December 29, 2003

U.S. extradition treaty `violates civil liberties'

The American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the ratification of a new extradition treaty between Britain and the United States, saying that the measure contains a number of ill-considered erosions of judicial review and would threaten the due process rights of Americans and others accused of crimes by the British government.

Republican anger as prison leave denied

Political representatives of the INLA, a small republican armed group, has said its understanding with the 26-County government is in trouble following its refusal to allow former leader Dessie O'Hare home leave over the holiday period.

Racial attacks escalate in North

Weekend arson attacks which badly damaged two homes were the latest in a string of racially motivated attacks.

ADAMS SEEKS ONE MONTH REVIEW

Next month's review of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement must be limited to one month, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said today [Monday]

Review of the Year 2003

A month-by-month look back at the events of the year.

Dickson jailed in Germany over IRA attack

A former British soldier was jailed for six and a half years in Germany before Christmas for assisting an IRA mortar attack on his old army base.

Reflecting on The Barron Report

The Barron report shows how the politicisation of the Garda Siochana gained momentum in the early 1970s. I watched it happen. I was based in the Monaghan parish between 1971 and 1979. I saw how once friendly Gardaí became cold, silent and hostile to me and more especially to many citizens in Monaghan.

December 22, 2003

UUP MPs consider position in wake of Donaldson resignation

Tensions within David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party are continuing following the resignation from the party last week of prominent dissident Jeffrey Donaldson and two fellow elected members of the Belfast Assembly.

SF refutes criminality accusation

Sinn Fein's office in Dublin has published accounts for the first time yesterday in an effort to counter allegations of wrongdoing by Dublin's Justice Minister.

PSNI suspected as Twinbrook homes attacked

Sinn Féin Lisburn Councillor Sue Ramsey has expressed concern and warned residents in west Belfast to be vigilant after her home, along with another in Twinbrook, was attacked on Friday night.

Police list highlights anti-Irish racism in Britain

British police have maintained a secret list of all Irish people, regardless of whether they are suspected of breaking the law, it has emerged.

Ex-Ministers criticise Barron report; Omagh families appeal

Controversy over the Barron report into the 1974 loyalist bombings of Dublin and Monaghan has continued over the weekend.

SPY CHOPPER COMES DOWN

The tragic deaths of two British Army pilots in a helicopter crash in County Derry has refocused attention on the dangers posed by Britain's continuing military presence in the North of Ireland.

The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings

The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings, by Don Mullan, reviewed by Liam O Ruairc

Truth, reconciliation, peace

It was interesting to read today that a member of the IRA unit which carried out the 1972 bombing in the village of Claudy has apologised to a relative of a victim of the attack.

December 19, 2003

Talks gloom as sanctions body legislation is debated

Sinn Féin has said Wednesday's meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London did not go well.

Sectarian mob rampage in north Belfast

A loyalist mob attack nationalist homes in north Belfast yesterday before attacking police who attempted to intervene.

Loyalist released after blaming gun on dog

A judge at Belfast Crown Court has released a north Belfast loyalist who claimed that a handgun found in his bedroom had been dragged in by his dog.

CORY REPORTS CHARADE

Pressure is mounting on the British government to release the findings of Judge Peter Cory's probes into cases of British Crown force collusion in murders carried out by loyalist paramilitaries.

Give us back our language

A demonstration took place at the European Union offices in Dublin today over the status of the Irish language.

Donaldson to align with DUP

Unionist hardliner Jeffrey Donaldson has finally severed his connections with David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party, and will join forces with Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party in next month's review of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Decision to suppress Nally report condemned

Relatives of the those who died in the 1998 Omagh bomb have criticised the withholding of a report into allegations that the Garda police in the 26 Counties could have prevented the bombing, which claimed 29 lives.

British govt must become part of the solution

(from irelandclick.com)

Today's refusal by the British government to publish Judge Peter Cory's report into collusion between the security forces and the murderers of Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, Robert Hamill and Billy Wright is a slap in the face to the families of the victims and everyone who has campaigned for a new human rights-based culture in the North of Ireland.

December 17, 2003

Direct Rule `unsustainable' - Adams

The Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, has said the DUP and its leader Ian Paisley cannot be allowed to act as a ``brake'' on the peace process.

Loyalists mount attacks in Belfast

Three republicans had their homes attacked overnight.

Homes damaged in south Armagh raids by PSNI

The PSNI has been accused of `deliberately vandalising' homes in the South Armagh area over the past number of weeks. The latest raids came this morning when two homes were smashed into in the Belleek area.

