Sick

It has emerged that during a robbery in north Belfast on Tuesday night, not only did the thugs involved force a couple to abandon their baby and go to a cash machine (as originally reported), but they also held a knife to the throat of the victims' 18-month-old child.

What kind of filth would do this?

Almost a year ago, El Blogador reported on the robbery of a woman who had been run over by a bus on O'Connell Street (she later died).

Perhaps it is for drugs, perhaps it is sheer evil, but it seems that thugs are becoming increasingly unbothered about the depravity of their crimes.

So much for 'ordinary decent criminals.' [ElBlogador.com]

Did The Soviets Airbrush Pluto From History?

A row is raging over last week's decision to remove Pluto's planetary status. The lead scientist on NASA's robotic mission to Pluto has lambasted the ruling, calling it "embarrassing", and the chair of the committee set up to oversee agreement on a definition implied that the vote had effectively been "hijacked".

Pluto will now effectively be airbrushed from history, with textbooks and educational posters now showing only eight planets, as if Pluto never existed.

It reminded me of reading in GCSE History that the Soviet government used a similar tactic when its erstwhile heroes fell out of favour with Stalin. Former high-ranking officials, most notably Trotsky (who was killed by a Russian agent with an ice-pick after his exile to Mexico), were airbrushed from photographs which showed them participating in the 'revolution'.

Given the arguments over the decision to similarly airbrush Pluto from history, could it be the Soviets at work? After all, Pluto was discovered by an American in 1930, and NASA seems pretty upset by its demotion. Perhaps this is one last swipe at Uncle Sam by the old CCCP.

Trotsky disappears...












Yezhov disappears...












Trostsky disappears again!













[ElBlogador.com]

Stupid

I saw today that the Catholic Church is trying to force teachers to use one of their training days to study the 'Catholic ethos'.

What a stupid idea.

In the long run, highlighting the religious differences in our society does more harm that good. Yet in an ongoing display of megalomania, and despite now getting 100% state funding for their schools, the Catholic Church in the north of Ireland continues in its attempts to maintain an artificial stranglehold over young people by means of Catholic Schools.

It would be more in their line to focus on dealing with issues which actually count such as bullying and real education (rather than purely academic learning).

I went to a Christian Brothers school. However, Christian is really a misnomer- throughout my 14 year academic career at their hands, I cannot say that it was a shining beacon of what I would describe as 'Christian Charity'- of course, all the downsides of Catholicism were there in abundance- conservatism, dogma and ignorance of the existence of other religions. And heaven forbid that you would have anything to do with girls.

Thank God for university.

Unsurprisingly, trade unions were not consulted on this diktat which is being handed down to teachers. This is typical of the cavalier approach of the Catholic Church in Ireland- it's hardly surprising that numbers of trainee priests, and indeed parishoners, are dwindling.

Once the Catholic Church starts to look at the bigger picture, especially in regard to education, then it may regain relevance. [ElBlogador.com]

Isn't It Ironic: Sinn Féin's Partitionist Approach To Policing

I had to laugh when I saw this, although I'm quite sure it isn't funny for nationalist people living in areas with a policing vacuum.

An Garda is currently recruiting people for its new reserve force. So far 3,200 applications have been received for the force.

However, Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh is not happy, complaining: "This proposal would not be fair on communities who deserve policing of the highest standard, from a fully trained and professional service. Neither would it be fair on the proposed reserve volunteers themselves who would form part of a parallel police force incapable of ensuring comparable human rights standards in their activities."

Let me repeat some of that- "This proposal would not be fair on communities who deserve policing of the highest standard, from a fully trained and professional service."

Is this man serious?

This is the same party who, in the north of the country, is supporting the concept of Community Restorative Justice, a scheme which completely contradicts the concept of "policing of the highest standard from a fully trained and professional service."

