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News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
February 09, 2005
02/09/05 - Opponents of Change Back to Attacking SF
Table of Contents - Overall
Table of Contents – Feb 2005
SF 02/09/05 Opponents Of Change Are Back To Attacking Sinn Féin
BT 02/09/05 Blair Apology Over Bomb Accused
BT 02/09/05 The Party's Over For Sinn Fein (the DUP)
SF 02/09/05 SF National Women's Conference To Be Held In Newry
BT 02/09/05 Viewpoint: IMC Report Set To Blame IRA On Raid
IO 02/09/05 Dáil Begins Debating Motion Condemning IRA And SF
RT 02/09/05 FG & SF In Dáil Row Ahead Of Debate
BT 02/09/05 Spending Soars On Cross-Border Bodies
BT 02/09/05 Woman Denies Role In Loyalist's Murder
BT 02/09/05 Detectives Deny Claim Of 'Invasion' Into Estate
BT 02/09/05 A Firefighter Rests At The World Trade Center Site
BT 02/09/05 Championship Has Dancers On Their Toes
******************************************
http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/8429
Opponents of change are back where they are most comfortable -- attacking Sinn Féin
Published: 9 February, 2005
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP speaking at the launch this morning of the exhibition of Sinn Féin's centenary celebrations said: " Many of those who are attacking us are back where they are most comfortable. It's almost like the days before the peace process when the Irish and British establishments and unionists parties ganged up trying to out do each other in anti-Sinn Féin hysteria, aided at times by compliant sections of the media. All that remains of the peace process at this time is the IRA cessation. There is no political process. No effort at meaningful dialogue. No serious attempt to resolve difficulties.
Rather than press the British government to implement outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement or to deliver on their own commitments, the Irish government is leading the charge in the campaign against Sinn Féin. This is the politics of the cul-de-sac. The politics of spin.
Sinn Féin will weather this storm. There is confusion out there. There is anger. But for the first time in decades Irish republicans are politically organised throughout this island and no amount of misrepresentation or vindictiveness is going to prevent us from continuing with our work.
What is that work? To continue the process of change by defending the peace process, by opposing any return to violence by anyone, including British government agencies, by campaigning for the equality and other elements of the Good Friday Agreement and by upholding the rights of all citizens, including those who vote for our party.
While Sinn Féin is prepared to enter into meaningful dialogue at this time and while I believe these outstanding issues can be resolved, and the work to do this should commence at this time, it is obvious that the Irish government and others are of a different mind.
All of them are already fighting the elections. They are setting out their agenda and creating the most negative context possible. This is nothing new. In the northern elections Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the PD's, and Labour have always campaigned vigorously for our opponents.
We will not abandon the peace process for anyone and our negotiating team will engage, not on the DUP agenda, or the PD agenda but on the tried and tested basis that has brought the changes in recent years. We will not exclude any item in a genuine effort to build the peace but we will not acquiesce to any one item agenda.
I have spoken of how united our opponents are in attacking us. They are united also in their conservatism on many social and economic issues and they have something else in common in regard to the peace process. They have not put forward one constructive suggestion of how to resolve the current difficulties. That is another glaring aspect of the short-sightedness of the current approach.
And it is my view that they know that beating up on us is unhelpful and damaging to any effort to put the process together again. So, if there is to be no meaningful progress at this time, if the only agenda is to be the election - well, we're up for that. Not just here in the north but in the Údaras elections and in the upcoming by-election in Meath."
----
Full Text
2005 marks the 100th birthday of Sinn Féin.
This exhibition will be travelling the length and breadth of Ireland informing, educating, entertaining, encouraging debate and dialogue and analysis about the history of Irish republicanism, its significant role in Irish politics and our relevance for the future.
I want to commend the organising committee and all of those who have helped put this exhibition together and who will organise events throughout this year.
This is an important part of the process of re-popularising the republican struggle; and of learning the lessons of a century of struggle.
The exhibition reveals the political and personal commitment and dedication of generations of republican activists.
It provides some sense of the meaning of Sinn Féin. Not just our name but our politics, our role as a national independence movement, as a republican campaigning organisation and, in 2005, as the only all-Ireland political party and the fastest growing party in the country.
In 1905 the most important principle of Sinn Féin was self-reliance.
And that is still true today.
It was the view of those who laid the foundations for this party that only the Irish people can mould a society to suit our unique heritage, character, economic needs and place in the wider world.
And from the beginning Sinn Féin extended a hand of friendship to unionists, while always asserting that the end of the Union was in the interests of all the Irish people.
In 1905 Sinn Féin was at the centre of the renewal and rebirth of political and cultural expression in Ireland, and from the beginning women were centrally involved in this organisation.
Women like those here this morning. Women like Margaret McKenna from Lavey in South Derry, a former Sinn Féin Councillor, who was preparing to stand again for the party in May and whose funeral takes place this morning.
But too often women have been the workers in the background, the often invisible foundation of this party and this struggle. We have made progress in redressing the balance but much more needs to be done.
In 2005 one of our key aims coming out of our centenary year is to increase the number of women in Sinn Féin and the number of women in positions of leadership.
The exhibition also covers the difficult years -- the lean years -- when being an Irish republican was hard. It is a source of great strength and encouragement that Republicans have survived censorship; imprisonment; death squads; concerted and protracted campaigns of vilification and criminalisation.
But we did more than survive. We moved from a culture of resistance to a culture of change. Through dedication and commitment and the votes cast for us, not the patronage of the establishment, Sinn Féin is today the largest nationalist party in the north, the largest pro-Agreement party in the north and the third largest party on this island.
As I look around me this morning I see many friends and comrades who have helped make that possible.
We also remember those republicans who lived, worked and died for freedom. But in honouring their memory our responsibility must be to advance the cause for which they died.
That means defining and redefining our republicanism for today's world. Our contemporary experience helps shape this, as does the inspiration we draw from Maire Drumm and Bobby Sands, from Eddie Fullerton and Sheena Campbell. And many others, like Sinn Fein Councillor John Davey who was killed by a loyalist death squad in collusion with British forces 16 years ago next Monday.
Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party. Our strategy to achieve a united, independent Ireland marks us out from other Irish political parties.
Republicanism is about the people. It's about self-determination and democracy. And a new relationship between these islands resting upon our mutual independence and mutual respect.
Our republicanism is about change -- fundamental, deep-rooted change. And empowering people to make that change.
Key to achieving this is the hard, tedious, difficult work of building political strength.
And it is our success in doing this which has unleashed the torrent of abuse directed at us, particularly in Dublin.
When I came to pen these lines and to reflect upon the current poisoned political atmosphere it struck me that many of those who are attacking us are back where they are most comfortable.
It's almost like the days before the peace process when the Irish and British establishments and unionists parties ganged up trying to out do each other in anti-Sinn Féin hysteria, aided at times by compliant sections of the media.
All that remains of the peace process at this time is the IRA cessation. There is no political process. No effort at meaningful dialogue. No serious attempt to resolve difficulties.
Rather than press the British government to implement outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement or to deliver on their own commitments, the Irish government is leading the charge in the campaign against Sinn Féin.
I am sure that malign elements in the British system are laughing all the way to the bank at the outbreak of civil war within Irish nationalism.
The Taoiseach in particular has crossed the line on a number of important issues and is in the business of imposing or supporting the imposition of preconditions on the rights of Irish citizens.
This is the politics of the cul-de-sac. The politics of spin.
Sinn Féin will weather this storm. There is confusion out there. There is anger. But for the first time in decades Irish republicans are politically organised throughout this island and no amount of misrepresentation or vindictiveness is going to prevent us from continuing with our work.
What is that work? To continue the process of change by defending the peace process, by opposing any return to violence by anyone, including British government agencies, by campaigning for the equality and other elements of the Good Friday Agreement and by upholding the rights of all citizens, including those who vote for our party.
