If a four nil defeat for NI in Manchester can be look upon as good performance, then the Republic’s one all draw in Tel Aviv, looks like carelessness. A win would have seen them capitalise on an earlier excellent draw in Paris and go top of their group. The 40,000 crowd were kept relatively quiet by a competent Irish performance until a lapse of concentration let Bnei Sakhnin Abbas Suan through in the last minute to snatch a draw. The after match party went on regardless.
Catherine McCartney believes that attempts to smear her brothers character failed, and that’s why their case got strong media play. She also believes that the IRA’s refusal to endorse people going to the police is a case of deliberately blunting the investigation, because of the potential for embarassment for the organisation.
Interesting timeline demonstrating how Sinn Fein has gradually moved offside from the Bush White House, and in the process from the mainstream Democrats who lauded Gerry Adams as NI’s principle peacemaker ten years ago. He doesn’t believe the process is irreversible. But that turning the tide may come when the IRA finally becomes history.
Lord Callaghan has died at the age of 92, only 11 days after the death of Audrey, his wife of 67 years Longest living British Prime Minister he uniquely held the 4 great offices of state in the United Kingdom - prime minister, chancellor, foreign secretary and home secretary. Prime Minister during difficult times, he will possibly best be remembered in Northern Ireland for sending troops in 1969.
On the subject of top-quality fans, you have to give credit to the great supporters on the Our Wee Country site. In the face of indifference in some quarters to the fate of the NI team, some enterprising people have commissioned some green and white ‘WE EXIST’ wristbands, which you can purchase to showcase your support of Lawrie’s boys. The artist’s impression looks pretty cool, better than the Nike ones.
So, apart from the 16 minutes where the 4 goals went in, not an appalling performance from Northern Ireland. There’s such an inherent gulf in quality between the players, you can’t really expect anything more than heart, and we got that. A bit of heart in the next game against the world’s minnows wouldn’t go amiss. The NI fans sung the English fans off the park for much of the game, and that’s what really counts…
Unless you’ve been stuck on Gallifrey for the last month, you’ll be aware that tonight sees the return of everyone’s favourite TV sci-fi character - if you can remember Tom Baker in the role, that is, and his scarf, and Leela *ahem* - Yup. Dr Who is back. There’s a great ‘then and now’ feature in the Guardian’s Guide for those who know what I’m wittering on about. And Laura Barton has an equally amusing assessment of role of The Doctor’s companion “You can’t get away with a bit of totty on Doctor Who’s arm anymore.”
A couple of brief excerpts from the Guide feature, firstly on The Doctor himself -
In chronological order, then, we’ve had: William Hartnell (who played the Doctor as a harried academic), Patrick Troughton (a pratfall-prone tramp), Jon Pertwee (a flouncing dandy in frock-coat and frills), Tom Baker[no relation, unfortunately] (the nation’s official favourite; a brilliantly booming wag whose huge scarf and roaring eccentricity helped ratings top 16million), Peter Davison (a panting schoolboy), Colin Baker[no relation, fortunately] (a massive sod) and, finally, Sylvester McCoy (a lisping ninny whose profoundly irritating habit of suddenly BELLOWING for absolutely no REASON WHATSOEVER was at least partly responsible for the BBC tugging the chain after 26 years of dogged but ultimately quite silly service). Oh, and Paul McGann, whose sole outing makes him the George Lazenby of the Who franchise and therefore of no use to anyone at all.
And on the Tardis -
Now: Out go the wobbly fittings and plastic console: in come thrusting hydraulics, metal platforms, vein-like protrusions on the walls and what look like strange glowing bits of coral and bendy tubes that dangle from the ceiling like massive dreadlocks. The look? HR Giger meets Bob Marley. In a brain. In, like, another dimension. Maaaan.
Gerry Moriarty, in the Irish Times, reports on the decision by the “Policing Board, despite SDLP opposition, [to agree] in principle to allow the PSNI use a new less lethal plastic bullet.” He notes that, despite not having been used by the PSNI since 2002, it’s an issue that can still cause a row between competing political parties.
At a special meeting of the board on Thursday night a “substantial majority” of members accepted the PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde’s advice to endorse use of the “attenuating energy projectile”.
This is subject to Mr Orde consulting with all relevant bodies, including the North’s children’s commissioner. The SDLP opposed the proposal.
Sir Desmond Rea, chairman of the board, said use of the new plastic bullets would be restricted. “Each firing of a baton round must be proved to be both measured and proportionate and every single firing is individually investigated and reported on by the Police ombudsman,” he said.
