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 .
George Seawright (DUP) sees the Northern Assembly as being kept in existence to play a very different role : " What's going to happen in the future is that Loyalists are going to have to take care of events themselves , and the more areas they take over , the stronger they will be . ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - "...take care of events ... take over areas ..." - so Westminster is to be 'obeyed' only when it suits the Loyalists to do so !)
Loyalists have pointed out that if they could ever be in a strong enough position to operate from Stormont , give orders from Stormont , then they would be in a very strong position indeed , the position of a provisional government . The 1980's will see those who desire and believe that they can bring victory about through the democratic process , through standing for election and holding office , exhaust themselves . "
One of the problems of Unionist politicians , George Seawright claims , is that the British government has increasingly seen them as "... a pack of bluffers .. " . He believes , for example , that if the British had called the Unionist bluff in 1912 and made the North go along with Irish Home Rule , the Northern Unionist people would have split : " The hard-line , working-class people would have taken up the gun and fought , but I believe the middle-class and upper-class leadership would probably have defected and taken themselves off .
They were quite happy as long as it was a bluff , as long as it did'nt cost them anything . "
Thus he sees the Unionist political leadership in the 1980's eventually having to face a choice ; they can recognise that "... there is nothing more to be gained through the democratic process to maintain the Protestant position in Northern Ireland (sic) , and bow out . Or they can sit down with the leadership of the entire Loyalist community and say how exactly are we going to react , and what exactly are we going to do .
And , if it's a case of bluffing then that bluff is going to be called and that bluff's going to be defeated ....... " .......
(MORE LATER).
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.
' MAGILL ' magazine : " The involvement in electoral politics was paralleled by the rise of a new leadership in Sinn Fein : young , leftwing , Northern . While accepting the change , some of the older generations such as Ruairi O Bradaigh and Daithi O Conaill made no secret of their disapproval . Has the election setback affected that division ? "
Danny Morrison : " No . I mean nobody is questioning the correctness of the electoral intervention . We did'nt improve on our percentage share of the vote - that has'nt added grist to the mill , that has'nt strengthened a non-existent opposition to the policy of the Movement - it just does'nt exist . ( ' 1169.... ' Comment - ....a few years after those comments , when opposition started to be expressed in a louder voice , those 'voices' were 'side-lined' and 'new members' [ie 'paper- Cumann'] were introduced to 'fill the gap' in the organisations structure.]
And therefore , nobody suspects that myself or Gerry Adams or Martin Mcguinness or any of these people who have a public profile , there's no room for doubt for one minute exactly what we believe in . ( '1169 ... ' Comment - ...true enough ; " No room for doubt... " at all !) So there's no fears there . Daithi O Conaill was never opposed to electoral politics , so there would be no contradiction , there woud be no argument between us . " ( ' 1169... ' Comment - Did Daithi agree with taking seats in Leinster House ? Or Stormont ? Daithi O Conaill's intention was to 'break the connection with England' , NOT enforce its 'writ' in this country .)
(MORE LATER).
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 .
On the 12 March 1983 , the Gardai entered the home of the Moore family in Clones in County Monaghan ; they had a search warrant ; one of 2,500 search warrants that were issued that year , yet charges resulted in only ten per cent of cases .
On their way out of the Moore house , the gardai arrested Stephen Moore under 'Section 30 of the Offences Against The State Act 1939' : - 2,234 people were arrested under the Act that year and prosecutions resulted in 15 per cent of cases .
Nothing was found as a result of that search warrant and no charges would be preferred as a result of the arrest ; what Stephen Moore did not know at this point was that a Post Office van had been hi-jacked in the North that morning between the time he had been in Clones and the time his parents left to do the shopping . He was taken to Clones Garda Station ; there were four garda in the car and he sat between the two in the back .
One of the gardai in the back of the car said to him - " How do you feel now , Stephen ? " In Clones Garda Station , his hair was combed and the combings put into a plastic bag . He was'nt brought anywhere . He was kept at the reception area for about half an hour . During that time he heard shouting and screaming in the garda Station . Then the gardai decided to bring him somewhere else . In his own words , this is his description of what happened ( Note - The gardai , in their defence , denied his charges and the award of £25,000 was made without admission of liability ) .......
(MORE LATER).
