Republican News · Thursday 12 September 2002

SDLP policing claims

There is nothing new in SDLP claims that the British government is to bring forward amendments to the Policing Act in the next parliamentary session at Westminster.

Last year at Weston Park, the British government publicly committed themselves to bringing forward legislative amendments to the Policing Act in a number of areas. This limited progress came after a series of intense discussions between Sinn Féin, the British government and other parties.

The problem is that the amendments promised by the British government do not go far enough. By their own admission they not bring the Act into line with Patten. They didn't last year at Weston Park and they do not now.

Republicans will continue to engage with the British government in a bid to secure the necessary changes to deliver the new beginning promised in the Good Friday Agreement.

Racist jokes never OK

Suggestions by Fine Gael sources that Enda Kenny's racist joke was primarily unacceptable because it was made in public and not "among friends" were outrageous.

To suggest that racism or any kind of discrimination is acceptable if it takes place behind closed doors is a dangerous fallacy. There is an onus on all Irish people in public and private life to challenge assumptions and learned behaviour, to change these where necessary, and to constructively challenge others on these issues.

We need to move to zero tolerance when it comes to racism and discrimination.

Kenny's prompt public apology was appropriate and necessary, but the whole incident calls into question not only the Fine Gael leader's judgment, but also the sincerity of his commitment to the Anti-Racist Protocol for Political Parties, which his party signed up to earlier this year.

How can we have any confidence in his public pronouncements if they are inconsistent with his private behaviour?

Shome mishtake?

We would like to apologise to readers of our print edition for the production error that caused certain pages to appear out of order in last week's edition.

Ideally, we like to start An Phoblacht on page one and move in order through to page 20, but the gremlins decided to shuffle four pages last week. Bemused readers went from a story about religious statuary in historic Monto in Dublin on page 2 (which should have started on page 12) to the mid-point of an article about the besieged population of the Short Strand in Belfast on page 3.

Rather than supply a scissors with every issue to reassemble the paper in order, we endeavour this week to resume normal service.

Thank you all for your loyalty and patience.