If Sinn Féin believes that communities in the south are entitled to 'fully-trained, professional policing of the highest standard' (apparently beyond the fully trained and officially managed reserve which is being established by the government through this Garda Reserve scheme), then why are communities in the north not entitled to the same? Why should northern nationalists have to endure what Sinn Féin itself has admitted is an alternative police force, a force which is manned by unregulated, non-professional, untrained (in any internationally recognised sense), unqualified, often ex-convicts?

It is rather partitionist for Sinn Féin to insist on such different standards for residents on either side of the border.

By the way, this is the same Aengus Ó Snodaigh whose election worker Niall Binead was convicted less than two years ago of membership of the IRA after An Garda found a document containing the names of up to 20 Fine Fáil and Fine Gael TDs and details of their movements (how brave of him). And the same Aengus Ó Snodaigh whose wife was shortly afterwards found guilty of public order offences after being accused of throwing a glass at a Garda patrol car in Dublin. And the same Aengus Ó Snodaigh who was happily photographed beside the killers of Garda Jerry McCabe. Is this the kind of man who should really be lecturing An Garda or anyone else on policing and justice?

Now, back to the issue at hand. Let me repeat what else Ó Snodaigh said, just to let it sink in: "Neither would it be fair on the proposed reserve volunteers themselves who would form part of a parallel police force incapable of ensuring comparable human rights standards in their activities."

Yet in the north, an alternative parallel police force is exactly what Sinn Féin is proposing in the form of CRJ. As Sinn Féin ‘Human Rights’ spokesperson (any oxymoron?) Caitriona Ruane said: "Sinn Fein plans to set up similar initiatives throughout South Down in order to offer a viable alternative to the PSNI."

So, in the south Sinn Féin opposes a ‘parallel’ police force- one which is fully within the control of An Garda, which will receive official training and be bound by Human Rights legislation, is independent of any party, will have rigorous screening to ensure the suitability of appointees, supplements the official full-time police force and works with it in a fully compatible manner, and which has an open and transparent recruitment programme which is advertised on both sides of the border.

Yet in the north, Sinn Féin is supporting the establishment of an ‘alternative’ to the regular police which is not under any control from the police service, does not receive official training or be bound by the Human Rights Act, is aligned to a political party and whose modus operandi vis-à-vis the PSNI is largely based upon that of said party, does not have rigorous screening for candidates (hence the fact that ex-cons form part of its ranks, a fact which it seems quite happy with), does not supplement the official police service (and indeed has said it will not work with them) but will run wholly independently of it, and obviously does not have an open and transparent recruitment programme (the concept of ' it is who you know rather than what you know' which seems to be the order of the day if you wish to become one of their ‘practitioners’). Not only that, but Sinn Féin’s alternative has been castigated by the Independent Monitoring Commission.

Why is Sinn Féin so worried about human rights in relation to the Garda Reserve, but not with regard to CRJ (a much less regulated and unbound organisation)?

When it comes to justice and policing for Irish people, as far as Sinn Féin is concerned those living south of the British Government-imposed border have more rights than those living north of it.

For the provisionals, an officially sanctioned reserve force in the south is not good enough, yet in the north an unofficial unsanctioned alternative force is not only acceptable, but desirable.

Sinn Féin’s claims to be ‘building an Ireland of equals’- is seems some Irish people are more equal than others. [ElBlogador.com]

Orangemen Will Vote SDLP

Roy Garland in the Irish News (subs needed) picks up on a fascinating piece of research by Professor Jonathan Tonge et al of the University of Liverpool who found that over five per cent of Orangemen surveyed were likely to vote SDLP. A further 14 per cent would consider giving the SDLP their second preference.

The meaning behind this is open to debate, but it is certainly interesting that hardline unionists may be prepared to vote SDLP, indicating that Protestant voters (beyond those categorised simply as ‘unionist’) of the broader church would probably be even more likely to vote SDLP.

Indeed, if these are the figures for Orangemen who are likely to vote SDLP, there may be even more who actually will vote SDLP, for tactical reasons for instance.

