The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has confirmed that the iceberg responsible for the sinking of the Titanic will arrive in Belfast later this week. The iceberg, which was discovered adrift north of Greenland and still with the paint markings from its epic encounter with the Belfast-built ship, will be part of the display in the Titanic Quarter.
The NITB has also confirmed that the iceberg will be a major part of the province’s plan for the 2016/2017 tourist season, with a cartoon character, “Bergie”, a mischievous baby iceberg, heading up the campaign. A cartoon series, which involves an evil ship named “Titan Nick” constantly trying to ram the little iceberg, will debut in the autumn.
Not everyone is welcoming the idea. Some have condemned the idea as sectarian. A spokesperson for No-Ice have pointed out that this is “once again celebrating the destruction of one of the great industrial achievements of Belfast”. He also wanted to know what was to stop the iceberg going rogue and sinking other ships. The group has pledged to meet the iceberg on its arrival with kettles filled with hot water. “Iceberg? It should be called Not-Niceberg!”
NITB have dismissed the suggestion, pointing out that the sinking of the Titanic, George Best, and the filming of Game of Thrones are key parts of Northern Irish history. “Nothing else happened here over the last 30 years. Got that?” A spokesman said, with menace.
Just how quickly could Fine Gael change leader in the event of a snap or accidental second election in 2016? The answer is: much faster than you think. Whilst Fine Gael does have an electoral college to choose its party leader, a process that could take weeks at a minimum, there’s nothing to stop the FG parliamentary party, within a few days, meeting and designating a formal candidate for Taoiseach to lead the party into the election. Sure, maybe the members might get upset, but bear in mind that the right to nominate a candidate for Taoiseach is constitutionally reserved to members of the Dail, and it’s not something any court will interfere with.
After all, let’s not forget that the very first Fine Gael Taoiseach, John A. Costello, wasn’t leader of the party either. It would also allow FG to move very quickly in the event of a snap election to radically change the situation, with Michael Martin suddenly finding himself facing off not against Enda, the known quantity, but Leo or Frances Fitzgerald. Forgive the use of an awfully overused phrase, but it would actually be a game changer.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has confirmed that the iceberg responsible for the sinking of the Titanic will arrive in Belfast later this week. The iceberg, which was discovered adrift north of Greenland and still with the paint markings from its epic encounter with the Belfast-built ship, will be part of the display in the Titanic Quarter.
