Only one out of three students are Protestants

Only one in three of the 35,000 university students in Northern Ireland are from a Protestant background.  That has been revealed by the Department of Employment and Learning in response to an Assembly question.  But what is the explanation? 

Today some folk have attempted to explain the differential in student intake at Northern Ireland universities on the basis of educational underachivement in some working-class Protestant areas.  There is certainly an issue of educational underachievement and that issue must be addressed.  In doing so we need to start at an early stage, working with parents and children.

However this does not explain the major disparity in the number of Protestant and Roman Catholic students in Northern Ireland universities. There is also a problem of educational underachievement in some working-class nationalist areas and as DSD minister I have visited nationalist communities that recognise this problem and are seeking to address it.

As regards educational underachievement in unionist areas there are, I believe, a number of factors that contribute to this and I will return to this on another occasion. However the extent of the disparity in university intake is such that there must be other factors involved.

This is not a new issue but I think that on this occasion it has got such attention in the media that it will have to be explored further. Too often in the past universities were able to ignore the issue and hope it would disappear out of the spotlight.

We need further research to see how many young people, from unionist and nationalist backgrounds, are goiing on to university and the pattern of choice they are making. We must also see why our local universitiies are attracting fewer Protestants than Roman Catholics. Why are so many young Protestants choosing to go elsewhere, how many are choosing to go, and where are they going?

However, returning to my previous post, the situation at Magee is particularly acute and certainly cannot be explained by any differential in educational underachievement. 

There is obviously a chill factor for Protestants at local universities, something that is particularly acute at Magee, and it is incumbent on the universities to address that issue. It is also incumbent on the Assembly to carry out its own exploration of the matter.

Londonderry - a shared city?

As Londonderry prepares to become United Kingdom City of Culture in 2013, the city faces a major challenge and that is to become truly a shared city.

Just a third of the 35,000 students attending university in Northern Ireland are Protestant and two thirds are Roman Catholic, but in the case of the Magee campus of the University of Ulster in Londonderry, less than a fifth of the students are Protestant.  The figure has just been released by DEL minister Stephen Farry in response to a question tabled by Gregory Campbell MP MLA. 

This situation is intolerable and the University of Ulster certainly has questions to answer about how the situation has arisen and what they propose to do to create a shared campus.  Those questions are particularly important at a time when the university is seeking to expand the Magee campus.

This is a symptom of a deeper problem in the Maiden City but it is certainly not the only symptom.  The only remaining unionist presence on the city side of the Foyle is the Fountain.  It is a very small community but they are the only unionists remaining on that side of the river.  Otherwise the city is divided between a totally nationalist city side and a mixed Waterside.

Addressing the imbalance in the university campus, which is clearly a cold house for Protestants, and rebuilding and regenerating the Fountain should be significant elements in the preparation for 2013.  I look forward to hearing the commitment of the university and the council to tackle these issues and I look forward to seeing their action plans.  Otherwise what credibility can there be for the city's forthcoming status as the United Kingdom City of Culture in 2013.

Time is pressing on and 2013 is drawing near.  The time is short and both university and city council must step up to the mark. 

NIPSA and the 'far left' (2)

The Plough is the e-mail newsletter of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the issue of 13 February 2004 had an interesting account of elections within the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA), the largest trade union in Northern Ireland.

It criticised the NIPSA leadership and reported the bid by a far-left coalition, known as Time for Change, to take over the union.

NIPSA activists have responded to the union leadership's poor management of the civil service dispute by mounting a campaign to get control of the union's ruling General Council.

The coalition 'Time for Change' has put up a number of candidates, on a grass roots campaign, and with a surprisingly tightinternal discipline structure.

'Time for Change' includes the best left-wing, anti-bureaucratic, elements of the NIPSA active members.  It is an alliance of independent socialists in concert with members of various progressive politicial parties, including the IRSP.

It is vitally important that 'Time for Change' win this internal battle.

The languge of the report is illustrative of the mindset of the far-left - this was a coalition with 'tight internal disciplne', set on an 'internal battle' 'to get control of the union's ruling General Council'. 

And who was it that was seeking to get control of the union?  The phrase 'progressive political parties' included not only the IRSP but also the Socialist Party and this was essentially a Trotskyist coalition.   The Plough then listed the slate of far-left 'Time for Change' candidates: Carol Barnett, Brian Booth, Brian Crawford, Paul Dale, Brian Forbes, Carmel Gates, Dooley Harte, Gerry Largey, Kevin Lawrenson, Maria Morgan, Janette Murdock, Patrick Mulholland, Ricki Reid and John Toal.

The following week The Plough reported the outcome of the NIPSA election and the fact that they had gained control of the union.

VICTORY FOR LEFT IN NIPSA ELECTIONS

As trailed last week in the Plough, the results of NIPSA's General Council elections were published on Tuesday (February 17). They represent a massive success for the left coalition 'Time for Change.'  Of the 14 Time for Change candidates standing, nine were successful, and with the support of the non-aligned, the grouping can now look forward to a year in control of the largest union in the north.

Carmel Gates, a member of the Socialist Party, went on to become NIPSA president and when we compare that list with the current leadership we see that Maria Morgan is now NIPSA president and John Toal is NIPSA treasurer.  Following on from the previous post this shows how the far-left has taken over the trade union.

NIPSA: Left sees major gains

Most people in Northern Ireland, including trade union members, know very little about the political associations of those who lead our trade unions but from time to time we learn a little about that mysterious world of trade union leadership.

The Socialist Party, formerly known as Militant, is a far-left Trotskyist organisation.  It has contested elections in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and has achieved some electoral success in the Republic.  In the 2009 European elections, Joe Higgins was elected as an MEP for Dublin as well as a councillor on Fingal County Council.  Elsewhere the party picked up five council seats.  Then at the 2011 general election the Socialist Party took two seats in Dail Eireann. 

