Comment from the Editor

"The ongoing debate over the proposed new sports stadium for Northern Ireland continues to fascinate.

The team behind the proposed City of Belfast Stadium at Ormeau Park pulled off something of a coup this month when they announced that they were ready to move on to a planning application, given the expected backing of the City Council.

There seem to have been clear attempts to discredit the Ormeau plan. Admittedly, questions could be asked about its overall feasibility, but the Ormeau team led by Paul Durnien is certainly succeeding in bringing the Maze debate to the forefront.

On the other side of the equation, the government and the Strategic Investment Board have been displaying a strange form of determination (or is it pig-headedness?) over this issue. They seem hell bent on imposing the Maze Stadium plan on the Northern Ireland public….despite the clearest evidence possible that it is definitely not a popular choice.

Northern Ireland’s football supporters came out wholeheartedly against the Maze plan this month, even though the Irish Football Association somehow contrived to throw its weight behind the government plan.

Rugby is committed to its beloved Ravenhill, and GAA has no particular interest in the Maze as a venue for any of its big games. But all three sports bodies could, in the end, officially back the plan. Could this be just because they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them in other ways?

And do any of them really want to stage big game at a stadium so far outside the city that visiting supporters will find it ludicrous?

The opposition is clear and unequivocal. The endorsement are hollow at best, and the SIB and government would gain credit by admitting it.

Just as Peter Hain managed to backtrack on the so-called OTR legislation recently in the face of loud opposition, perhaps one of his Ministers could do the same over the stadium plan. Is there any reason then why the governmental weight can’t be thrown behind the Ormeau plan along with that of Belfast City Council?

David Gavaghan and the Strategic Investment Board team are a capable and professional group of people with a vital role to play in the ongoing redevelopment of Northern Ireland.

Surely they’re big enough and wise enough to change direction on this one and back a winner as far as the public is concerned.

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Our November/December Comment piece on Invest Northern Ireland certainly raised a hackle or two in the sparkling surroundings of Bedford Square….the organisation’s impressive HQ in the city centre.

We have been accused in writing by a senior INI director of ‘ignorance’ and being ‘unfair’. Meanwhile, the leading business figures who took part in our panel discussion on growing the NI economy were accused by the same senior figure of being ‘off the mark’.

Invest NI’s new Chairman, Stephen Kingon, is a highly capable operator. He isn’t just experienced, and a man with a firm grip on the local economy. But he’s also essentially a pragmatist.

He will need to be pragmatic and he will need to be brave in his new role. We wish him well."

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