranyone who has ever experienced being a newcomer,this simple acknowledgement can make all the difference to your day.

As coordinator of BFC, this sense of belonging is,for me, one of the simple building blocks of socialcapital that enables all manner of individuals and initiatives to thrive. And yet, such building blocksseem to be elusive in many settings across the

country, which motivated me to write thepublication: ‘Be the change: a guide to creating safeand inclusive space.

The booklet attempts to capture the principlesbehind the success of Belfast Friendship Club. It isintended for those who are aware of newcomers orthose in their midst who are ‘different’ and want tocreate a culture of welcome but are not sure how tostart or, perhaps, how to improve what they have already begun.

The guide has now been published by SouthBelfast Roundtable, with the support of the Community Relations Council and will be available,free of charge, from early December 2014 in hard copy and PDF download via: www.belfastfriend-shipclub.org or www.community-relations.org.uk

For further information, email:[email protected]

• Belfast Friendship Club meets every Thursday atCommon Grounds Cafe, 12-24 University Avenue,Belfast, BT7 1GY. All are welcome.

• Stephanie Mitchell, coordinator of Belfast Friendship Club

Club withFriendshipon the menu



ll bA

T E C H N O

ent our curr y ectivity?

, usinessoup?y gr

O G YL

ou struggling with e yAroadband connebr

ou a small bue yArary oluntity or vharc

iendly advice & an assessment ant some frheme or just wy questions about the sce anvou haIf yact us and o conte tatt hesite then please don’ucturastrxisting IT infrour eied out of ycarr

eam.hnical advice tecy one of our tange a call out barr

“ e and assist in omotte and assist in the delivo pr romotast city council t to prtnership with Belf fast city council tegic parattegic pareloped a str ratvveloped a stre devve dehnology haecTTecf afff ksttafBlach all others ca y whicample bxy as the e exwn compane using our oe ar re using our oWWe ar.eed cities initiativ veconnectted cities initiativsuperrconnect

ys of dial o the dae akin t to the daernet speeds mor re akin t dealing with int ternet speeds mor,, dealing with intearsor y yearse had struggled with poor connectivity f for yWWe had struggled with poor connectivity fwnload and 0.4Mbps upload.e 2.3Mbps doerre 2.3Mbps doheme w wered Sco the Super Connect ted Sce had prior t to the Super Connecthe speeds that w we had prior tT

o ed us t to acwwed us toadband connection that allow br roadband connection that alloo get a nee able t to get a neerre able te w werheme w we wed cities scUsing the Super Connect ted cities scwnload and 70Mbps upload.90Mbps do

t our o supporer able t to supporw bett ter able te noe ar re no w we arease in our connectivity; ; wou can see this is a significant incr rease in our connectivity;As y you can see this is a significant incream.ficiently as a t team.e ef fficiently as a te mor re efunicatte moromers and commcusttomers and comm ”

orecttor IT Dir rect,, IT Diree,Noel Maguir re

ds arwoe £3000 tou likould yWWould yoadband Connectast Brgetting a Super F

ast 9024 0000act us on BelfIf so then cont

ment d

y of the er n the deliv verww.ollo an f follo

up connection. s upload.

e speeds of vve speeds of hieo ac

t our

ion? 000

4 8 N O R T H DU N I T 2 ,

9 . T H EW W W

Q B T 3 9 A,A S T B E L F,U E S T R E E T D U N C R

0 2 4 0 0 0 0. C O MA F F G R O U PC K S TB L A

Jenny EbbageComment

You cannot have escaped the news recently that all charitiesin Northern Ireland must register with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). We have been

advising a number of charities on their registration requirements.All charities should check that they are on one of the CCNI listsand make sure that they know what action to take. There is adeadline of December 31, 2014, to notify the CCNI of the charity’s existence if the charity is not already on one of the lists.

We often receive enquiries about how to start a new charity.The CCNI’s guidance for organisations or individuals thinking ofsetting up a charity is a good place to start. This covers the different types of legal entities that can be used to establish thecharity and it explains the difference between an unincorporatedassociation, a charitable trust and a charitable company. It even covers the process for a scheme of incorporation fortrustees, which is often misunderstood.

