Parties

The father of a man whose son was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries has accused unionists of hypocrisy over the murder of Raymond McCord, 22, who was beaten to death and his body dumped in a north Belfast quarry in 1997. McCord believes the police Special Branch blocked the police inquiry into the murder to protect a high-ranking Ulster Volunteer Force informer and is disgusted over the silence from the DUP and UUP when compared with their reaction to the McCartney …

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This CNN report has an excellent and comprehensive round-up of quotes. Covering Martin McGuinness’ comments and the McCartney family’s response. There are quotes there too from Gerry Adams and Rep. Peter King, and others. Most striking though, is this one from Catherine McCartney, on Gerry Adams – “He seemed genuine when he met us, when we thought the problem was just a matter of IRA intimidation.. Now we know better. It’s clear that Sinn Fein is heavily into the cover-up.” …

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Brianster’s picked up another important detail in the current white out for Sinn Fein the media. The world now looks upon Ian Paisley as a reasonable politician – even stalwarts of Sinn Fein like Peter King. It’s not as if his party hadn’t been quietly working away from it’s historical association with the more fanatical end of Loyalism. But few in the party expected that Sinn Fein would gift them such a political coup. As one senior party insider put …

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The latest twist in the McCartney family’s ongoing campaign came tonight during the hour-long Channel 4 news. Presenter Jon Snow began by reporting comments from Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, in which he said the McCartney family “need to be very careful”(hat-tip to our reader Alan) and that they should not “step over that line.. into the world of party political politics[sic]” – a clear reference to the suggestion that family members are to run against SF candidates – by the …

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Despite the lead paragraph, the main points to note in this Belfast Telegraph story, IMO, are the quotes from the Police Ombudsman and Catherine McCartney. The Police Ombudsman’s spokeman states, “No-one from our office has met her [Cora Groogan] or taken her statement. She has not contacted us as far as I am aware”. Catherine McCartney has also stated “Sinn Fein’s first response was that she[Cora Groogan] left the bar at 8.30pm then they came back with the statement that …

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OVER the next few days, the media spotlight here will likely be focused on events in America. As the McCartney sisters prepare to meet President Bush, Gerry Adams is also packing his bags for the States. With US opinion outraged by the McCartney murder, Adams is probably in for a tough time. It will be interesting to see how a US audience reacts to Adams, as they adjust to seeing Sinn Fein attacked, rather than praised, in their media. Is …

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The Orange Order has voted to sever links with the UUP. Orange Order Grand Master Robert Saulters said the arrangements made 100 years ago were no longer relevant in the political scene today. Speaking after the meeting, he said: “The loyal Orange Institution will continue to lobby for the unionist cause as events require. “We will seek to establish good relationships with all those engaged in the political interests of the unionist people.” Not a very cultural statement but, more …

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A moment of cheer for Sinn Fein. Their candidate Joe Reilly has done well to improve his party’s percentage from the last time out. However at a low turnout of 40%, it would be a tad pre mature to extrapolate anything over much from this count of first preference votes. It will be difficult to translate this into more Dail seats if it’s ability to attract transfers has been adversely affected by recent events. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of …

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ANOTHER day, another Ulster Unionist leaflet – this time they’re ‘speaking up for Ulster’. The UUP is trying to capitalise on its track record of holding the Government to account in the House of Commons, and suggests their MPs are working harder than the DUP’s. Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

Writing in The Newsletter, Suzanne Breen looks at that IRA statement and their ‘offer’ to shoot those they claimed were responsible for the murder of Robert McCartney. As she points out, despite Martin McGuinness’ description of that ‘offer’ as a mistake, – “[The statement] wasn’t a rushed job.. There was five pages of the stuff.” Instead, she sees it as yet another PR cock-up by the PRM. And that, she suggests, could be evidence for the conspiracy theorists.Suzanne Breen “suspect[s] …

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An Irish Times article today quotes Sinn Féin MP Martin McGuinness in an interview on BBC Radio Foyle – The IRA’s offer to shoot those responsible for the murder of Robert McCartney was a mistake. Although, he refers to the public stating of the offer – not, necessarily, the offer itself. But he also appears to accept the IRA version of the events immediately following Robert McCartney’s murder – in direct contradiction to the McCartney family’s statement yesterday.The Irish Times …

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Full details of the Belfast Telegraph poll here. Interesting that the Sinn Fein support amongst ABC1’s has dropped significantly, whilst its female support seems to have grown. Unsurprisingly, a large proportion of protestants want to see the Assembly back without Sinn Fein. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: …

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Despite the heavy weather in terms of the party’s press coverage since the Northern Bank raid, they have only lost 3.5% of support since the last Assembly election. Welcome news for beleaguered activists. The Nationalist game is (in theory) currently tied. In reality, the SDLP will take little comfort from these figures. But the news is even worse for David Trimble: Support for the DUP has increased further from the high of its Assembly election performance of 25.6% to 28% …

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In the Guardian- not in today’s print version but probably tomorrow – the Observer’s Ireland editor, Henry McDonald, sounds a (much needed IMO) note of caution to those commentators forever searching for silver linings. Instead, he argues, behind yesterday’s cack-handed PR gesture is a double-sided communique, in part assuring its base, in part intending to menace – and – the real message is that the IRA is still a key player in the peace process and remains armed and dangerous …

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On RTE’s 9 O’Clock News last night, Northern editor Tommie Gorman gave his analysis of the IRA statement[streaming video clip], saying that “it shows the level of turmoil within the whole Republican movement”. He predicted that those “fingered by the IRA” must now end up in court, but also pointed out that, whatever the intention behind the statement, it “is going to ensure that all other political parties.. will be insisting that there must be no doubt for the IRA …

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While describing the IRA offer to shoot the murderers of Robert McCartney as extraordinary and horrific, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also says things have to move forward in the peace process and that there is a distinction between Sinn Féin and the IRA. Is the Irish leader alone in this view or is Ahern merely saying this because he is worried that any criminalisation of Sinn Fein together with the IRA will be counterproductive to the long-term stability of this island? …

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In the Irish Times, Northern Editor Gerry Moriarty was clearly less than impressed by the ‘rhetorical flourishes’ of the speakers at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis, and references Bertie Ahern’s prediction on Thursday that “on the key issue of whether the IRA would take the required initiative to reopen the possibility of a deal we would be as informed entering the conference as we were leaving it.” However, this could also be a temporary little achievement for Adams. If in …

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A measured, IMO, editorial in The Guardian on the events leading up to the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis which it describes as “a celebration [which turned] into a very desperate damage limitation exercise.”I’ll just note the concluding paragraph – Yet if republicans are tempted to think that the worst is now over, they are surely deceiving themselves. The most probable effect of the recent events is not that Sinn Féin is finished. It is that Sinn Féin is stuck. That …

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After delivering his speech to the party’s annual meeting [no, not that meeting.. the other one] UUP leader David Trimble spoke to the Irish Times’ Dan Keenan and called on both the Irish and British Governments “to act to save the very morality of constitutional politics”The opening paragraphs of Dan Keenan’s article – It is time for Ahern and Blair to act to save the very morality of constitutional politics, David Trimble tells Dan Keenan, Northern News Editor “The Taoiseach …

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