Human Rights – Page 42 – Slugger O'Toole

“there are illegal people, Irish people here.”

Pete Baker on October 5, 2007, 2:39 pm

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The Republic of Ireland’s Foreign Affairs minister, Dermot Ahern, is currently in the US and he’s chosen to revisit an issue which, by all accounts, had been sidelined for the forseeable future – as this Irish Voice article puts it, “comprehensive immigration reform has been put on the backburner by Congress”. But Denis Staunton in the Irish Times [subs req] has some interesting comments from the minister which suggest that he believes the illiegal Irish immigrants in the US is …

“the non-ministerial department is the best option”

Pete Baker on October 2, 2007, 6:37 pm

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Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Kerr was appearing in front of the sub-committee of the NI Executive tasked with assessing when to request the devolution of policing and justice. Interestingly, as noted by Mark Devenport and covered in the subsequent reports, he does not necessarily agree with the current proposals which would devolve the Court Service into an executive agency of the administration, within a Department of Justice as in England and Wales, preferring instead a more independent judiciary under …

“an appointment can be made by Christmas…”

Pete Baker on September 27, 2007, 8:14 pm

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The difficulty for the First and Deputy First Ministers is that if they did admit to disagreeing on the long-delayed appointment of a Victims’ Commissioner it would be seen as confirmation of this analysis. Meanwhile a Belfast Telegraph report quotes two anonymous sources within the same [OFDFM] Department who take slightly different views on the matter than the official spokesman for the two ministers. But an OFMDFM spokesman said: “There is no intention to readvertise the position and the issue …

“substantive task of dealing with the past in large measure rest[s] with..”

Pete Baker on September 27, 2007, 6:35 pm

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Yesterday on his Diaries blog Mark Devenport mentioned the appearance, in front of the First and Deputy First Ministers’ scrutiny committee, of the Eames/Bradley consultation group. But the report in the Irish Times indicates a couple of awkward conclusions [subs req]. According to the report “Lord Eames [told the committee].. that it was crucial to achieve political agreement on the way forward.” And we already know that at least one party has issues with the Eames/Bradley group. The second conclusion …

“or they can’t agree..”

Pete Baker on September 24, 2007, 2:50 pm

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According to the Belfast Telegraph’s Chris Thornton, quoting “unionist sources”, Lady Daphne Trimble is one of the names on the short-list for the still-to-be-appointed Victims’ Commissioner and he points out that “A shortlist was handed to the First Ministers soon after they took up office in May.” It provides the Alliance Party’s Naomi Long, deputy chair of the First Ministers’ scrutiny committee, the opportunity to echo her party leader’s comments “People have been extremely patient. I do think it’s time …

£2million to be spent on 87 CCTV cameras in 19 towns

Pete Baker on September 20, 2007, 4:17 pm

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The NIO’s Policing and Justice Minister Paul Goggins, MP, has announced a £2million programme to erect 87 CCTV cameras across 19 town centres over the next few months. The first will be in Newtownards, but the other 18 towns are not listed. According to Paul Goggins “These new CCTV cameras will help reduce crime and the fear of crime. They will also play a vital role in tackling anti-social behaviour.” [Any figures to back that claim, Paul? – Ed]More from …

Death threats “were not handled properly”

Pete Baker on September 19, 2007, 6:01 pm

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Plenty of coverage of the Police Ombudsman’s findings in relation to complaints made by the Committee on the Administration of Justice about the then-RUC’s investigation, or lack of it, into death threats made against the solicitor Rosemary Nelson. But, as always, it’s better to go to the source before commenting. The Ombudsman’s statement identifies the main findings as The Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O’Loan, has said an abusive and inherently dangerous leaflet and a death threat made against the solicitor …

“If it is a policy regarding one school..”

Pete Baker on September 19, 2007, 3:01 pm

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The BBC has an update to the story I noted previously – on the disbandment of Amnesty International Groups in Catholic schools – which, ahead of the Irish Bishops’ Conference next month, would indicate that all other schools in the Catholic Maintained sector will be advised to follow suit. The BBC report quotes the auxiliary bishop of Down and Connor, Donal McKeown “If it is a policy regarding one school, it certainly would be a policy regarding all the Catholic …

Catholic church advises Belfast school to disband Amnesty branch

Pete Baker on September 18, 2007, 5:37 pm

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The rift between the Catholic church and Amnesty International over the organisation’s new policy on sexual and reproductive rights appears to be growing, and it’s taking on a local dimension too. Henry McDonald reports in the Guardian, and Patsy McGarry confirms in the Irish Times [subs req], that a Belfast grammar school in the Down and Connor diocese has been advised by the church to disband its Amnesty group. The issue appears to be due for discussion at next month’s …

“Every goal [scored] is an own goal..”