It is important to consider whether it is really necessary toform a new charity or not. There are already thousands of charities in Northern Ireland and elsewhere and it might be bestto put your support and effort behind an existing organisation. Itis really important to understand what a new charity is going tobe set up to achieve: such as the advancement of education or relief of poverty, urban renewal or advancement of health. Getting the governance right is essential. It is important to have

people on the board of the charity who really understand what itmeans to be a charity trustee.

In the current climate there is a high dependency on charitiesas funding mechanisms have fallen away due to the various cuts.The public are always generous donors but be under no illusionthat the charity sector can be a difficult sector to operate in atthe current time and there is a host of regulation that needs to beclearly understood and complied with.

It is worthwhile reading the guidance from the CCNI, notonly on this topic but also its other publications such as Running your Charity and The Registration and Annual Reporting Requirements.

Where necessary it is always important to take proper legaladvice from a properly qualified person. At Edwards & Co. wespecialise in charities and were recently recognised as the top firmin Northern Ireland for charity law.

• Please contact Jenny Ebbage if you wish to discussany matter further at [email protected]).

• Solicitor Jenny Ebbage joined Edwards & Co. as apartner in November 2011 and leads its Charitiesand Enterprise team.

Is yourcharityon theregister?



Housing First is a relatively newconcept and has been developedto tackle homelessness and in

particular those who are chronicallyhomeless.

Accordingly to Shelter UK themodel was developed in the UnitedStates and has demonstrated high degrees of success in both housing andsupporting those who are chronicallystreet homeless with multiple and complex needs. Shelter argues that it isfounded on the principle of housing beinga basic human right and as a result it provides permanent accommodation forpeople straight from the street.

In a briefing paper it issued in 2008,it recognises that the model has no preconditions of addressing wider socialcare and support needs but recognisesthat many long-term and repeatedlyhomeless individuals have multiple andcomplex problems relating to drugand/or alcohol dependency, poor physicaland mental health, contact with the criminal justice system, and histories ofinstitutional care and traumatic lifeevents.

In 2013, the University of York carried out an evaluation of the HousingFirst service in the London Borough of

Camden. In the report, the authors acknowledged that Housing First approaches are based on the conceptthat a homeless individual’s first and primary need is to obtain stable housingand that other issues that may affectthem can and should be addressed oncehousing is obtained.

There is no requirement to demonstrate ‘housing readiness’ or to beabstinent from alcohol or other substances. The report found that theCamden Housing First (CAMHF)achieved housing stability among a groupof people with sustained and recurrentexperiences of homelessness, high ratesof severe mental illness and poor physicalhealth, histories of anti-social behaviour,criminality and sustained worklessnessand often highly problematic use of drugsand alcohol.

Many had not lived in their ownhome for many years or ever lived independently but had now been able tosustain their own tenancy for at least 12months or longer.

Clients also achieved gains in well-being with evidence of improvements inengagement with treatment for mentaland physical health problems, reductionsin drug and alcohol use and marked

reductions in anti-social behaviour. One of the major challenges,

however, that the report found was thedifficulty in finding suitable, adequate private rented accommodation withinthe rent limits that would be paid byHousing Benefit. This of course is one ofthe major barriers to the success of anysuch scheme.

In Northern Ireland, Depaul Irelandis currently piloting a Housing Firstscheme with the equivalent of three fulltime employees being funded through theSupporting People budget with a view torolling out similar services throughoutNorthern Ireland. The identified areashave been east Belfast, north Belfast, westBelfast and Dairyfarm. This is due forevaluation by March 2015.

The questions that need to beasked, however, surround the availabilityof suitable accommodation and the sup-port that is required. Indeed will properties be available particularly in theprivate rented sector, and will landlordsallow their properties to be used forsuch purposes? The Depaul scheme isbeing heavily subsidised by the NorthernIreland Housing Executive who also usesits own properties.

