Author: Chatter

I am almost 69. If I am lucky I may have a few years still to go. Since I was 20 my life has been lived with the spectre of the ‘troubles ‘ hovering over me.  The troubles have defined my country, my life and those of my children. I do not want them to define the lives of my grandchildren  and great-grandchildren. I have mourned with those who have lost loved ones, I have grieved for their loss. I have condemned each atrocity and hoped it would be the last. I have sat up until the wee small hours to ensure my children got home safely, listening to the hourly news in case another bomb had gone off in town. I have stood on the Ormeau Road on internment day while the city was erupting around me. I’ve lain in bed listening to the sound of gunfire and the sound of petrol bombs hitting their targets. I’ve worked in areas of Northern Ireland where it was a relief for my family to know I was home safe at the end of the day.

I’ve had enough.  I no longer want to think about it. I’m sorry for those who have lost love ones. I too have lost love ones, albeit not by a terrorist hand. But loss is loss no matter how it happens. I remember them but I don’t allow their loss to dictate how I live my life. The chances of catching those who committed these horrendous crimes are rapidly diminishing. Meanwhile relatives and friends are allowing their lives to be defined waiting for justice. Well I don’t want to grieve anymore, I want to put the troubles behind me. I want to get on with my life without listening to the rhetoric that has made up our news over the last few days. I would imagine to the younger generation we might as well be referring to the atrocities of the two world wars for all this means to them. We are not allowing our young people to move on, so instead of moving on they are moving out and crossing the water. Most of them will never return.
Life is very short. You look in the mirror or you look at your grandchild and you think how did I get here so quickly. It seems like yesterday…………I would appeal to those involved in politics and those who can influence them to draw a line under the past. Both sides have been guilty of atrocities. Go back into the assembly. No red lines. Get back in. Sort out our day -to -day problems. Deal with Same Sex Marriage and ILA when you sort out health, education and compensation for those victims waiting all these years. Time is short for those on waiting lists who may die while waiting for surgery.
I know some won’t agree with my thoughts on this but you know something you get to an age where it doesn’t matter what others think.  I have no intention of offending anyone. I would say to those relatives and friends of the victims, don’t let the terrorists define your life anymore. They have already taken away most of your quality of life. Live and enjoy what is left of it. I imagine your relatives would want you to be happy. Grieving has to end at some stage. Remembering a loved one doesn’t.

It was Sunday morning. The grandkids and the dog had been staying with me for almost a week but were now returned to their rightful owners. I was enjoying the peace and quiet. And then I heard it. Someone was opening the patio doors downstairs. You can tell even from upstairs that someone had slid the doors across and didn’t seem to be too worried about being heard.

Shall I lie here or get up and confront him I thought to myself. Just lie there I thought, hopefully he’ll go away. But no, suddenly there was a sound that seemed to echo up the chimney behind my headboard. It was a loud raking sound accompanied by the sound of steel upon steel. After a few minutes it stopped and I heard the cloakroom door open. I knew it was the cloakroom door because the original handle dating back to 1929 is still there and there is a distinctive noise when it opens. I heard the  rustling of plastic bags. There is, by the way, an endless supply of plastic bags in our house cause I end up buying at least two every time I shop.

The door closed again and by this time I was becoming agitated but still didn’t want a confrontation. The clanging of dishes and pots and pans followed. The dishwasher was being emptied. Suddenly I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, the door opened, banging the side of the wardrobe, per usual. Well did you enjoy your ly-in? said the hubby, setting a cup of tea, a croissant and my morning tablets on the bedside table. Didn’t want to wake you, but I’ve cleaned out the fire and emptied the dishwasher while you we’re sleeping and nipped out earlier for the croissants. Great for some having a lie in, he said. You can guess what I was thinking but I said nothing.

