Priorities

PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde has sent a rant e-mail around his staff complaining that he didn't like what the SDLP and Sinn Féin had to say after the publication of Nuala O'Loan's collusion findings. Apparently he found it "unacceptable" that they went so far in their criticism of the police. Really? How exactly is it possible to "go too far" in one's criticism when one is faced with state murder?

The SDLP, and hopefully Sinn Féin now too, have no problem with the rank-and-file officers of the current PSNI. The problem lies with those who handed carte blanche to terrorists to kill at will in the not-so-distant past. Orde himself accepted O'Loan's findings, so what exactly is his problem?

It is quite clear that the way in which Special Branch was run equates to nothing short of downright depravity. Orde has to decide whether he is going to err on the side of righteousness and accept that collusion happened and recognise that a lot of people are angry, or on the side of those who wish to pretend that collusion never existed and who want to stifle investigations to uncover the truth.

Will Sinn Féin Suffer From Voter SHITE?

There is much talk of dissident republicans challenging Sinn Féin in the forthcoming assembly elections, but with the exception of ex-SF MLA and councillor Davy Hyland and possibly right-wing Catholic fundamentalist Gerry McGeough, it seems unlikely that the rag-tag of anti-provos will score any success in terms of winning seats.

However, possibly a bigger threat to Sinn Féin is the cloud of voter abstention which may envelop their electoral campaign i.e. former Sinn Féin voters who don’t feel any particular affiliation to dissident republicans, but who have become disillusioned with provos and will decide not to bother voting at all this time.

This threat to Sinn Féin’s chances can be described as Voter SHITE (Staying at Home Ignoring The Election).

This is not an unprecedented phenomenon, and is one which the SDLP has suffered since the turn of the century. For instance, by the late-1990s the two main nationalist parties combined were polling well in excess of 300,000 votes between them. However, while Sinn Féin’s number of votes continued to rise, the SDLP’s dropped by an even bigger margin- naturally some switched to Sinn Féin from the SDLP, but a significant number of erstwhile SDLP supporters simply stopped voting altogether. This is reflected in the fact that the total number of voters for the two parties combined dropped well below 300,000 for a couple of elections this millennium, only barely exceeding that number in 2005.

While it remains to be seen if the SDLP can claw back the votes it has lost to disinterest, the challenge for Sinn Féin is to avoid suffering the same problem. Indeed, a lethal combination for the provos would be a mix of votes lost to dissidents, the SDLP regaining some of its lost voters from the ether, and voter apathy from previous Sinn Féin voters- if this eventuality comes to pass, it could turn the tables significantly within nationalism. Of course, there is a lot of ifs and buts involved, but it should make for an interesting election on 7th March.

Will the SHITE hit the fan for Sinn Féin? It remains to be seen.

A Strike For Democracy

I’m delighted to hear that Peter Hain is taking action to permit those over the age of 18 to stand for election to Stormont. Currently candidates have to be over 21 to put themselves forward.

It’s incongruous that someone of 18 could buy a house, pay rates and taxes, get married, vote and basically do everything else their fellow adults do, yet they have been unable to engage in the very core of democracy by being barred from standing in elections.

Credit must also go to West Belfast teenager Seán Mitchell who had threatened to sue the British Government over the bar on him standing for election on an anti-water charges ticket.

There is also an argument that the franchise itself could be extended to the over-16s- that’s a separate issue of course, and naturally we will get those who will complain that people of that age ‘don’t understand politics’ but considering the electoral choices many so-called adults here have made down through the years, it’s hard to sustain such an ageist argument!

Classifieds

[Note to readers: yes this is a mock-up]

Good Policing For Slow Learners

So finally, after great drama and much wooing of the rank-and-file of the party by its leadership, Sinn Féin has finally bitten the bullet (no pun intended) and apparently agreed to engage in the Patten structures and support policing. Of course, this was done purely for political purposes as Adams and McGuinness realised that they were badly lagging behind the progressive position of nationalist Ireland. It must be realised that joining the Policing Board and District Policing Partnerships does not mean congratulating the police at every opportunity regardless of their performance- we'll leave that blinkered fawning for unionist politicians looking back through rose, white and blue tinted spectacles at their beloved but deceased RUC- but rather it means supporting the elements of policing that work, and forcing changes to policing where it is needed. This can be done better with both the SDLP and Sinn Féin on board. Sinn Féin makes a lot of the fact that the Policing Board approved the purchase of more plastic bullets, but the public see through the smoke and mirrors and know that this would have been a lot less likely if Sinn Féin has signed up earlier and supported the SDLP in blocking the move.