Plastic and rubber bullets have proved controversial throughout the Troubles and since the ceasefires. Sixteen people died after being struck by such bullets although the PSNI has not fired one since September 2002.
And then the row -
The board decision triggered a row involving the DUP, the SDLP and Sinn Féin. DUP board member Ian Paisley jnr said the SDLP was left “reeling” by the decision and that it was isolated on the board. “Effectively the SDLP are in the ludicrous position of supporting the old style more dangerous baton round and want to remove the right to use the new baton round that is scientifically proven to be less lethal. They would place the board by their actions in a position of negligence with the public if they had their way,” Mr Paisley said.
Sinn Féin’s policing spokes- man Gerry Kelly said the SDLP “made noise but were ultimately powerless to prevent this and will without doubt go along with the decision of the board. The SDLP have once again acquiesced to the continuing use of plastic bullets by the PSNI.”
SDLP policing board member Alex Attwood accused Sinn Féin of issuing “empty slogans” around policing.
If the IRA is not going away, neither are the McCartneys. Though they will likely have to wait until someone cracks gives concrete evidence as to what actually went on inside Maginnes’s Bar that night.
The extremes have grown in power and in direct opposition to each other. Neither will give without winning concessions. And the concessions are usually a denial of the position of the other side. The circumstances of the Good Friday Agreement was always much cruder than Sunningdale. After years of violence, the issue was about guns and killing, and bombs in Britain. The needs that provoked this structure blunted the edge of judgment.
It was believed, quite wrongly, that the underlying sectarianism, in what appeared to be a new deal offered by the Good Friday Agreement, was at least likely to diminish, and would, inevitably, bring the communities together. It has done the reverse. It has polarised them.
The sectarianism has become worse. It has intensified in virtually all the dimensions outlined. The politicians in power, notably Blair and Ahern, but also to a lesser extent Clinton, by extra engagement with those making the more extreme demands, encouraged them to reinforce their positions.
Time, he appears to argue, for the blinkers to come off and a proper debate on a democratic future to begin -
Blair and other politicians have become the creatures of this new sectarianism and do not know how to get out of it. Negotiations which were intended to resolve and bring together. They became, instead, a battle-ground for enhanced extremism. Demand and counter-demand were an augmentation of the sectarian divide, quite the opposite of what was intended.
Furthermore, whether written or unwritten, spoken or not, in both parliaments, in London and Dublin, there was an additional pact that favoured the encouragement of sectarianism. This was the quite effective bi-partisanship which denied proper debate.
Collectively, all sides accepted a broad and woolly principle of a peace process which, before their eyes, was hardening the lines of demarcation on sectarian terms.
What was reasoned and constructed in good faith, on the basis that, if it worked it would reconcile the two “sects” in the Northern Ireland and in the South to a very much lesser extent, has turned into a nightmare. And current developments, most notably the McCartney demonstration of several different aspects of this sectarianism at its worst, should have opened our eyes to the mistake we made at the outset.
According to this report on the BBC, the SDLP are considering standing aside in the West Tyrone contest for Westminster to give the Independent candidate Kieran Deeny a clearer run against the “absentee MP”, Sinn Féin’s Pat Doherty. As another successful single issue candidate stated recently - “As soon as voters realise that a vote for the independent candidate is not a wasted vote they will flock to the cause - if only to register their frustration with the current political scene.” - one thing’s certain, there is plenty of frustration with the current political scene here. Update - We stand sit, in our pajamas, corrected.
Whatever your political outlook, spare a thought for the beleaguered leader of the UK opposition Michael Howard. One of his front benchers delivers an argument in a private party debate which is out of line with current Tory public policy (but in line with Tory private thinking). It gets to the press, who go large on it. 24 hours later, the man is no longer a front bencher, and is being stood down from his Arundel constituency ten days before an election campaign. If you’re Tory candidate, it’s no longer clear the leader wants you to say “what your constituents might be thinking”, on fiscal policy at least!
In the interests of balance I have temporarily abandoned my needy garden, to blog a couple of items. The first is Jim Gibney’s column in this week’s Irish News. He argues (as a senior member of Sinn Fein, he’s in a position to reflect internal RM thinking) the IRA are not going anywhere:
...the IRA will be part of the political scene here until there is a comprehensive peace agreement which works, which they can support and which deals with the removal of all armed groups involved in the conflict. There is not a comprehensive agreement round the corner so those jumping up and down demanding the IRA exit now should sit down and review what it is they are trying to achieve – a permanent peace or the defeat of the IRA? The first is possible the second is not
.