OMAGH REPORT SUPPRESSED

British refusing to publish Cory report

The Minister for Justice in the 26 Counties, Michael McDowell, has controversially refused to publish a report on allegations that the Garda police failed to act on a tip-off which could have prevented the 1998 Omagh bombing.

Figures show PSNI 92% Protestant, council discrimination

Figures released today show that the PSNI police has a membership which is 91.6% Protestant, fuelling the debate on the failure of the Patten police reform process.

Victims of the 1974 attacks on Dublin, Monaghan

A brief biography of all of the victims of the 1974 bomb attacks in Dublin and Monaghan from the Barron report.

English police charge Adairs with drug-dealing

The wife and son of notorious loyalist gangleader Johnny ``Mad Dog'' Adair have been charged with conspiracy to supply hard drugs.

Public inquiry needed

Last night in the Dáil, Kerry North Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris raised the need to hold a public inquiry into the issues highlighted by the Barron Report. The following is his contribution.

December 15, 2003

Taxpayers could pay for bomb inaction

Ireland could face demands for millions of euro in reparations after Justice Henry Barron's report into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings report.

Spy sent secrets to Queen

A former British Army agent has been threatened with jail after writing two letters to Buckingham Palace about collusion between unionist paramilitaries and British forces in Ireland.

PARTIES TO MEET IN LONDON

The Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair meet in London Wednesday to hold `talks about talks' with some of the Northern parties.

Meeting Challenges, Seizing Opportunities

Another in our series of articles presenting the viewpoint of the various political parties in the North. Here, the Green Party presents its arguments.

`No more plastic bullets' call for Christmas

Lobby group Relatives for Justice has called on the British government to stand by its commitment to ban plastic bullets by this Christmas.

British accused of planting device

A man controversially acquitted in September of a dissident republican attack at a polling station two years ago has claimed he found a bugging device on his car.

Police reform `undermined' by return to Gough

An infamous interrogation centre is still being used by British forces despite its official closure last year.

Cosgrave owes us an explanation


(from the Sunday Business Post)

In years to come when historians begin to search for an explanation for the behaviour of the Cosgrave government to its own mass-murdered citizens in relation to the Dublin and Monaghan bombs, I have no doubt they will still feel as astounded as we all felt on reading last Wednesday's Barron Report.

December 12, 2003

Sinn Fein seeks to break talks stalemate

Sinn Féin is urging the Dublin and London governments to take a strong line with the DUP following its strong performance in the recent elections to the Belfast Assembly in the North.

Mitchell Reiss replaces Haass

A US government official with experience on nuclear disarmament is replace President George W. Bush's special envoy to Ireland, Dr Richard Haass.

UUP purge on Donaldson

Anti-Agreement Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson has been ordered to support the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party or face expulsion.

Fermanagh pensioner escapes injury after bomb attack

The home of the 92-year-old mother of a former senior Ulster Unionist was bombed in an attack that has been blamed on republican dissidents.

Terms of reference of a public inquiry

The Justice for the Forgotten Committee has made the following proposals for a public inquiry in advance of the publication of the interim report by Justice Henry Barron this week.

UUP purge on Donaldson

Anti-Agreement Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson has been ordered to support the leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party or face expulsion.

Govt opposes public inquiry on bombings

The Irish Government is to oppose a full judicial inquiry into the 1974 Dublin/Monaghan bombings, following publication of the Barron report.

The Future of Northern Nationalism

In a series of feature articles looking at the policies of the northern nationalist and republican parties, the following is a speech given by Mark Durkan, Leader of the SDLP as the Irish Association in April this year.

Not by the people, not of the people

Around this time last year, you read in this publication three concerns of mine: the failure of the British government to abide by democratic norms in calling an election; the failure of all parties to engage the DUP in any meaningful way; and the failure of unionism to take part in the peace process.

Ahern denies backing war on Iraq

Irish Prime Minister, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was attacked today for comments in which he claimed he had always been opposed to the war in Iraq.

December 10, 2003

Irish poverty doubled in last ten years - report

A major new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute has found that relative poverty in the 26 Counties has more than doubled since 1994, while the depth of poverty being experienced has increased substantially.

IRA quartermaster denies arms used on Bloody Sunday

A former quartermaster in the mainstream IRA today described claims that Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness was armed on Bloody Sunday as ``ludicrous''.

NO ANSWERS IN BARRON REPORT

Govt was `disinterested' in 1974 bombings

A report report by former Irish Supreme Court judge Mr Justice Henry Barron on the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings has raised more questions than it has answered.

SF looks to extend electoral success to Europe

Sinn Fein has launched its candidates for next year's European elections.

Electoral Commission blasted for losing voters

The North's Electoral Commission has admitted that certain groups have been left without a vote by new registration requirements.