However in Northern Ireland the party has had an abysmal electoral record and has never had anyone elected in local government elections or in Stormont or Westminster elections.  At the 2003 Assembly election it secured just 0.05% of the vote.  More recently it fielded two candidates in the 2011 elections for Belfast City Council - Paddy Meehan (Laganbank), Pat Lawlor (Lower Falls) - but both polled badly and were eliminated.  The candidates from the Socialist Party are unelected and unelectable.

Nevertheless this miniscule Trotskyist party exercises considerable influence in the trade union movement and earlier this year they were able to report on their success in getting three members elected to the executive of NIPSA.  NIPSA: Left sees major gains

The Socialist Party reported on its website that, 'The broad left increased its seats on the 25-member executive from four to 12, with three Socialist Party members topping the poll.'

NIPSA has 46,000 members and is Northern Ireland's largest trade union.  It is split into two groups - the civil service group and the public officers' group - with Billy Lynn, a long-time member of the Socialist Party, as chairperson of the civil service group and Eileen Webster, who is also a member of the Socialist Party, as chairperson of the public officers' group.  The report on the Socialist Party website was written by Padraig Mulholland, who is described as a member of the NIPSA public officers group executive, and the NIPSA website names Patrick Mulholland as the vice-president of NIPSA.

We do well to take note of those from the far-left, both Communist and Trotskyist, who wield such power in the trade union movement.

Saturday/Sunday

Every Saturday the Belfast Telegraph Weekend magazine carries a Saturday/Sunday interview in which a prominent person asnwers a series of questions about their weekend. 

Today the person interviewed is Paul Stewart, a businessman who lives in east Belfast.  He is the sales director of a refurbishment company in Bangor and his work takes him across the United Kingdom.

One of the questions is 'Sunday morning - do you go to church?' and it brings a wide variety of answers.  In the case of Paul Stewart, he is very open and clear about his Christian faith and the importance of Sunday as a day for worship and the family.

Yes, we go as a family to the Congregational Church in Belfast twice every Sunday.  The children also take part in Sunday School.  I firmly believe that family worship is very important.  I studied theology at Queen's University and regularly preach around churches in Northern Ireland, too.

In these days when secularism is so pervasive and aggressive, it is good to see a successful businessman who is willing to speak out clearly and publicly about his Christian faith.

Gambling in Northern Ireland

Earlier this year Alex Attwood MLA, my predecessor as Minister for Social Development, initiated a consultation on gambling legislation in Northern Ireland and this week DSD officials presented the Social Development Committee at Stormont with a summary of the responses. 

I was therefore interested to see a news report on North Western Bookmakers.  This company was formed in 2008 when Ladbrokes bought the Eastwood's chain of betting shops, merging it with its existing shops.  It is the largest chain in Northern Ireland, holding 24% of betting shop licences.

Their turnover in 2010 was £265m, up from £262m in 2009, and they reported a pre-tax profit of £6.4m.

With a turnover of £262m and holding alomst a quarter of the total number of licences, we can estimate that the total amount of money spent on gambling in betting shops in Northern Ireland must be around £1,060m a year, which is something like £600 for every man, woman and child.   If we exclude children and those who do not bet at all and if we bear in mind that some people only bet once or twice a year, on something like the Grand National, then it is clear that there are other people who are each spending many thousands of pounds a year in betting shops.

The farmer and the pop-star

The barn on the road from Belfast to Bangor has long been a landmark.  On the side of it are the words of the John 3:16 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.'  The text, in large white letters, is seen by thousands of motorists every day and it has been there for many years.

The owner of the barn and the farm is Alan Graham, a Christian who has served many years as a DUP councillor in North Down.  He is well known in the area but in the past weeek his name has appeared in newspapers all around the world, as the result of an encounter with pop singer Rihanna, who was in Ulster to perform at a concert and film a video.

Last week a field belonging to Alan Graham was hired to film a new video for an unnamed pop singer and on Monday filming started.  Of course the news that a pop singer was in the district drew crowds of spectators and journalists, eager for a sight of the pop superstar. 

However not everyone is acquainted with the world of pop music.  Alan had never heard of Rihanna and had no idea what to expect.  As a result he was taken aback when he discovered that in the course of filming Rihanna had stripped to the waist and was walking around his field topless.  At that point he stepped in and said that filming should stop.  Rihanna covered up and after speaking to him the pop singer and the Christian parted on good terms.

The story soon spread around the world and was covered on news programmes in many different countries.  Of course the local media were able to produce some trendy individuals who condemned Alan Graham and spoke of the damage he had done to Northern Ireland.  That is only to be expected.  Much more significant were the folk who appeared on television and in the press and defended him.

One of the most insightful comments came from the English journalist Yasmin Alibhai Brown who said: 'Mr Graham made a brave stand against two of the worst excesses of modern life: the sexualisation of society and our celebrity culture ...  In his small, humble way this farmer demonstrated a kind of strength and conviction that used to be commonplace in society - and which, to our shame, has almost disappeared.' 

She also posed the question: 'Why is it that the national conversation about the degradation of our natural world and physical environment is considered so respectable and urgent, while anyone who questions the degradation of our moral and social environment is treated like a leper or a lunatic?'

Yasmin's article was excellent and she was right on the mark in what she said.  Our society has become increasingly sexualised and female pop-stars, many of whom are overtly sexual, have bcome role models for young girls.

Alan Graham took his stand for what is right and he should be commended.  He was true to his faith and he has earned the respect of many people.

Rihanna has gone but the barn is still there and the text still speaks of the love of God.  Indeed pictures of the barn and the text have appeared in a number of newspapers and Alan himself has been able to share his Christian faith with many people in many lands.