Podcast
Mister Clerk
Hosted by Paul Moore · EN
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.
8episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 8 The Unraveling Part 2 - Time to Go?
Jan 31, 202500:19:14Tap to summarizeIn 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'.
Transcribe →Episode 7 The Unravelling Part 1 - The Grand Old Duke of York
Jan 24, 202500:17:13Tap to summarizeIn 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?
Transcribe →Episode 6 - Boys on tour to Strasbourg
Jan 17, 202500:18:30Tap to summarizePaul 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?
Transcribe →Episode 5 - A virus strikes
Jan 10, 202500:18:33Tap to summarizeIt'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?
Transcribe →Episode 4 - Mister Clerk 2 - the sequel
Jan 3, 202500:16:49Tap to summarizeIn 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.
Transcribe →Episode 3 - The Paisley Show
Dec 29, 202400:16:47Tap to summarizePaisley'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.
Transcribe →Episode 2 - Fish (and eggs) on Friday
Dec 10, 202400:15:53Tap to summarizeOn 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
Transcribe →Episode 1 - Paisley springs a surprise
Dec 10, 202400:15:13Tap to summarizeOn 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 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.
Transcribe →