I returned to Stormont on Tuesday evening to attend an event in aid of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Two years ago I attended the same event with my friend Olive Buckley. On that occasion Olive spoke bravely about her diagnosis of Pancreatic cancer and reinforced her attitude to dealing with it, which showed her inner strength and determination. Sadly Olive passed away in September last year and until she passed away she remained upbeat and was still dealing with issues connected  to Unite for whom she had been a strong advocate.

It was encouraging to see that although Stormont is no longer a working entity a number of MLAs showed their support by turning up.

Nichola Mallon opened proceedings with the sad news that a former teacher Mrs O’Sullivan had passed away on Tuesday due to pancreatic cancer.

Mark Taylor spoke about the advances in treatments some being pioneered by the University of Ulster and Professor John Callan. Very encouraging.

We also heard Ivan McMinn talk about how it has been six years since his diagnosis but because of an early diagnosis and thanks to the expert care from Mark Taylor, he is fit and well and looking forward to the future.
Mark Taylor also acknowledged the presence of Olive Buckley’s partner Gary and how Olive’s contribution on Talkback had helped raise awareness of the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. She also asked that Abraxane be made available in NI and this has now happened.

We miss Olive very much and hope that in the future the outcome for others will be more positive.

Thanks to Pancreatic Cancer UK for hosting the event

For more information and symptoms

http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk

Classic pancreatic cancer symptoms can include:
Painless jaundice (yellow skin/eyes, dark urine, itching).
Weight loss which is significant and unexplained.
Abdominal pain or discomfort which is new-onset and significant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wasn’t sure what to expect when I decided to go along to see’ Free Lunch Society’ The venue for the pop up cinema was the Ormeau Baths where we were greeted by Aaron the producer of New Notions Cinema and his associates. This was the first showing of
this film in Northern Ireland and it was disappointing to see a low turnout. But those of us who did turnout were not disappointed. A new concept on how we should be living. The prospect of how life will change as robots take over leaving us with more free time to pursue other things. A basic income paid by the government would allow citizens to live without worrying about money. Work would be a choice. Many counties including Namibia ( take note President Trump) are already carrying out trials and Alaska have it up and running. You need to watch to find out how.
Followed by a discussion and a Q&A from the audience it made for a good night out. But please comfortable chairs required for old ladies like me.
The film is on YouTube and I recommend you watch it.

 

Deat President Trump

My name is Ann Allan and I live in Northern Ireland. I am a few years younger than you, married and have two children and four grandchildren.
I grew up in the sixties and during the Cuban crisis and remember until now how I felt sitting at my desk in school in fear of the world ending with a bang and then the relief when we heard that we could relax that the crisis was over.

Ever since then I have gone to sleep at night with the assurance that the USA was watching out for the world and that we were able to sleep easy in our beds. We had confidence in those who held the post of POTUS to act prudently and lookout for any threats and deal with them quietly and discretely.
But then you became President and that feeling of security has gone.  Your ‘off the cuff ‘remarks and tweets leave me fearing for the future of my family. You sound belligerent in your rhetoric towards other countries especially North Korea and Kim Jung Un who let’s face it comes across as a young kid trying to be up there with the cool kids.

Why don’t you spell out to Kim Jong that you don’t want war, that the rest of the world don’t hate the citizens of North Korea and do not mean them any harm. I suspect many actually sympathise with a population so brainwashed that they actually feel under threat.  You need to start a personal dialogue with him for the sake of your grandchildren and mine.
When I woke this morning the first thing I did was to check the news to ensure you hadn’t started WW3 while I was sleeping. How frightened the younger generation must be feeling. They deserve to be brought up in a world where the threat of nuclear war is not occurring almost on a daily basis. You have called out previous Presidents for not sorting it. Well now is  the time to put your money where your mouth is and sort it.
So please for all those who just want to get on with life , which is short, please take advice from those who have the experience and wisdom to do the right thing
Remember that the NK situation will need a win /win resolution .Any thing other than that will be disastrous.

And by the way stop putting on the hypocritical act of praying with the evangelicals. They are a throwback to biblical times and I know deep down you accept their adulation for the sake of votes
Finally have a nice day.