Maybe the SDLP’s long-term policy of promoting a united Ireland without the need for the bullet or the bomb could pay off, especially now that they are so vividly juxtaposed against Sinn Féin in terms of electoral supremacy. The excellent ‘North South Makes Sense’ document pointed out benefits of reunification which even unionists couldn’t disagree with (although we have heard lamentably little from the campaign since its launch).

Mr. Garland also notes that bizarrely, two per cent of Orangemen would vote for Sinn Féin if they couldn’t support their favoured unionist party. Professor Tonge said that those who chose this option may have misread the question (we all knew that Orangemen don’t tend to be the sharpest tools in the shed anyway!), but that some Orange DUP supporters are so consumed with hatred for the UUP that perhaps a vote for the provisionals is not impossible in constituencies where the DUP doesn’t stand.

Gerry Adams has already proven that he is chomping at the bit to support Ian Paisley’s candidacy as First Minister. Perhaps this is payback by the Orangemen… [ElBlogador.com]

ITV v Channel 4- No Contest!

One of ITV's top dogs has complained that Channel 4 should "grow up".

However, Channel 4's Head of News responded by claiming that Channel 4 screened more news and current affairs in primetime than any rival broadcaster, and that "no other broadcaster has more serious programming".

Even if Channel 4 had no news, it would quite simply be better than ITV anyway. Channel 4 has innovative, original, and often shocking programming. ITV is chewing gum for the eyes. There really is no comparison when it comes to quality of output.

I cannot remember the last time I saw an informative documentary on ITV. I cannot remember the last time I saw a comedy show on ITV that was actually funny. I cannot remember the last time I saw a programme on ITV which provoked shock and awe and raised questions about important issues. Yet I find all of these regularly when I watch Channel 4.

Channel 4, like all broadcasters, has its ups and downs- cricket and horse racing are boring. But on the whole, in the past decade it has led the way in quality terrestrial programming.

Keep up the good work, Channel 4! [ElBlogador.com]

America Unfree Will Never Be At Peace: Censorship Of The War In Iraq

In the first of my articles on contemporary America, I will look briefly at attitudes in that country towards the war in Iraq.

On this side of the Atlantic, the futility of war is remembered through the names of the fallen etched on granite cenotaphs located across these two islands. And in the USA, there are few more poignant reminders of war death than the massive Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC, which lists the tens-of-thousands troops who died in that conflict.

However, when it comes to the USA’s current occupation of Iraq, there is a lot less openness about death.

When TV anchor Ted Koppel announced in 2004 that he would read the names of the then 700 US war dead and show their pictures on his television programme, he was denounced by right-wingers for “undermining the war”. When the media attempted to show pictures of the coffins of dead troops returning home, the Bush administration banned them, and later barred photographers from funerals unless they had specific consent.

This shows what little respect the Bush government has for those who have laid down their lives in a war which is based on lies and falsehoods. Not only are they happy to send these young men to their deaths, but they won’t even afford them the dignity of recognition, instead attempting to cover-up the existence of their expiry for fear that it might prick the public conscience into realising that these people, and many others in Iraq, are dying for no good reason thanks to the whim of one man who didn’t even win the election which brought him to the White House in 2000.

In another move of censorship, several states have banned the use of dead soldiers’ names or likenesses for commercial gain- a similar federal bill is on its way thanks to a Democratic Representative from Oklahoma. This clear breach of the First Amendment to the US Constitution arose from the actions of Dan Frazier, who sells anti-war paraphernalia. Mr. Frazier produced a t-shirt a while back which was emblazoned with “Bush Lied… They Died” and the names of the then 1,700 dead US troops. The mother of one of those killed demanded that legislation be passed to stop such activity, and the right-wing politicians duly delivered in both Oklahoma and Louisiana.

They simply didn’t want the war personalised as it would hit home that REAL people are dying. It suits those in power to sanitise the campaign by drip-feeding the public anonymous statistics rather than giving them the hard evidence of how troops died or supplying their photos.

Simply stating that 2,600 American soldiers have died and 19,000 have been injured is much less likely to touch the emotions of the American people than photos of coffins being buried while grieving families look on, or images of injured soldiers lying in hospital beds with arms and legs blown off.

