European Election OR Sectarian Head Count 2009?

European Election OR Sectarian Head Count 2009? Sinn Féin's sitting MEP Bairbre de Brún created Northern Ireland electoral history by topping the poll with 126,184 votes. However, both the Dublin and Irish governments will tonight be pondering nervously about the future of their landmark Good Friday Agreement (Sunningdale Mark II). 

The proverbial fly in the ointment comes in the form of Jim Allister, Leader of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV), who polled an astonishing 66,197 first preference votes. The majority of his votes were gained at the expense of his former party the DUP and their candidate Diane Dodds.


Anyone familiar with the political polarisation within Northern Ireland will be well aware that the word European bares little significance with many voters. Instead, all elections, European or otherwise, since the implementation of the world famed (‘truce’) Good Friday Agreement have acted only to further polarize both political tribes. For unfamiliar NI political observers, you must first grasp an understanding of the under currents of colonialism, partition and sectarianism which both, dominate and stifle, the political agenda in Northern Ireland. Also, this has not been a thunderbolt that has just hit our political scene today or yesterday. Many astute Northern Ireland political pundits will agree that unresolved issues have been festering under the surface since that momentous Friday back in 1998. They will also agree rather than dispel old grievances, GFA has only sought to further exacerbate and compound them which has further institutionalised sectarianism within this British state-let. It is not an understatement to say that the Good Friday Agreement has been decaying since its inception, ever since that immortal premise that;

‘Britain has no more strategic interest in Northern Ireland’.

Au contraire, we have been witnessing a steady slip to the right manifesting itself in an increasingly dogged expression of British imperialist interest. This rightward shift has been accelerated by increasing unionist reaction coupled with the capitulation of Irish Republican ideology.

We need look no further than the insular reactions at the European Election count in the King’s Hall, Belfast today. Whilst, Sinn Fein’s Bairbre de Brún made electoral history, she was not exactly greeted magnanimously by her fellow co-elected European candidates on her emphatic success. Instead her announcement of re-election to the European parliament was greeted in a derisory and cacophonic manner reminiscent of the pre GFA Northern Ireland era. Whilst Ms de Brún made her mandatory victory speech, the TUV supporters proceeded to turn their backs whilst twirling their football rattles and jeered. This was further aggravated by the DUP’s Diane Dodds refusal to offer Ms. De Brun a congratulatory handshake! However, the most rapturous applause came for TUV leader, Jim Allister, who even managed to rework that old phrase coined by Gerry Adams as a rallying cry:

"We haven't gone away you know."

Northern Ireland’s new dice with Sectarianism?

While this Sinn Fein electoral victory may seem to superficially reinforce Sinn Fein’s electoral dominance among the Roman Catholic community, it does not hide the fact Northern Ireland may be facing its most turbulent political storm since the GFA. The zealous antics of unionist politicians yesterday in the King’ Hall only bolsters the common perception that ALL Northern Ireland elections serve only as a mere sectarian headcount!

The unprecedented TUV turnout speaks volumes for the waves of bigotry currently sweeping through grass roots disillusioned unionism. To further crank up the pressure on the DUP, Allister buoyed by his achievement, vowed to stand in Ian Paisley's old electoral stronghold in the next general election. The TUV leader jubilantly pronounced that unionists were;

"Fed up with the roll over unionism in the era of Sinn Féin rule"

~Jim Allister~

To further exacerbate Northern Ireland’s political climate, David Cameron has already indicated that he wants to replace the current forced coalition of Sinn Fein and DUP with a,

'voluntary coalition' 

(politics of exclusion) - in other words, unionist majority rule. If this was to be the case then we would most definitely be facing a Sunningdale Mark II scenario.

Much work needs to be done by both sides to prevent the front pages of Northern Ireland, UK and World newspaper from being adorned by sectarian imagery this summer!  A recent article by Jim Cusack in the Irish Independent gave a chilling warning of potential hostility this summer. He draws stark comparisons with this callous murder of Kevin McDaid and that of the sectarian murder of Protestant man, Billy King. Mr King was kicked to death by Catholic rioters outside his home in the Fountain area of Derry in 1969. This murder was regarded by many as an incendiary event in the escalation of what we now describe as the ‘The Troubles’.

Northern Ireland’s re-branding of collusion, for the 21st Century?

