Parties – Page 239 – Slugger O'Toole

SF and IRA to ‘divorce’ over criminality..?

Belfast Gonzo on January 13, 2005, 7:07 pm

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I suspect that if Sinn Fein and the IRA ever split, that it will be because the IRA has become an electoral millstone around SF’s neck. Some rather disillusioned republicans now appear to suspect that, if the IRA carried out the Northern heist, it may be a catalyst for separation. Eamonn McCann takes a look at internal difficulties in the Republican Movement, while Broom of Anger (which has lots of useful links) looks at the separation emerging between the governments …

Are not, never were, and never will be.. criminals that is.

Pete Baker on January 13, 2005, 5:14 pm

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The Irish Times carries a report from its Northern Editor, Gerry Moriarty, that has a quote from Martin McGuinness (a quote that the Irish News, in its report, missed) that highlights the dangerous gulf that exists between the image that the leadership of Sinn Féin continue to try to promote, and what both Governments, and all other parties, now acknowledge is a fundamental problem in the ongoing political process – “The IRA are not criminals, never were criminals and in …

The credibility question

Pete Baker on January 10, 2005, 10:30 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph, Chris Thornton reminds us why many are sceptical of Sinn Féin’s denials, by way of this quote from Gerry Adams, – “‘The IRA has denied any involvement and I accept that’.. Crimes like this, he added, ‘can play no part in the republican struggle..’” Not the Sinn Féin president’s reaction to the Northern Bank robbery, but a quote from, as Thornton puts it, “June 1996, after a gang of IRA men killed Garda Jerry McCabe while …

Crime and punishment…

Belfast Gonzo on January 10, 2005, 6:24 pm

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LIAM Clarke and Stephen Dempster consider various options for moving the process forward and potential sanctions against Sinn Fein.Potential sanctions against SF listed include greater restrictions to visas to America, and financial penalties, such as a ban on foreign fundraising (that one must be really worrying those behind the £26.5m robbery, Liam!) Meanwhile, the Secretary of State must surely be thinking about Paragraph 30 (2) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and what would happen if the Assembly had been …

All confidence and trust is gone

Pete Baker on January 9, 2005, 8:06 pm

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The Sunday Business Post, interestingly, carries a report, by Pat Leahy and Paul T Colgan, who quote their sources’ views on SF’s current standing with the Irish Government. According to a “senior [Irish] government source” – “It’s one of two things: either they [Sinn Féin] don’t know what’s going on and therefore they can’t deliver the IRA; or they do and they’re treating us with contempt”, but, when pressed, the same source is reported as saying that the Irish government …

Sometimes a single quote is enough

Pete Baker on January 5, 2005, 10:42 pm

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“Global catastrophes are now almost a monthly occurrence“ – Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein MP. Sheesh.. it’s a wonder we’re still here. Pete Baker

Whose centenary is it anyway?

Pete Baker on January 3, 2005, 10:58 pm

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Yesterday’s Sunday Times stirs the centenary stew by claiming that No less than five political parties are to mark the centenary of the Sinn Fein movement this year with rival commemorations – all of them claiming direct descendancy from Arthur Griffith’s version. They even woke Brian Feeney from his post-Christmas slumber, and he, unsurprisingly, throws his weight behind Gerry Adams’ Sinn Féin claim to the celebrations (if not the bill) – but will they wince at him pointing out that …

Panto’s ‘Ugly Sisters’ should sue

Pete Baker on December 21, 2004, 6:58 pm

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In the Irish Examiner, Fergus Finlay has some fun with his inaugural Annual Political Pantomime Awards. Two awards to note in particular, The Ugly Sisters Award (guess who?) and the Cinderella Award – although, doesn’t that imply that, at some point, the pumpkin-ness wasn’t identifiable? Anyway, I’m sure you’ll have some suggestions of your own. Pete Baker

Election Agents

Ambrose Uprichard on December 17, 2004, 11:19 pm

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What IS it about Sinn Féin election workers and agents ? One of the Colombia three was a SF election worker. Aengus O’Snodaigh’s election agent has been jailed. “Last year, Sinn Fein TD Sean Crowe’s election agent was abducted in Dublin and taken to South Armagh where he was tortured, tried by the Provisional IRA and shot in both ankles, for what was described as “freelance fundraising”.” And now another one has been remanded in custody.Mind you – according to …

‘Keep Them There’..?

Belfast Gonzo on December 16, 2004, 9:52 pm

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THE Colombia Three have been sentenced to at least 17 years each in Bogota, following an appeal against their previous acquittal by prosecutors. The BBC reports: “Sinn Fein MLA Catriona Ruane of the Bring them Home campaign said Thursday’s verdict was “military justice” which would be fought.” Well, I suppose SF should know military justice when they see it… Belfast Gonzosluggerotoole.com

Rocky III?