But with a waiting list of nearly

Is Housing First policy a so Professor Paddy Grey examines a scheme w



40,000 households and nearly 20,000presenting as homeless annually and halfof these being accepted as statutorilyhomeless is there the capacity to roll thisout?

Supporting People budgets acrossBritain have been decimated in recentyears and Local Authorities have beenforced to cut back on vital services. Although the budget has been ringfenced in Northern Ireland there is noguarantee that this will go on indefinitelyas budgets are being squeezed acrossmost government departments. Indeedthere is a major campaign going on atpresent to protect this budget for futureyears.

In the University of York it wasnoted that CAMHF was slightly cheaperto run for 10 service users than the approximate average cost of funding support for 10 hostel bed spaces in ahostel designed to resettle lone homeless people for one year.

However, CAMHF appeared to deliver better outcomes in terms ofhousing sustainment and in terms ofhealth, well-being and anti-social behaviour. It concluded that CAMHF represented a potentially more efficientuse of public expenditure in reducing

chronic homelessness than alternativeservices. CAMHF had lower supportcosts than some higher intensity and specialist hostels for homeless people.

So realistically in the long termHousing First is working and has workedin other jurisdictions. T

To move to this approach acrossNorthern Ireland, the government will

olution to homelessness? which Depaul has recently piloted in Belfast

The questions that need to be asked, however, surround the availability ofsuitable accommodation andthe support that is required

Kerry Anthony, chief executive of DePaul Ireland, left, with BelfastLord Mayor Nicola Mallon, Rick Henderson, CEO of Homeless Linkand Mags Lightbody, interim chief executive of the Northern IrelandHousing Executive, at the recent launch of the Housing First initiative in Belfast City Hall

have to commit to securing the appropriate accommodation that is required and to safeguard the supportingpeople budget if we are to rid ourselvesof chronic homelessness.

• Paddy Gray is Professor ofHousing at the University of Ulster.

‘’



By Brian Pelan

In the forward to Austerity Bites, comedian and political activist MarkThomas writes: “This book gives voice

to those at the bottom of the heap , thosewho struggle just to exist. This book is ammunition. Use it.”

The reader is taken on a grim journeyby author Mary O’Hara in which we get tohear the voices of those suffering thebrunt of austerity.

Ms O’Hara said: “The book seems tohave done really well, bearing in mind thatit doesn't cheer anyone up. It's getting a lotof traction with academics, researchersand librarians which is where I want it tobe. So it will hopefully end up on courses,such as social studies.

“I had five and a half months to writethe book which was supported by a grant

from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. “People pump out the numbers about

the effects of austerity but no one reallyhas a grasp of what that really means in reality. The things that were not getting reported was the multiple impact on certain groups, such as the disabled, whoare being hit with cuts to council tax

benefit, no access to crisis loans, bedroomtax, benefits capped, etc.

“I wanted to put a human face on thedeluge of things that were happening topeople. But I also felt sad that I had towrite a book about people living in misery.

Mary goes on to say: “Without an effective opposition to austerity there isno real opposition.

“You have all these fractured groupsscrambling around, trying to do there best,to highlight the injustices of austerity butyou have to set that against the entirepolitical class plus 95 percent of the mediacarrying us as if this was inevitable andthere was no choice and trying to pin thison people who are not responsible for theeconomic situation.”

• Austerity Bites is published byPolicy Press –http://bit.ly/1FjKyCw

I wanted to put a humanface on the deluge of cuts that were happening to working class families‘

’Journalist Mary O’Hara tells VIEW why she decided to write the book,Austerity Bites, which concentrates on describing the brutal effects ofeconomic cuts on working class families throughout the United Kingdom

A demonstration in London against the wave of austerity hitting communities throughout the UK

Impact: Writer Mary O’Hara



The recent AGM of the Northern Ireland Law Centre in Belfast discussed a range of issues, including

how advice agencies are looking for newsolutions to meet increasing demand in theface of a tough economic climate.

Roger Smith, former director of LegalAction Group and JUSTICE and an expertin legal aid and access to justice, gave theLaw Centre’s audience of voluntary sectoradvisers, members of the legal professionand civil servants an overview of innovativemodels of online services coupled withtelephone and face to face advice.