However, thankfully there is growing opposition to the illegal occupation of Iraq and the needless deaths of tens-of-thousands of people on all sides. As mentioned on El Blogador recently, Iraq-war-supporting Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman was defeated in the Connecticut primary by the anti-war challenger Ned Lamont. The dust had hardly settled on Lamont’s victory when bad-loser Lieberman said: “If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them, and they will strike again.” US Vice-President Dick Cheney added: “The thing that’s partly disturbing about it is the fact that, the standpoint of our adversaries, if you will, in this conflict, and the Al Qaeda types, they clearly are betting on the proposition that ultimately they can break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task.”

Now let’s be quite clear- the war in Iraq in not linked in any way WHATSOEVER to the so-called war on terror vis-à-vis Al Qaeda. The war on Iraq was based on the false premise that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction- there has been no links shown between his regime and Al Qaeda AT ALL.

Yet pro-war politicians link the September 11th 2001 attacks and everything associated with them to the Iraqi war in order to capitalise on the fear and paranoia of the public regarding possible future terrorist attacks like those on the twin towers. This is not only misleading, but it is sickening. They are using the genuine fear of the public over one problem (terrorism) to secure support for another problem (the faltering war in Iraq), meanwhile keeping them in a state of concern and pumping up the death toll in Iraq.

As seen with smear campaign against Lamont, they also play on the public’s fear of terror to attack those who dare criticise the war in Iraq, somehow promoting the idea that if someone does not support said war, they are somehow unpatriotic and friends of Al Qaeda. This is nothing short of blatant lies.

The deeper the American administration digs its hole, the harder it will be for the country to find its way out. Let us hope that there will be regime change in America in two years’ time.

Bush claimed he wanted to bring democracy to Iraq- it is time that democracy was brought to the people of America.

Addendum:

Links to some right-wing sites which show the attitude pro-war campaigners have towards those who dare to criticise the occupation of Iraq:

http://tinyurl.com/kh3cv
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/162154.php
http://www.israpundit.com/2006/?p=2254

Snow Patrol Support For Lisa Dorrian Campaign

I'm glad to see that rock band Snow Patrol is lending its support to the family of Lisa Dorrian in their campaign to find justice for the 25-year-old murder victim. The band will wear a ribbon at their concert tonight in Botanic Gardens, Belfast to highlight the family's plight.

Rock stars are in the unique position that people tend to listen to them on account of their popularity, and I'm quite sure that Snow Patrol are no exception. Some use that position to highlight important issues, such as the occupation of Tibet, whereas others are happy to sit in their ivory towers and do nothing.

Love him or loathe him, Bono is probably the most famous campaigner of recent years, highlighting issues as diverse as world poverty and the idiocy of IRA vioence (earning him the title 'little shit' from Gerry Adams- an accolade surely, given the source).

The Dorrian family, like so many others in the north of Ireland, have the right to know what happened to their loved one and see justice served. However, also like so many others, they have yet to see the fruits of that right.

Someone somewhere knows what happened to Lisa Dorrian. Whether Snow Patrol can help push that quest for justice forward remains to be seen, but they certainly will not do it any harm.

Kudos to Snow Patrol.

Victim Anger At Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald has stuck her foot in it again with a sickening repudiation of the plight of IRA victims. In the Irish Examiner, the Provo Parliamentarian claimed that people “understand the underlying reasons” for the Troubles and “know there are bigger questions to be asked of British state agencies” than the IRA.

Is that so, Mary Lou? So what exactly were the “underlying reasons” for the slaughter of innocent Catholics and Protestants on Bloody Friday, the murder of people in Enniskillen in 1987, or the kidnapping and execution of Jean McConville? As regards the British Government’s actions, there are indeed many questions that must be answered, but this does not offer an excuse for the provos to absolve themselves of guilt- although I draw no distinction between the religion (or lack thereof) of Troubles victims, it is always an interesting fact to remember that the Provisional Irish Republican Army killed more Catholics than any other organisation. So much for being the defenders of its people.