While Sinn Féin is prepared to enter into meaningful dialogue at this time and while I believe these outstanding issues can be resolved, and the work to do this should commence at this time, it is obvious that the Irish government and others are of a different mind.
All of them are already fighting the elections. They are setting out their agenda and creating the most negative context possible. This is nothing new. In the northern elections Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the PD's, and Labour have always campaigned vigorously for our opponents.
We will not abandon the peace process for anyone and our negotiating team will engage, not on the DUP agenda, or the PD agenda but on the tried and tested basis that has brought the changes in recent years. We will not exclude any item in a genuine effort to build the peace but we will not acquiesce to any one item agenda.
I have spoken of how united our opponents are in attacking us. They are united also in their conservatism on many social and economic issues and they have something else in common in regard to the peace process. They have not put forward one constructive suggestion of how to resolve the current difficulties. That is another glaring aspect of the short-sightedness of the current approach.
And it is my view that they know that beating up on us is unhelpful and damaging to any effort to put the process together again. So, if there is to be no meaningful progress at this time, if the only agenda is to be the election - well, we're up for that. Not just here in the north but in the Údaras elections and in the upcoming by-election in Meath.
So, my friends we have a lot to do.
Ian Paisley's desire to humiliate republicans; his constant use of offensive language, particularly in describing republicans as criminals and gangsters, is now the accepted rhetoric of political debate at this time. The prize of a just and lasting peace demands that all responsible political leaders must rise above the difficulties of the moment.
We in Sinn Féin have a lot of achievements to be proud of.
Our party has an honoured name and a history that others covet.
This centenary year will see more advances by us.
Let us take nothing for granted. Including each other.
Too often republicans take as a matter of fact the sacrifies and contributions of friends and family, comrades and fellow activists.
I commend you all.
Lá breithe shona daoibh.
******************************************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609382
Blair Apology Over Bomb Accused
By Gary Fennelly
g.fennelly@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
09 February 2005
The Prime Minister has publicly apologised to the Conlon and Maguire families who suffered one of the UK's biggest miscarriages of justice.
Tony Blair was commenting on the wrongful jailing of 11 people for IRA bomb attacks on pubs in Guildford and Woolwich in 1974.
In a statement recorded for television Tony Blair said, "The Guildford and Woolwich bombings killed seven people and injured over 100.
"Their loss, the loss suffered by their families, will never go away. But it serves no one for the wrong people to be convicted for such an awful crime.
"It is a matter of great regret when anyone suffers a miscarriage of justice. There was a miscarriage of justice in the case of Gerard Conlon and all the Guildford Four as well as Giuseppe Conlon and Annie Maguire and all of the Maguire Seven.
"And, as with the others, I recognise the trauma that the conviction caused the Conlon and Maguire families and the stigma which wrongly attaches to them to this day.
"I am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and such an injustice.
"That`s why I am making this apology today. They deserve to be completely and publicly exonerated."
The families had hoped the apology would be made during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons earlier.
The move followed a huge campaign in Ireland for a public apology. The Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, and the SDLP leader Mark Durkan lobbied Mr Blair in Downing Street meetings last week.
---
The apology comes more than 30 years after the Horse and Groom pub in Guildford was ripped apart by an IRA bomb, killing four soldiers and a civilian.
Gerry Conlon, Paddy Armstrong, Paul Hill and Carole Richardson were arrested for the 1974 outrage and coerced into making confessions.
It took 15 years before the police evidence was thrown out by the Court of Appeal and the sentences quashed. Mr Blair is also ready to apologise to the Maguire Seven, the family wrongly convicted of aiding the bombing and another in Woolwich.
Their case has been championed by the moderate nationalist SDLP, which is fighting against Sinn Fein in looming elections in Northern Ireland.
The case of the Guildford Four became world famous after it was made into a feature film, In The Name Of The Father.
The movie depicted the relationship between father and son Gerry Conlon and his father Giuseppe, played by Daniel Day Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite.
Giuseppe Conlon, who had a history of bronchial problems, died in prison while serving his sentence in January 1980.
In October 1989 the Court of Appeal quashed the sentences of the Guildford Four after doubts about the police evidence.
In June 1991, the Court of Appeal also overturned the sentences on the Maguires and Giuseppe Conlon.
Daniel Day Lewis and film director Jim Sheridan have joined thousands of people in recent weeks who have signed a petition on behalf of the Conlon family.
******************************************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609246
The Party's Over For Sinn Fein
Bush bans republicans and unionists from St Patrick's Day celebrations
By Gene McKenna
09 February 2005
There will be no St Patrick's Day celebrations at the White House for Sinn Fein - or any of the North's other parties.
President Bush has decided to bar the republicans because they have been linked to the Northern Bank robbery and other IRA crime.
But he has listened to appeals that Sinn Fein should not be singled out for exclusion and the ban will now also apply to all the North's political parties, including the SDLP, the DUP and the Ulster Unionists.
It will be the first time in more than a decade that Sinn Fein and the main unionist parties have not taken part in the March 17 showcase events.
The harder stance of the White House was signalled in the Dail yesterday by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He said the decision had already been taken by the US Government. He did not spell out precisely what that decision involves but it emerged last night that there will be a much-curtailed series of events involving only representatives of the Irish Government.
Mr Bush's decision is intended to send out a clear signal that the White House will have no truck with any party which has links to paramilitary organisations.
Things are likely to get worse for Gerry Adams and his party tomorrow when a new report on paramilitary activity in the North is released. It is expected to be even more damning of increased IRA activity than anything said by the Irish or British governments so far.
The Taoiseach yesterday set the scene for a tough report by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) centring on the £26.5m Northern Bank robbery when he told the Dail: "It goes further than anything I have said on previous occasions."
And in a clear reference to last week's hardline IRA statement, Mr Ahern said last night that "threats, however implicit or subtle" had no place in a process of conflict resolution.
"They will certainly not intimidate the Government from doing its duty nor improperly influence it in its stewardship or the peace process," he told the Dail.
The IMC report was discussed by the Cabinet yesterday and will be published simultaneously by the British and Irish Governments tomorrow at noon.
It is likely to trigger punitive action by the British government which may impose financial penalties on Sinn Fein, probably in the form of deductions from their Northern Assembly or House of Commons salaries and expenses.
But the Taoiseach again expressed his "scepticism" about the wisdom of imposing sanctions last night and said "exclusion is a hopeless exercise".
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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/8422
Sinn Féin's National Women's Conference To Be Held In Newry
Published: 9 February, 2005
Sinn Féin is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and special attention is being paid to the contribution women have made to the struggle in the last century. 'Unfinished Revolution - from Beijing to Newry', is the title of the National Women's Conference, which is scheduled to take place on the 12th of February in the Canal Court Hotel in Newry. Saturday's event in Newry marks the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Fourth World Annual Conference and will be opened by Sinn Féin's Party President Gerry Adams MP who will launch a varied programme of events.
The impressive list of guest speakers includes Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini International head of the African National Congress, Dr Joanna McMinn (National Women's Conference of Ireland), Noirin Clancy (Women's Human Rights Project), Fianna Fail Senator Mary O'Rourke, Rosaleen McDonnagh (Travellers Rights Association) and Felenkas Uca MEP a Kurdish woman living in Germany and one of the youngest people to be elected to serve in the European Parliament.
Caitriona Ruane MLA, Sinn Fein's spokesperson on Human Rights, Equality and Women spoke of the significance of the event. "Too often our female comrades are forgotten, written out of history or ignored. Sinn Fein is determined to bring these women to the fore of people's minds over the next 12 months, starting with the specially convened national women's conference in Newry.
