George – Page 7 – Slugger O'Toole

IRA passing baton back to Sinn Féin?

George on October 2, 2005, 10:01 pm

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Martin Mansergh in the Irish Times (subs needed) argues that IRA decomissioning, following the statement that it was committing itself to a peaceful, democratic path is a major landmark for this island and finally redresses the “dreadful act of responsibility” by the surving members of the Second Dáil.”For more than 80 years, since the war of independence, successive Irish governments have wanted the IRA to go away. Eamon de Valera, in the 1930s worried about the guns still in their …

Unionist self-pity and supremacy

George on October 1, 2005, 11:03 pm

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David Adams, writing in the Irish Times (subs needed), believes it is time for unionism to “jettison the self-pity” and “accept the heavy responsibilities that come with public office” or suspicions will remain that “supremacy within unionism matters a lot more to many unionist politicians than trying to establish a peaceful and settled Northern Ireland”.Adams begins by noting how former Ulster Unionist Party leader James Molyneaux remarked in 1994 that a prolonged IRA ceasefire could be the “most destabilising thing …

Businesses want action not the Assembly

George on September 29, 2005, 4:36 pm

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The inaugural Northern Ireland Business Monitor 2004-2005 has found that a whopping 77% of the 2,000 businesses surveyed felt that the Assembly suspension has had no effect on them. Only 16% said the suspension made their situation worse. However, the report suggests that “many businesses do not see local politicians as being adequately supportive of local businesses”.”The absence of the Assembly was significant in making prospects worse for the farming businesses (28%) and construction (23%). All the other sectors eported …

Derry with a capital D?

George on September 23, 2005, 10:20 pm

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The DUP is up in arms about a Monaghan judge who refused to recognise the name “Londonderry” given by the defendant as being his address. The Judge said he “didn’t want to see this rubbish coming before him again” as far as he was concerned it was “just Derry with a capital D.”“For a member of the Southern Judiciary to make such an ill-informed and completely inaccurate statement is astounding,” said Foster. “This is indicative of the way in which …

Northern Ireland autumn sale begins

George on September 23, 2005, 5:39 pm

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Following on from Peter Hain’s speech about Northern Ireland paying its way and moving resources to the frontline, the British government has announced plans to sell off almost all of its civil service buildings and then lease them back from their new owners. Apparently, the move will save 200 million in refurbishment costs. Stormont has been spared.From Hain’s speech: “Unless we can address these problems we will not be in a position to face that future with the purpose and …

Northern Ireland’s star rising fast

George on September 17, 2005, 7:41 pm

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In football at any rate, rising faster up the rankings than any other team. Thanks to back-to-back wins over Azerbaijan and England, Northern Ireland are now 101st in September’s FIFA world rankings, up a massive 15 places on a month ago. FIFA also calls the victory over England one of the shocks of the century. George

Drumcree moving to Christmas slot?

George on September 15, 2005, 5:45 pm

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The Orange Order seems to have decided to apply to march down the Garvaghy Road on Christmas Day. The SDLP has called the move “appalling” and “shameless” with local SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly accusing the Order of deliberately planning the latest march to “up the ante” in the wake of last weekend’s riots. George

From Gettysburg to the Boyne

George on September 8, 2005, 10:04 pm

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The Irish government has formally announced €15m funding for a new visitor centre at the Battle of the Boyne site. There will be a visitor and exhibition centre, new walkways and a peace garden put in over the next three years, bringing total spending on the project to date to €30m.Talks have also been held with experts from world battle sites like Gettysburg, Waterloo and Flanders. “We can learn from their experience of developing these sites which, in a sense, …

No Case to answer for Colombia Three?

George on August 10, 2005, 9:20 pm

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Ashling Reidy, Director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, believes (sound file) the Colombia Three may have no case to answer under Irish law and that Mary Harney’s idea of charging them retrospectively under the Transfer of Execution of Sentences Bill 2003, which has “been gathering dust” for two years in the Seanad, simply won’t fly as there are “huge impediments”.Reidy says that the only Act the men could be charged under is the 1998 amendment to the Offences …

Loyalist violence continues apace

George on August 10, 2005, 5:10 pm

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Loyalist violence seems to be building up a head of steam with the latest in a series of pipebomb attacks on Catholic homes in Antrim taking place in Cloughmills. The Police Service of Northern Ireland say they will leave no stone unturned in the hunt for the perpetrators.“They always intensify and come to a head during the marching season.” Ian Stevenson, the deputy mayor of Ballymoney Borough Council, said: “I am not going to make any statements about the motive …