McDonald also claimed “I think there was a sense among some political commentators that, you know, it would be enormously damaging, whether it was to Toireasa [Ferris] or to me or to anybody else in the party, to just keep recycling the questions about the IRA. I don’t actually think it’s figured out that way because I think the people are at a much more advanced stage in terms of processing all of this in their heads.”

Really? So when the media attempts to highlight Sinn Féin’s efforts to brush provo paramilitary actions under the carpet and create a hierarchy of victims, they are doing it solely for their own political reasons and victims of the IRA do not share the same concerns? If this is the Sinn Féin attitude, then clearly they have no understanding of victims or their needs. Sinn Féin is asked about its attitude to IRA activity because Sinn Féin justifies IRA activity- it’s really quite simple. Such justification is unacceptable in a democratic society.

One victim of the IRA contacted El Blogador to highlight their anger at McDonald’s comments and to make quite clear that they DO NOT understand the reasons for the provos’ thirty year killing spree. They said that she should try saying to innocent victims what she said to the Examiner, as they are the people whose lives have been blighted by the Troubles, and added that they do not understand why they became a victim and have had to live in pain for years. They said that she should also try explaining what she said to children who have lost a parent at the hands of the provos.

The attitude of McDonald towards the rights and needs of victims illustrates perfectly the cavalier attitude which that party has towards the Troubles. Without an ounce of irony or embarrassment, they condemn activities by loyalists and the British Government, yet are happy to justify similar actions by their buddies (or themselves) under the guise of the IRA.

There was no justification for the killing or injury of innocent people. None.

America

Apologies for the inconsistency in my blogging lately- I was in America for the past few weeks. I paid a visit to New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and took a drive down the coast of California along Big Sur (superb, but not advisable if you're afraid of big drops contiguous to the roadside!)

I tend to go to the US about once a year- it's always interesting to observe the social and political climate over there. During my visit around the 4th July 2002, the first Independence Day after the 11th September attacks in 2001, there was a strong sense of patriotism, with copious amounts of American flags on display on front lawns and town squares. Although I visited later in the season this year, there was decidedly less overt display of pro-Americanism- perhaps the war in Iraq is beginning to take its toll.

One thing I did notice is the continued policy of the mainstream media to religiously follow the Bush admninistration line, and to invoke paranoia to help ensure the public does not question the policies of the American Executive. I also observed the ongoing perverse attempts by the Bush administration to blacken the name of anyone who isn't pro-Bush as 'anti-American', as if criticism of the President is unpatriotic per se. Surely it is incumbent upon those who are truly patriotic to the US to ensure that the constitutional freedoms of people in that country are preserved (e.g. through criticism of Guantanamo Bay) and that the integrity of the nation at home and abroad is maintained (such as through condemnation of the fallacious and illegal war in Iraq). The greatest threat to America is Bush himself.

In the coming weeks, I'll be writing some articles on the USA and how I see its current predicament.

George Bush- The Most Powerful Man In The World. Classy

Need I say more?

Real IRA- Go Away

So the 'Real' IRA burnt the Newry shops to the ground, we are told. I wonder how they would like it if people went and burnt down the places where they and their families earn a living. I wonder how they would like it if we led their young children out, stood them beside a car packed with explosives, and blew them to shreds, just as they did to innocent people at Omagh in 1998.

These people are idiots- they serve no purpose, and are doing everything in their power to retard progress towards a united Ireland. They are the enemies of the Irish people. Anyone who has any information on them must pass it to police immediately- this includes those in the provisional movement who recruited and trained many of these people in the first place and who know their identities.

Extend Democracy

The Green Party has called for the voting age to be lowered to 16 in the south.

This is a perfectly sensible and reasonable demand, and one which I have supported for quite some time. People can get married at 16. People can work and pay taxes at 16. Yet despite these responsibilities, people at that age cannot decide on the politicians who will make the laws which govern their lives. This is clearly anti-democratic.