SDLP Leader Mark Durkan said today’s decision by the Ard Fheis raises hopes that Sinn Féin will now sign on for policing and that this would be matched by the DUP committing to restoration and powersharing.

He said: "Sinn Féin's decision vindicates the SDLP. As with so much else in the peace process, Sinn Féin is coming late to the SDLP position. They now need to sign with no ifs or buts. As Gerry Adams now accepts, nationalist areas need policing. That’s why it makes no sense to wait until the DUP accepts the devolution of justice.

"Equally, if Sinn Féin is serious about devolution, waiting until the governments announce Plan B makes no sense.

"The safety of nationalists is best delivered and the chances of restoration are best secured by accepting policing now and without any further delay.

"Any other strategy would leave Ian Paisley deciding when nationalist areas are to be policed. It would also make it easy for the DUP to walk away and refuse to share power."

So the time has come for Sinn Féin to step up the mark and help the SDLP make policing work- not to placate Ian Paisley, but because the nationalist people of the north deserve it.

Nights Out, Belfast Style

As regular readers will know, I sometimes write restaurant reviews. So when I was flicking through today's Belfast Telegraph and came across this letter about the Box nightclub at the Odyssey, I thought there was no reason not to reprint it on El Blogador under some sort of 'entertainment' remit:

"I am writing to express my disgust at the way my friends and myself were treated by two female door staff at the Box nightclub at Belfast's Odyssey last Saturday.

It was my friend's 24th birthday and we stood in the queue for 40 minutes. When we got to the door they herded us off to the side. At first we thought that they wanted to check our ID, as did a lot of other people who had been herded off in this manner. However, when my friend asked a female member of the door staff what was going on, she retorted: "You are not the type of people we want in this club."

I do understand that clubs have the right to refuse admission, but my friends and myself are either professionals or students. None of us had had a drink and we were all well dressed.

I think that the door staff were operating a policy of age and size discrimination. Two girls ahead of us were also refused admission. They were also well dressed, not intoxicated, although slightly overweight.

Staff appeared to be admitting slim 18-year-olds of the Jodie Marsh school of fashion. They were dressed in very little, whereas my friends and I had our big winter coats on, as it is January.

The Box should remember that it is a club in Belfast and not Studio 54, Modvida or China White. I didn't see WAGs or footballers in the queue.

I also witnessed one man being shoved out of the queue by the bouncer when he dared to ask why he wasn't getting in.

Frankly, I feel the door staff need to learn manners and respect.

VICTORIA GILLESPIE Belfast."

Now I've never been to the Box myself, and have no intention of going, but my brother went a few weeks back and suffice to say, his impression of the class of clientele concurs with Ms. Gillespie's letter. As the price of alcohol licences goes through the roof in Belfast, pub and club owners are looking to squeeze every penny from punters- this usually involves creating the impression that their respective hostelries are something above and beyond your average drinking hole, and likewise bumping up the cost of entry and drinks. But alongside this effort to make their places appear 'upmarket', many seem to have fallen under the misapprehension that short-skirted, orange-skinned, bleached-haired bimbos constitute 'class'. Now I don't mind a bit of eye candy like any fella, but not when it's to the detriment of 'normal' people who resultingly can't get entry to places thanks to idiotic door policies, or indeed if it drains every ounce of atmosphere from the venue by virtue of the fact that the only people in the place are braindead, self-obsessed millies.

Message to the Box- catch yourselves on!

1986 Ard Fheis

I came across this video on YouTube featuring a bit of footage from the 1986 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis during which the party split over the issue of abstention.