"We're going to be celebrating women's roles in the struggle and looking at the contribution they continue to make every day. This event is an opportunity for women from all over Ireland to get together and discuss the different aspects of women's involvement in politics, from their pathway into government, to their participation in the disability sector and the are a of human rights. We'll also talk about the hardships still faced by lone parents, or the difficulties faced by women trying to break through the 'glass ceiling' in their various careers."
Sinn Féin Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald said: "Ten years ago the Beijing Declaration set out a number of objectives to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere. It made a commitment to address the constraints and obstacles that prevent the advancement and empowerment of women all over the world. And whilst some progress has been made many of the pledges made by Governments at the conference, including the British and Irish administrations who at the time committed themselves to ensuring greater gender equality, remain unfulfilled. "One of the more visible areas of inequality is the political arena. Women are still not fully represented in either national politics or in local government.
The election last June of Barbrie de Brún and myself to the European Parliament was a significant achievement but clearly there is much more work to be done. We are committed to continuing to work in this area until we achieve full gender parity. Sinn Féin believes that we cannot have a just and free society without equality for women. Our manifesto is simple. It demands equality for women in every area of their lives and it states the most obvious means to achieve it. Building an Ireland of Equals is one of Sinn Féin's core objectives, and as part of that we will continue to campaign for absolute equality for women." ENDS
Note to Editors Contact Catríona Ruane on 00353 86 8311311 or Colum Delaney, for Mary Lou McDonald, 07712 044282 to arrange interviews. Contact Colum Delaney for interviews at the event.
Unfinished Revolution - from Beijing to Newry
12th of February in the Canal Court Hotel in Newry 10.00 - 10.45 AM Conference Registration 11.00 AM Conference Opening Gerry Adams MP
11.10 AM Opening Plenary - The Beijing Platform Ten Years On Miller Suite Dr Joanna McMinn (National Women's Council of Ireland) Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini (African National Congress) Noirin Clancy (Women's Human Rights Project) Caitriona Ruane MLA 12.30 PM Lunch 14.00 PM
Workshops:
A. Women's Pathways into Politics Clanrye Suite Michelle Gildernew MP Senator Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail) Felenkas Uca MEP Rosaleen McDonagh (Travellers Rights Activist) Roseanna Flynn (Residents against Racism) Claire Hackett (Falls Community Council)
B. Rights Based Citizenship Savoy Suite Bairbre de Brun MEP Maggie Beirne (Committee on The Administration of Justice) Mary Keogh (Forum of People with Disabilities) Mamo McDonald (Campaigner for Older Women's Rights) Frances Byrne (OPEN) Paddy Kelly (Children's Law Centre)
C. Republican Women working for Irish unity Miller Suite Mary Nellis Dr Margaret Ward (Author and Historian) Geraldine Gildernew Martina Anderson Olive Sloane Cllr. Toireas Ni Fhearaiosa
15.30 PM Closing Address Mary Lou McDonald MEP
******************************************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=609364
Viewpoint: IMC Report Set To Blame IRA On Raid
Heist fall-out: Peace process crisis is likely to deepen after report
09 February 2005
Bertie Ahern gave a flavour of the Independent Monitoring Commission's report, to be published tomorrow, when he said that it goes even further than he has in attributing the Northern Bank robbery to the IRA.
Whether its conclusions are drawn from Garda, Army or PSNI sources, they apparently leave no doubt that as Sinn Fein was bargaining over devolution, the IRA was meticulously planning the biggest raid in British banking history.
The heist was not carried out until negotiations had broken down, but the Sinn Fein leadership must have known that it would end their lengthy engagement with unionists in political talks.
It showed the IRA's contempt for the law, and for normal constitutional politics, demonstrating how untrustworthy republicans would be as partners in any arrangement.
Sinn Fein can protest that they have an electoral mandate, which excuses them from addressing republican involvement in paramilitarism or criminality. That is another matter, they say, as they warn governments not to exact sanctions - as the IMC may advise - against them.
Yet the whole world knows, and has frequently been told by prime ministers and taoiseachs, that Sinn Fein and the IRA are inextricably linked. Worse, the constitution of the republican movement makes clear that the IRA is the senior partner, as the "true" government of the Irish state, and that Sinn Fein is its political wing.
So when the IRA involves itself in paramilitary or criminal activity, like the Northern Bank raid or the current wave of punishment shootings, Sinn Fein has to answer awkward questions, or stand accused of duplicity. It was notable that the republican leadership declined to co-operate with a UTV programme analysing the heist, which again pointed the finger at senior members of the IRA.
Slowly but surely - and with more input from the Irish than the British government - it is becoming obvious that Sinn Fein can no longer be regarded as a democratic party on a par with others. It has the votes, but its umbilical attachment to an unelected, unaccountable armed organisation increasingly rules it out of the democratic dialogue.
That is the crucial issue that the party leaders can no longer sidestep, as they are called to answer for the threats in the public statements of the IRA. Do they expect to be treated like other politicians, when their spokesmen claim that murder isn't murder, or even a crime, if it is authorised by the IRA?
Michael McDowell, the Republic's Justice Minister, is just the most outspoken of the republicans' critics, but there is a growing realisation that Sinn Fein's rise, through well-funded manipulation, is a fundamental threat to democracy. The bank raid may yet prove to be its undoing.
******************************************
http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=162659966&p=y6z66x8z9&n=162660909
Dáil Begins Debating Motion Condemning IRA And SF
09/02/2005 - 07:52:15
The Dáil has begun debating a private members' motion from Fine Gael condemning Sinn Féin and the IRA over their approach to the peace process.
The motion calls for complete IRA decommissioning and an end to all paramilitary and criminal activity by the republican movement.
Speaking as the debate began last night, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said it was time for all others to stand up to Sinn Féin and stop turning a blind eye to IRA activity.
"I will not endorse an arrangement in which Sinn Féin are sent to the sin bin for a few months and then return to business as usual," he said.
The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern meanwhile, said ongoing activity by republicans was blocking progress in the North.
"All out efforts will be futile unless we are first clearly told that the IRA is prepared to bring closure to the activity and the capability that has frustrated our efforts so far," he said.
Mr Kenny also attacked Mr Ahern over the Government's willingness to release the IRA killers of Garda Jerry McCabe as part of a comprehensive final settlement in the North.
However, the Taoiseach defended his actions, saying the release was a risk worth taking in return for complete IRA decommissioning and an end to all paramilitary and criminal activity.
******************************************
http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0209/northpolitics.html
FG & SF In Dáil Row Ahead Of Debate
09 February 2005 12:39
Fine Gael and Sinn Féin clashed in the Dáil today, in advance of the conclusion tonight of a debate on Northern Ireland.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny suggested that now that Sinn Féin was no longer interpreting IRA statements, perhaps it could remove ads from its website for t-shirts saying the IRA was an undefeated army.
After interjections from Sinn Féin's Caoimghín Ó Caoláin, Deputy Kenny said they would get their five minutes in this evening's debate, as their mandate entitled them to. Mr Kenny added: 'For once, stand up and tell the truth.'
The Dáil is expected to give overwhelming approval this evening to a motion calling on the republican movement to end all criminal and paramilitary activity.
The Government parties and Fine Gael reached agreement on the motion last night after the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, confirmed that the early release of the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was no longer on the table.
Fine Gael's private members time this week is devoted to the debate on the state of the peace process, in the wake of the Northern Bank robbery and the IRA's two statements last week.
Referring to the statements, the Taoiseach said that threats, however implicit or subtle, have no place in a process of conflict resolution and would not intimidate the Government from doing its duty.
Only the five Sinn Féin TDs and a number of Independents are expected to oppose the motion.
******************************************
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609302
Spending Soars On Cross-Border Bodies
By Noel McAdam
09 February 2005
The cost of cross-border bodies is soaring - despite suspension of the Assembly, it can be revealed today.
