Human Rights
Flaws in Enda Kenny’s case on abortion exposed as the hierarchy brings out the ex factor
Tweet The next Catholic primate of Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has told the Sunday Times( £ ) “You cannot regard yourself as a person of faith and support abortion,” Martin said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “You cannot believe you are with your church and directly help someone to procure an abortion. This [...] more »
The struggle for abortion and other reform north and south is far from over
Tweet John O Neill identifies the interesting paradox that while abortion and civil marriage appears to have united north and south Catholic and mainstream Protestant politicians, it’s the all- Ireland parties, above all Sinn Fein or elements of it , that have making the “progressive” case. Not that the advocacy has been clear or consistent, as [...] more »
Canning pleads guilty on 2011 Easter Monday charges
Tweet The BBC has a report on the on-going trial of one of the three Londonderry men charged, along with Marian Price, in relation to a 32 County Sovereignty Movement Easter Monday parade in the city in 2011 – the charge is of managing a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation, the IRA. And we [...] more »
Only united challenges from civil society to government and grass roots campaigns will bring about a shared future
Tweet It’s amazing isn’t it, how all the parties are now singing the praise of sharing, integration and Mammy and apple pie? And yet when it comes to agreeing what that might actually mean they stay stuck in deadlock, their real comfort zone. “A shared future” risks becoming debased as a piece of Orwellian double think, [...] more »
“The department of justice said discussions about the precise source of funding for the HET are continuing…”
Tweet The issue of funding the ongoing work of the Historical Enquiries Team, as well as its perceived independence, may be about to become a matter of political disagreement… As the BBC NI home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, reports Hundreds of families have co-operated with the team on the basis that it was acting independently. Many [...] more »
Bluff and brinkmanship over press regulation – and blogs?
Tweet You won’t find it said in the press as they are all inevitably biased as interested parties. But if most of the UK national newspapers are going to reject even a “dab” of statute in a new tougher but still “ voluntary” system of press regulation, why didn’t they come out and say so [...] more »
“processing it through their stunted, trivial prism of partisan loyalty…”
Tweet At the Guardian, Glenn Greenwald makes a number of important points about the reaction to US Senator Rand Paul’s 13-hour filibuster against John Brennan’s nomination as head of the CIA. From Glenn Greenwald at Comment is Free Last week’s 13-hour filibuster of John Brennan’s confirmation as CIA director by GOP Sen. Rand Paul was [...] more »
ECNI: “where it believes that a public authority may have failed to comply with its approved Equality Scheme…”
Tweet As UTV note, the Equality Commission For Northern Ireland have announced that they are “to conduct an investigation into a decision made by Newry and Mourne District council to retain the name “The Raymond McCreesh Park” for a Council-owned play park in Newry.” Here’s Mick’s post on that decision in December last year. From [...] more »
Anti-abortion farce takes over Assembly
Tweet How sad and how typical it is that local parties are uniting to impose an unnecessary ban on a non-existent threat. The Marie Stopes clinic has said it will carry out medical, not surgical, procedures only up to nine weeks gestation and only within the existing legal framework of private abortions. They have made it [...] more »
“after some people made it clear they were not prepared to make witness statements to investigating officers”
Tweet An Irish Times hosted PA report adds some interesting detail to the story of the arrest, questioning, and subsequent unconditional release – after being in custody for 36 hours - of Shankill bomber Sean Kelly following the apparent punishment shooting of an 18-year-old in Ardoyne. From the Irish Times report It is understood detectives had been [...] more »
“Regulation of the internet is not an issue that falls within my responsibility or, indeed, that of any part of our devolved Executive.”