Group demands the truth on collusion

The lobby group, An Fhirinne, has handed in a letter of complaint for the attention of British Secretary of State Paul Murphy during a picket to highlight collusion between British crown forces and unionist paramilitary death squads.

Catholic children evacuated after Bushmills mob attack

A group of Catholic school children were attacked while on a residential course in County Antrim.

The Good Friday Agreement and Beyond

The following article by Gerry Ruddy reflects the opinions of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, of which he is an Ard Chomhairle member. It was first printed in `Models of Governance: The Good Friday Agreement and beyond - Some Personal Reflections' published by Coiste Na Iarchimi.

December 8, 2003

Shannon Warport

The Irish Anti-War Movement held a demonstration on Saturday, December 6th, at which protesters attempted to `blockade' Shannon Airport, the civilian airport in the west of Ireland where approximately half the US troops en route to Iraq and Afghanistan have stopped to rest and refuel.

No trouble at Lundy's Day parade

The annual Lundy's Day parade by the Protestant Apprentice Boys organisation in Derry was peaceful.

FRU SPOOKS BLOCK CORY REPORT

Members of the British intelligence services have blocked the publication of the Cory Report, according to reports at the weekend.

Files throw light on the death of a martyr

British files on the death of Terence MacSwiney, after 74 days of hunger strike in 1920, have been revealed.

DUP to hold talks with Dublin

Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party is to hold talks with the Irish government to discuss the party's possible participation in a review of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, to get underway next month.

Collusion suspected in gun attacks

Between eight and 10 houses belonging to republicans in west Belfast were targeted in gun attacks on Friday evening in the Finagy, Riverdale and Lenadoon areas.

The Lollipop Man


https://www.dannymorrison.com

One Sunday during the recent election SDLP leader Mark Durkan went for a photo-shoot on the bridge between Strabane and Lifford. On another occasion he stopped traffic on a main road to be photographed as a lollipop man carrying a pole bearing the circular sign, `Stop The DUP'.

Adams urges DUP to oppose unionist violence

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams yesterday said the DUP needed to consider the implications of its new-found prominence on violent unionism.

December 5, 2003

Victims call for Cory reports publication

A nationalist victims' group has called on the British government to publish the Cory report into British collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.

Sellafield debris washes ashore on Down coast

Sections of discharge pipe from the Sellafield nuclear processing plant have been found washed up on beaches in County Down.

Policing violence concern as Lundy returns to Derry

Up to 2,000 members of the Protestant Apprentice Boys organisation and 21 bands are expected in Derry for the annual Lundy's Day march on Saturday.

Haass ends role as U.S. special envoy

President Bush's special envoy to Ireland has completed his final round of talks with the northern political parties with a message of hope.

FORMER RUC MAN BACKS COLLUSION CLAIM

A former RUC detective has claimed that police informers who carried out murders were later shielded from prosecution.

`Smoke and mirrors' budget criticised

The Dublin Finance Minister's budget for the 26-County economy in 2004 has received a broadly hostile response.

Not by the people, not of the people

Around this time last year, you read in this publication three concerns of mine: the failure of the British government to abide by democratic norms in calling an election; the failure of all parties to engage the DUP in any meaningful way; and the failure of unionism to take part in the peace process.

Alternative budget existed

Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Social and Community Affairs Sean Crowe TD made the following remarks during the Budget debate in the Dail.

December 1, 2003

Trimble unmoved by resignation calls

A reported attempt by Ulster Unionist Party hardliner Jeffrey Donaldson to depose David Trimble as party leader following last week's election failed to materialise today.

Round-up of election news

The Sinn Féin election machine almost pulled off a spectacular coup in Belfast, nearly winning eight seats in the four constituencies having run nine candidates.

Adams's address to new Assembly team

The following is part of the address by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams as his party of newly-elected Assembly members gathered for the first timee at Stormont today.

BRITISH REFUSE TO RESTORE ASSEMBLY

The British government has refused nationalist calls to lift its suspension of the power-sharing institutions in the North of Ireland following Wednesday's election to the Belfast Assembly.

Malachy McAllister

Malachy McAllister, or `Mock' as we knew him was a close childhood friend. ----- KEYWORDS:

Expensive Ireland lags behind competitors - report

Ireland is now the joint most expensive country in the eurozone with one of the highest inflation rates, it was announced today.

Attempts underway to censor Cory report

The Canadian judge appointed to look into a number of high-profile assassinations in which there were widespread allegations of British Crown force collusion has recommended four inquiries.

One extreme

In February 1974, in a Westminster general election, 11 out of the North's then 12 constituencies returned anti-Agreement unionists.

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