Abortion issue resurfaces

George on August 10, 2005, 3:10 am

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The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has launched a 13-point plan to have abortion legalised in the Irish Republic, under the motto ‘Safe and Legal in Ireland’. Strangely, while the 6,000 Irish women who travel to Britain and further afield annually to have abortions are discussed, there is no mention, in the press release at least (it was brought up before), of the supposed growing number of backstreet abortions carried out for those within the new immigrant community, who don’t …

Colombia Three could be jailed in Ireland

George on August 10, 2005, 1:42 am

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Tánaiste Mary Harney, who is standing in for PD party colleague Michael McDowell as Minister for Justice, has said the Colombia Three shouldn’t underestimate the Government’s “determination to explore all the options open to it, to ensure that Ireland plays its full part in the fight against international terrorism”. Harney said in a statement that the men were “no friends of the peace process” and insisted that no deal had been done with Sinn Féin.She added that the Transfer of …

Fire blankets for Catholics

George on August 9, 2005, 9:50 pm

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The Police Service of Northern Ireland have decided to issue fire blankets to Catholic families in the North Antrim village of Ahogill to help protect them from ongoing arson attacks by British loyalists. A PSNI spokesman told the BBC the action was “unprecedented”. However, it was taken after fresh intelligence suggested more attacks were imminent. George

Orde says unionists doing nothing about loyalist violence

George on August 7, 2005, 7:36 pm

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The Daily Ireland reports that PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, has been called a “disgrace” by the chairman of the Loyalist Commission over his claim in an e-mail that the police “are the only ones doing anything about the loyalist feud”. The Reverend Mervyn Gibson said Orde “doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about”. “If the PSNI did their job properly, we would not have had this feud in the first place,” he said. Meanwhile, another man was shot …

Paisley for the Lords?

George on August 6, 2005, 10:04 pm

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The Irish Times reports that Eileen Paisley could be on her way to the House of Lords while husband Ian is being tipped for elevation to Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Council, enabling him to go by the title “the right honourable member” for North Antrim. Eileen would become a Baroness or Lady, I assume. George

Colombia Three back in Ireland

George on August 5, 2005, 10:42 pm

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RTÉ is reporting that Martin McCauley, Niall Connolly and Jim Monaghan, better know as the Colombia Three, are back in Ireland. First reaction from the DUP is already in with deputy leader Peter Robinson calling on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to find them and hand them back.Jim Monaghan confirmed to RTÉ that the men had returned to Ireland in the past few days. However, he would not say how they got here. He said that they had got a ‘lot of …

Gardaí crack down on immigration from NI

George on August 5, 2005, 7:22 pm

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A year on from the referendum to change the Irish Republic’s citizenship laws, it has been revealed that 477 people have been refused entry from Northern Ireland to the Irish Republic in the first six months of 2005, an increase of nearly 250% over a year. Thanks Seamus for this even if it’s a little late.A special Garda immigration unit based in Dundalk stopped the people in the first six months while in the same period last year, they refused …

Ecumenism seen as a sign of failure, surrender and weakness

George on July 20, 2005, 9:05 pm

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Christian Churches in Ireland have suffered because of a lack of ecumenism, Church of Ireland primate Most Rev Robin Eames has told the McGill Summer School in Donegal. “Christianity in Ireland has suffered because of our total allegiance to denominationalism. In the naked sectarianism of Northern Ireland, ecumenism for some is a sign of failure, surrender and weakness,” he said.Eames says religion in Ireland is now divided into two parts – north and south – with the Catholic Church commanding …

North and South to be Political Partners Soon

George on July 20, 2005, 8:39 pm

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Probably unionism’s favourite southerner, Irish Justice Minister Michael McDowell, believes Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic can become political partners on a reconciled island very soon. “I believe that the great project of reconciling Orange and Green will succeed, and that both parts of Ireland will become partners in a common political enterprise,” he told the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Co Donegal.“I believe that a much more diverse, heterogeneous sense of Irishness will replace the narrow official self-image of …

Invest NI right to target South Belfast?

George on July 18, 2005, 4:34 pm

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Invest NI has come under fire from Sinn Fein and the SDLP, who say Invest NI’s figures show that they intend to site nearly 30% of all its planned investment for this cycle in south Belfast, more than three times the combined investment for the seven more impoverished constituencies west of the Bann. They have been joined by the Federation of Small Businesses who have called for a meeting to discuss the “serious imbalances”.Invest NI have responded by saying assistance …