ACCORDING to a News Letter report, Martina Anderson is no longer Sinn Fein’s director of unionist outreach, just over a week after the party launched its charter for unionist engagement. Let’s hope Eamonn Scott is a bit more successful in the position, as the previous incumbent seemed to have no intention to engage with unionists on any meaningful level, IMHO (unlike plenty of other republicans I’ve met here and in real life).
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It would not matter to some Unionists what SF or any other party representing Nationalism does. That is very clear from those who post here. Of course it is all a devious plan to sell yous down the river, to prize you from your birthright, to bring you into Erin’s Fenian valley’s blah, blah………
Some people need to grow up, after a long conflict where distrust and hatred are the normal staples of society. Someone has to do something to extend the hand of friendship….this is all that is being done, an idea to develop different ways of association etc…. No conspiracy, nothing special. Wouldn’t it be great if Unionism could do something, anything at all to steer people away from entrenchment!
It seems to some mud-slinging and keeping the comforts of hatred are more important than moving on and developing healthy relationships.
Just lQQk at what happened to SF leading light, mouth piece Mary Lou McDonald,a the same could happen to Ms Anderson the next time around.
Someone at the top of this thread thought the unionist outreach idea was clever because it annoyed unionists.
Er, sorry. Not met any unionist annoyed about it. In fact, it just seems a bit silly (given that its obviously insincere).
Prince Eoghan – Of course we don’t trust the Shinners what on earth do you expect, however, as I said before if by any remote chance they were serious “The only sensible outreach would of course start with an absolutely unequivocal sorry with no ifs buts or maybes. I guess that might after a very long time and a lot of repeating persuade some people”. I will not be holding my breath.
Kensei Yes I regard them as extremely devious and clever. I believe it takes quite a lot of cleverness to make bombs etc. they seemed quite good at that.
A brief bio of Eamonn Scott would be useful if anyone could provide it.
The choice of Martina Anderson as frontwoman was one of the reasons why unionists were so cynical about the outreach programme. Someone like Alex Maskey would have made far more sense. However they picked Anderson to raise her profile and that shows how sincere they were about it. They saw potential in her as a future challenger in Foyle to oust Durkan so they shipped McLaughlin off so she was the main shinner and made up a post that would grab headlines to raise her profile. It has worked perfectly thus far, she has gone from being a nobody to and Assembly member and will no doubt be further promoted.
Sinn Fein are that simple and effective.
“It has worked perfectly thus far, she has gone from being a nobody to and Assembly member and will no doubt be further promoted.”
Promoted to shadow wee Jeffrey ?
Mock away but the SDLP in Derry cannot afford to rest on their laurels. She is a threat and Durkan should regard the canvassing period as all the time if he is wise.
Oh I agree – the SDLP have to watch their back in Derry. SF must be able to find a decent candidate to take them on. But will it be Martina?
scotty tells us:
[i]“If you read my post I said during the republicans 35 year war 1969 – 2004. Republicans killed 3000 odd people and maimed thousands of others. Republicans killed more RC’s than the police/army and loyalists did put together. Check the CAIN website “[/i]
Now, I don’t know where scotty got his numbers but a check of the CAIN website — as he suggests — tells a very different story, I’m afraid.
First, he tells us that Republicans killed “3000 odd people”. The CAIN summary shows that all Rebpublican groups combined killed 2,056 people.
Scotty tells us “Republicans killed more RC’s than the police/army and loyalists did put together.” A check on the CAIN website clearly shows that the security forces killed 303 Catholics and loyalist groups killed 730. Combining the numbers gives 1,033 people all told. All republican groups combined killed 446 Catholics.
Seems that scotty got tyhe figures mixed up, to say the least.
Only 446? You must be so proud.
Ah the return of the single transferrable post from that doyen of statistics Mr. Bob McGowan. Actually in view of the intelluctual and academic rigor of his insights I am sure it is actually Dr Bob McGowan D.Lit.
I asked this before and Dr. McGowan felt my thirst for his wisdom was insufficiently important to respond to so I have copied and pasted these requests again in the humble, desperate hope that Dr. McGowan can enlighten my simple dark uneducated Prod mind.
Maybe he could explain what circumstances he judges a death a “murder†and not a “murderâ€.
Were those killed at Enniskillen on Rememberance Sunday or the Shankill Fish shop “murdered†or do their deaths not count.
What about the relatives of police officers murdered along thier spouses etc.
Were retired police officers who were killed “murdered†or were they fair game in Bob’s little world.
How about off duty police officers or part time UDR men doing their civilian jobs were they “murderedâ€.
How about police men directing traffic and other tasks Bob feels are part of the Brit Prod conspiracy.
What about those killed at the Drop Inn Well both soldiers and non soldiers which if any reach the status of “murdered†in Bob’s world view.
Or the police officers killed in GB by the IRA were they combatants or “murderedâ€.
The Australian tourists in Germany what about them.
Were all IRA “volunteers†killed by the army murdered, what if they attacked an off duty UDR man and were killed by him were they “murderedâ€.
If Bob wishes to continue to post essentially the same theory repeatedly I think he owes it to all of us to explain the methodology behind his “factsâ€.
Martina will never be a challenge to the SDLP in Derry – be it Mark Durkan or anyone else
She has not got the capability to be an MP – she is useless on tv being interviewed and is simply a pretty picture for SF!! Their choice is limited!!
Glensman – the SDLP wiped off the board?? Pardon??
They have held their own in recent years but can I ask does that mean that SF have been wiped off the board in the South?? Or was this part of their masterplan to take over Ireland!!!
Proud to be Irish and non SF voter!!
PS One thing I will say though is that the shinners are damn good at promoting a good variety of people within their party – they must simply be trying to promote this other fella as Martina has had plenty of publicity through her outreach (?) and being on the Policing Board etc.
Only 446?
Yep, it is less than 1 033.
And still no one seems to know anything bout Eamonn Scott?
even more interesting – no confirmation that the Newsletter report is true. Nothing on the SF newsroom.
Nothing anywhere Cru- like I said yesterday she is in Belgium at a cross community WW1 ceremony, I think this story may be erroneous….
Mark Durkan will be so relieved
He will be if it is confirmed that Eddie McGrady is to run in South Down- this is the subject of another thread and like this one also there is no confirmation from an official source- makes ya wonder what all the speculation is about…
afaik Eamonn is an ex-prisoner, chair of the Lagmore SF cumann and works in Sevastopol St as one of SF’s backroom bods. He is well known in the Lagmore area and came across as a decent guy any time I met him.
Martina Anderson
love the sinner and not the sin as Sam Hanna would say.
Turgon,
If I may be so bold, I’d like to attempt to answer your question on whether a killing is a murder. In the interest of answering the question and not veering from the point, I’ll answer it with as little sentiment as possible.
In my opinion, if one is engaged in a war, and a soldier or similar representative (i.e. an agent of the enemy, e.g officer of a militarised police force) of the enemy is killed, this is not murder, but an act of war. When a civilian who may or may not be supportive of either side of the conflict is killed, they are a casualty of war. When a state supported force (police/army) kill one who they recognise as a soldier, this is an act of war. When a state supported force (police/army) kill one they don’t believe to be a soldier, it is state sponsered murder.
Hope this clears up any confusion for you Turgon.