PUP man David Ervine has a well-deserved reputation for using
flowery and often inappropriate language. He is, for example, the
only person in the world who uses the word `cognisant' in
everyday conversation. But last week, at a public meeting in
London (see report), David made a startling admission
using down-to-earth and, some would say, entirely appropriate
language.
During a question and answer session, the audience was giving
David a bit of a rough ride. So when he described those in the
Six Counties still engaged in ``paramilitary activity'' as
``back-street boys, clayheads and arseholes'' he was asked whether
he was not himself one of these people. ``I am,'' he told the
stunned audience, ``yes, I am an arsehole''.
A smiling
casually dressed Branchman was photographed by Martin Ferris outside
the graveyard in Ballyheigue, Co Kerry. He was monitoring the
Jack Lawlor commemoration held earlier this month.
d why was he smiling? Wouldn't you be if you were getting paid
taxpayers money at the overtime rate for standing about with your
hands in your pockets?
Talking of the Branch. Sinn Féin Head Office has a semi-permanent
Branch car parked opposite their front door, just outside the
entrance to the Rotunda Maternity hospital. With money to be
earned doing nothing, it doesn't seem to matter that it is always
illegally parked.
yway, earlier this week the car was missing and a visiting
father had parked where the Branch car normally sits. No matter
that the car had flowers and all sorts of baby accessories, these
are days of zero tolerance so the couple and their new-born baby
came out to find that the Gardaí had slapped a parking ticket on
their windscreen.
Nowhere in the programme for all those prestigious events
organised for the Waterfront Hall did the name Saoirse appear,
until last Tuesday when four intrepid demonstrators landed on the
roof and waved their Saoirse banners and tricolours to their
hearts' content.
Disgruntled peelers looked askance. Bemused Waterfront employees
hadn't even heard of Saoirse, at least not until the bosses'
secretary unwittingly directed the four protesters, representing
West Belfast, Coalisland and Portadown Saoirse groups, to the
Dome.
d on the blustery day that was in it the peelers thought better
than to mount an Entebbe type raid; they just stood on a lower
roof looking glum. They also had to endure a series of Jimmy
Cagney impersonations as the protestors shouted, ``look at me Ma,
I'm on top of the world''. And when invited to, ``come and get us,
copper'', the RUC just had to grin and bear it.
Here are photographs of our four angels with dirty faces scaling
the Waterfront Dome and hanging out their brightest colours in
the white heat of revolutionary politics.
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