The Noose Tightens

Despite attempts by the British Government and unionist politicians to ignore the enormity of what was contained in the Police Ombudsman's report into collusion in north Belfast, there is growing pressure for those who handed the UVF a carte blanche to murder to be held to account.

In parliament today, SDLP leader Mark Durkan used parliamentary privilege to name three former police chiefs, Chris Albiston, Raymond White and Freddie Hall, as those who failed to fully cooperate with Nuala O'Loan's investigation. Meanwhile, there have been growing demands for a full investigation into what went on, and both Sinn Féin and the SDLP have called for former head of Special Branch and the RUC Ronnie Flanagan to be sacked from his current job of Inspector of Constabularies, and to be stripped of his police pension.

However, like a wind-up toy, Ian Paisley Jr.'s reaction was sickeningly predictable to the report, and after today's Policing Board meeting he made a futile attempt to dismiss O'Loan's findings. Likewise, the irrelevant Ken Maginnis of the Ulster Unionists staged the comedy performance of 2007 on Spotlight when he failed to address the issues raised in O'Loan's report, instead attacking her and her staff. In case he doesn't know, she is a trained solicitor and was a senior law lecturer, so I'd pretty much guess she knows what she's talking about.

Key among the Holocaust Deniers' claims is that there is no evidence for the allegations levelled at Special Branch- if they'd bothered to read the report, they would have realised that one of the key problems is that evidence was destroyed!

Thankfully, some Ulster Unionists displayed a bit of cop-on, with their Policing Board members having to concede that O'Loan's report was clear and could not be disputed. However, fellow Policing Board member Dawn Purvis, who has been elected leader of the UVF-aligned PUP, has refused to meet Raymond McCord. Mr. McCord was the person who lodged the complaint which launched the investigation after hisn son was murdered by the UVF/ RUC. Meanwhile, unionists MLAs have blocked attempts by Sinn Féin and the SDLP to debate the Ombudsman's findings at Stormont- what have they to worry about from discussion unless they fear there is something to hide?

If this sort of thing happened anywhere else in the world, there would be outrage. Imagine the consternation if it were discovered that the Met had paid BNP members and let them kill black people systematically for a lengthy period of time- it would be an international scandal. But as far as RUC collusion is concerned, Britain couldn't care less so long as it's just a load of paddys killing each other (irrespective of their religion). It is imperitive that decent people of all religions and political backgrounds put massive pressure on the authorities in Ireland and Britain and demand that the full truth be exposed.

Those who have a vested interest in the truth being hidden will throw everything they have at blocking the exposure of the true facts behind collusion- their efforts represent the most base, disgusting and repulsive characteristics of humanity and must be counteracted at every turn.

Everyone in the north deserves to know the full facts behind the Troubles. As I have said before, those who have nothing to be ashamed of should have nothing to hide. Let us get everything out in the open and people can decide for themselves what they make of it all. El Blogador

SDLP For The Future

Congratulations to SDLP Youth member Matthew McDermott, who has become the youngest councillor in Ireland. The SDLP last night co-opted the 21-year-old onto Lisburn City Council. Matthew takes the seat left vacant by Patricia Lewsley, who became Childrens' Commissioner earlier this month.

Speaking after his co-option Cllr McDermott said: “I am delighted and honoured to take my place on the council as an SDLP representative. I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor Patricia Lewsley who worked tirelessly to promote a spirit of equality in the council chamber. She also fought hard for her constituents. I intend to do the same. As a young person from the Dunmurry area I am well aware of the concerns, needs and hopes of the community. In the coming weeks I will be raising a number of priority issues which I will be addressing in council including housing, under investment, and job training programmes for the area.

"There is much work to be done and the council is the forum to push much of this work through. I look forward to working with my colleagues Brian Heading and Peter O’Hagan in providing a strong, united, nationalist voice on the council." El Blogador

Irish Blog Awards

It's that time of year again, and the Irish Blog Awards are rolling around. Nominations are about to close, so if the notion takes you, you may wish to nominate a certain blog for whatever categories you see fit (not that I would be trying to influence anyone...) The form is here:
http://awards.ie/nominations/

Don't forget to provide a real e-mail address, or else your nominations will be void.