The rearing of the ugly head of sectarianism in Northern Ireland society has recently manifested itself in the loyalist mob murder of Kevin McDaid in Coleraine. Tensions still run high in the area despite strong intervention by both communities to quell the atmosphere. Ever since the gruesome attack, there have been strenuous claims by Mr McDaids family that the PSNI could have averted it. Since the mindless atrocity there has been persistent speculation of PSNI collusion in the Co. Derry attack. This resurfaced recently regarding alleged loyalist contact via text message between a PSNI officer and loyalists in Coleraine prior to the attack. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is now proceeding to investigate the allegations.

One thing we can be almost certain of in Northern Ireland society and that is of history repeating itself. The above allegations bear a startling similarity to the tragic events surrounding the murder of Robert Hamill. Mr Hamill was another Catholic victim of Loyalist mob attack in Portadown in 1997. Again strenuous allegations were made by eye-witnesses regarding alleged police ‘voyeurism’ as the attack unfolded. No-one was ever convicted of Hamill’s murder and his family’s lawyer – Rosemary Nelson - was subsequently murdered in a car bombing attack in 1999.

Northern Ireland Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan, former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Peter Cory, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch found evidence that MI5, British military intelligence and Northern Irish police colluded with Unionist terrorists in the Hamill and Nelson murders.

Where now for the DUP?

The DUP leadership will wake up this morning to a day of confusion, fear and recrimination. The onus is very much on First Minister Peter Robinson to command his party through these uncertain waters. The DUP can look to a variety of reasons for its emphatic and historic fall from grace in Northern Ireland’s European Election 2009.

As a direct result of these European Election results the DUP may now seek to delay the devolution of policing and justice powers from Westminster to the Assembly.

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Rebels Yell For 'Freedom of Speech' [Part 1]

We currently live in a society which is perceived to be awash with claims and praise for operating within a ‘Free’ media spectra, which is deemed as a prerequisite for political Freedom. However, as reported in today’s article of the Sunday Tribune newspaper, their Northern Ireland editor Suzanne Breen, is coming under increasing pressure over this very issue! The above mentioned article explains why Ms. Breen won’t be succumbing to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) pressure to release documents, pertaining to her contact with members of the Real IRA. This follow’s last Monday’s demand by the PSNI for Suzanne Breen, to hand over vital journalistic documents pertaining to these interviews and have threatened legal action under the powers of the Anti Terrorism Act. On the incident involving the PSNI visit to her home Ms. Breen declared:

‘Detectives wanted my computer, disks, notes, phone, and any material relating to stories I’d written about the Real IRA … I was given three days to comply. If I didn’t, they’d seek a court order under the Terrorism Act. I won’t be complying’

~Suzanne Breen~

Ms Breen is well within her rights as a journalist to protect her sources as stipulated in (Point 7) of the National Union of Journalists' Code of Conduct . Also, according to these Codes Of Conduct, she has sole privilege to her unpublished notes and research. Ms Breen’s position has been fully endorsed by her union, editor and the newspaper
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Freedom of Speech: Under the Spotlight

If our fledgling PSNI, were to pursue their threat of court action to in-force handover of Ms Breen’s documentation, this will not have been the first occurrence of a British police force attempting such action in the name of public safety!

One of the legal matters I am eluding to, is that of the court ruling in favour of Shiv Malik, controversial British journalist, on June 19th 2008. In brief, the Greater Manchester Police sought a court injunction for Malik , to hand over party of his interview notes for his forthcoming book on self-confessed former Islamic extremist, Hassan Butt. At the time of the ruling Mr Malik described the ruling as a ‘victory for common sense’.

Presiding over this case, Lord Justice John Dyson said:

"A balance has to be struck between the protection of confidential material of journalists and the interest of us all in facilitating effective terrorist investigations. It is for the court to strike that balance. It is for the police to satisfy the court that the balance should be struck in favour of making (the necessary) order."

This is currently a hotly debated subject as revealed by a recent poll in the Irish Times which narrowly (57% -vs-43%) favoured in support of maintaining journalistic integrity of their sources.

Suppression of ‘Freedom of Speech’; A World Perspective

Throughout the world there are numerous examples where journalists and reporters have been targeted in their line of duty. It has been recently estimated that an average of two journalists have been murdered every week during the last ten years.

These have included:

• Several BBC reporters have been seriously injured or killed in their line of duty, including, Kate Peyton , who was shot and killed in Mogadishu. Also, their conflict specialist reporter, Alan Johnson , whilst reporting in Gaza, was abducted for 114 days and then released, having conducted three years of independent reporting from that conflict zone.