Mr Smith encouraged local NGOs andgovernment to take every opportunity tolearn from international initiatives and to embrace the opportunities offered by digital developments to deliver better services.

He also threw a note of caution aboutbeing mindful of digital exclusion, citing statistics that revealed that, although technically at least 80 percent of the population in the UK has internet access, inreal terms about half of our client constituencies would not be able to accessonline advice, for reasons of age, literacy,cultural and language barriers or ability.

He said: “The internet is revolutionising communication. We need tosee how we can use it to improve legalservices to those on low incomes.

“Around the world, examples of enormous creativity are emerging. NGOs

Call to embrace ‘digital opportunities’

Roger Smith speaking at the Northern Ireland Law Centre’s AGMlike the Law Centre – which has has atremendous record of work in NorthernIreland – have a real opportunity to be atthe cutting edge of innovation if they can get access to the necessary resources.

“And, crucially, they can also providethe individualised help that some peoplewill always need when IT systems gowrong or people cannot use them.

“We need to learn all the lessons thatwe can from what others have done.”

Ursula O’Hare, Acting Director at theLaw Centre, added: “The Law Centre delivers online legal information throughour Encyclopedia of Rights guide and ourlegal advice briefings.

“In 2013-14, over 200,000 people accessed this information on our website.

“This event is a great opportunity forthe voluntary advice sector to learn aboutnew models of service delivery and discusspossibilities for further innovations inNorthern Ireland.”



Harry Reidspeaking frankly

Thank you for contacting MaLAise108, the helpline for elected repre-sentatives. As we’re currently

experiencing a high volume of calls, we askyou to either be patient and hold until oneof our operators becomes available or select one of the following options, which we believe, will cover the majorityof your concerns.

Press one if you’re enquiring aboutthe location of the next meeting of the AllParty Craft Group featuring illusionist Dynamo, who will be demonstrating how to make a Trojan Horse from a yogurt pot forMaLAise com-mitted to dis-playing exhibitsin the upcomingShared Futureexhibition.

Press twofor a reminderof the details ofthe itinerary forthe trip to theIsle of Man forthe upcoming fixture in the Comparative Legislators Cup being hostedby the Tynwald.

With a fixture against the Congress ofMicronesia early next year up for grabs forthe victorious side, we’re sure a good performance against the House of Keys will stop the ill-informed sneeringfrom London and Washington about oursupposed democratic shortcomings.

Press three to get instructions onhow to pick up your free noise cancellingheadphones. Sponsored by Selective Hearing of Pyongyang, these bad boys willhelp sort out those tricky moments whenyou are trying to concentrate but are finding yourself disturbed by constituents’

unreasonable requests for you to DoSomething.

Press four if you’re a member of theExecutive unable to post any more strategy documents through the letterboxof the Room Of Requirement. Unfortunately the facility is now physicallyfull. Consequently, until JK Rowlings’ lecture next month explaining how to usethe wands supplied to all MaLAise, you areadvised to extend the relevant consultation periods as a means of makingdocuments with embarrassing promisedactions and targets vanish.

Press five to ask for a copy of the newAbacus Repair Manual should your owncounting apparatus have malfunctionedduring any of the most recent meetings ofthe Ten Per Cent Club.

Members are reminded that as onlythe Green, UKIP and TUV MaLAise areoutside the club’s governing body, theword ‘cuts’ should, where possible, be replaced by the phrase ‘savings resultingfrom difficult choices’.

Press six for advice for dealing withjournalists seeking a response to the ‘Ebola & Welfare Reform’ document recently leaked to media outlets.

As the status of this publication,drafted as it was by the Blue Sky Thinking

Unit, is a discussion paper, you are safe inasserting that MaLAise had not adoptedthe idea of spreading Ebola amongst benefit claimants to reduce the welfare bill.

