Word reaches me that the gardaí in Limerick are in a bit of a
tizzy. One of their uniforms is missing and they are no doubt
afraid someone impersonating a guard may begin battering some
innocent citizens. The offending clothes were thrown out of a
guard's house during spring cleaning. Or was a member of his
family trying to send him a message?
Adams finished the public meeting in Derry's Guildhall on Monday
night with a story from Stormont: Martin McGuinness was walking
through a corridor in the building where the talks are being held
when he met a Unionist. He said ``Hello''. The Unionist said
``Hello'' This went on for several days. Finally Martin asked ``Can
you not say anything but `Hello'?'' Whereupon the Unionist
replied, ``Cad é mar atá tú?''
I was very pleased to hear from a source this week that UK
Unionists Bob McCartney and Cedric Wilson had a rare oul time in
Dublin last Saturday. They were spotted in high good form,
finding the atmosphere much to their liking. Great to see the two
fine gentlemen enjoying the hospitality of their capital city. A
sign of things to come?
A Sinn Féin picket on Blanchardstown Garda station to highlight
Special Branch harassment of party members in the Dublin suburb
caused considerable irritation to the local Sergeant last Friday,
Halloween Night.
He first threatened to charge the picketers with obstruction and
then demanded the names of all those participating. Undeterred,
the protestors stood their ground. Then the bold Sergeant
attempted a novel ploy to disperse the picketers who were by this
time drawing considerable interest and attention from local
people. Pointing at the children on the picket he told the
parents that it was against the law to have them there and that
he would report them to the Eastern Health Board for having their
children out in the cold.
I have heard from a wee bird in Portadown that two people from
the town met NIO officials twice in the past couple of weeks
over, we presume, a cup of tea and a wee bun.
The pair, let's just call them Jennifer and Jim, had their latest
meeting on Monday with these two British officials, one of whom
is stationed in Stormont, the other in the United States.
What they talked about is anybody's guess. But given that the
latest meeting happened just days before Garvaghy Road Residents'
spokesperson Breandan MacCionnaith and Ormeau Road spokesperson
Gerard Rice were due to fly out to the States to put the case for
residents who want Orange marches blocked from strutting through
their neighbourhoods, it seems the NIO wanted some ``local
knowledge''.
Why the NIO would want to go to Jenny and Jim to find out what
was happening on the Garvaghy Road is anybody's guess as Direct
Ruler Mowlam could have organised a meeting with the two
anti-march lads when she herself flies out to the States next
week, although the poor woman is probably not on speaking terms
with Breandan given the way she shafted the people he represents
in July this year
Brian Anson writes from France asking what all the fuss was
about the Adams/Blair handshake. ``The detractors are lucky it
didn't all take place in this country,'' he writes. ``The President
of Sinn Féin might have actually kissed Mr Blair.''
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