• The United States, which is classed as having the world’s freest press, has had it’s reputation dented by several well-publicized court cases. U.S. reporters have been sent to jail for refusing to reveal the names of confidential sources. One such example is that of former New York Times reporter Judith Miller spending 85 days in jail for refusing to name sources

• The groundbreaking Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya , was shot and killed in the stairway of her Moscow apartment.

Her name, and others, have joined a growing international list of journalists murdered, injured, intimidated and prevented from doing their work in recent years.

‘Freedom of Speech’: Northern Ireland Context

In ALL former conflict zones, from war-torn Yugoslavia to areas of Central and South America, and Africa, it’s understood that independent journalistic institutions are an integral part of building, or rebuilding stable political structures and hence the broader civil society. Through much of The Troubles, Northern Ireland society was perched upon a trembling proverbial tight rope.

As a result, Northern Ireland, is considered the most politicised region in the world, with a deep sectarian and highly fractious history embedded in our culture. This embattled history as led to our peoples being much more politically aware within this British jurisdiction since the cease fire, hence the success and popularity of such websites as Slugger O’Toole.

Suzanne Breen has rose to prominence in Ireland through straight forward and factual investigative journalism on the recent upsurge in dissident Republican activity on this island. She can no way be accused of being an opportunistic, delusional sensationalist, on her reporting of rumblings of discontent within grass root Republicanism and it’s perceived implications on the ‘Peace Process’!  The Sunday Tribune northern editor reaffirmed she would take her sources

“to the grave”

after barrister Tony McGlennan — acting on behalf of the Chief Constable — successfully applied to give evidence in a closed court session.

However, this case is by no mean’s the first to be in the spotlight with regards to Northern Ireland. Ed Maloney, Liam Clarke and Kathryn Johnson have felt the wrath of the State for posing difficult questions on prevalent issues. All three brought cases for police encroachment and were duly vindicated.

One set of people who need no convincing about the positive potential of free and serious journalism are those who are against the building of open and peaceful societies. To them, free media represents a dangerous threat - precisely because of its potential to increase understanding and to stimulate new and fruitful debate!
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Never doubt the significant impact that accurate, impartial, independent journalism can make upon shaping the true perceptions that the outside world have of a country's political regime!

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Rebels Yell Tribute To Bobby Sands: Bobby, We Salute You!

On this day, the 7th May, 1981:

[Bobby Sands (Roibeard Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh) 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981]

Was laid in his final resting place……….

As I woke up this morning I felt a strange sense of apprehension! Upon making my obligatory cup of coffee and switched on my battle scared laptop, I sat patiently waiting for it to stutter into life open my portal to cyber world! As the home page for the rebels yell flashed into focus, I became hypnotically fixated upon one solitary image on my home page:

000 DAYS 00 HRS 00 MINS 00 SECS UNTIL BOBBY SANDS 28TH ANNIV.

But Why Now, I Asked Myself? I added this widget several weeks ago ( March 1st, 66 days in fact!) as a gentle reminder to myself and my readers of this immortal date and it’s significance for the cause.

As I starred blankly into the screen I unconsciously began quietly humming (as if driven by a primal gut instinct) the opening verse of the H- Block song!

‘I am a proud young Irishman

From Ulster's hill my life began

A happy boy through green fields ran

And I kept God's and man's laws

But when my age was barely ten

My country's wrongs were told again

By tens of thousands marching men

And my heart stared to their cause.’

~The H-Block Song~

Memories of those care free days growing up in this era came flooding back. As every juvenile Ógra Republican of that generation will tell you, learning and reciting Irish Republican Folk songs celebrating Ireland’s fallen heroes (& heroines), was intrically entwined into growing up! Growing up, these songs re-enforced a serine sense of pride, passion and support for our countrymen’s fight for cultural identity and ultimate Freedom.

I began to recollect snippets of that period of my childhood, when Bobby Sands both captivated and galvanised the mood of his people’s struggle. I remembered wakening up every morning for school, having breakfast around the kitchen table, with one ear finely tuned into the news bulletins from the wireless in the corner, waiting for any scrap of related news!

Why did Maggie

(NO!, NO!, NO!,)

Thatcher and the British government feel not one ounce of compassion to these brave men of Ireland? How were Bobby Sand’s and the other hunger strikers bearing up? And as the Hunger Strike intensified, How many men would have to give up their lives? Oh, cruel Britain when will they ever listen!