Pete Baker on December 16, 2004, 9:41 pm

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Or ‘Raging Bull**** – The Rematch’? Pete Baker

‘It’s been a good year’

Pete Baker on December 16, 2004, 5:23 pm

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That’s the claim of the DUP’s deputy leader, Peter Robinson, in today’s Belfast Telegraph – a ‘good’ year for unionism that is.No doubt many of our posters will find plenty to argue about in the article – party-political point-scoring does feature heavily – but I would like to draw your attention to what he has to say on the devolution of policing and justice powers – On the issue of policing and justice we have won the argument and ensured …

Bill and Ted had the right solution

Pete Baker on December 15, 2004, 5:24 pm

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Perhaps unintentionally, Chris Thornton and Brian Walker’s metaphor, Parties engaged ‘in game of chess’, conjures up images of the disillusioned Crusader stalling for time by playing chess against the figure of Death in The Seventh Seal. This time, however, the stalling is for a lesser prize than the director Ingmar Bergman had in mind – an electoral advantage next May against parties not allowed at the board. Hmm.. time the two Governments updated that image and introduced a “Bill and …

‘Transparent nonsense’

Pete Baker on December 14, 2004, 5:36 pm

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In the Belfast Telegraph, Malachi O’Doherty is in no doubt as to why ‘photographs’ and ‘humiliation’ have been promoted as the sticking point for any ‘deal’ – “If choosing to abort the deal on the demand for a photograph of decommissioning seems trite and silly indulgence – and it does – that may not be because republicans are inordinately sensitive to humiliation but because, having been walked so far into a deal they weren’t ready for, it was the only …

Parties, their websites and ‘da youth’…

Mick Fealty on December 14, 2004, 1:55 pm

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The SDLP kindly responded to my request for links to their youth site yesterday. There’s some interesting interactive content, though it probably needs radical re-organising. So far it contains the only interactive feature of any of the youth sites.This is an important difference. Phil Noble told that seminar in Westminster I went to last Tuesday that political parties and politians in general are current only using about 20% of the capacity available now online. Stephen Coleman, also pointed out that …

Young unionist site in action…

Mick Fealty on December 13, 2004, 9:37 pm

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Following on from Ambrose’s link to Ógra Shinn Féin‘s Belfast website, the Young Unionists have theirs up and going too – and there’s a link to Slugger on it! Like Ógra they seem to be using a ‘blog arrangement’ to help them quickly update the site with news. Potential members can join from the site. But they still have plenty of scope to experiment – not least with fund raising facilities! DUP and SDLP, show us yours!? Mick FealtyMick is …

Bertie makes his pitch?

Pete Baker on December 13, 2004, 4:46 pm

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Recent comments from Taioseach Bertie Ahern seem designed to suggest that he might be prepared to consider a ‘solution’ to the current impasse over photographs and an end to IRA criminality. Over the weekend he demanded a definitive statement from the IRA on an end to that criminality. Today he is shifting the Irish Governement stance on photographic evidence when compared to last week’s published proposals.The problem for Bertie is that such a ‘solution’ – no photos but a definitive …

Paisley’s man in Basingstoke…

Mick Fealty on December 13, 2004, 4:36 pm

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The Guardian has been out and about in Basingstoke asking local voters their opinion of their local DUP MP, Andrew Hunter. BTW, if Andrew’s interested, Slugger can recommend some excellent Irish language classes at the local Irish Centre, so he can brush up before ‘coming home’ next year. 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 …

Ógra Shinn Féin – Béal Feirste go online

Ambrose Uprichard on December 12, 2004, 4:12 am

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In a rather subdued way Ógra Shinn Féin — Béal Feirste (ÓSFBF) has gone online as of December 6th. I can see no mention of this on the Sinn Féin website, but happened upon a letter from Jimmy Madden, in the current edition of An Phoblacht.A well designed site, easy to read and with an interesting manifesto for 2004. The suggestion that elections should be held at week-ends is sensible, however I’m not impressed with the idea that the state …

Paisley seeking to capture wider political consensus

Mick Fealty on December 10, 2004, 3:50 pm

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Jude Collins believes that the DUP have engaged at shifting the political consensus towards the view of the Troubles as a conflict in which the IRA was the sole cause of bloodshed, than the view that “…the IRA emerged from decades of state discrimination and repression, not vice versa”. He further averts to one obvious Elephant (of many of that convenient and peculiarly Ulster species), that is widely ignored: As for the PUP, it blames the IRA for IRA violence …