RUC/ UVF Collusion:The Truth Exposed

It will come as no surprise that Nuala O’Loan is to report that RUC Special Branch colluded with loyalist terrorists to enable the slaughter of people here. According to the Police Ombudsman, Special Branch handed Mount Vernon UVF in North Belfast carte blanche to do whatever they pleased, including murder.

For years unionist politicians tried to tell us that the RUC was whiter than white and it was ludicrous to suggest that they could do anything wrong- of course the rest of us knew otherwise. In fact, even now blinkered unionists such as Ken Maginnis are claiming that O’Loan’s investigation is a ‘witch hunt’- what is his problem? Does he think that O’Loan is lying? Does he not believe that if murder was committed, those involved should be brought to justice? Does he think that cover-ups help anyone except murderers and their RUC accomplices? Like I said when the provos attempted to get their buddies in the British Government to pass the abominable On-The-Runs legislation, if people have nothing to hide or be ashamed about then they should have nothing to worry about if the truth comes out. Only those with blood on their hands should wish for the truth to be hidden.

Thankfully, despite what some backwoodsmen would say, policing has changed immeasurably- Special Branch has been scaled back to the point of non-existence and now people have a real way of having their grievances addressed through the office of the Police Ombudsman. Apologies such as that received by Eugene Reavey, and the very existence of this report into collusion, illustrate that policing has changed completely. While work still needs to be done in terms of actual crime detection and prosecution of criminals, organisationally the PSNI and the current accountability regime is a million miles from the dark days of the quasi-paramilitary policing under the RUC.

It is imperative for the dirty truth to be revealed about all Troubles-related activity, whether it involved paramilitaries, security forces, or both. El Blogador

Time For An All-Ireland Football Team

Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern is putting forward the eminently sensible idea that the two international football teams in Ireland should merge. Ireland as a nation is small enough population-wise already without reducing its ability to compete internationally in football by splitting the pool of talent in two.

The fact remains that it shouldn’t in theory present any problem for the IFA- after all, they were originally the football association of all-Ireland. Likewise for the FAI, a merger would enable talented footballers from across the island to join together in one strong team. As a compromise, there is nothing to say they cannot be headquartered dually in Belfast and Dublin- or perhaps we could have the national stadium in one city and the headquarters in the other one.

The success of the Ireland rugby team, which organises on an all-island basis, shows what can be achieved. Practically every sport is organised in the form of a single team for the whole island, except football- it’s time to bring back the 32-county national team which we can all support. El Blogador

Justice For The Reaveys

The area around Whitecross and Kingsmills is among the most beautiful places in Ireland, but in the middle of the 1970s the area was soaked in blood. The night before ten Protestant workmen were slaughtered by the IRA at Kingsmills in the largest sectarian killing in south Armagh since the Altnaveigh Massacre, a security force/ UVF murder gang gunned down three members of the Reavey family in their house at Whitecross. Not only were John Martin, Brian and Anthony Reavey slain, but a vicious whispering campaign following the murders spread the false rumour that they were in the IRA, and the family suffered terrible security force harrassment. To top it all, in 1999 Ian Paisley used the cowardly cover of parliamentary privilege to accuse the victims' brother Eugene of being in the IRA.

Thankfully Eugene has received an apology from the Historical Enquiries Team for the scandalous treatment his family received from several government bodies following the murders, although we still await the full truth to be revealed regarding collusion in the murders. Meanwhile, the family still hasn't received an apology from Paisley for his sickening display at Westminster. Newry and Armagh MLA Dominic Bradley demanded an apology, saying: "The Reavey family had suffered at the hands of loyalist murderers, losing three brothers in their prime. Their suffering was made worse by the despicable whispering campaign and security force harassment which they were subject to following the murders. It is unacceptable that they have had to wait 31 years for the record to be set straight. Ian Paisley colluded in this whispering campaign against the family under the protection of parliamentary privilege- he too should do the right thing, and withdraw his remarks and apologise to the family."

