Northern Ireland Bill of Rights: people not politics #2

As previously blogged, I got along to the handover yesterday of the advice from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to the UK government on the shape and content of a NI Bill of Rights.

Hours before the advice had even been published, two of the parties critical of the Commission, the DUP and UUP, had already issued press releases rejecting the report's content, apparently sight unseen.

This rejection by mainstream political unionism (very many ordinary unionists appear supportive) cast a shadow over the event, but the Chief Commissioner Monica McWilliams earned strong applause for the efforts of the Commission from the many representatives of civic society and other parties gathered for the handover.

Today's press has been a mixed bag with the prize for the most perverse interpretation of the advice going to the Irish News for their tabloid-esque front-page story, Bill could keep teen murderers out of jail, complete with the gory details of a murder from a few years ago.

Mark Devenport has a round-up of other reaction, including my own views from yesterday.

Speaking of which, you can catch me on camera in this short Irish News TV report from the launch at Stormont. Happy viewing.