Human Rights – Page 43 – Slugger O'Toole

“Ours is a movement dedicated to upholding human rights, not specific theologies.”

Pete Baker on August 22, 2007, 7:14 pm

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Even before it met in Mexico at the start of August, the International Council of Amnesty was being urged, by representatives of the Catholic Church, to reverse their Executive Council’s recommendations on sexual and reproductive rights. Instead the International Council affirmed those recommendations, as noted in this press release – “Amnesty International committed itself to strengthening the organization’s work on the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and other factors contributing to women’s recourse to abortion and affirmed the organization’s policy on …

McAliskey’s EU warrant overrides UK law…

Mick Fealty on August 22, 2007, 2:48 pm

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Jeremy Hardy finishes this piece with a great one liner (he’s a stand up, he can’t help himself), but the import of his argument would appear to be wider than a single (cheap?) point at the expense of Sinn Fein. Róisín McAliskey is facing extradition from to Germany in connection with a bombing of British Army barracks in Osnabruck. A previous attempt at extradition failed when Jack Straw, then British Home Secretary, refused on health grounds. However, the new request …

HET faces ‘stock take review’ by NIO..

Pete Baker on August 18, 2007, 5:34 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph, Chris Thornton point to the Historical Enquiries Team’s record to date – 262 cases reviewed, £8million.. no charges brought. [They’re in 1972 apparently – Ed] That’s, to borrow the words of the next Police Ombudsman, a very blunt instrument. He also reports that the NIO is to undertake a “stock take review” of the HET.. as the Eames/Bradley group consider the way forward. [move along now, nothing to see here – Ed] Pete Baker

“the first step is to act with good authority by telling the truth to your own tribe”

Pete Baker on August 12, 2007, 6:36 pm

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Interesting piece in the Sunday Independent from newly appointed senator Eoghan Harris on his appearance at West Belfast Talks Back. He takes issue with his introduction by the BBC’s Martina Purdy but the point to note, I’d suggest, whilst others march for half-truth, is something picked up briefly in Malachi O’Doherty’s audio diary on Sunday Sequence. Namely his challenge to his own tribe for some self-examination. Forty-one years ago, this weekend, I travelled to Maghera, Co Derry, with Dr Roy …

“Black armbands have a history.”

Pete Baker on August 11, 2007, 3:01 pm

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In the Irish Times, Susan McKay points out that tomorrow’s ‘March for Half-Truth’ by Sinn Féin is, in reality, their annual commemoration of “10 republicans who died on hunger strike in 1981, so to take part is to show solidarity with the IRA as well as with the victims of the British forces.” That places it in an area of activity identified previously by Liam Clark. Susan McKay also links in the on-again-off-again-on-again [but don’t tell anyone – Ed] deal …

Truth, half-truth and nothing like the truth..

Pete Baker on August 7, 2007, 9:51 pm

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Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams has been promoting his party’s March for Half-Truth again and is talking up the prospect of extending its declared objectives.. He’s also been criticising the Eames/Bradley consultative group – “I have problems in relation to its remit”. But it’s the BBC report on the press conference which points to one of the reasons why I and, I’d suggest, others are sceptical of his self-appointed role as a ‘campaigner for truth’ – “he said criticism of his …

“once a state finds it needs a power, it doesn’t surrender it lightly”

Pete Baker on August 6, 2007, 3:12 pm

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Via Newshound. In yesterday’s Sunday Times Liam Clarke pointed to one or two items which could be described as the hangover from Operation Banner. In one respect, these residual powers illustrate Northern Ireland’s isolation as a region. They are the price being paid for the slimmed-down and highly regulated force that constitutes the PSNI. Barring some new arrangement with the Garda Siochana, which would be difficult between two sovereign states, the PSNI cannot call on the help of neighbouring police …

“The centrality of the police to the way in which schemes operate is non-negotiable”

Pete Baker on August 3, 2007, 4:04 pm

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The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, has announced the accreditation of four community-based restorative justice schemes in line with the protocols published in February this year. The four are – Northern Ireland Alternatives; Greater Shankill Alternatives; East Belfast Alternatives; and North Belfast Alternatives – register available here [pdf file]. 11 other schemes “who expressed interest in accreditation, are still engaged in completing the pre-accreditation stages of the process.” Adds Additional report here. Tom Winstone of the Northern …

“We hope that it won’t be necessary..”

Pete Baker on July 31, 2007, 3:42 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph Chris Thornton quotes Jane Winter of British Irish Rights Watch on the “definite irony” of the end of Operation Banner co-inciding with the extension of powers to the Army, with similar powers to the police, “to stop and question anyone about their movements – and hold them indefinitely until they answer.” Those moves come via a NI Order in Council, specifically the Police and Criminal Evidence (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2007, which also extends powers granted …

“There is no worth in a half-truth process” – redux

Pete Baker on July 31, 2007, 2:44 am

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As Fintan O’Toole recently argued “In the Irish experience, both nationalists and unionists have been all too adept at constructing versions of the past in which they feature only as victims, never as victimisers.” And, as noted in previous posts, for the Eames/Bradley committee to “take the bull by the horns” – which they should – it will require “a belief that truth is a value in itself”. So when a political party’s leader announces a “March for Truth” it’s …

Bread.. and circuses.

