A few weeks ago Barack Obama proposed possibly ending the US special envoy to Northern Ireland and in so doing handed McCain a stick to beat him with despite Obama’s previous lauding of the Northern Irish political process. Now in a move presumably designed to attract Irish American votes, Obama has called for an enquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane.
With perhaps the longest title of any book I’ve read this year, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East gives an insight into the lives of people living in Middle East through the eyes of journalist Neil MacFarquhar. MacFarquhar’s father was a chemical engineer [...] read our review »
Which reminds me…. Platform for Change’s driving force Robin Wilson has produced a corrective to the notion that the lessons of the NI conflict are easily exportable. Like myself, Robin is associated with the Constitution Unit. He introduced his new book in a CU blog which I here reproduce. The water crisis in Northern Ireland [...] read our review »
More as a trailer than a review – as it’s out on Thursday– I draw attention to Fintan O’Toole’s latest polemic “Enough is Enough – how to build a new Republic“. Fintan has been promoting the book vigorously on this side of the water, on Radio 4’s Start the Week and here at greater length [...] read our review »
That isn’t all he said – from the BelTel article
‘In response to a questionnaire on establishing a truth process for Northern Ireland, Mr Obama’s team said: “Senator Obama would support a reconciliation process that seeks the comprehensive truth about past violence.”‘
I think he’ll have a job selling the whole package to a crowd that is keen to pick and choose.
Haha
He is gonna win about 48 votes with this.
Did he really say that?? Jeez, with the economic crisis and our troops in Afgan and Iraq I’m glad he has time to worry about the army of our staunchest allies colluding with sectarian murder gangs to wipe out a civil rights lawyer the government found irritating. Not to mention it happened 20 years ago
No doubt we’ll have a few people on here complaining about the cost of this inquiry, ridiculing their effectiveness etc etc. One thing to bear in mind, if a certain govt didn’t have so much to hide and was therefore doing everything in its power to block, stall, lose documents, unexplained fires, informants dying…..the cost wouldn’t be a factor. So one may be critical of the cost, but lets lay the blame where it belongs, and it aint on the families.
Word to submit : british
You taking the piss Slugger?
Not to mention it happened 20 years ago
Yes, whereas Rosemary Nelson was murdered in 1999. What about it, Barack?
I assume he will also ask for an inquiry into Sinn Fein PIRA (including funding in the US) as they murdered a member of the House of Commons – Rev Robert Bradford MP as well as a member of a previous Assembly, Edgar Graham. And the thousands of other incidents caused by Sinn Fein PIRA murder gangs. After all, they are now represented in the Government of Northern Ireland and should answer for their crimes.
Isn’t it amazing how the Irish-American Unity Conference doesn’t mention any of the victims of Sinn Fein PIRA violence on their web site.. yet claim to be a “nonpartisan, nonsectarian, chapter-based human rights organization working for justice and peace in Ireland”
peace and justice
such an inquiry would also stumble upon an obdurate british government steadfastly blocking it at every turn as it would lead to examination of the closeness of the relationship between those you term sinn fein pira and their controllers in british intelligence!
Good man P&J;nice to see you hold the IRA up to the same standards and expectations as all the British crown forces.
Turgon – do you think an inquiry into this killing is justified or not ?
Good, now he is sure to win Massachusetts and New York.
Good man RepublicanStones – given that you recognise that Sinn Fein PIRA were murdering criminals. But believe it or not, even murdering criminals need to answer for their crimes.
“But believe it or not, even murdering criminals need to answer for their crimes. ”
Yes – as in the murder of Pat Finucane.
… and Rosemary Nelson.
To Dewi – so you support an inquiry into the activities of Sinn Fein PIRA murder gangs – such as the murders of Rev Robert Bradford MP and Assembly member, Edgar Graham?
Some Sinn Fein PIRA posters on here would have you believe that instead of destroying lives, SF PIRA members were at home knitting during the conflict. Pan-Nationalists need to end this hierarchy of victims where anyone not on their side is treated as irrelevant. It’s an insult to the victims of the SF PIRA murder gangs.
What do ObieWan and Osama Bin Laden have in common?
They both have terrorist friends who bombed the pentagon.
You should be properly insulted that he’s lying, even to you.
I refer back to my post #7 !
It happens at every US election,Candidates show some form of empathy to Ireland to get the Irish American vote(what there is of it) and of course the full endorsement of Israel to keep the midwest bible nuts happy and to please the US zionist lobby ‘the true power brokers’.
In the VP debate Biden and Palin nearly fell over themeselves to support Israel.So support for anything Irish (justice) is nonsense, the Finucane enquiry like the Bloody Sunday enquiry will go the same pathetic way with or without American influence.
The loyalist murderers and their british handlers need to be unmasked if only to clarify that there were no levels that these people will stoop to. Even though their defenders like to claim the high moral ground.
this is pure election time spoofery by obama.
What do ObieWan and Osama Bin Laden have in common?
ObieWan? A very disrespectful way to speak of your future President, Bob.
If Harper wins in Canada and Obama wins in the US, are you going to emigrate north of the border?
What, and live under sharia law? No way. I live in a right to carry state…..I’m good.
Sammy Morse
harper won’t take a majority in Canada
And keep your dirty mind to yourself we don’t want his kind up here in our relatively clean piece of the planet
and bob
guns are for wee men with something to prove and nothing to prove it with
Of course they are stevie….
RUH ROH
Ha HA is that supposed to make me worry
LMAO its saddos like you that live in fear
Which explains why you need to overcome your short comings with guns
To RepublicanStones – your posts imply that the Sinn Fein PIRA death squads were not of the “same standards and expectations” as the legitimate forces of law and order. That is to be welcomed as they were not. But as I said, even murdering criminals need to answer for their crimes.
‘But as I said, even murdering criminals need to answer for their crimes.’
Good man P&J;so you’ll be calling for this inquiry to be held. You’ll be seeking convictions for Bloody Sunday, Rosemary Nelson etc etc etc….or is your nom de plume meant to be ironic?