RUC and schools
Surely in any democracy, a status which the North has yet to achieve, ordinary people have the right to question what influences their children are involuntarily subjected to while in the care of teachers at school. So why the outcry from unionists and some SDLP members when elected representatives of the said parents and children, (with their consent), inform the teachers of their concerns.
Until we have a police force which is independent and unpolitical (as Patten says it should be), no way should the RUC public relations personnel be allowed to attempt to brainwash and deceive our children and their teachers. The very fact that a commission was needed to change the ethos and undemocratic structures of the RUC proves they are not worthy of support, whether in community relations activities or any other guise.
No one would object to a neutral, non-political police force which reflected the community as a whole, not just the unionist section. So there is absolutely no valid reason why anyone should object to teachers being informed of what is happening by hearing the concerns of parents. Their only reason seems to be their continued attempts to demonise Sinn Féin, not the future welfare of the children.
It is unbelievable to think that people who have borne the brunt of brutal crown force harassment are being condemned by some for trying to protect their children from the deception of these so called protectors.
Councillor Seán McGirr
Newry
Booklet honours West Tyrone republicans
On Saturday, 30 October, the Strabane Branch of the Tyrone National Graves Association are launching a booklet commemorating all those republicans who gave their lives for Irish freedom in the West Tyrone area.
The West Tyrone area comprises the Tyrone/Donegal border from Castlederg down to Clady village through to Strabane town and includes parts of East Donegal.
A short narrative profiles the 18 individuals with, if possible, an accompanying photograph. There are also pictures of their funeral corteges with in some cases photographs of the Military Tribute paid by their comrades displayed within.
Martin McGuinness Sinn Fein MP for mid-Ulster and chief negotiator will formerly launch the booklet in Cairde Strabane, Ex-prisoners Centre, Strabane, 12a Bridge Street.
yone interested in obtaining a copy of the edition of the limited booklet please contact John Kelly, 12a Bridge Street, Strabane, County Tyrone.
Tel 01504 886824. Taille £5.
All monies generated by the sale of this booklet will be used to refurbish republican graves and to maintain monuments erected by the Tyrone National Graves Association (Strabane branch).
John Kelly
Tyrone
Pay the nurses
A Chara,
In a typically crude attempt to undermine the public's support for the nurses, An Taoiseach has claimed that, in refusing to pay what most people consider to be a fair wage claim, he was ``only acting in the interests of all our people''. Less than two years ago, Mr Ahern failed to apply the same logic to a much greater salary increase for TDs (who were, even then, receiving nearly double the income of nurses).
Justifying the increase, he asserted: ``I honestly believe that in this day and age it is not fair to ask TDs to work six days a week and work damn hard for £34,000. - I really do think that politicians are underpaid.''
The politicians themselves do not seem to agree. In the Dublin South Central by-election, there are NINE candidates for just one seat. In contrast, there are not enough candidates to fill the increasing number of vacancies in the nursing profession. It seems fairly obvious who is being overpaid and who is being underpaid. Maybe it's the generous ``expenses'' and the possibility of having bank loans written off that make the difference!
It is difficult to understand why the FF/PD coalition is setting its face so stubbornly against the nurses. Could a possible explanation lie in the government's decision to join the NATO-led PfP? This will oblige the Irish army to spend an estimated $5,000 million to re-equip with (NATO-compatible) weaponry and, given the rate of development of war technology, this will be out of date in three to five years; i.e. $5 billion will be transferred from Irish taxpayers to the NATO arms industry every five years into the future.
In the speech I quoted earlier, Mr Ahern lectured nurses about ``not honouring commitments''. Perhaps if Fianna Fáil had honoured its own commitment to having a referendum on PfP, it could save the waste of taxpayers' money on NATO weaponry and thus be able to pay the nurses what they deserve.
Cllr Dessie Ellis
Finglas Sinn Féin
Dublin 11
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