 

Ann Allan

A citizen of the world

 

 

I only got involved in politics in 2013 when I was introduced to NI21 by my late friend Olive Buckley. I liked the fact that it was different from other Northern Ireland parties and it was new. I don’t need to tell you how that ended but safe to say I was bitterly disappointed and vowed never to join another political party again. However interacting  on social media with others I couldn’t keep stop putting my h’pennys worth and I couldn’t resist commenting on something in the news. My favourite programmes were now The View and local politics shows. Talkback with William Crawley was a must and if I wakened in time I’d dip into the Nolan show. I began to read articles, Famiarize myself with the elected  political figures and the parties they represented.
Not long ago I was asked to join a group who were contemplating launching a new party but I had been through that before and at my age I needed a party that was well established, fulfilled at least 95 per cent of my beliefs and was non sectarian. I had voted at the last election for Alliance. I had interacted with members of the party on social media and in my role as a member of the steering committee for opengovni.
I found them to be approachable and Alliance, represented by Stewart Dixon, was happy to meet us and discuss what open government was all about. I was delighted when Naomi Long become leader as I felt she could transfer a lot of what she had  learned in Westminster to the assembly and to the broader party. It would be impossible to get a party that ticked all boxes but Alliance comes closest to my wish list. I was pleased and impressed when my 16 year old grandson also became interested in politics. He also joined the Alliance party ( that reduced membership fee was a great incentive for younger people) and so the two of us headed to Stormont on Thursday night to a ‘meet and greet ‘for new members. The long gallery was packed with new and  some ‘old’ members. A huge turnout. After some interaction and a quick cuppa with the other attendees and after some introductions the lady herself, Naomi Long, took the stand and despite a long and tiring day gave a rousing ‘call to battle’.  Hopefully not a ‘brutal ‘ election as some have predicted. So come election day I will be voting Alliance in East Belfast and hoping that this is the time that the voters will step away from orange and green politics and vote for ‘bread and butter ‘ issues.  I know Naomi will do a grand job in helping to normalise politics in our ‘wee country ‘ and challenging those who seek to undermine it. She will hold other parties to account and she will be fair and measured in her responses. I admire how she stays calm on social media when confronted with trolls.

I hope in this upcoming election, Alliance, and indeed all the opposition parties do well and will come back stronger and in a position to challenge the openness and transparency that are lacking in today’s assembly.

 

https://www.allianceparty.org/

http://www.opengovernment.org.uk/countries/opengovni/

 

I was listening to the Nolan show recently ( ok, I know ).  After listening to George from da Shankill and Norman from Bangor, ad nauseum, I drifted into Wonderland and not for the first time.

Read ( https://apvallan.com/2015/10/30/ann-allan-ann-in-wonderland-with-apologies-to-lewis-carroll/

I found myself once again in the Great Hall in Stormont. I began to feel rather warm so I asked a fellow traveller who resembled a white rabbit why that should be. Well, put it like this, he said the DUPERS signed up to the RHI but they’ve been caught out so they’re trying to recoup the money by heating the place 24 hours a day and then reclaiming the money to try and save 400 million pounds. It’s going to be a long hot century.
Goodness I though this gets curious and curiouser.
Do they often waste money like that ?  I asked. He suddenly smiled like a Cheshire cat. My dear he said they’re experts at it. He disappeared leaving only a smile.

A very happy unbirthday to you, said a strange man with a very ruddy complexion and for a minute I could have sworn he had no clothes on. Who are you? I asked. I’m the Mad Hatter, he said, but you can call me Sammy. Are you a Duper I asked ? Yes, he replied. You should be ashamed of yourself using all that fuel?Haven’t you heard of climate change?  Don’t believe in that rubbish, he said. The cabal says God will save us if we pray, so no sweat. No sweat, I thought, wiping the sweat from my brow.
I wandered up the staircase and followed the sound of water splashing. Someone was leaning over a paddling pool. Look,  he was saying, when the ferry comes up to the jetty we could have a crane nearby which could tip it up and then the cars could roll off. Problem solved. Tell you what Danny, said a voice I now know was Chris, you can tell that to the public. I left Twiddledee and Tweedledum trying to target a civil servant to blame.