The Government disclosed it spent £22m on North-South work in the first 18 months after suspension - a total which does not include the Irish share of the bill.
And the budget for some of the bodies set up under the Good Friday Agreement - trade and business and the special European programmes - almost doubled over two financial years.
The Office of First Minister today said the increased expenditure was due to work agreed by the North-South Ministerial Council before suspension.
The DUP, which obtained the figures, said the costs showed it was vital to make North-South machinery more accountable.
The overall total for the two years 2002-03, including the six months prior to suspension, and 2003-4 is almost £32m - giving the £22m total for the post-suspension period.
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said that at the time of the Agreement Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said the cross-border institutions would not be free-standing and after suspension they were being kept on a "care and maintenance" basis.
"This £22m price tag would seem to indicate activity in the North/South institutions that far and away exceeds basic care and maintenance functions," said Mr Donaldson.
"Why is Lady Hermon not now highlighting these excessive and totally unjustifiable costs of North Southery?
"Does the UUP actually support what these North/South institutions are doing on a free-standing basis whenever there is no way to make them accountable to the people of Northern Ireland?"
North Down MP Lady Hermon said, however, she would certainly like Secretary of State Paul Murphy to justify the costs.
"Most of us would be hard pushed to know exactly who sits on these bodies, and what precisely they have been doing in the past two years since the suspension of the Assembly," she said.
Mr Trimble declined to comment but a party spokesman said the Governments' Comprehensive Agreement package had revealed the DUP had agreed to more North-South bodies.
An Office of the First Minister spokesman said: "The figures represent only the expenditure of the British Government. The trend of increased expenditure is due to the fact that the organisations are taking forward work that was approved by the NSMC prior to suspension."
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609327
Woman Denies Role In Loyalist's Murder
09 February 2005
A 35-year-old Co Down woman will know today if is she still faces charges arising out of the murder of loyalist Red Hand Commando drug supremo Jim 'Jonty' Johnston in May 2003.
At the close of the prosecution case yesterday defence QC Anthony Cinamond claimed there was insufficient evidence to convict Susan Ferguson of possessing a loaded pistol magazine found outside Johnston's Crawfordsburn home following his ambush by two gunmen.
Ferguson, of Westlink in Holywood, is on trial at Belfast Crown Court with 41-year-old Robert John Benson Young, from Ulsterville Park in Portadown, who denies being one of the gunmen, and his 39-year-old sister Lorraine, of Church Hill, Holywood, who is accused of providing him with a false alibi for the May 8 shooting.
Although Ferguson's DNA was recovered from the 9mm Tauras pistol magazine, her lawyer argued the scientific evidence could not positively establish how it was deposited on the clip, or if she had knowingly handled it.
However, prosecution QC John Creaney said it was always the Crown case that the magazine was loaded and that it was Ferguson's DNA recovered from both it and three of the bullets, and that she had always denied having any contact at all with any of the items.
Trial judge Mr Justice Higgins said he would rule on the defence application today.
However, even if cleared of charges of possessing the magazine with intent and under suspicious circumstances, Ferguson will still face charges of possessing a second magazine.
In his application, Mr Cinamond argued that a jury properly directed, could not properly convict because they could not be sure beyond a reasonable doubt she had possession of the magazine, nor could they convict her of possessing the bullets as there was no reference to them in the charges.
The lawyer claimed that the prosecution's own expert was only able to say "that the DNA found on these items was a very small quantity which could have been deposited either by direct touching, or by talking over the item or by coughing within a reasonable range of the item".
For the prosecution Mr Creaney said that while Ferguson denied having any contact at all with the items, no evidence or case was laid before the court suggesting that she may have had either "an innocent or causal contact with these items".
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_weekly/story.jsp?story=609275
Detectives Deny Claim Of 'Invasion' Into Estate
By Brendan McDaid
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
09 February 2005
Detectives in Londonderry have refuted claims they sent a fleet of vehicles into a nationalist estate to remove a child's quad bike.
The PSNI hit back at the claims by Sinn Fein Councillor Lynn Fleming that they carried out a "mini-invasion" of Gobnascale in the Waterside on Thursday night, stating that they had been responding to several calls.
The PSNI have now said that they will not abandon vulnerable estates and called on all political representatives to throw their weight behind policing.
Ms Fleming said: "What we seen in Gobnascale was community punishment by the PSNI as they swarmed the area, creating tensions and goading the youth of the area."
A Foyle PSNI spokesman responded however: "A man was arrested in Gobnascale on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods.
"A suspected stolen quad was recovered.
"The PSNI will respond to community concerns and will not abandon the estates to the minority who engage in anti-social behaviour.
"If all political parties and community representatives supported policing and condemned attacks on officers the need to patrol in larger numbers would diminish."
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609311
A Firefighter Rests At The World Trade Center Site
Portrait by Belfast artist is widely acclaimed
By Michael McHugh
09 February 2005
A Belfast man's portrait of a New York firefighter who dealt with the bloody aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks may be auctioned in America to raise money for relatives of those who died.
Gerry Gleason's depiction of Bronx emergency worker Mike Puzziferri has received international acclaim and may be sold to help support bereaved relatives.
Two disabled friends of Mr Gleason, Neil McMurtry and Andrew Flavelle, brought the picture to the city last month.
The artist was in New York just after September 11 for an art exhibition and the scenes of suffering inspired him to create the work which has touched hearts across the Atlantic.
"(There were) memories of the same events which I witnessed in Belfast, the same immeasurable grief and the same carnage.
"The Fire Brigade in Belfast went about their work with the same courage as their New York counterparts," he said.
"To see people prepared to give their life to save others gives me hope for humanity."
More than 300 firefighters were killed when they responded to the attack on the World Trade Center.
Almost all died when the building collapsed with them still in it.
Mr Gleason added that the scenes of sacrifice and of families and children grieving had made a profound impact on him.
His drawing has been presented to Mr Puzziferri who is considering what to do with it.
"They have linked up with a group who work with the families of bereaved who auction material for funding the relatives of 9/11," Mr Gleason's wife Vivien said.
Mr Gleason is the latest of many individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland to help alleviate the suffering of those affected on September 11, 2001.
The Omagh Centre for Trauma Transformation has worked with the victims to help them come to terms with the enormity of the event and governments and citizens from around the world expressed solidarity with America in the wake of the al-Qaida attacks.
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609316
Championship Has Dancers On Their Toes
By Marie Foy
09 February 2005
High kicks, pumps, jigs and reels set the scene today at the all-Ireland Irish dancing championships in Belfast.
Around 3,000 dancers are due to attend the six-day feis at the Waterfront Hall, which runs until Saturday.
Belfast is hosting the championships - the biggest Irish dancing competition outside the World Championships - for the first time.
The city previously held the World Championships in 2002 and last year, and will be called on to do the honours again next year.
During the all-Ireland, dancers will be competing in categories including step, ceili and figure dancing.
More than half the entrants this year hail from beyond Ireland - some from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
As well as being hugely popular, the event also represents a welcome bonanza for Belfast's economy with many hotels and guesthouses booked up.
Lord Mayor of Belfast Tom Eakin said: "By successfully bringing the competition to Belfast, the city is once again proving that it is more than capable of staging high-quality, world-class events."
Vice president of the Irish Dancing Commision's Canadian branch Paula Woodgate said the world-wide success of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance had placed Irish dance on the international stage.
"Irish dance is now seen as an art form as opposed to simply a cultural tradition, and appreciation of the stage shows has taken the dance to a new horizon.
