Written question AQW 18390/22-27
Written question by Mr Timothy Gaston on .
- MLA
- Mr Timothy Gaston
- Party at the time
- Traditional Unionist Voice
- Date
- 18 November 2024
- Type
- Written question
- Assembly reference
- AQW 18390/22-27
- Department
- The Executive Office
- Business
- To the First Minister and deputy First Minister
- Assembly identifier
- Document 418158
Read the official Assembly record Open Data source
Text
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to detail the rationale for approving the appointment of Patricia MacBride to the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission, in light of reports of how she previously described her brother as an IRA volunteer who was killed on active service in 1984.
50 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Uncertain
Uncertain: this record is excluded from all totals until a person reviews it.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.69 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- The text reports, quotes or asks about the framing rather than adopting it (0.48).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- The answers did not meet either automatic threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.46 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.08 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.20 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.50 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.55 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.40 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.69 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.17 |
| Reports or questions it (chosen) | 0.48 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.35 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.99 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.01 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 02:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.