Tweet For which, I think, we should be very grateful indeed. Not that such constitutional technicalities prevented MLAs, of all parties, from enthusiastically debating a Sinn Féin motion last week calling for the Northern Ireland Justice Minister “to explore the introduction of better regulation of [social networking websites]“. Here’s Newton Emerson’s response in Saturday’s Irish News [...] more »
Police Ombudsman to re-investigate misconduct allegations in Denis Donaldson case
Tweet As far as I can tell, an inquest has yet to be held into the death of former senior Sinn Féin member, and informer, Denis Donaldson in 2006 – responsibility for which was claimed by the Real IRA. But, despite a previous NI Police Ombudsman‘s finding that there had been no police misconduct here, the new incumbent has [...] more »
King 1963: I have a dream. Obama 2013: I have a drone
Tweet In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. Today, fifty years on, in tribute to the great civil rights leader, the US marks Martin Luther King Jr Day with a federal holiday in his name. Today [...] more »
Belfast Court refuses to order Liam Campbell extradition to Lithuania
Tweet Lithuanian authorities may be regretting their apparent preference for dealing with the Northern Ireland Courts in the attempt to extradite Liam Campbell, one of the men held to be responsible for the Omagh bombing, on weapons and terrorism charges. As the BBC reports, Mr Justice Burgess has refused to order Liam Campbell’s extradition to [...] more »
“At the time Sinn Féin condemned the arrest and subsequent charges and pointed to a political motivation behind the entire episode…”
Tweet The BBC reports that the long running saga of the charges against “prominent Co Tyrone republican” Brian Arthurs, who was named in this 2005 Times report as a member of the PIRA army council, and his wife, Paula Anne, has ended with guilty pleas to “three charges of obtaining a money transfer by deception and two [...] more »
Matt Baggott: “we will deal firmly with outbreaks of violence…”
Tweet The BBC report on the continuing violence in Belfast now has quotes from the PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott [Is he back from his holidays? - Ed] “I want to commend the tireless courage of my officers at this very difficult time,” Chief Constable Matt Baggott said. “You may be assured there will be [...] more »
We need fresher thinking than this
Tweet Two New Year articles worth noting which struggle with the abiding theme. Given prime billing in the Irish Times, Robin Wilson laments the anti-democratic and physical force elements in both of our traditions as we move further into the decade of commemoration. His historical sweep of a century reinforces his determinist case against the [...] more »
The PSNI investigation into Bloody Sunday is mistaken. Try them for perjury
Tweet Many people will say that if ever there was a suitable case for prosecution, it’s Bloody Sunday when paratroop soldiers shot 14 people before the eyes of many of us around at time. But challenged on whether I approve of the opening of a police inquiry into Bloody Sunday that will take four years , I’ve decided [...] more »
Lord Chief Justice: “These are allegations of specific conduct. We cannot infer that the disclosure was inadequate”
Tweet Having sought, and been granted, a stay on July’s judicial review ruling for unconditional bail for Martin Corey until an appeal could be heard, the Court of Appeal has now ruled in favour of the Northern Ireland Secretary of State. From the BBC report The Court of Appeal had to decide whether the process undertaken [...] more »
The modest case for the Assembly in 2013
Tweet Later.. I’ve now made it to 20 points by adding a couple on managing the economy ( how could I have left them out?). These create a dialogue with Mick, although not quite along the same lines. Working with the available material and far away from Nirvana. To adapt Mario Cuomo, you rebel in poetry but [...] more »
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Books
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Turas, by Colin Neill – a story of strangers in a strange land
Tweet Colin Neill’s first novel Turas peeks into a world in which many Ulster Protestants feel uncomfortable. It’s 2020 and the Irish unification that unionists and loyalists confidently predicted would never happen has become a reality. President Adams is ensconced in Phoenix Park. The newsreader reported that … a short ceremony at Stormont had confirmed [...] read our review »
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Sunday Supplement
Tweet It being Sunday, we’ve all got time to consider and ponder things at greater length than during the working week, yes? If it’s good enough for the Sunday papers, it’s good enough for this guest blogger. So here’s the review section… Actually, it’s my introduction to a book published last year, Goin’ Down Slow: [...] read our review » -
The First Shades of God (Jamie Bryson): unremarkable theology, but an insight into the mind of the protest-organiser
Tweet Jamie Bryson has come to prominence recently as one of the leaders of the flag protests across Northern Ireland. As Chris Donnelly pointed out in his post (and was echoed later in the Belfast Telegraph), Jamie Bryson is a well known loyalist in North Down where he unsuccessfully stood at the council elections under [...] read our review »
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