Pete Baker on July 27, 2007, 3:19 pm

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The Derry Journal quotes Sinn Féin’s former[?] Director of Unionist Outreach, Martina Anderson, MLA, in response to suggestions from the 32 County Sovereignty Movement that “marches and pickets” at the doors of alleged drug dealers should be supported “Pickets are an option but I would hope that there are other steps we can take as a community before we get to that point. I am not ruling out that kind of action but other avenues should be explored before this. …

“the climate of today” – redux

Pete Baker on July 24, 2007, 7:27 pm

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Three men have been remanded in custody following the shooting of a policeman in Carrickfergus at the weekend – during the stand-off between the ‘good’ and ‘not-so-good’ UDA. But, according to the Irish News, another man was released without charge despite being on bail.[subs req] The individual concerned, Alan John McLean, had been ordered to leave the country, by the Courts, in January this year because of threats from the mainstream UDA [that would be the ‘good’ UDA? – Ed] …

Police Ombudsman gets another case from the past..

Pete Baker on July 20, 2007, 3:04 pm

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According to the BBC report a spokesman for the Police Ombudsman has confirmed that “Nuala O’Loan had just begun to look at the files” relating to the killing of three unarmed IRA men at a RUC checkpoint in 1982 and is to “decide whether an investigation is needed, during a process which could take several months” – by which time Al Hutchison will probably have taken over. The House of Lords ruled against an inquiry in March 2004. But, again …

So sign up to Schengen…

Pete Baker on July 17, 2007, 2:50 am

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The most interesting point to emerge from today’s optically orientated 9th meeting of the British Irish Council wasn’t the quibbling about the financial package – it ain’t going to change significantly – it was the mention of gaps in security, which Dermot Ahern stated was referring to the Schengen Agreement.. and Gordon Brown agrees. The Alliance Party have previously made mention of this Agreement but the focus appears to be on different proposals than those presented by that party. [It …

Regional Development Minister agrees to vesting of land in Derry City Council

Pete Baker on July 17, 2007, 1:27 am

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The current City of Derry Airport manager remains temporarily suspended whilst an internal investigation takes place into the failure [absence?] of safety management systems and today the Minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, issued a statement in which he agreed that a vesting order enabling Derry City Council to acquire lands adjoining City of Derry Airport could go ahead – in effect a compulsory purchase of the land. The Department also issued a separate statement [Word doc], and released other …

Why the sky is blue and other illuminating information..

Pete Baker on July 1, 2007, 5:55 pm

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Iain Dale shakes his head, quite rightly, at the supernaturalist Church of England Bishop of Carlisle who is claiming that the recent floods in England are a supernatural judgement of sorts – “We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused.” – as, no doubt, the recent flooding in Belfast was.. The Bishop has in mind the Equality Act – which other supernaturalists also complained about. No better timing, then, …

Closure on the past – redux

Pete Baker on June 26, 2007, 1:18 am

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Today’s announcement by the PPS – PPS press notice [pdf file] and statement by the DPP [pdf file] – also noted here, and the reports that the Secretary of State for Wales, etc, Peter Hain [Goodbye Peter – Ed] has denied there had been any political interference in the decision reminded me of a previous statement of the government’s position by the same Secretary of State – “Closure on the past cannot be one-sided”. Not that I’m suggesting that there …

Looking back, and moving on?

Mick Fealty on June 22, 2007, 10:41 pm

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As Pete noted earlier today, Peter Hain has announced the foundation of a group looking at possible practical ways in which the past can be dealt with. Since burying the truth about the past has been continuing on an almost industrial scale, it is going to be a tall order to come up with something that realistically does just that and can get approval from the new joint political establishment at Stormont. Here’s my own take, just published over at …

“There is a great deal at stake – nothing less than the future itself.”

Pete Baker on June 22, 2007, 1:43 pm

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It’s been mentioned once or twice already during the week but today we have confirmation from the Secretary of State for Wales etc, Peter Hain, that Lord Eames and Denis Bradley are to co-chair a consultative group to ask “how Northern Ireland might approach its past in a way that heals rather than poisons, that enables everyone to focus on building a shared future, not looking constantly over shoulders to a divided past.”. Bit late warning about the poison I’d …

“I didn`t actually see the programme..”

Pete Baker on June 20, 2007, 8:21 pm

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The Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, has commented on last night’s BBC Spotlight investigation into the murder of Capt Robert Nairac, which he declined to be interviewed for – the programme can now be viewed at the BBC site The Sinn Fein MP told the Assembly`s Committee of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister: “In relation to last night`s Spotlight programme, I didn`t actually see the programme but I am told – and I do not know if this …