The following post should have been posted on Friday 2nd February last - however , due to what we will delicately call 'complications' which began on Thursday 1st February caused by the forced switch to the 'New' Blogger format we were unable to access the Administration Panel of this blog . We spent hours each day (Thursday , Friday and Saturday) attempting to fix the problem ourselves and contacting 'Blogger Support' . After almost twenty e-mails and 'request for support' tickets sent to the Blogger Team we finally received a reply - asking us to rate their 'Customer Support' 'service' !
As stated previously , our resident wannabe Nano-Scientist , 'Junior' , eventually fixed the problem* by "...allowing a sub-frame across a different domain.." or something ! For now , anyway , it seems all is back to normal at '1169 Towers'....
(*hopefully...)
THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .
(Garda B) made a statement in relation to that incident :
" Plunkett said 'You fixed that nicely' and I said 'Is it not true that you were free and you asked to go back and collect property' and he replied 'That's right' . (Garda D) then said - 'I don't know what you are talking about but I can assure you of one thing , we fixed nothing , what are you talking about anyway.'
Plunkett replied 'A man in there has identified me as being one of the men in his home on the night of the robbery.' (Garda D) said ' Is that so.' I then said to Plunkett - 'It was you who delayed leaving the station' . He said 'That's right , its my hard luck , I am finished now after that.' They then had a general conversation... "
The statement from (Garda C) is next : it should be compared to the previous two Garda statements which we have published.......
(MORE LATER).
A PEOPLE'S ARMY .......
'IRIS' magazine talks to two active women Volunteers in the Irish Republican Army about their involvement , their political attitudes , and their observations on the role played by women in the liberation struggle. Both Volunteers are from the Free State , where they live , and are in their twenties . 'Mary' comes from a country area and has been in the IRA for six years ; 'Anne' comes from the city and joined the IRA about a year ago .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.
'IRIS' magazine : " How has your understanding of Irish society changed , relative to the views of people around you , since you joined the IRA ? "
ANNE : " My understanding of Irish society has changed immensely , from the double-standards and hypocrisy of the Catholic hierarchy to making me more conscious of my roots and culture . My family are members of Fianna Fail . They believe that Charlie Haughey is more an enemy of the Brits than the IRA ! They don't see beyond that . Since the Brits physically pulled out of the 26-counties they and people like them have been lulled into thinking the war ended in 1921 .
There's still a latent nationalism there but the only outlet many people have* is supporting people like Charlie Haughey whenever he seems to be , falsely , coming out against the Brits , as over the Malvinas and Prior's Assembly. (*1169...' Comment - ...it is not "the only outlet people have" ; rather , it is the outlet chosen by those who consider themselves to be 'polite nationalists' and/or those seeking to increase their business connections in the richest 'Club' in the State.) It's got to be a priority for republicans in the Free State to work to expose bogus republicanism in the eyes of the people , and to convince them that people like Charlie Haughey have no interest in ever confronting British imperialism . "
(MORE LATER).
NEW DEPARTURES FOR SINN FEIN....... ?
Sinn Fein's recent election success in the North of Ireland have focussed attention on the Provisionals' new turn to political activity at local level . There have been parallel developments in the organisation in the 26 counties .
'GRALTON' magazine spoke to Paddy Bolger , Ard Comhairle member and National Organiser for Sinn Fein ,with special responsibility for Dublin , about the changed perspective .
From 'GRALTON' magazine , August/September 1983 .
'GRALTON' magazine : " Was that a difficult process ? Did you have difficulties in dealing with the traditions , and maybe even a certain traditionalism in the organisation ? "
PADDY BOLGER : " It was more of a gradual process than a difficult one . In the early 1970's there was a definite belief , supported by some of the circumstances , that a short quick push would secure a British withdrawal . The fall of Stormont was one of the major factors to influence that kind of thinking . After the Loyalist workers' strike and the period of the cease-fire with the British , we saw that the British were not going to go and that the idea that they wanted to go and were simply looking for a way out was a false one .
We also saw that it was going to be a long process . Some people realised it in prison , other people realised it in their daily activity . We had to have a long-term strategy for political consolidation of the organisation . It was only when the movement in the North got over the effects of the Roy Mason repression that we were cohesive enough to come up with that kind of strategy . The broad front around the prison issue and the hunger strike was a fruit of that .
Some people were suspicious of what they saw to be political work . The movement has always had two extremes in the past - the constitutional extreme which ran away from radicalism of any description and tended to be strictly parliamentary and the military extreme which said : 'Keep your powder dry until the day you can rise and the opportunity presents itself.' The second of them may have been more legitimate in terms of anti-imperialism but in the end was still based on short-term activity only . "
(MORE LATER).