He goes on to turn attention away from where it has been in the last three months, on criminal behaviours of members of the IRA to the wider context, and the varous deficits that Sinn Fein feels its erstwhile partners in the Belfast Agreement are responsible for.
The paper reveals that two Sinn Féin members were part of a large group who entered a bar, allegedly claimed to be members of the IRA and threatened two customers. Thankfully nobody was killed or seriously injured in this incident, but six people were arrested. Interestingly enough there is a discrepancy between the version of events after the trouble given by Local county councillor Michael Colreavy and the Publican.
No mention of the incident or the involvement of the two members on the Sinn Féin Website.
Paula McCartney has accused the IRA of readmitting one of those ‘expelled’ for his part in that murder. If true, where does this leave the RM claim that they have done all in their power to deliver justice? McCartneys accuse IRA of readmitting suspect
Earlier this year, some of you may remember how Michael McDowell managed to cause something of a stir with this speech. Although something of a tour d’horizon, much attention was focused on his decision to compare Ireland’s newest daily newspaper, the Daily Ireland, with a German nationalist publication of an earlier era. What veterans of the latter publication made of the comparison is not recorded, but it certainly led to much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Poleglass. So it was, some six weeks later, that three of DI’s directors caused it to be known that they had, having apparently failed to secure a retraction, instructed solicitors to issue a writ against the Minister.
I was immediately reminded of a series of articles in Slate by Jack Shafer concerning threats made by Richard Perle, a prominent US neo-conservative politician, to seek satisfaction from the veteran correspondent Seymour Hersh who had, he felt, similarly maligned him. Schafer dared Perle to make good on his threat and indeed continued to do so until finally the limitation period expired.
Of course it amy well be that the DI’s directors were entirely serious, but in that case, where is the writ?
I’m off to spend Easter with my family and catch up on things around the house and garden that have been left unattended for too long. If anything big breaks we’ll be back - all hands to the pumps. In the meantime - slow blogging ahead. Enjoy whatever holiday you can grab yourselves!
Interesting new project just in beta test at the moment. But it gives you a decent selection of Irish blogs to read every day. Particularly good if you’re keen to see what’s happening well off the NI political beat!
Bertie gets tough tonight: “...in his first considered interview since December,the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern reflects on the fallout from the Northern Bank raid and the McCartney murder. He says there’ll be no formal talks until Sinn Fein come up with a plan for ending IRA criminality”.
Is the Doc is making a play to take the former UUP stronghold for the DUP’s Arlene Foster from Michelle Gildernew, in return for a freeish ride for UUP’s Michael McGimpsey in South Belfast? Whatever the gameplan, his prediction of a 9 to 2 sweep looks ominous for his UUP rivals. East and South Antrim look highly vulnerable. So is the other one Upper Bann, North Down, or South Belfast?
DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson has told the Irish Times (subs needed) that power-sharing with Sinn Fein could be off the agenda for a generation. He also predicts that the DUP will win 9 seats in the Westminster elections to the UUP’s 2.
Robinson was speaking ahead of the party’s publication next week of it “Moving on” policy document in which the DUP presses for a voluntary coalition of unionists and nationalists without Sinn Fein.
He said SF was not capable of “making the transition to peace and democracy” so doing a deal with the party was no longer part of the DUP reckoning process.
“We’re saying that era is past and gone,” he said. “If they reform at a later stage that’s a matter for the next generation to look at.”
Robinson’s comments follow hot on the heels of remarks made by former Conservative MP Andrew Hunter, who now takes the DUP whip and said “inclusivity is no longer on the agenda”.
Strangely enough, both seem quite content about the prospect of Northern Ireland being run by British direct rule ministers for the forseeable future. I suppose they can tell the voters how they resigned from this board and that board in protest at cuts for the next 20 years now. Beats the hell out of taking responsibility for your own welfare, I suppose.
The article also reports that private DUP polling has increased the party’s confidence that it can defeat David Trimble in his Upper Bann constituency.
The McCartney sisters have decided not to stand in any coming elections saying that they don’t want to be distracted from their campaign to get justice for their murdered brother.
Ahem. Not sure I should be posting this. But you may wish to point anyone who prefers to ask you questions rather than answer their own in this general direction. I won’t say how I found it myself!
