CHARLES HAUGHEY 1925-2006 : A TRIBUTE . ' With pomp and with ridiculous display
the politicians corpse is borne away ,
and all around him carped and slanged
I wept- I had wished to see him hanged ' .
( G K Chesterton , poet and British Liberal MP ) .
Due to 'staff' (!) shortages here at '1169...' - because of some football matches or other , and exams (you show 'em , Junior!) - this Blog will only be updated every second day , for the next few weeks . In short , I have been abandoned by all but this machine ! Sharon .
THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT : INSIDE THE NORTHERN IRELAND (sic) PEACE TALKS (sic).......From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1997 .
By Fionnuala O' Connor .
Although debates have scarcely begun and ,for all that , most question whether the Provos can possibly stick with negotiations which end in an improved version of partition , ('1169...' Comment : the answer was 'Yes' , then [1997] , and 'Yes Please!' now ) (P) Sinn Fein's team makes much the stronger impression . ('1169...' Comment : translation - 'they were more desperate for a career in politics than the other lot were') People who imagined they had met 'all the articulate Provos' are struck by what one called "...the sheer intelligence and ability of people I'd never heard of.." . ('1169....' Comment : not surprising , really , if you have 'articulate' people being briefed in what to say by others!)
By contrast , the Ulster Unionist Party's members are seen as stumbling , divided , confused and churlish by design , and devoid of strategy - a judgement made on experience from the start of talks , compounded by the past month .
Since most other participants wanted them there , of course the 'Shinners' came in on a fair wind : they also fit eagerly with the general desire to be sociable , though some were queasy at the initially heavy-handed Adams and McGuinness efforts to force unionists into handshakes and direct dialogue - " You'll have to stop poking , you can't rush this .." , advised Gary McMichael of the UDA's 'political front' , the 'Ulster Democratic Party'.......
(MORE LATER).
THE ROMAN REICH ? Following the disbandment of the Dublin-based grouping , the NSIWP , a new right-wing organisation , believed to be linked with right-wing Catholic groups , has been formed . COLM KEENA reports .
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , 1 October 1987.
A new , extreme right-wing grouping has been formed in Ireland , and operates out of a postal address in Cork : it publishes an internal bulletin titled ' Ar Aghaidh ' , from PO Box 40 , Brian Boru Street , Cork City , and has links with some of the more extreme Irish Catholic Groups and individuals in this country which have been active in recent referenda .
One item in the October issue of 'Ar Aghaidh' tells subscribers that the French National Front is probably one of the most successful of all currently existing nationalistic groups : " The FNJ (youth wing) can be reached at 11 Rue Bernouilli , 75008 , Paris . They have a wide selection of excellent quality literature in French available , and a study of this material is recommended . They have made progress despite the usual defamation from the media and 'liberal' circles . FN's leader , Monsieur Jean-Marie Le Pen , has a realistic chance of actually becoming President in the not-so-distant future . There are definitely lessons to be learnt from the French experience. "
This is followed by the following short item - ' Read Clarion magazine , available from Kiora House , Greystones , County Wicklow . Even though there are noticable differences between it and 'Ar Aghaidh' , there are enough parallels in our relative 'lines' for a look to be of benefit to patriots . ' 'Clarion' magazine is a Catholic 'anti-communist' magazine published by a Jim Keating , of the above Greystones address : Keating has an interesting history with , amongst other things , links to the Moonies.......
(MORE LATER).
THE RIGHT TO SILENCE.......Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act has just been renewed for another year by State Communications Minister Jim Mitchell , despite increasing protests and lobbying by the NUJ .
HELEN O'CONNOR examines the results of a recent NIHE survey of the attitudes of Dublin people on the issue and GERRY LAVERY looks back to the roots of Section 31 .
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .
In the Broadcasting Authority Act of 1960 , Section 31 reads - ' The Minister may direct the Authority in writing to refrain from broadcasting any particular matter or matter of any particular class , and the Authority shall comply with the direction . "
The RTE Authority had been set up as a quasi-independent body under the Broadcasting Authority Act of 1960 , but ultimate power still remained with the State Minister : this represented somewhat of a loosening of control over national communications by the State Administration who , since the Wireless and Telegraphy Act of 1926 , had made the State Minister for Posts and Telegraphs legally responsible for detailed control and operation of broadcasting .
In 1953 , Erskine Childers set up Comhairle Radio Eireann which consisted of a committee of five people in a part-time capacity , responsible under him as State Minister for Posts and Telegraphs for general control and supervision of the service : the 'Television Commission' was set up in the late 1950's to perform roughly the same function for the fledging television service and then both were merged into the RTE Authority under the 1960 Broadcasting Act . And then 'trouble' broke-out in the North of Ireland.......
(MORE LATER).