This place is really messed up,  I thought. There can’t be any more cock ups? Nama, Nama Nama Nama, hey hey Nama Nama. I followed this somewhat hypnotic chant and this led me to the long hall. I heard a conversation going on and I listened from behind a curtain. Ok Jamie, I heard someone say.  ( That person needs a drink, sounds as if he has a sore throat, I thought) Ok Jamie, I’ve got my latest, sorry, your latest blog. I’ve made a few grammar mistakes so it will be believable. We’ll get the buggers locked up and then we’ll throw away the key. Can I definitely be deputy minister ? asked Jamie? Of course  you can, the shady figure replied but I noticed he had his fingers crossed behind his back at the time.

Where’s the ‘head bummer’? I asked a passer by, Mitchel, I think he was called. Long gone, the griffin replied ( well if Lewis Carroll can do it, so can I). Replaced. Ah no controversy there then, I volunteered. Well, he said, have you heard of Charter NI? Dodgy I thought. If they are getting all that money couldn’t Dee give the front of the building a coat of paint. Looks very run down.

Wandering further along I caught sight of myself in a looking glass. Behind me I saw a Gaelic pitch. There seemed to be a lot of angry people but a female with a dodgy hairstyle was assuring everyone concerned that all was ok and every thing would be sorted. That was the past I reckoned. It’s probably completed and the community are benefitting. I heard a guffaw and a man wearing a vivid blue suit and sporting a spiked hairstyle was grinning to himself. I fully support the GAA he kept repeating, as if he was trying to convince himself.

I must wake up I thought. I’ll write this in my next blog. People love fairy stories. I was glad to wake up knowing I had been dreaming. And then I heard Talkback!

 

 

As part of Community Relations and Cultural Awareness Week, I attended an event at the Thinking Cup cafe on the Lisburn Road. The theme was being Good Relations – A Convivial Conversation.
The late Jo Cox and I suspect many others are quoted as saying
“.. we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than the things that divide us”
The ‘conversation’ was hosted by Eileen Chan Hu and Maciek Bator from CRAIC NI and Denis Stewart, International Futures Forum.
The beautiful Autumn morning sunlight lit up the room and the atmosphere was warm and convivial. Informal introductions took place over coffee and scones from the cafe below before Denis opened proceedings with a reading from a poem by Maya Angelou  entitled Human Family. You can listen to her reading the full version here
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/maya-angelou-s-human-family/

I have included a few verses

“….The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white….

…I’ve sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I’ve seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man……

…I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike….”
Eileen then went around the room and those present told us how they got their name and its origins. Not much for me to say, as all I knew was that I was baptised in a hurry and generations of ancestors were called Ann (well the females were). I forgot to mention I brought the hubby along and he was well out of his comfort zone but he joined in and was convivial.

Otherness was the buzz word. The hubby and I could have qualified for our ‘otherness’ as 46 years ago we were one of the few mixed marriages in Northern Ireland and found it hard to find a niche in either community. Thankfully that is changing albeit slowly but it still  depends on where you live and the culture you have been brought up in.
After a group discussion where we discussed how we could tackle ethnic diversity and facilitate the integration of those coming to live in Northern Ireland, we picked out a book from the loaded bookcases and chose a quotation from the book for a fellow participant.
Tim Brannigan then told us how being black in the early  years of the troubles in West Belfast made it difficult to fit in. His recently published book “Where do you really come from? ” is soon to be made into a film. The book is available on Amazon.
So, all in all, an enjoyable morning. My only observation would be that the presence of some refugees or immigrants who could voice their opinions from their prospective, might have helped to show where we could improve on how we help those who are trying to make a home in ‘Norn Iron’

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http://www.internationalfuturesforum.com/p/transformative-innovation-in-education