For event and ticket information, call 00353 1 475 2220 or visit http://www.clrg.ie
Table of Contents - Overall
Table of Contents – Feb 2005
Table of Contents – Feb 2005
SF 02/09/05 Opponents Of Change Are Back To Attacking Sinn Féin
BT 02/09/05 Blair Apology Over Bomb Accused
BT 02/09/05 The Party's Over For Sinn Fein (the DUP)
SF 02/09/05 SF National Women's Conference To Be Held In Newry
BT 02/09/05 Viewpoint: IMC Report Set To Blame IRA On Raid
IO 02/09/05 Dáil Begins Debating Motion Condemning IRA And SF
RT 02/09/05 FG & SF In Dáil Row Ahead Of Debate
BT 02/09/05 Spending Soars On Cross-Border Bodies
BT 02/09/05 Woman Denies Role In Loyalist's Murder
BT 02/09/05 Detectives Deny Claim Of 'Invasion' Into Estate
BT 02/09/05 A Firefighter Rests At The World Trade Center Site
BT 02/09/05 Championship Has Dancers On Their Toes
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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/8429
Opponents of change are back where they are most comfortable -- attacking Sinn Féin
Published: 9 February, 2005
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP speaking at the launch this morning of the exhibition of Sinn Féin's centenary celebrations said: " Many of those who are attacking us are back where they are most comfortable. It's almost like the days before the peace process when the Irish and British establishments and unionists parties ganged up trying to out do each other in anti-Sinn Féin hysteria, aided at times by compliant sections of the media. All that remains of the peace process at this time is the IRA cessation. There is no political process. No effort at meaningful dialogue. No serious attempt to resolve difficulties.
Rather than press the British government to implement outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement or to deliver on their own commitments, the Irish government is leading the charge in the campaign against Sinn Féin. This is the politics of the cul-de-sac. The politics of spin.
Sinn Féin will weather this storm. There is confusion out there. There is anger. But for the first time in decades Irish republicans are politically organised throughout this island and no amount of misrepresentation or vindictiveness is going to prevent us from continuing with our work.
What is that work? To continue the process of change by defending the peace process, by opposing any return to violence by anyone, including British government agencies, by campaigning for the equality and other elements of the Good Friday Agreement and by upholding the rights of all citizens, including those who vote for our party.
While Sinn Féin is prepared to enter into meaningful dialogue at this time and while I believe these outstanding issues can be resolved, and the work to do this should commence at this time, it is obvious that the Irish government and others are of a different mind.
All of them are already fighting the elections. They are setting out their agenda and creating the most negative context possible. This is nothing new. In the northern elections Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the PD's, and Labour have always campaigned vigorously for our opponents.
We will not abandon the peace process for anyone and our negotiating team will engage, not on the DUP agenda, or the PD agenda but on the tried and tested basis that has brought the changes in recent years. We will not exclude any item in a genuine effort to build the peace but we will not acquiesce to any one item agenda.
I have spoken of how united our opponents are in attacking us. They are united also in their conservatism on many social and economic issues and they have something else in common in regard to the peace process. They have not put forward one constructive suggestion of how to resolve the current difficulties. That is another glaring aspect of the short-sightedness of the current approach.
And it is my view that they know that beating up on us is unhelpful and damaging to any effort to put the process together again. So, if there is to be no meaningful progress at this time, if the only agenda is to be the election - well, we're up for that. Not just here in the north but in the Údaras elections and in the upcoming by-election in Meath."
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Full Text
2005 marks the 100th birthday of Sinn Féin.
This exhibition will be travelling the length and breadth of Ireland informing, educating, entertaining, encouraging debate and dialogue and analysis about the history of Irish republicanism, its significant role in Irish politics and our relevance for the future.
I want to commend the organising committee and all of those who have helped put this exhibition together and who will organise events throughout this year.
This is an important part of the process of re-popularising the republican struggle; and of learning the lessons of a century of struggle.
The exhibition reveals the political and personal commitment and dedication of generations of republican activists.
It provides some sense of the meaning of Sinn Féin. Not just our name but our politics, our role as a national independence movement, as a republican campaigning organisation and, in 2005, as the only all-Ireland political party and the fastest growing party in the country.
In 1905 the most important principle of Sinn Féin was self-reliance.
And that is still true today.
It was the view of those who laid the foundations for this party that only the Irish people can mould a society to suit our unique heritage, character, economic needs and place in the wider world.
And from the beginning Sinn Féin extended a hand of friendship to unionists, while always asserting that the end of the Union was in the interests of all the Irish people.
In 1905 Sinn Féin was at the centre of the renewal and rebirth of political and cultural expression in Ireland, and from the beginning women were centrally involved in this organisation.
Women like those here this morning. Women like Margaret McKenna from Lavey in South Derry, a former Sinn Féin Councillor, who was preparing to stand again for the party in May and whose funeral takes place this morning.
But too often women have been the workers in the background, the often invisible foundation of this party and this struggle. We have made progress in redressing the balance but much more needs to be done.
In 2005 one of our key aims coming out of our centenary year is to increase the number of women in Sinn Féin and the number of women in positions of leadership.
The exhibition also covers the difficult years -- the lean years -- when being an Irish republican was hard. It is a source of great strength and encouragement that Republicans have survived censorship; imprisonment; death squads; concerted and protracted campaigns of vilification and criminalisation.
But we did more than survive. We moved from a culture of resistance to a culture of change. Through dedication and commitment and the votes cast for us, not the patronage of the establishment, Sinn Féin is today the largest nationalist party in the north, the largest pro-Agreement party in the north and the third largest party on this island.
As I look around me this morning I see many friends and comrades who have helped make that possible.
We also remember those republicans who lived, worked and died for freedom. But in honouring their memory our responsibility must be to advance the cause for which they died.
That means defining and redefining our republicanism for today's world. Our contemporary experience helps shape this, as does the inspiration we draw from Maire Drumm and Bobby Sands, from Eddie Fullerton and Sheena Campbell. And many others, like Sinn Fein Councillor John Davey who was killed by a loyalist death squad in collusion with British forces 16 years ago next Monday.
Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party. Our strategy to achieve a united, independent Ireland marks us out from other Irish political parties.
Republicanism is about the people. It's about self-determination and democracy. And a new relationship between these islands resting upon our mutual independence and mutual respect.
Our republicanism is about change -- fundamental, deep-rooted change. And empowering people to make that change.
Key to achieving this is the hard, tedious, difficult work of building political strength.
And it is our success in doing this which has unleashed the torrent of abuse directed at us, particularly in Dublin.
When I came to pen these lines and to reflect upon the current poisoned political atmosphere it struck me that many of those who are attacking us are back where they are most comfortable.
It's almost like the days before the peace process when the Irish and British establishments and unionists parties ganged up trying to out do each other in anti-Sinn Féin hysteria, aided at times by compliant sections of the media.
All that remains of the peace process at this time is the IRA cessation. There is no political process. No effort at meaningful dialogue. No serious attempt to resolve difficulties.
Rather than press the British government to implement outstanding aspects of the Good Friday Agreement or to deliver on their own commitments, the Irish government is leading the charge in the campaign against Sinn Féin.
I am sure that malign elements in the British system are laughing all the way to the bank at the outbreak of civil war within Irish nationalism.
The Taoiseach in particular has crossed the line on a number of important issues and is in the business of imposing or supporting the imposition of preconditions on the rights of Irish citizens.
This is the politics of the cul-de-sac. The politics of spin.
Sinn Féin will weather this storm. There is confusion out there. There is anger. But for the first time in decades Irish republicans are politically organised throughout this island and no amount of misrepresentation or vindictiveness is going to prevent us from continuing with our work.
What is that work? To continue the process of change by defending the peace process, by opposing any return to violence by anyone, including British government agencies, by campaigning for the equality and other elements of the Good Friday Agreement and by upholding the rights of all citizens, including those who vote for our party.