So I'll wear no convict's uniform

Nor meekly serve my time

That Britain might brand Ireland's fight

800 Years of crime

~The H-Block Song~

.
Bobby Sands and his comrades used pen names,Marcella ,and a host of ingenious techniques to communicate their thoughts with the outside world. But this bureaucratic British Censorship of the Freedom of Speech was also imposed on the outside as well in various guises (e.g. Article 31). Are we again to bear witness to various guises of this infringement on basic human rights to rear it’s vile head today, I wonder?

Instead I have decided to focus from a personal point of view and draw upon my own atypical experiences and emotions from that time. Every Irish nationalist will definitely agree with me about the indelible imprint this left upon us all, as a generation. None of us can possibly fathom the personal inner conviction and self determination required to drive a man/woman to that ultimate sacrifice!

During that period of time from, 5th May to the 20th August 1981, nine more brave Irish men were to commit their lives to the Patriot Game. However, we can gain an invaluable insight into the inner most thoughts of a man, who gallantly lead his comrades into their final realm of this epic battle of wills! His diaries, which he compiled during the first 17 days of his fast for justice, express exactly this! The very first inserts recites as:

‘I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world. May God have mercy on my soul.’

~Bobby Sands~

The Hunger Strike

The role of the Hunger Strike has been both devisive and pivotal, through out Ireland’s, (as one nation!), quest for Freedom, Equality & Fraternity.
Between 1913-1920, over 1000 prisoners went on hunger strike alone. This was followed by consecutive IRA Hunger Strikes in 1920, 1923 and 1940. During the 1970’s Irish prisoner’s died on hunger Strike whilst being incarcerated in British prisons in England. This was followed by both the 1985-86 & 1995 INLA Hunger Strike’s.

The 1981 Hunger Strike itself was proceeded by the 1980 Hunger Strike and followed five years of the Blanket and No Wash protests in The Maze and Armagh prisons. They were seen as the final and unequivocal acts of defiance towards British stubbornness regarding the granting of Irish Political Prisoner’s status. Rather than delve to far into the complexities of this strategy, (because to try and afford them their the proper due consideration would only serve them an injustice), suffice to say that it effectively hinged on five simple but humanistic demands!!!!!:

The five demands were:
(1) No prison uniform;
(2) No prison work;
(3) Free association;
(4) Full remission;
(5) Visits, parcels, and recreational/educational facilities.

Bobby Sands: A Personal Reflection

If there is one person from history who embellishes the exponents of that famous biblical phrase;
‘all things to all men’,
~1 Corinthians 9:22 (King James Version)~

one person immediately springs to mind, Bobby Sands!

His eternal youth , will be enshrined in Irish Republican folklore. His conviction as a secular martyr to our Fight for Freedom, has elevated to similar status of such iconic figures as, Parnell, Pearse, Connolly, Wolfe Tone et al……. a freedom-fighting Irish Republican revolutionary and a martyr for OUR cause! To you and I, the local work classing lad, thrust into the world spotlight, to take a stance against an Imperialist regime. To the British Government of that day and Democratic and Ulster Unionists nothing but a mere common criminal and terrorist. To loyalists, a talismanic figure to be hated and scorned upon.

But most of all to me and my fellow constituents of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, he was OUR Member of Parliament , OUR martyr for the cause and above all OUR first voice against 800 years of Imperialist oppression

They say that Helen of Troy launched a thousand ships but to me on this day 7th May 1981. in Mill Town cemetery, Bobby Sands raised a Cead Mille Spearoid!

I will leave you to quietly contemplate and reflect upon on what Bobby Sand’s means to YOU with this final insert from his diaries:

[Ní bhrisfidh siad mé mar tá an fonn saoirse, agus saoirse mhuintir na hÉireann i mo chroí. Tiocfaidh lá eigin nuair a bheidh an fonn saoirse seo le taispeáint ag daoine go léir na hÉireann ansin tchífidh muid éirí ná gealaí.]

[They won’t break me because the desire for freedom, and the freedom of the Irish people, is in my heart. The day will dawn when all the people of Ireland will have the desire for freedom to show. It is then that we will see the rising of the moon.]

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Will we ever be: 'A Nation Once Again ?'

[- "A nation?" says Bloom. "A Nation is the same people living in the same place."
- "By God, then," says Ned, laughing, "if that’s so I’m a Nation for I’m living in the same place for the past five years."
So of course everyone had the laugh at Bloom and says he, trying to muck out of it:
"Or also living in different places."]

~James Joyce, Ulysses~

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, again cranked up the pressure on Dissident Republican Groups in Derry and Northern Ireland. In a stinging attack and rebuke of their activities, he accused them of effectively ’Ghettoising’ areas of Derry City.