Press seven should you wish to attendnext week’s ‘Toxic Tiger’ briefing by the Director of the Community RelationsCouncil. As you know, this is an excitinginitiative, that if well handled, could see anend to austerity and the dawn of an era ofunparalleled prosperity.

With our track record of containinghome grown hatred, why should we notimport and contain the discord, strife and

bigotry of otherjurisdictions?

With thesuggested generous taxbreaks, andplenty of unusedopen spacesavailable forfighting here, nowonder the UNis taking thisproposal so

seriously. With the upcoming conference inBelfast to explore the strategy to makethis an economic reality already sold out,and so many keynote speakers from thelikes of ISIS, the Ku Klux Klan and the Janjaweed already confirmed, we are onthe brink of securing a future, for futuregenerations, in the emm, future.

Meantime, press eight if in the presentyou find yourself worried about your addiction to squabbling and general hullabaloo with the side effect of lack of time to address the social and economic issues everyone keeps pesteringyou about.

Dr. Con Census is on hand to takeyour calls.

Assistance for politicians who aresuffering from the dreaded MaLAise



VIEW and Audie Successful Driving Digital Day at Dunca

Clockwise, from top left:Ed Corn, MTV; with Margaret Henry, CEO,Audiences NI; VIEW editor Brian Pelan andVIEWdigital publisherUna Murphy. Shi and Mizfrom Leeds Art Crawlwith Danielle Ross, Audiences NI. Ed Cornaddressing the audience.Angelina Fusco, formereditor of BBC NINewsline. VIEWdigitalassociate Willis McBriarwith some of the participants at the event

Images: Kevin Cooper



encies NI link up airn Cultural and Arts Centre in Belfast


FREE tickets to performances and events with TestDrive the Arts NI –http://viewdigital.org/2014/11/30/free-tickets-performances-events-test-drive-arts-ni/

http://viewdigital.org/2014/11/30/free-tickets-performances-events-test-drive-arts-ni/

http://viewdigital.org/2014/11/30/free-tickets-performances-events-test-drive-arts-ni/


The Big PictureHundreds of women, men and children took part in a recent Reclaim the Night march in Belfast. Speakers at the rally called foran end to sexual and racist attacks

Image: Brian Pelan

If you would like your community/voluntary sector organisation orcampaign to be selected for The Big Picture, send your image,marked Big Picture entry, to [email protected]



The Labour Party haslaunched a review on tackling

inequality in Northern Ireland.The Heenan-Anderson

Commission will address issues ranging from improving earlychildhood development and educational attainment to promoting more new businesses.

It will also focus on the implications of efforts to encourage the growth of the private sector following decadesof violence which deterred entrepreneurs from setting up inNorthern Ireland.

Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Ivan Lewis said: "Itseems to me it is crucial thatwhen people look at these recommendations they believethat they will add value and make a real difference and signal, where necessary, a different course.

The co-chairs of the commission are Professor DeirdreHeenan and Colin Anderson, chiefexecutive of Anderson Advertising and Mr Lewis, MP.

Mr Anderson said: “NorthernIreland has made enormousstrides in my many years as abusiness leader. But not everyonehas benefitted from the progressthat has been made.

“Looking at ways to increaseskills and aspiration for peopleacross Northern Ireland will bring a new lease of life to the economy.”

Professor Deirdre Heenan

added: “Too many of the youngpeople I work with want to leaveNorthern Ireland to work abroad.Many more lack hope and opportunities, and do not havethe option to leave.

“This leaves them open to exploitation by paramilitaries andsectarian mind sets. Our commission will find innovativeways to bring a peace dividend toeveryone in Northern Ireland.”

Labour leader Ed Milibandsaid: “The people of NorthernIreland deserve to have an equalstake in prosperity and the opportunities that will give thema chance to shape their lives forthe better.

“The Heenan-Anderson Commission will look at ways to improve opportunities for themost disadvantaged communitiesin Northern Ireland.”

Labour Party reviewto look at inequality

Shadow Secretary of Northern Ireland Ivan Lewis, left, with ProfessorDeirdre Heenan and Colin Anderson at the launch of the Commissionin Belfast



issue 29, 2014

Documents