While Sinn Féin is prepared to enter into meaningful dialogue at this time and while I believe these outstanding issues can be resolved, and the work to do this should commence at this time, it is obvious that the Irish government and others are of a different mind.
All of them are already fighting the elections. They are setting out their agenda and creating the most negative context possible. This is nothing new. In the northern elections Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the PD's, and Labour have always campaigned vigorously for our opponents.
We will not abandon the peace process for anyone and our negotiating team will engage, not on the DUP agenda, or the PD agenda but on the tried and tested basis that has brought the changes in recent years. We will not exclude any item in a genuine effort to build the peace but we will not acquiesce to any one item agenda.
I have spoken of how united our opponents are in attacking us. They are united also in their conservatism on many social and economic issues and they have something else in common in regard to the peace process. They have not put forward one constructive suggestion of how to resolve the current difficulties. That is another glaring aspect of the short-sightedness of the current approach.
And it is my view that they know that beating up on us is unhelpful and damaging to any effort to put the process together again. So, if there is to be no meaningful progress at this time, if the only agenda is to be the election - well, we're up for that. Not just here in the north but in the Údaras elections and in the upcoming by-election in Meath.
So, my friends we have a lot to do.
Ian Paisley's desire to humiliate republicans; his constant use of offensive language, particularly in describing republicans as criminals and gangsters, is now the accepted rhetoric of political debate at this time. The prize of a just and lasting peace demands that all responsible political leaders must rise above the difficulties of the moment.
We in Sinn Féin have a lot of achievements to be proud of.
Our party has an honoured name and a history that others covet.
This centenary year will see more advances by us.
Let us take nothing for granted. Including each other.
Too often republicans take as a matter of fact the sacrifies and contributions of friends and family, comrades and fellow activists.
I commend you all.
Lá breithe shona daoibh.
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609382
Blair Apology Over Bomb Accused
By Gary Fennelly
g.fennelly@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
09 February 2005
The Prime Minister has publicly apologised to the Conlon and Maguire families who suffered one of the UK's biggest miscarriages of justice.
Tony Blair was commenting on the wrongful jailing of 11 people for IRA bomb attacks on pubs in Guildford and Woolwich in 1974.
In a statement recorded for television Tony Blair said, "The Guildford and Woolwich bombings killed seven people and injured over 100.
"Their loss, the loss suffered by their families, will never go away. But it serves no one for the wrong people to be convicted for such an awful crime.
"It is a matter of great regret when anyone suffers a miscarriage of justice. There was a miscarriage of justice in the case of Gerard Conlon and all the Guildford Four as well as Giuseppe Conlon and Annie Maguire and all of the Maguire Seven.
"And, as with the others, I recognise the trauma that the conviction caused the Conlon and Maguire families and the stigma which wrongly attaches to them to this day.
"I am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and such an injustice.
"That`s why I am making this apology today. They deserve to be completely and publicly exonerated."
The families had hoped the apology would be made during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons earlier.
The move followed a huge campaign in Ireland for a public apology. The Irish prime minister, Bertie Ahern, and the SDLP leader Mark Durkan lobbied Mr Blair in Downing Street meetings last week.
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The apology comes more than 30 years after the Horse and Groom pub in Guildford was ripped apart by an IRA bomb, killing four soldiers and a civilian.
Gerry Conlon, Paddy Armstrong, Paul Hill and Carole Richardson were arrested for the 1974 outrage and coerced into making confessions.
It took 15 years before the police evidence was thrown out by the Court of Appeal and the sentences quashed. Mr Blair is also ready to apologise to the Maguire Seven, the family wrongly convicted of aiding the bombing and another in Woolwich.
Their case has been championed by the moderate nationalist SDLP, which is fighting against Sinn Fein in looming elections in Northern Ireland.
The case of the Guildford Four became world famous after it was made into a feature film, In The Name Of The Father.
The movie depicted the relationship between father and son Gerry Conlon and his father Giuseppe, played by Daniel Day Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite.
Giuseppe Conlon, who had a history of bronchial problems, died in prison while serving his sentence in January 1980.
In October 1989 the Court of Appeal quashed the sentences of the Guildford Four after doubts about the police evidence.
In June 1991, the Court of Appeal also overturned the sentences on the Maguires and Giuseppe Conlon.
Daniel Day Lewis and film director Jim Sheridan have joined thousands of people in recent weeks who have signed a petition on behalf of the Conlon family.
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609246
The Party's Over For Sinn Fein
Bush bans republicans and unionists from St Patrick's Day celebrations
By Gene McKenna
09 February 2005
There will be no St Patrick's Day celebrations at the White House for Sinn Fein - or any of the North's other parties.
President Bush has decided to bar the republicans because they have been linked to the Northern Bank robbery and other IRA crime.
But he has listened to appeals that Sinn Fein should not be singled out for exclusion and the ban will now also apply to all the North's political parties, including the SDLP, the DUP and the Ulster Unionists.
It will be the first time in more than a decade that Sinn Fein and the main unionist parties have not taken part in the March 17 showcase events.
The harder stance of the White House was signalled in the Dail yesterday by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He said the decision had already been taken by the US Government. He did not spell out precisely what that decision involves but it emerged last night that there will be a much-curtailed series of events involving only representatives of the Irish Government.
Mr Bush's decision is intended to send out a clear signal that the White House will have no truck with any party which has links to paramilitary organisations.
Things are likely to get worse for Gerry Adams and his party tomorrow when a new report on paramilitary activity in the North is released. It is expected to be even more damning of increased IRA activity than anything said by the Irish or British governments so far.
The Taoiseach yesterday set the scene for a tough report by the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) centring on the £26.5m Northern Bank robbery when he told the Dail: "It goes further than anything I have said on previous occasions."
And in a clear reference to last week's hardline IRA statement, Mr Ahern said last night that "threats, however implicit or subtle" had no place in a process of conflict resolution.
"They will certainly not intimidate the Government from doing its duty nor improperly influence it in its stewardship or the peace process," he told the Dail.
The IMC report was discussed by the Cabinet yesterday and will be published simultaneously by the British and Irish Governments tomorrow at noon.
It is likely to trigger punitive action by the British government which may impose financial penalties on Sinn Fein, probably in the form of deductions from their Northern Assembly or House of Commons salaries and expenses.
But the Taoiseach again expressed his "scepticism" about the wisdom of imposing sanctions last night and said "exclusion is a hopeless exercise".
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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/8422
Sinn Féin's National Women's Conference To Be Held In Newry
Published: 9 February, 2005
Sinn Féin is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and special attention is being paid to the contribution women have made to the struggle in the last century. 'Unfinished Revolution - from Beijing to Newry', is the title of the National Women's Conference, which is scheduled to take place on the 12th of February in the Canal Court Hotel in Newry. Saturday's event in Newry marks the 10th anniversary of the Beijing Fourth World Annual Conference and will be opened by Sinn Féin's Party President Gerry Adams MP who will launch a varied programme of events.
The impressive list of guest speakers includes Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini International head of the African National Congress, Dr Joanna McMinn (National Women's Conference of Ireland), Noirin Clancy (Women's Human Rights Project), Fianna Fail Senator Mary O'Rourke, Rosaleen McDonnagh (Travellers Rights Association) and Felenkas Uca MEP a Kurdish woman living in Germany and one of the youngest people to be elected to serve in the European Parliament.
Caitriona Ruane MLA, Sinn Fein's spokesperson on Human Rights, Equality and Women spoke of the significance of the event. "Too often our female comrades are forgotten, written out of history or ignored. Sinn Fein is determined to bring these women to the fore of people's minds over the next 12 months, starting with the specially convened national women's conference in Newry.