"They have effectively tried to turn parts of Derry into a slum."
~Martin McGuinness~

Republicanism’s chief negotiator during the peace process was recently informed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) of alleged potential threats on his life by Real IRA. However, given the level of criticism being brandished at the Deputy First Minister (N.I.) from within grass roots Republicanism, he is facing up quite bullishly to these criticisms, as expressed in a recent interview with the ‘Derry Journal'. He also remains adamant that Sinn Fein’s road map towards a United Ireland is still on track! He dismissed the recent upsurge in Dissident activity as,

“self-serving”

and described them as

“imposters”

,
who’s main goal was to hijack the ideals of Republicanism. He dismissed their claims of being the true exponents of Irish Republican Ideology as mere:

“flags of convenience for criminality and drug dealing.”

Mr McGuinness is due to attend a public meeting in Derry this Thursday, as principle speaker, and it is hoped that recent rumblings of discontent will not over shadow the planned topics up for discussion!

"Life springs from death; and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! — they have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace!"

~ Padraig Pearse~

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Our Brave New World.......

Has Sinn Fein now become a victim of their own countless spin? On hindsight we need look no further than the Blair years and the Good Friday agreement and how they brought us to that point in the first place, lest we forget! To reach that momentous point in our embattled history the SF leadership on numerous occasions re-iterated upon the republican movement 'of not a bullet not an ounce' attitude would be the driving force on negotiating any agreement with the British government.

However, since then the republican movement (the very foundation upon which SF are built) has had to endure anything but! They have been forced to sit back and witness the steady dilution and possible erosion of their core fundamental ideas for which many of them devoted their lives and energies to strive for. The major repercussion is that serious issues and commitments being swept under the carpet by media manipulation and good old fashioned hood winking. Does this strategy of

‘eyes wide shut!’

seem familiar? And hence, this apparent refusal to accept and deal with disgruntlement among the grass roots has all culminated in the inner vacuum, which has unfortunately manifested itself in the happenings over the last few days.

How can Martin McGuinness expect genuine republicans (not the band wagon ones who SF seem so keen to need to keep their votal dominance), to believe a man who in the one hand exacerbates about the hurt the soldiers caused on our streets yet on the other hand can find nothing to say about the fact that his Stormont government is HARBOURING & TRAINING foreign forces here, until they await deployment in Iraq & Afghanistan. This defies all logic and flies in the face of true republican beliefs. In an essence, we are aiding and abetting in the British imperialist attempts to occupy foreign lands. I personally find it despicable that all of our illustrious leaders and self-professed freedom fighters can only sit back and watch unabated at the suffering caused by conflicts in the Middle East! Have they now taken a vow of silence to appease their new bedfellows in Stormont?

Complacency and arrogance that accompanies the notion that

'the job is done boys!'

has befallen the movement as it turns its attention to trying to become a voice in the Republic. But wait a moment; surely their whole '

raison d'etre'

was to deliver 32 counties and emancipate their people! There current strategy, or lack of, seems to be shrouded in mystery to the point that is frankly farcical!

So alas, we find ourselves in our current predicament. Many may feel that my comments are lambasting the leadership of SF as having failed, but this not entirely so. Yes, in some respects without them we probably would not have got to where we are today. But there in lies the conundrum! Where exactly are we today? Are we any closer to a United Ireland, the Holy Grail for republicans? To get to the Good Friday agreement we were bombarded by ‘Road Maps’ and time deadlines. However, since then there has not been a single mention of complete and unequivocal removal of British forces from Ireland. Yet the British government has made their precise withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan a key focal point of their PR machine to their own people.

Over the last few days we have been witnessing a doomsday scenario from all forms of the media. All this is doing is fuelling the flames of resentment and hostility already being felt on the ground. Also, to right of the perpetrators as criminals and cowards is extremely counter productive. This aloof attitude is only acting as a recruitment mechanism and serves only to appease the masses in the short term. Like it or not their core fundamental belief system exists and is there main driving force. Fortunately for now, we are no where near the point of no return but it would be futile, arrogant and extremely fool hardy for anyone to under estimate these mini-eruptions of dis-contentment, especially for the ranks of SF. To prevent a further escalation of unrest and dis-quiet it is time for our leaders to show true leadership as indicative of their forefathers and predecessors. It is time to admit truthfully to their electorate that their original aims and objectives will not be fully achieved, and give a full and frank state of the nation like appraisal to their electorate of where the hopes and dreams of Irish Republicans actually lies.

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