Pete Baker on September 17, 2007, 3:06 am

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An interesting point from Brian Feeney on The Politics Show today. Reprising comments that he has made before, in reference to the school debating society that we call an Assembly, and ostensibly on the topic du jour, he argued that the reluctance by both the DUP and SF to cause serious political damage to their supposed opposite numbers was due to the nature of the ‘indigenous’ deal – “Every goal [scored] is an own goal”. And the non-appointment of a …

“No other trial should or could really proceed pending the outcome of this judicial review”

Pete Baker on September 11, 2007, 11:13 pm

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The introduction of a new methodology for assessing whether to use non-jury trials in Northern Ireland courts [with added sunset clause – Ed] has hit a snag. It’s reported that defence lawyers are not being given sufficient information about potential jurors before selecting a jury and in a case in Coleraine the defence team have sought a judicial review on what would appear to be an open-and-shut issue – if there is no risk to potential jurors then there’s no …

“local action rather than organised action by any paramilitary group..”

Pete Baker on September 7, 2007, 1:20 am

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The Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, is reported to have described the recent tarring-and-feathering of a man in Belfast as an “isolated” incident and that it was a “local action rather than organised action by any paramilitary group”. On the first point I can see how it can be described as such – in terms of the action itself, it is an isolated incident. On the second point.. let’s just say I’m sceptical. It’s also worth noting that the victim of …

“building a shared future that is not overshadowed by the events of the past”

Pete Baker on September 6, 2007, 5:40 pm

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Having consulted with some interested parties [but not necessarily all interested parties – Ed] the Eames/Bradley group are now looking for contributions from the public. They also have a new website [under construction, natch – Ed]. The Belfast Telegraph provides the contact details – Written submissions can be sent to the secretary to the group, 20 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8GD or by email to secretary[at]cgpni[dot]org And from the Irish Times [subs req] “Working together we can help ensure that …

Ward sent for trial on Northern Bank robbery charges

Pete Baker on September 6, 2007, 12:52 am

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RTÉ reports that in Belfast Magistrates Court today 25 year-old Chris Ward, who following the dropping of the cases against two other suspects in January this year is the only person to be charged in connection with the Northern Bank robbery that took place in December 2004, was sent for trial on those charges. No date has yet been set for the trial, although the report suggests it will take place early next year.. and there’s still little sign of …

“The Forum is due to report in March 2008 and provide agreed recommendations..”

Pete Baker on September 5, 2007, 6:36 pm

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There has been a number of reactions to the announcement that the NIO [or “government” as this report puts it – Ed] has provided an extra £100,000 to fund 2 new outreach workers for the Bill of Rights Forum as it prepares a report for the NI Human Rights Commission, due next March. Update From the BBC’s Mark Devenport Some of the recent debates over human rights here have been inexp[l]icable to anyone outside a small clique of experts. Let’s …

“The law says I give it. All my legal advice is that I have no alternative..”

Pete Baker on September 4, 2007, 3:46 pm

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A Guardian report of an interview with Chief Constable Hugh Orde points to a possible clash with judges involved in the public inquiries, but his comments also have implications for any attempt at a full extraction of the poison from the system.. and for the Eames/Bradley group’s consultations. In an interview with the Guardian, Sir Hugh said he believed the release of the identities of informants during imminent public inquiries could lead to people being killed and have a direct …

Sceptical not cynical..

Pete Baker on September 3, 2007, 11:43 pm

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I keep reminding myself that I should be sceptical rather than cynical.. but it’s difficult not to be cynical when I see reports like this one. Perhaps the same individuals who have spent 4 days in Finland could inform the rest of us what exactly they advised others were the lessons from here? ‘Better that the poison stays in the system’, perhaps.. Adds The BBC’s Mark Devenport has some links And In the comments zone Gonzo points to this International …

“We are living in an Orwellian state and we need to be aware of that.”

Pete Baker on August 31, 2007, 1:25 am

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In the ongoing discussion over the Eames/Bradley group’s consultation I’ve been pointing on occasion to a previous post noting Tim Garton Ash’s CiF piece on Poland’s experience – “Delay has its own heavy price. The poison accumulates in the system.” So it shouldn’t be a surprise that, even if the accusations made against Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his twin brother Lech, the president, are untrue, this report would interest me.. Note, even if they are false, the accusations …

“The poison accumulates in the system.” – redux

Pete Baker on August 24, 2007, 10:24 pm

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After meeting with Lord Stevens in London recently the Eames/Bradley group were in Armagh today, along with former Finnish president and arms inspector Martti Ahtisaari and former Drumcree mediator Brian Currin, to meet with the PSNI’s Historical Enquiries Team and, according to the BBC report, they’ll be meeting with the Human Rights Commission soon [that might be an interesting encounter – Ed]. No word on meetings with others yet.. but since they’ll be seeking views on dealing with the past …

Irony-free zone ahead

Pete Baker on August 22, 2007, 9:20 pm

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Supernaturalist condemns.. supernaturalists… oh, and gamblers.. [and, of course, Amnesty International – Ed]. To paraphrase, Archbishop Brady calls for ‘return to the One True Superstition Church’ Adds Full speech here [pdf file] People who put their trust in horoscopes, astrology and mediums lack trust in God and are “colluding with an illusion”, a senior Catholic churchman said today. Pete Baker