If Ian Paisley had any decency he would retract his accusations and apologise. This is a heartbreaking story of suffering endured by the Reavey family- Ian Paisley might be styling himself as soon-to-be First Minister, but his actions in the recent past continue to rub salt in the wounds of this family. The pain that Paisley has caused down the years is still etched heavily in the hearts and minds of the nationalist community- it is time he started to rectify this, and a full apology to the Reaveys would be the perfect place to begin. El Blogador

Big Brother Racism Row: Spot The Difference

Some commentators have claimed that the triumvirate of oxen in the Big Brother house are spouting rubbish not because they are racist, but because they are insecure about themselves. What? Surely not! Have a look at the Spot the Difference below and decide for yourself:

Provo Policing Pantomime

Sinn Féin is running a series of 'public meetings' (or more accurately, pointless talking shops which will have no influence on a decision which has already been taken by its leadership) prior to the special policing Ard Fheis at the end of the month. Presumably anyone can go, so here are the dates:

Saturday 20th - Arby's, Toome, at 2pm
Saturday 20th - Galbally, County Tyrone at 6pm
Sunday 21st - Newcastle Centre at 6.30pm
Monday 22nd - Canal Court Hotel, Newry at 7pm
Tuesday 23rd - Slieve Russell, Ballyconnell at 7.00pm
Wednesday 24th - Devinish Complex, Belfast at 8pm
Thursday 25th - Millennium Centre, Derry at 7pm.

Nice venues- clearly the 'revolution' has moved from attacking plush hotels to attacking dissent inside plush hotels. But then it must be borne in mind that provos are now accustomed to such high living, given the first class treatment they receive from British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Chequers- after all, one must be in comfortable accommodation when one is jettisoning one's 'principles'. Still, better late than never... El Blogador

Another Good Reason For A Nationalist To Blog

Of course we all know that the nationalist analysis of the political situation is correct, and thus blogging as a nationalist is morally worthy and righteous, but comments such as the one below (which appeared in response to my Irish Presidential Elections post in December) simply make the case for running sites such as El Blogador even stronger, even if only to irritate such fools:

Andrew said...
Maybe as a new years resolution, all you sundry plastic fenian micks should promise to butt out of internal British affairs in loyal Ulster and bugger off you your dear oul oireland!!
Or maybe you're not satisfied with simply potatoes and paedo-priests??

08 January, 2007 22:43

Correct me if I'm wrong, but how is it possible to 'bugger off' from Ulster to Ireland, when Ulster is in Ireland? Anyway, why would I want to bugger off from Ulster, nay, why should I? And regarding his 'paedo-priests' comment, has he ever heard of Kincora? El Blogador.com

The Levee Breaks

After a period of relative inactivity, The Levee Breaks is back with a vengeance. 'Mr. Levee' is now seeking contributors to his site from all sections of the political spectrum. If you're interested, more details can be found here. El Blogador.

Exposed: The Provos Welcome The British Secret Service To Ireland With Open Arms

It was going to take some doing, but finally Provisional Sinn Fein has topped its hitherto greatest public act of collusion (the failed OTR legislation) by endorsing the British Government's plans to install MI5 as an unaccountable secret police force in the north. Comically, Sinn Fein has claimed that MI5 will be kept in check by the PSNI- this is the very same PSNI which they still refuse to support and whom they accuse of 'Political Policing'! Apart from that, even an earthworm with learning difficulties knows that MI5 is a law unto itself which does what it wants and can be held to account by no one - that's real political policing.

The British Government/ Sinn Fein move effectively confirms that MI5 will be getting primacy for national security and an enlarged role and does nothing to give the Police Ombudsman power to investigate the British Secret Service in the north. Sinn Fein has handed MI5 carte blanche to set up and operate here in any manner they see fit.

Gerry Kelly's rather lame set of excuses for Sinn Fein's lamentable journey up the backside of Tony Blair included: “If you go and ask someone over in London their view of MI5, they might tell you that MI5 is unaccountable there as well.” That may well be true, but it doesn't make it right. Plus, any Irish nationalist or republican worth their salt will know that the British Security Services have absolutely no comprehension of or empathy with the situation here, which makes Kelly's comparison of the north of Ireland with London all the more bizarre. Is he suggesting Belfast is as British as Finchley?

