Geldof addresses Belfast's 'Sluggerotoole' political awards on Northern Ireland's exclusion from Digital Britain funding

25th November 2009

“Good evening everyone, congratulations to all the winners tonight and congratulations to the ‘Sluggerotoole’ site; it’s a fantastic blog and it’s making the running, which is really why I’m talking to you tonight. “

You’re all aware, I think, finally what’s been going on with new media in Northern Ireland and basically what’s been going on is that the old media have managed to get a lock out on any new funding coming into Northern Ireland for finding out what sort of local news or new ways of delivering it that maybe possible. 

“I got fed up because one of the Ten Alps companies; (I’m founder of Ten Alps), Below the Radar which is a superb production company, a Northern Irish production company is part of the Ten Alps group and they wanted to go with the Belfast Telegraph; they wanted to contest the option for auction for delivering local news in NI.  

“And we found out that somehow not only us, but everyone else who wanted to compete had been excluded and it’s preposterous – it seems to be ok that England, Wales and Scotland will get millions of pounds flowing their way to test out new ways and new media for delivering local news but not Northern Ireland. It’s like it’s ok for NI to be the also-ran in the UK, not to get money for new companies, or new ways for delivering new media. That has to stop. It doesn’t matter if it’s Ten Alps; I couldn’t care less but there has to be an opportunity for everyone in this room and people outside  it  to compete like  in the same way as everyone else in the UK and they are refusing to allow that to happen.  

“That’s a major political problem and it says a lot about the attitudes. It’s not that I enjoy kicking up a fuss sometimes it appears that that’s the case but sometimes if there’s something blatantly wrong; if there is somehow some deficit in the way that things are chosen then it should be addressed. We’ve had enough in NI with democratic deficits; we’ve had enough with of being also-rans and all the other stuff and its right that politicians in NI should force this issue.  

“As I say we will compete and we will go up against everyone else and if we don’t win I’m fine with that but at least be the competition be rather than handing it to the same old usual incumbents, UTV. 

“That to me sounds like the some sort of stitch up and if it’s not that then sure it’s just incompetence and if it’s not that then what is it? Some chosen way of deciding that somehow NI will be treated in a lesser way than the rest of the UK. Well forget it.

“Have a great evening.”