Dan Walker - sports presenter

Dan Walker is well known as a BBC sports broadcaster, presenting sport on News 24 and covering football for Final Score, Match of the Day and Football Focus.

He is also a born-again Christian and was converted after a Sunday evening service in 1989, when he was about twelve years of age.

Not only does he love the Lord, he loves the Lord's day and has never played sport on Sunday or worked on Sundays. We live in an age when Sunday has become a major day for sport and especially for sport on television but Dan holds true to his faith.

Here is what he says about the importance of the Lord's Day.

Many people - even Christians - have asked me why I feel so strongly about the Lord's day. for me it seems quite obvious. God, our Creator, has given it to us for our own good. Some will argue that Jesus Christ's coming means we are no longer obligated to keep it special but that is a viewpoint I fundamentally disagree with. There are still ten commandments and it is more important than ever before to guard the fourth one jealously.

I think it is also essential to stress the importance of being part of a 'local' church. The church, the corporate worship of God, and the preaching of the Word are three of the mai nthings Satan aims to undermine in the lives of Christians. I know that I would suffer both spiritually and practicaly if I started working on Sunday. I don't think our attitude to the Lord's day is a 'salvation' issue but I do firmly believe that it is a sign of our siritual temperature. What does it say about us if we would rather be on a football pitch than in the presence of God's people hearing His Word?

When people at work ask me why I wasn't covering something like the Wimbledon final, it gives me the perfect opportunity to tell them why I wasn't there and what I was doing instead. The fact that I turned down a lifetime ambition to work on The Open showed the editor of the programme that my faith in Jesus Christ really mattered. It seems weird but God has given me the chance to talk to people like David Beckham and Noel Gallagher about why I would rather go to church on a Sunday.

God made us and He knows how we are made.  He knows that we need a day of rest because that is way He made us that way.  That is why He set aside one day in the week as that day of rest.  But Sunday is more than a day of rest.  It is also a day for worship and for the family.

Volunteering

At the start of September I spoke at the presentation of the Newtownabbey Volunteer Accolades.  Newtownabbey Borough Council is one of a number of councils that organise events to recognise and celebate the contribution of volunteers in their council area.  The following is an extract from my speech, in which I commended the outstanding work of local volunteers.

 

I'm particularly pleased to be here tonight as my Department is the lead department in the Northern Ireland Executive for volunteering.

 

In March 2012 the department published Northern Ireland's first ever Volunteering Strategy and Action Plan.  The strategy is called Join in, get involved: Build a better future and it has been endorsed by the Executive.

 

The strategy seeks to create the conditions that will enable volunteering to flourish.  It recognises that government, the private sector and the voluntary and community sector all have a role to play to support the growth of volunteering.

 

Our strategy, and by this I mean it belongs to everyone in Northern Ireland, is about helping people in their volunteering efforts.  It's about getting more people to volunteer and it's about everyone recognising the tremendous and invaluable work volunteers do in our society.

 

It will help make it easier for people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved and become volunteers and will help volunteers to have an enjoyable and rewarding experience as they continue to make a real difference in the lives of people in their communities.

 

Since I became a minister and in fact for many years before that I have always been greatly impressed by the time and energy volunteers contribute to our community.  Volunteers give thousands of hours of their free time each year.  It is essential that we continue to nurture the capacity and capability that exists, making it easier for people to donate their time and help create the kind of society in which we all want to play a part.

 

While we recognise the contribution that volunteering makes to civil society we must also not forget the contribution it makes to those individuals who volunteer.  Volunteering plays an important role in giving people a sense of purpose and fulfilment, the opportunity to build new friendships while playing an active role in their community. and the chance to do something worthwhile that they enjoy.  Two thirds of volunteers say that volunteering gives them more confidence and a position in the community.  Over three quarters say that it gives them a chance to do things they are good at and to meet people and make new friends.  Most importantly 95% of volunteers say that they really enjoy volunteering and get a sense of satisfaction from it.

 

Whatever the motivation, thousands of people volunteer across Northern Ireland every day.  Our entire society benefits from the work carried out by volunteers so it is in everyone's interest to support and develop volunteering.

 

Volunteering makes Northern Ireland a better place for all of us to live in.  It helps people connect meaningfully with each other across our communities.  It enables and empowers individuals and communities to help themselves tp tackle the issues that are important to them.  It can help local communities regenerate and renew their neighbourhoods.  Volunteers are a precious resource for both their organisation and our society.

 

Northern Ireland will host the prestigious World Police and Fire Games from 1-10 August next year and just like the Olympics, there will be many opportunities for people to be part of the occasion with the wide range of volunteering opportunities that will be on offer.  It is anticipated that between 3,000 and 3,500 volunteers will be required to support the 2013 World Police and Fire Games.  I would encourage you to join in and get involved.

