THE INEVITABILITY OF SECTARIAN COLLISION .
GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , the tough-talking Scotsman and self-proclaimed "honest bigot" from the Shankill Road , is a DUP member of both Belfast City Council and the Northern Assembly . He is also the politician most closely associated with the Loyalist paramilitaries .
He believes that the rise of Sinn Fein has made an armed confrontation between the forces of Loyalism and Republicanism inevitable .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , May 1984 .
The importance of the UWC strike for George Seawright was that it showed that Northern Ireland's (sic) Loyalists had a veto on British government moves to push them towards a united Ireland ; now , he says , the British government is negotiating with Dublin over Loyalist heads , while the rise of Sinn Fein must force them into a "... drastic re-appraisal of their whole situation . "
George Seawright believes there are now two kinds of Unionists : " Those who believe that as the Provisional Republican Movement becomes stronger there is no political solution , and therefore don't expect their political leaders to deliver the goods ; and those who hope agains hope , believing blindly that somehow the political leaders will deliver and we'll have a peaceful solution . "
He thinks Sinn Fein will overtake the SDLP and become the main representatives of Northern nationalists at next year's local government elections . He goes on : " Throughout the 1970's many Loyalists believed that the Provisionals are going to become the undisputed spokesmen for the Nationalist community . Faced with this Provisional onslaught , faced with a philosophy that believes there is no accommodation for Protestants , the Protestants must obviously see themselves as a people with their backs to the sea , and must see that their right to exist is going to be threatened by those who are legitimately supported by the majority of the Nationalist community . "
He has little faith in the ability of the Northern Ireland (sic) Assembly to do anything about this trend , other than "...putting forward its verbal opposition to events .. " .......
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THE IRA HAS TO DO WHAT THE IRA HAS TO DO .......
The Sinn Fein electoral wagon is slowing down . As a result , the IRA is likely to begin stepping up its war against the Northern State . GENE KERRIGAN reports from Belfast and also interviews Sinn Fein's DANNY MORRISON on the party's recent successes and failures .
From ' MAGILL ' magazine , September 1984.
Danny Morrison , Director of Publicity for Sinn Fein , interviewed ;
DM : " The public and supporters just don't blindly accept everything that the IRA does , and at times they will probably register some form of disapproval , either withdrawing support or by not voting for Sinn Fein .
Most republicans can understand , sympathise with , operations where Crown Forces or people connected with the establishment are clearly the identified targets - but where an operation goes wrong , there is a tendency there , it actually hurts the IRA and the only way it's tangible is probably through hurting Sinn Fein electorally .
Having said that , I think there's very little room for the IRA to lower its range , so to speak . I don't think the IRA has that much manoeuvrability and therefore I think we just have to live with the fact that there's always going to be this apparent contradiction . But I still think that our contradictions are less than the contradictions facing the SDLP , for example , attempting to sell a constitutional approach to reunification (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ...and what , now , of Provo Sinn Fein 'contradictions' re constitutionalism ?) , and the contradictions which the Dublin government faces . Everybody has contradictions , but I think those between the armalite and the ballot box is slight in comparison . (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ...so "slight" , in fact , that the former was eclipsed by the latter , in a move which Morrison himself supported !)
If the voters who went to John Hume because they perceived the SDLP to be under threat from Sinn Fein remain with the SDLP , and even if we go on increasing our support , largely from new people going on the register , young people , it could well be that we will not overtake the SDLP in the forseeable future ... " .......
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THE INTERROGATION OF STEPHEN MOORE . .
On 11 July 1986 , Stephen Moore , from Clones in County Monaghan , accepted £25,000 plus costs to settle an action out of court .
He had sued 'Ireland' and the Attorney General for injuries he had received in garda custody in Monaghan Garda Station in March 1983 .
In that same year , John Milne received £51,900 for injuries sustained at the hands of two named gardai in that same garda station . He was also awarded costs .
Despite the fact that more than £75,000 has been paid out as a result of garda activity in Monaghan Garda Station , no garda has been charged with a criminal offence . In fact , some of the gardai who were accused have been promoted .
Stephen Moore was born and reared in Andersonstown , Belfast , and the family lived there until 1975 . Then , largely due to a desire to bring the children up outside that city , they moved to Cavan .
Stephen's father got a job as a supervisor in a factory in Cootehill ; Stephen did his Inter Cert and got a job with Cavan Crystal . In 1979 , the family moved again , this time to Clones , in County Monaghan . Stephen Moore continued to work with Cavan Crystal , becoming a qualified crystal glass cutter . But he was laid off in August 1982 .
By 12 March 1983 , he had spent about six months on the dole . Six months later , he got another job in a factory in Cootehill , making steam and hydraulic hoses . On the morning of 12 March , he got up around eleven o'clock and cycled into Clones - it was a journey of about a quarter of a mile . He talked to several people , bought milk and a newspaper , and cycled to his home , literally yards away from the border .
He was back home by 12.15 PM ; his parents left for Lisnaskea to do the weekend shopping a while after that . That was at about 12.30 PM . Later that afternoon , he played snooker with a friend in Clones , bought a pair of shoes , and visited another friend on a local housing estate . He got home about 6 PM . His snooker-playing friend was with him . Mrs Moore had the tea ready ; as both men sat down to eat , two carloads of gardai pulled up outside . They had a search warrant for the Moore home .
Stephen Moore and his father escorted the gardai around the house for about half an hour .......
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