Profile for mcclafferty
Involved in civil and human rights issues over 30 years. American of Irish decent who lived in Derry for 3 yeras during the hunger strikes. I totally support the reunification of Ireland.
Latest comments from mcclafferty (see all)
mcclafferty has commented 63 times (0 in the last month).
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Books
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The Imperfectionists (Tom Rachman) – an insight into a newspaper that’s maybe not so fictional
‘news’ is often a polite way of saying ‘editor’s whim’ Given the shift from print to online and e-ink, maybe Tom Rachman’s The Imperfectionists was a suitable first first book for me to finish reading on the Kindle. Considering the economic pressures on the newspaper industry, his novel perhaps captures the spirit and soul of [...] read our review »
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“Unionism Decayed 1997-2007″ by David Vance: book review
I initially wrote this when the book was first published three years ago; whilst certain elements of it now sound dated, its basic premise that the period of 1997-2007 was a period of irreversible decay for Northern Irish Unionism can still be argued as a valid opinion. My own feeling is that it did indeed [...] read our review » -
The ANC, the IRA and the rise of influence of the left within Sinn Fein…
World by Storm has a nice piece up on the IRA’s role in helping MK, the armed wing of the ANC, in the 1980s. In particular he sees a strange alchemy at work there: …if one can think of a clearly legitimate contemporary struggle it was that against apartheid and it is to the credit [...] read our review »
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Comment on NI Executive member supplies reference for McGeough
on 4 April 2011 at 4:43 am
tacapall
Well said.
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Comment on NI Executive member supplies reference for McGeough
on 4 April 2011 at 4:38 am
Barry
“So are you willing to condemn Gerry McGeough or
not?”
Condemn him for what?
Who do you think gave Gerry his marching orders – the Tin Man? There are ex-IRA men and ex-UVF and UFF men who committed far worse than a shoot-out with a UDR part time soldier and no one is putting them behind bars 38 years later and 13 years after the GFA?
Barry, you honestly don’t see anything wrong with this picture? You don’t find it odd that until McGeough ran in the 2007 Assembly elections, and was arrested at the count center, he was living openly with his wife and children in Tyrone? No one seemed to bother to arrest him all those years prior to his running in the election on an anti-PSNI platform, so why then?
PLEASE…you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see his arrest and guilty verdict is strictly politically motivated. McGeough does not belong in prison let alone have to serve 2 years before he is given a “pardon”. Pardon for what?
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Comment on NI Executive member supplies reference for McGeough
on 4 April 2011 at 3:59 am
Mick Hall,
Agreed. The McGeough case most certainly highlighted the weakness of PSF and the people of Tyrone are demanding to know why they did not step up to the plate for Gerry McGeough?
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Comment on NI Executive member supplies reference for McGeough
on 4 April 2011 at 3:53 am
Gerry McGeough did not murder anyone. Let’s get that clear. Sammy Brush was no innocent bystander during the troubles. He was a part time member of the security forces called the UDR, formally known as the B Specials. He was part of a unit of the security forces proven later on to be in collusion with loyalist paramilitary groups. As a member of the security forces, during the troubles, it made Brush a legitimate target and visa-versa.
Trying to label McGeough a “dissident”, using the British slant on the word, is deliberately intended to criminalize those who don’t agree with the status-quo of the GFA or Sinn Fein. McGeough has not been aligned with any political organization since he left Sinn Fein and he is being labeled as such, especially by some on this site, to further discredit him. Look up the word “dissident” and try to grasp the dictionary version of the word (“a person who disagrees as in opinion or attitude”) not the British version, which is intended to marginalize those who disagree with their policies in the 6 counties.
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Comment on McGeough: “Sinn Féin promised to use its influence…”
on 23 February 2011 at 2:06 am
Question,
To those so faimilar with the British Diplock court system in the north of Ireland, please exaplain to me why the judge in the McGeough case imposed a media ban on reporting and Human Rights lawyers were physically excluded from proceedings?
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Comment on McGeough: “Sinn Féin promised to use its influence…”
on 23 February 2011 at 1:17 am
Christy,
You were a perfect gentlemen in our previous communications and I was in no way ‘offended’ by your decision not to accept my help. I feel for your predicament the way I feel about McGeough’s situation, and the way I feel about anyone being shafted by diplock courts, the British government, and any political party who do not stand up to injustice in general.
As for your criticism of the way “I handled the campaign,” I call a spade a spade and I’m not a novice to PSF’s political record past and present. The silence from the Sinn Fein leadership on the injustice that he and the McAnespie family were being put through year after year was nothing short of scandalous.
I do not object to constructive criticism. In fact I welcome it as food for thought. However, regardless of what approach the McGeough campaign took, it fell on deaf ears. ‘Damned if we did – damned if we didn’t’. I personally feel that although some people disagreed with McGeough’s politically motivated arrest, diplock trial, and incarceration on charges dating back over 30 years, they still allowed their personal feelings toward McGeough to get in the way of them speaking out against this sham of a case/trial. Regardless of McGeough’s political or religious beliefs, democracy was under attack the day he was arrested at the count center in Omagh in 2007 because he stood as an Independent candidate on an anti-psni platform. Prior to that, he lived openly in the north with his wife, and then 2 children, without any problems.
As I explained in my earlier post, I did not mean to offend you and I wish you, above all, justice so you can eventually have the vindication you deserve and peace of mind going forward in life.
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Comment on McGeough: “Sinn Féin promised to use its influence…”
on 22 February 2011 at 4:03 pm
Christy,
Oracle is wrong about the diplock courts and I said so. I am not going to go into this with you as I have supported you all the way. I did not disclose anything except that I wanted to help you because I believed in your case. As for McGeough, I will say what I please and apologize to no one for it. I am entitled to say that I agree this thread was supposed to about Gerry and I didn’t mean to offend you in anyway. However, you found it necessary to scold me and put McGeough and the campaign down. So be it. I wish you only the best, but your anger is misdirected and I won’t be anyone’s door mat. Good luck and god bless.
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Comment on McGeough: “Sinn Féin promised to use its influence…”
on 22 February 2011 at 1:51 pm
Oracle,
I see what you mean. I agree with Chrity with regard to the diplock court system and I am very sorry for what has happend to him and he deserves justice. I reached out to Christy over a year ago and offered my help, but because of personal reasons he expressed privately to me, he chose not to accept the help. I wish him the best.
However, I see now that he has totally dominated this thread and it is not fair to McGeough. It has been very difficult in trying to get any sort of coverage or serious input on McGeough’s case over these past 4 years, so I think it ony fair now to get back to the topic at hand…McGeough – good or bad.
Thank you.
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Comment on McGeough: “Sinn Féin promised to use its influence…”
on 22 February 2011 at 11:52 am
USA,
What is your take on the whole McGeough arrest, trial and guilty verdict on 38 year old prior GFA related charges? What do you see as the purpose of all this? Tell me it doesn’t reek of selective, political, persecution? Why do you think Sinn Fein remained silent on this case? Vincent McAnespie walked free, and I am very happy for him and his family, but you didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know he would and Gerry wouldn’t?
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Comment on McGeough: “Sinn Féin promised to use its influence…”
on 21 February 2011 at 4:06 pm
Christy,
‘Once more you re-assert your belief in the infamous Diplock System and that people like me should wither up and just disappear. It actually pleases me to see your indignation –it is not the same just thinking oneself to be a thorne in the side of the enemies of justice and democracy’
Good for your Christy. Stand tall and stand firm. You are 100% correct. The USA has the ‘mafia’ and we still didn’t resort to jury-less courts. Their is absolutely no legitimate argument for such a case as diplock courts.
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