Thank you to all volunteers for giving that most precious of gifts - your time! 

 

Partisan newspapers

Paul Connolly, the Readers' Editor at the Belfast Telegraph commented recently (19 October) on the arrival of the Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast.  He acknowledged the overwhelming public support for the current legal position in Northern Ireland but my attention was taken by a few short paragraphs near the end of the article:

I think the answer to the question about how newspapers should report highly-charged issues is quite simply to be professional.  Avoid defamation, cut through the spin and, above all, follow the industry Code of Practice.

Clauses 1 (Accuracy and 2 (Opprotunity to Reply) of the Editor's  Code are key.  Taking care not to publish inaccurate or misleading information is critical  Correcting inaccuracies and distortions is also essential.  An opportunity to reply must be offered to wronged individuals.

Newspapers must dintinguish clearly between 'comment, conjecture and fact'.  however, unlike TV and radio, the Press is free to be partisan.

So editors do not have to junp through hoops to be absolutely even-handed to both sides.

They are free, provided they follow the rules, to campaign, interrogate, criticise and question; even on this most emotional of subjects.

 

Unlike television and radio, which are supposed to be impartial,'the press is free to be partisan'.  It is important that we keep that fact in mind.  We should always read newspapers keeping in mind the fact that they are partisan and are not impartial.  The NewsLetter is a unionist newspaper, the Irish News is a nationalist newspaper, 'pro fide et patria', and becoming increasingly 'green', while the Belfast Telegraph has become more and more liberal and cosmopolitan.

 

However newspapers 'must distinguish chearly between comment, conjecture and fact' and that is an area where newspapers often fall short.

Benefit uptake success

On Thursday I visited Lisburn City Council to announce a new pilot programme of benefit uptake for the Downshire area of Lisburn. This pilot will enable us to explore a new method of working with churches and community groups to increase benefit uptake and ensure that those who are entitled to receive benefits get what is rightfully theirs.

 

I was also able to announce the results of the 2011/12 benefit uptake programmes and as a result of these programmes over 4,000 people in Northern Ireland have more money in their pockets today than they did this time last year. My department's benefit uptake campaign for 2011/12 saw over 4,000 people receive an extra £13.1 million in new and additional benefits and arrears, trebling the coutcome from the previous year, which was £3.95 million.

My department has stepped up its work and is investing more than ever before in new initiatives to promote benefit uptake and I am delighted with our success this year.

It is vital that we ensure that all those who are entitled to benefits do indeed receive them. The fact that we have managed to secure an additional £13.1 million this year for people in need in Northern Ireland - which is more than three times the amount for the previous year - is very encouraging. I am committed to making sure that our efforts in this area continue and grow.

Local people, including pensioners, who benefited from the uptake campaign were better off by an average of £60 a week.

The current economic climate is putting real pressure on everyone, especially many of our most vulnerable citizens. £13.1 million is a substantial amount of money that will not only make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable individuals and families but will also make an impact on the lcoal economy as this extra money will be spent in local businesses in Northern Ireland.

Benefit uptake is a priority for the Department for Social Development. Since 2005 the Social Security Agency has delivered a range of targeted exercises and outreach activities along with benefit specific mailshots and advertising. To date this has generated over £50 million in additional benefits and arrears for people.

The 2011/12 programme included:

• An exercise providing 25,000 customers (older people, those with a disability and carers) with an opportunity to receive a full benefit assessment.
• Raising awareness of potential entitlement among older people through a community outreach promotional campaign targeting local council areas
• The Make the Call advertising campaign targeting older people.
• An Innovation Fund pilot programme where the community and voluntary sector is helpign to test new and innovative ways of reaching and informing people in order to improve the uptake of benefits.

The Innovation Fund was a new initiative last year and the Lisburn pilot is another new initiative this year. I hope that it is successful and if so it can be extended to other areas.

Meanwhile one area of special concern is that many older people do not avail of all the benefits to which they are entitled and I have also initiated a piece of work to discover the reasons for this. I can certainly guess at some of them but we need a better understanding of the reasons so that we can increase uptake among the senior citizens.

Overall my assessment is - well done, getting much better, but still room for improvment.

The THEORIES of evolution

In 2011 Professor Martin A Nowack published a book entitled Evolution, Altruism and Human Behaviour or Why We Need Each Other to Succeed.   

 

Nowack is professor of biology and mathematics at Harvard University and he was assisted in writing the book by Dr Roger Highfield, a former editor of New Scientist.

