In celebration of 25 years of devolution,listen to stories from inside the Northern Ireland Assembly in its earliest days, when an unassuming civil servant found himself working alongside the best-known figure in NI politics: Ian Paisley.
In the final episode of this 'limited' series, Paul is forced to
reconsider his relationship with Committee Chairman, Ian Paisley, and figure out what that means for his own position as 'Mister Clerk'.
24 Jan 2025
Episode 7 The Unravelling Part 1 - The Grand Old Duke of York
In this episode, Paul returns to work after missing a Committee meeting and is dismayed to discover that there has been a members' meltdown, led by Dr Paisley. What can he do to retrieve the situation?
17 Jan 2025
Episode 6 - Boys on tour to Strasbourg
Paul sets out on his first foreign trip as Clerk, accompanying a three-man delegation to Strasbourg to meet with the EU Fisheries Commissioner. Can he ensure the visit goes off without diplomatic incident and that nobody gets left behind?
10 Jan 2025
Episode 5 - A virus strikes
It's a farming crisis, and the Department has to deal with multiple outbreaks of an acute infectious disease. How will the recently appointed Agriculture Minister perform under pressure, and how supportive will Ian Paisley and his Committee be in their scrutiny of the Department’s work under such circumstances?
3 Jan 2025
Episode 4 - Mister Clerk 2 - the sequel
In this episode, the Assembly has returned from its first period of suspension, and, after a few months of relative stability, Paul moves up a level in the Assembly secretariat.
He's about to find out what it’s like to actually be ‘Mister Clerk’, and to be the official responsible for the Committee’s operation.
29 Dec 2024
Episode 3 - The Paisley Show
Paisley's Agriculture and Rural Development Committee opens its first 'Inquiry' with a major set piece evidence session - in the rather ornate Senate Chamber - involving the main retailers operating in Northern Ireland.
The session takes place against a background of uncertainty about the future - it is widely expected that the Secretary of State will suspend the Assembly later that day.
10 Dec 2024
Episode 2 - Fish (and eggs) on Friday
On the 2nd of December 2024, it will be
exactly 25 years since legislative powers and executive authorities were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly. But what were things really like back in 1999?
Paul Moore - a civil servant seconded to a job ‘up the hill’ the week before devolution - was surprised to be working with Ian Paisley. In this episode, he sees first-hand how badly the DUP leader’s decision to work in a Committee alongside Sinn Fein MLAs has gone down with some of his erstwhile supporters.
Paul has adapted these episodes from his book: ‘Doctor
Paisley and Mister Clerk – Recollections of Ian Paisley’s Agriculture Committee Years’ which is available in paperback and e-book formats from amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.eu/d/89Lkwxq (https://amzn.eu/d/89Lkwxq)
10 Dec 2024
Episode 1 - Paisley springs a surprise
On the 2nd of December 2024, it was exactly
25 years since ‘the appointed day’ – the day when legislative powers and executive authorities were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly. But what
were things really like back in those heady days of 1999?
Paul Moore – a former Assembly official who had been seconded to his job ‘up the hill’ the week before devolution - remembers the high hopes and expectations of many, and the vehement opposition of some, to the Belfast/Good
Friday Agreement and its Institutions.
Paul has adapted a number of ‘episodes’ from his book:
‘Doctor Paisley and Mister Clerk – Recollections of Ian Paisley’s Agriculture
Committee Years’ which is available in paperback and e-book formats from amazon.co.uk:
https://amzn.eu/d/89Lkwxq (https://amzn.eu/d/89Lkwxq)
In this first episode, which covers the Assembly’s earliest days and weeks of operation, Paul discovers that he is about to work closely alongside a certain Ian R K Paisley - the Agreement’s most vocal opponent at the time.
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