"We're going to be celebrating women's roles in the struggle and looking at the contribution they continue to make every day. This event is an opportunity for women from all over Ireland to get together and discuss the different aspects of women's involvement in politics, from their pathway into government, to their participation in the disability sector and the are a of human rights. We'll also talk about the hardships still faced by lone parents, or the difficulties faced by women trying to break through the 'glass ceiling' in their various careers."
Sinn Féin Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald said: "Ten years ago the Beijing Declaration set out a number of objectives to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere. It made a commitment to address the constraints and obstacles that prevent the advancement and empowerment of women all over the world. And whilst some progress has been made many of the pledges made by Governments at the conference, including the British and Irish administrations who at the time committed themselves to ensuring greater gender equality, remain unfulfilled. "One of the more visible areas of inequality is the political arena. Women are still not fully represented in either national politics or in local government.
The election last June of Barbrie de Brún and myself to the European Parliament was a significant achievement but clearly there is much more work to be done. We are committed to continuing to work in this area until we achieve full gender parity. Sinn Féin believes that we cannot have a just and free society without equality for women. Our manifesto is simple. It demands equality for women in every area of their lives and it states the most obvious means to achieve it. Building an Ireland of Equals is one of Sinn Féin's core objectives, and as part of that we will continue to campaign for absolute equality for women." ENDS
Note to Editors Contact Catríona Ruane on 00353 86 8311311 or Colum Delaney, for Mary Lou McDonald, 07712 044282 to arrange interviews. Contact Colum Delaney for interviews at the event.
Unfinished Revolution - from Beijing to Newry
12th of February in the Canal Court Hotel in Newry 10.00 - 10.45 AM Conference Registration 11.00 AM Conference Opening Gerry Adams MP
11.10 AM Opening Plenary - The Beijing Platform Ten Years On Miller Suite Dr Joanna McMinn (National Women's Council of Ireland) Mavivi Myakayaka-Manzini (African National Congress) Noirin Clancy (Women's Human Rights Project) Caitriona Ruane MLA 12.30 PM Lunch 14.00 PM
Workshops:
A. Women's Pathways into Politics Clanrye Suite Michelle Gildernew MP Senator Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail) Felenkas Uca MEP Rosaleen McDonagh (Travellers Rights Activist) Roseanna Flynn (Residents against Racism) Claire Hackett (Falls Community Council)
B. Rights Based Citizenship Savoy Suite Bairbre de Brun MEP Maggie Beirne (Committee on The Administration of Justice) Mary Keogh (Forum of People with Disabilities) Mamo McDonald (Campaigner for Older Women's Rights) Frances Byrne (OPEN) Paddy Kelly (Children's Law Centre)
C. Republican Women working for Irish unity Miller Suite Mary Nellis Dr Margaret Ward (Author and Historian) Geraldine Gildernew Martina Anderson Olive Sloane Cllr. Toireas Ni Fhearaiosa
15.30 PM Closing Address Mary Lou McDonald MEP
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/opinion/story.jsp?story=609364
Viewpoint: IMC Report Set To Blame IRA On Raid
Heist fall-out: Peace process crisis is likely to deepen after report
09 February 2005
Bertie Ahern gave a flavour of the Independent Monitoring Commission's report, to be published tomorrow, when he said that it goes even further than he has in attributing the Northern Bank robbery to the IRA.
Whether its conclusions are drawn from Garda, Army or PSNI sources, they apparently leave no doubt that as Sinn Fein was bargaining over devolution, the IRA was meticulously planning the biggest raid in British banking history.
The heist was not carried out until negotiations had broken down, but the Sinn Fein leadership must have known that it would end their lengthy engagement with unionists in political talks.
It showed the IRA's contempt for the law, and for normal constitutional politics, demonstrating how untrustworthy republicans would be as partners in any arrangement.
Sinn Fein can protest that they have an electoral mandate, which excuses them from addressing republican involvement in paramilitarism or criminality. That is another matter, they say, as they warn governments not to exact sanctions - as the IMC may advise - against them.
Yet the whole world knows, and has frequently been told by prime ministers and taoiseachs, that Sinn Fein and the IRA are inextricably linked. Worse, the constitution of the republican movement makes clear that the IRA is the senior partner, as the "true" government of the Irish state, and that Sinn Fein is its political wing.
So when the IRA involves itself in paramilitary or criminal activity, like the Northern Bank raid or the current wave of punishment shootings, Sinn Fein has to answer awkward questions, or stand accused of duplicity. It was notable that the republican leadership declined to co-operate with a UTV programme analysing the heist, which again pointed the finger at senior members of the IRA.
Slowly but surely - and with more input from the Irish than the British government - it is becoming obvious that Sinn Fein can no longer be regarded as a democratic party on a par with others. It has the votes, but its umbilical attachment to an unelected, unaccountable armed organisation increasingly rules it out of the democratic dialogue.
That is the crucial issue that the party leaders can no longer sidestep, as they are called to answer for the threats in the public statements of the IRA. Do they expect to be treated like other politicians, when their spokesmen claim that murder isn't murder, or even a crime, if it is authorised by the IRA?
Michael McDowell, the Republic's Justice Minister, is just the most outspoken of the republicans' critics, but there is a growing realisation that Sinn Fein's rise, through well-funded manipulation, is a fundamental threat to democracy. The bank raid may yet prove to be its undoing.
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http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=162659966&p=y6z66x8z9&n=162660909
Dáil Begins Debating Motion Condemning IRA And SF
09/02/2005 - 07:52:15
The Dáil has begun debating a private members' motion from Fine Gael condemning Sinn Féin and the IRA over their approach to the peace process.
The motion calls for complete IRA decommissioning and an end to all paramilitary and criminal activity by the republican movement.
Speaking as the debate began last night, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said it was time for all others to stand up to Sinn Féin and stop turning a blind eye to IRA activity.
"I will not endorse an arrangement in which Sinn Féin are sent to the sin bin for a few months and then return to business as usual," he said.
The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern meanwhile, said ongoing activity by republicans was blocking progress in the North.
"All out efforts will be futile unless we are first clearly told that the IRA is prepared to bring closure to the activity and the capability that has frustrated our efforts so far," he said.
Mr Kenny also attacked Mr Ahern over the Government's willingness to release the IRA killers of Garda Jerry McCabe as part of a comprehensive final settlement in the North.
However, the Taoiseach defended his actions, saying the release was a risk worth taking in return for complete IRA decommissioning and an end to all paramilitary and criminal activity.
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http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0209/northpolitics.html
FG & SF In Dáil Row Ahead Of Debate
09 February 2005 12:39
Fine Gael and Sinn Féin clashed in the Dáil today, in advance of the conclusion tonight of a debate on Northern Ireland.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny suggested that now that Sinn Féin was no longer interpreting IRA statements, perhaps it could remove ads from its website for t-shirts saying the IRA was an undefeated army.
After interjections from Sinn Féin's Caoimghín Ó Caoláin, Deputy Kenny said they would get their five minutes in this evening's debate, as their mandate entitled them to. Mr Kenny added: 'For once, stand up and tell the truth.'
The Dáil is expected to give overwhelming approval this evening to a motion calling on the republican movement to end all criminal and paramilitary activity.
The Government parties and Fine Gael reached agreement on the motion last night after the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, confirmed that the early release of the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was no longer on the table.
Fine Gael's private members time this week is devoted to the debate on the state of the peace process, in the wake of the Northern Bank robbery and the IRA's two statements last week.
Referring to the statements, the Taoiseach said that threats, however implicit or subtle, have no place in a process of conflict resolution and would not intimidate the Government from doing its duty.
Only the five Sinn Féin TDs and a number of Independents are expected to oppose the motion.
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609302
Spending Soars On Cross-Border Bodies
By Noel McAdam
09 February 2005
The cost of cross-border bodies is soaring - despite suspension of the Assembly, it can be revealed today.