The south is not alone in having supporters of the vote for 16-year-olds. The Manx Parliament passed a law in February which reduces the voting age to 16. In the UK, lobby group Votes At 16 is pursuing a campaign for a similar law to be introduced in this jurisdiction.

When opponents of lowing the voting age claim that young people “don’t know enough” or “can’t be trusted to vote wisely”, is smacks of the worst form of patronisation and conversely is more likely to reduce young peoples’ interest by turning them off the whole subject.

Indeed, what evidence is there to show that adults have any greater knowledge of politics or party policies? I would venture that I had a lot more understanding of politics at the age of 16 than most people who had reached the age of majority at the time. As regards the ability of adults to make informed choices, I could make a point about how recent elections here have gone, but that’s for a different day.

The British and Irish Governments should look seriously at the enfranchisement of 16-year-olds, and with it introduce a programme of civic education. Young workers’ taxes help pay for elections and government, so why shouldn’t they vote and have a say on who forms that government?

Newry Firebombers: Scum

So-called dissident 'republicans' have struck again, burning down a number of commercial premises in Newry. The Newry area has been ignored by the British administration for years, and the local economy is heavily dependent on such retail outlets- many, many people in the area rely on these shops providing them with employment.

Yet, the twisted logic of these scumbags has led them to the conclusion that a united Ireland will best be achieved by bombing these people onto the dole. How exactly does this work? A united Ireland needs to be successful, egalitarian and forward-looking. Actions such as this simply retard progress towards that goal.

While local activists are running projects such as the 'SDLP: A Greater Newry' campaign to secure jobs and investment for the area, these idiots are doing everything in their power to hurt the people of Newry and Mourne.

We must all unite to face down the thread these filthmongers pose.

The Revenge Of The Irish Speaker

A while back, Bairbre de Brún complained that she thought someone was arrested for speaking Irish. Well it seems the people of the Aran Island Gaeltacht have got their own back! Apparently you get fined more if you dump rubbish and speak English, than if you commit the same offence and speak Irish. Spotted on Donal's Blog.

America Swinging To The Left?

U.S. Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman has lost in the mid-term primaries in Connecticut to relative newcomer Ned Lamont. This may seem like a simple piece of internal Democratic Party house-keeping, but Lieberman has been in favour of George Bush Junior's 'War on Terror', and his defeat is being seen by many as a signal that opinion is shifting against American action in Iraq.

Many Democrats are unhappy at their elected representatives' closeness to the Republican party regarding the war. It will be interesting to see whether the Democrats move more towards an anti-war platform (as seen apparently in Connecticut), and indeed whether the voting public follows them.

The litmus test will come later this year- the mid-term elections will occur on 7th November, with 33 of the 100 Senate seats up for grabs. All 435 House of Representatives seats will be up for election.

Then we will see if the American voting public has seen sense and realised the error of its government's ways.

A Question Of Moral Choice

An Iranian student leader has died whilst on hunger strike. He was initially sentenced to death for his role in anti-government protests, but this was commuted to 15 years' imprisonment.

Ten Irish republican hunger strikers died 25 years ago at the Maze.

Iran's government sent a representative to Bobby Sands’ funeral and presented his mother with a plaque from the Iranian people. Iran’s capital city Tehran has a ‘Bobby Sands Street’, on which the British Embassy stands. It used to be called Winston Churchill Street. Danny Morrison said that by renaming the street in Sands’ honour, "they [the Iranian government] were honouring a martyr of the people."

Would those who are currently commemorating the 1981 hunger strikes support:

a) the Iranian government, a regime which permits the execution of unmarried children for ‘adultery’ and has imprisoned and tortured innumerable political activists, but which supported the 1981 hunger strikes, or

b) the latter-day ‘martyrs of the people’ i.e. the political activists of Iran, who find themselves in a not dissimilar, but altogether much more brutal and serious situation as Bobby Sands et al in 1981?

An Interesting Approach To Victims' Issues

El Blogador reader Donald Duck pointed me to this story in the Sunday Life. Perhaps the level of interest shown by the British Government towards victims as highlighted in this piece would explain their recent actions, such as the attempted introduction of On The Runs legislation, or funding for CRJ.