 

The book is reviewed in the current issue of Oxford Today and the following is taken from that review:

Nowack .... challenges Darwin's notion that evolution is based solely on principles of mutation and selection and points out that cooperation and collaboration, 'the snuggle for existence', have had a much more far-reaching influence on the development of life on Earth than individual self-interest.

In a wide-ranging and accessible introduction to his theories, he declares that 'cooperation is the architect of creativity throughout evolution' and demonstrates how it is essential to everyday life at every level.

Whether or not you accept Nowack's theories, superconductors is a thought-provoking, readable and thoroughly entertaining demonstration of intellectual virtuosity.

 

We often hear references to 'the theory of evolution' but in fact that there are various theories of evolution.  There is disagreement among evolutionists and Professor Nowack's theories are simply another contribution to that debate.

Bobby Sands and the bunscoil

Jim Gibney is a prominent member of Sinn Fein and a columnist in the Irish News.  At one time he was Sinn Fein's national organiser and he spent six years in prison for possession with intent, wounding, and IRA membership.

Yesterday (25 October) he turned his attention to Scoil na Fuiseoige, an Irish-medium primary school in West Belfast.  He wrote about a visit to the Irish-medium school and reminded us of the significance of the name of the school:

A stone's throw from where I stood last Friday, some 35 years ago, a small group of Irish-language pioneers met in a portable building.  They had a vision.

This was the gathering - the oak tree's acorn - and in this group was Bobby Sands in organisation mode, enjoying a short spell of freedom from prison, but not for long.

On their minds was the Irish language.  It never left Bobby Sands's mind, tongue and pen.

In the darkness of his prison cell he wrote a short story The Lark and the Freedom fighter - the word for lark in Irish is 'fuiseog'.

The Irish-medium school was named with Bobby Sands's pen name and as I pointed out several years ago it was named to honour Bobby Sands.  Indeed I also pointed out that the founders of the school viewed Sands as a role model and an inspiration for the children

 

Irish language activists attempt to portray the Irish language as part of a shared heritage and as a cross-community pursuit but examples such as this remind us of the way that the Irish language has been used as part of Sinn Fein's 'cultural war'.

 

 

Some advice for Finola Meredith

A few days ago I published a post entitled 'Compassion for the unborn child.'  It was in response to an article by Finola Meredith in the Belfast Telegraph (18 October) about the opening of the Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast.  Finola's article was entitled 'Why pro-life zealots need to show more compassion'.

My response was a short and simple post entitled 'Compassion for the unborn child' and I suggested that another viewpoint might be, 'Why pro-abortion zealots should show more compassion ... for the unborn child.'  It was a calm and measured response and since it was in reply to Finola Meredith, I added a photograph of Finola, copied from the Belfast Telegraph, at the top.

Finola had another column in yesterday's Belfast Telegraph (24 October) and it was entitled 'People in positions of power need to behave with maturity'.  Most of it was directed at the Attorney General John Larkin, whom she accused of making 'intemperate interventions'.  She then devoted a short paragraph to Health Minister Edwin Poots and a further two short paragraphs to my blog.  Here is what she said

In a much smaller way, it's the same when Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland singles out female journalists who have incurred his wrath - Hi Nelse! - and puts pictures of them on his personal blog.
For instance I can't imagine British education minister Michael Gove sticking a big mug shot of Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee on his website.  You'd like to think that Government ministers would be above such petty sniping.

So what should I make of that?

1. She claimed that I 'single out female journalists who have incurred my wrath.'  Certainly not Finola, the rich diversity of the blog covers many subjects and many people.  Indeed the most recent post was certainly not about a female journalist ... it was about a bearded politician from county Louth, with a bad memory, a Belfast accent and declining support base.

2. 'Sticking a big mug shot', an unfortunate choice of phrase, on the blog.  I don't know what significance she attaches to the addition of photographs to the blog because she hasn't told us but it seems to upset her.  However I cannot understand how that constitutes 'petty sniping'.  The fact is that I generally add pictures on my blog, whether the post is sympathetic or critical or a bit of both.  There was a picture of the bearded politician from county Louth on the last post.  As regards Michael Gove, I don't read his blog - in fact I don't know if he has a blog - but what is the relevance of that.  Blogs are written and published in many different styles.

3. The word 'wrath' is totally inappropriate as is the phrase 'petty sniping'.  My posts are always calm and measured and I think that her choice of terminology may well reflect the fact that she was irked by my response advocating 'compassion for the unborn child'.
 

4. But back to the title of Finola's current article, 'People in positions of power need to behave with maturity.'  I can certainly agree with that and since we are all too aware of the power of the press, I assume that this also applies to journalists, including herself.  So perhaps in future Finola will take her own advice and avoid the sort of immaturity she displays in the little extract above.