The Government disclosed it spent £22m on North-South work in the first 18 months after suspension - a total which does not include the Irish share of the bill.
And the budget for some of the bodies set up under the Good Friday Agreement - trade and business and the special European programmes - almost doubled over two financial years.
The Office of First Minister today said the increased expenditure was due to work agreed by the North-South Ministerial Council before suspension.
The DUP, which obtained the figures, said the costs showed it was vital to make North-South machinery more accountable.
The overall total for the two years 2002-03, including the six months prior to suspension, and 2003-4 is almost £32m - giving the £22m total for the post-suspension period.
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said that at the time of the Agreement Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said the cross-border institutions would not be free-standing and after suspension they were being kept on a "care and maintenance" basis.
"This £22m price tag would seem to indicate activity in the North/South institutions that far and away exceeds basic care and maintenance functions," said Mr Donaldson.
"Why is Lady Hermon not now highlighting these excessive and totally unjustifiable costs of North Southery?
"Does the UUP actually support what these North/South institutions are doing on a free-standing basis whenever there is no way to make them accountable to the people of Northern Ireland?"
North Down MP Lady Hermon said, however, she would certainly like Secretary of State Paul Murphy to justify the costs.
"Most of us would be hard pushed to know exactly who sits on these bodies, and what precisely they have been doing in the past two years since the suspension of the Assembly," she said.
Mr Trimble declined to comment but a party spokesman said the Governments' Comprehensive Agreement package had revealed the DUP had agreed to more North-South bodies.
An Office of the First Minister spokesman said: "The figures represent only the expenditure of the British Government. The trend of increased expenditure is due to the fact that the organisations are taking forward work that was approved by the NSMC prior to suspension."
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609327
Woman Denies Role In Loyalist's Murder
09 February 2005
A 35-year-old Co Down woman will know today if is she still faces charges arising out of the murder of loyalist Red Hand Commando drug supremo Jim 'Jonty' Johnston in May 2003.
At the close of the prosecution case yesterday defence QC Anthony Cinamond claimed there was insufficient evidence to convict Susan Ferguson of possessing a loaded pistol magazine found outside Johnston's Crawfordsburn home following his ambush by two gunmen.
Ferguson, of Westlink in Holywood, is on trial at Belfast Crown Court with 41-year-old Robert John Benson Young, from Ulsterville Park in Portadown, who denies being one of the gunmen, and his 39-year-old sister Lorraine, of Church Hill, Holywood, who is accused of providing him with a false alibi for the May 8 shooting.
Although Ferguson's DNA was recovered from the 9mm Tauras pistol magazine, her lawyer argued the scientific evidence could not positively establish how it was deposited on the clip, or if she had knowingly handled it.
However, prosecution QC John Creaney said it was always the Crown case that the magazine was loaded and that it was Ferguson's DNA recovered from both it and three of the bullets, and that she had always denied having any contact at all with any of the items.
Trial judge Mr Justice Higgins said he would rule on the defence application today.
However, even if cleared of charges of possessing the magazine with intent and under suspicious circumstances, Ferguson will still face charges of possessing a second magazine.
In his application, Mr Cinamond argued that a jury properly directed, could not properly convict because they could not be sure beyond a reasonable doubt she had possession of the magazine, nor could they convict her of possessing the bullets as there was no reference to them in the charges.
The lawyer claimed that the prosecution's own expert was only able to say "that the DNA found on these items was a very small quantity which could have been deposited either by direct touching, or by talking over the item or by coughing within a reasonable range of the item".
For the prosecution Mr Creaney said that while Ferguson denied having any contact at all with the items, no evidence or case was laid before the court suggesting that she may have had either "an innocent or causal contact with these items".
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_weekly/story.jsp?story=609275
Detectives Deny Claim Of 'Invasion' Into Estate
By Brendan McDaid
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
09 February 2005
Detectives in Londonderry have refuted claims they sent a fleet of vehicles into a nationalist estate to remove a child's quad bike.
The PSNI hit back at the claims by Sinn Fein Councillor Lynn Fleming that they carried out a "mini-invasion" of Gobnascale in the Waterside on Thursday night, stating that they had been responding to several calls.
The PSNI have now said that they will not abandon vulnerable estates and called on all political representatives to throw their weight behind policing.
Ms Fleming said: "What we seen in Gobnascale was community punishment by the PSNI as they swarmed the area, creating tensions and goading the youth of the area."
A Foyle PSNI spokesman responded however: "A man was arrested in Gobnascale on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods.
"A suspected stolen quad was recovered.
"The PSNI will respond to community concerns and will not abandon the estates to the minority who engage in anti-social behaviour.
"If all political parties and community representatives supported policing and condemned attacks on officers the need to patrol in larger numbers would diminish."
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609311
A Firefighter Rests At The World Trade Center Site
Portrait by Belfast artist is widely acclaimed
By Michael McHugh
09 February 2005
A Belfast man's portrait of a New York firefighter who dealt with the bloody aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks may be auctioned in America to raise money for relatives of those who died.
Gerry Gleason's depiction of Bronx emergency worker Mike Puzziferri has received international acclaim and may be sold to help support bereaved relatives.
Two disabled friends of Mr Gleason, Neil McMurtry and Andrew Flavelle, brought the picture to the city last month.
The artist was in New York just after September 11 for an art exhibition and the scenes of suffering inspired him to create the work which has touched hearts across the Atlantic.
"(There were) memories of the same events which I witnessed in Belfast, the same immeasurable grief and the same carnage.
"The Fire Brigade in Belfast went about their work with the same courage as their New York counterparts," he said.
"To see people prepared to give their life to save others gives me hope for humanity."
More than 300 firefighters were killed when they responded to the attack on the World Trade Center.
Almost all died when the building collapsed with them still in it.
Mr Gleason added that the scenes of sacrifice and of families and children grieving had made a profound impact on him.
His drawing has been presented to Mr Puzziferri who is considering what to do with it.
"They have linked up with a group who work with the families of bereaved who auction material for funding the relatives of 9/11," Mr Gleason's wife Vivien said.
Mr Gleason is the latest of many individuals and organisations in Northern Ireland to help alleviate the suffering of those affected on September 11, 2001.
The Omagh Centre for Trauma Transformation has worked with the victims to help them come to terms with the enormity of the event and governments and citizens from around the world expressed solidarity with America in the wake of the al-Qaida attacks.
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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=609316
Championship Has Dancers On Their Toes
By Marie Foy
09 February 2005
High kicks, pumps, jigs and reels set the scene today at the all-Ireland Irish dancing championships in Belfast.
Around 3,000 dancers are due to attend the six-day feis at the Waterfront Hall, which runs until Saturday.
Belfast is hosting the championships - the biggest Irish dancing competition outside the World Championships - for the first time.
The city previously held the World Championships in 2002 and last year, and will be called on to do the honours again next year.
During the all-Ireland, dancers will be competing in categories including step, ceili and figure dancing.
More than half the entrants this year hail from beyond Ireland - some from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
As well as being hugely popular, the event also represents a welcome bonanza for Belfast's economy with many hotels and guesthouses booked up.
Lord Mayor of Belfast Tom Eakin said: "By successfully bringing the competition to Belfast, the city is once again proving that it is more than capable of staging high-quality, world-class events."
Vice president of the Irish Dancing Commision's Canadian branch Paula Woodgate said the world-wide success of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance had placed Irish dance on the international stage.
"Irish dance is now seen as an art form as opposed to simply a cultural tradition, and appreciation of the stage shows has taken the dance to a new horizon.
For event and ticket information, call 00353 1 475 2220 or visit http://www.clrg.ie
Table of Contents - Overall
Table of Contents – Feb 2005