Is Community Restorative Justice Sinn Féin's New Policing Wing?

SDLP Newry and Armagh Assembly Member Dominic Bradley has set the record straight on the truth about Community Restorative Justice (CRJ). Backed up by a series of real cases, Mr. Bradley highlights how Sinn Fein are pushing CRJ as an alternative for policing. He also highlights the worries of vulnerable communities who do not want CRJ used as a form of paramilitary intimidation:

"JIM Auld of Community Restorative Justice (July 28) accuses the SDLP of having a ‘political agenda’ against Community Restorative Justice (CRJ).

In fact, the political agenda is Sinn Fein’s since they are behind setting up many CRJ groups as their own alternative police.

But don’t take our word for it.

Take the word of Sinn Fein human rights spokesperson Caitriona Ruane.

She let the cat out of the bag when she told The Mourne Observer that “Community Restorative Justice was recently launched in Downpatrick and is proving a minor success. In the coming months Sinn Fein plans to set up similar initiatives throughout south Down in order to offer a viable alternative to the PSNI.” (January 28 2004)

And she is not the only one.

Other Sinn Fein elected representatives have also said as much.

Now Sinn Fein gives out about ‘political policing’.

But here is Caitriona admitting that a political party, Sinn Fein, is behind setting up an alternative to the police service.

It’s Community Restorative Justice – Sinn Fein’s policing wing.

Now it’s true that CRJ invited an SDLP representative onto the board.

But when he wrote back asking for basic information about CRJ’s procedures, they never bothered responding.

And, contrary to what Jim says, there are many who have profound concerns about Sinn Fein’s CRJ.

The director of the Rape Crisis Centre has spoken out about CRJ.

She has stated publicly that “they’ve hampered cases by interfering with evidence which meant the perpetrators weren’t brought to court”.

The area coordinator for Foyle Women’s Aid has also been critical: “An ex-prisoner arriving at the door and threatening a man who is beating his wife can make things even worse. The CRJ person departs and the woman is left with a partner perhaps even angrier than before. In one case where CRJ was involved, the woman went on to commit suicide.”

Catherine McCartney has also stated that “there were 15 people involved in the murder of Robert and the cover-up. Some of those were active in CRJ.”

Further, she has made clear that some of the people involved in trying to set up CRJ in the Short Strand picketed the house of Robert’s fiancee Bridgeen in an attempt to intimidate her and her two small children out of her home.

Just last September a very senior member of CRJ was present when Jeff Commander was beaten savagely by an IRA mob – simply because he was a friend of Robert McCartney.

That CRJ man, who himself did time for a savage double murder, subsequently visited the Commander family on three occasions and asked if they would “accept mediation with the republican movement”.

The Commanders refused and insisted on their right to go to the police.

The IRA were so incensed with this that the Commanders were threatened and had to move from their home.

The Commanders subsequently wrote to CRJ head Jim Auld, drawing his attention to the fact that one of his senior CRJ colleagues had not given a statement to the police about what he witnessed.

Jim wrote back to say it was his right not to give a statement to the police.

In fact, it is a crime to withhold this information.

And the senior CRJ figure to this day refuses to give a statement implicating the IRA men involved.

There is another disturbing case from August 2000 when a number of republicans contacted The Sunday World alleging that a senior IRA man who was also a leading CRJ worker had abused two children.

The SDLP does not know if the allegations are true.

What we do know is that the police never got the allegations – despite Jim Auld telling The Sunday World at the time: “We have a clear understanding of what is required in cases like this. We contact Social Services about these matters and we know that Social Services contact the RUC. And we have no problem or difficulty with that.”

Reminded of the case late last year, Mr Auld stated of his colleague: “I haven’t heard that man’s name for years” and added that he had no idea where he was now.

Nor, presumably, do the police.

Jane Dorrian has also gone public about what happened to her at CRJ’s hands.