The fact is that the only body that will be able to 'investigate' complaints against MI5 is the Investigatory Complaints Tribunal. Of course, what the British Government/ Sinn Fein don't tell us is that of the 380 complaints this body has received from 2000 to 2004, it has not upheld a single one- not only that, but not once have reasons been given. Plus, while anybody who has been subjected to surveillance can bring a complaint, victims of terrorism or collusion cannot.

Of course, part of the Sinn Fein/ British Government deal includes provision for Lord Carlile to carry out 'reviews' of MI5's role in the north (I didn't realise a republican party would be happy to see such a role for an unelected British Peer). What they don't mention is that he will only be looking into what is going on once a year, he will not be investigating complaints, and ultimately he will be powerless. Crucially, what they also do not say is that MI5 won’t have to share any information with him if they don’t want to, or that Carlile himself believes that 90-day detention is "sensible", wants the UK to introduce legislation conforming with George Bush's Patriot Act, and has supported no-jury Diplock Courts in the north for each of the last five years.

Following a meeting which the SDLP demanded with Security Minister Paul Goggins, Leader Mark Durkan stated: “We warned the British Government that their plans for an MI5 takeover were damaging to stability here and that we could not agree with them.

“Like the On the Run legislation, the British Government and Sinn Fein are colluding to cover up the truth about MI5.

“Gerry Kelly says that yesterday’s statement is “a very major step closer” to getting MI5 out of the north. But the truth about the Blair/Adams statement was confirmed by Paul Goggins: He confirmed that MI5 are taking over intelligence policing. He confirmed that it will include domestic terrorism. He confirmed that Nuala O’Loan will not be able to investigate MI5.

“He also confirmed that the SDLP had not signed up to Annex E of St. Andrews – contrary to what Sinn Fein has said. None of this is a reason for Sinn Fein to refuse to sign up to policing. They owe it to victims of crime to do so. But they also owe it to the public, especially victims to collusion, to be honest about what MI5 is up to and to join with us in opposing it.

“We have no desire to make things difficult for Sinn Fein. We have never made it hard for people to do what is right. But we won’t let them – or the British Government – cover up what is wrong.”

The fact is that Provisional Sinn Fein has shamefully and trasonously sold the people of the north down the river in order to taste power. But then again, some would argue that they are just rubber-stamping the role which their political masters have operated for years. The people of Ireland will not judge them kindly. [El Blogador]

Watch Your Back: Watch Your Bank!

As regular readers of El Blogador are probably aware, I'm not averse to criticising the uber-capitalism of banks and credit card companies, so suffice to say that when a letter from my bank arrived at my house informing me that I had been charged £25 for going overdrawn I was ready for ructions. The funny thing was though that the letter referred to an account which I rarely use any more, hence the fact that there was very little money in it and only a small overdraft facility, so I fired up the laptop and logged into my account online to see what the story was. I noticed a few strange looking transactions that had taken place in one day in the mouth of Christmas, so decided to give the bank a buzz. After enquiring as to whether I had been in Bangkok lately, they confirmed that someone in Thailand had been helping themselves to my money.

Now, I was aware of bank fraud and would be very careful how I use my cards, but the fact that I never use that account any more made the revelations all the more worrying. How the hell did they get my details?! Luckily the bank agreed to refund the charges as well as the money which had been stolen, which only happened to be about 200 quid.

Anyway, it just shows that you need to keep an eye on your account, lest someone is relieving you of your hard earned cash! El Blogador

Search Engine Optimisation

category you are nominated: Best Blog; Best Post; Most Humorous Post; Best Political Blog; Best Designed Blog
your blog’s topic or niche: Irish Nationalist politics, northern politics
your target audience: people interested in politics in Northern Ireland
how long you’ve been blogging: since September 2005
how old is your domain: it's on Blogspot, but I also own elblogador.com since November 2005
the names/URLs of a few other sites, competitors or friends, in your niche: Slugger O'Toole, Balrog, Skinflicks, United Irelander, Dossing Times, Irish Election

http://www.redcardinal.ie/marketing/11-02-2007/search-engine-optimisation/

Ideals: Get more hits, increase return traffic.

Thanks!