She was visited by two CRJ workers and told that if her paranoid schizophrenic son, who had been involved in anti-social behaviour, was seen again in the neighbourhood she would be put out of her home.

Other families have also gone public about being threatened with exile by CRJ.

The SDLP has received many other complaints.

But the people involved are simply too scared to speak out.

They range from CRJ intervening in planning disputes to CRJ workers telling people that there were paramilitary death threats against them to scare them into attending CRJ meetings.

A feature common to many is CRJ again and again backing the Provos in local disputes.

Which leads us to ask: does CRJ take the IRA’s definition of a crime?

Does CRJ – like Mitchel McLaughlin and Gerry Adams – believe that shooting a mother of 10 in the head is not a crime if the IRA authorises it?

Jim accuses us of raising these matters to ingratiate ourselves with the British Government.

But when was the last time anybody heard a British minister talking about any of these cases publicly?

They don’t – because they don’t really care.

They are too busy doing side deals with both the DUP and Sinn Fein, regardless of the cost to the rights of people on the ground.

Meanwhile, the dangers inherent in a political party having a policing wing are ignored.

That is precisely why the SDLP has been so loud about CRJ.

We are determined to embarrass the British government into providing decent human rights protections.

Tony Blair would never state fund groups that behaved like this in his constituency.

It would not be good enough for his children.

So why should nationalists have to accept less?

Aren’t we all entitled to the same human rights protections?"

DOMINIC BRADLEY MLA
Letter published in the Irish News, 1/8/06.

The CRJ image used with this post was produced by El Blogador, and is a parody of an original poster used by Sinn Féin against the PSNI. All rights recognised.

Voting Under Way In The Fews

The by-election in the Fews DEA of Newry and Mourne District Council is under way at the minute. It was caused by the resignation of the incumbent Sinn Féin councillor Breandan Lewis, with unionists objecting to a co-option in his place.

The candidates are Turlough Murphy of Sinn Féin and Willie Frazer of FAIR.

The SDLP is boycotting the election in protest at the waste of ratepayers' money which it will cause. There was no need for Lewis to resign, and there was no need for the unionists to veto the co-option. All of Sinn Féin's councillors and several SDLP councillors are currently embroiled in a court case involving none other than Frazer himself. If the councillors lose, they may be forced to resign en masse. The SDLP is confident in the decision its councillors took at the time- clearly Sinn Féin does not have such belief in its councillors, hence the resignation and attempted co-option.

The last by-election in Newry and Mourne took place in the Crotlieve DEA in 2003, with the SDLP defeating Sinn Féin to retain its seat.

Slugger O'Toole And The Teletubbies

Has anyone noticed that Slugger O'Toole now redirects to the BBC's Teletubbies website? Methinks there is a hacker in the machine...

Update: Everything seems back in order now :)

Is Fidel Castro Dead?

The Cuban President Fidel Castro has handed over power to his brother Raul, a move which is reminiscent of the nepotistic communism of North Korea.

Castro’s personal secretary read a statement on TV which had been written by the president. It said he had undergone surgery to halt internal bleeding, and that his brother would take control of the country to stop the Americans taking advantage of the situation.

The fact that such a move has taken place, the first such incident since Castro seized power in 1959, has led some to speculate that he is already dead, and the transition of power to his defence minister brother is part of a choreographed move to ensure a smooth change at the helm.

Miguel Saavedra, who is the leader of a conservative Cuban group in exile, said: “Castro is dead... why is he dead? Because the government they give a lot of information to the whole world that Castro passed his power to the brother ... this news now is the best news... for 48 years.”

Of course, Mr. Saavedra has an axe to grind, so it may be more wishful thinking than cold analysis on his part. After all, it isn’t the first time Castro has suffered a health scare- in 2001, he fainted briefly during a speech, and in 2004 he slipped and broke his knee and fractured his arm.

However, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Havana says that something serious is happening, and this may be a major turning point for Cuba.

The news section of the English language version of the official Cuban government website isn’t currently functioning, so it will be up to the newswires to keep us informed. It will be interesting to see what developments unfold in coming days.