STREET TALK .......The name Tony Gregory was virtually unheard of outside Dublin before 1982 when he was elected to Leinster House as an independent in Dublin Central , a post he still holds . He made the headlines with the famous 'Gregory Deal' in the same year when , in return for his support , the Fianna Fail government pumped £76 million into the redevelopment of inner city housing .
By Sean Ó Donáile .
From 'USI NEWS' , February 1989.
Tony Gregory talking about drug abuse :
" You only have to examine the recommendations of the 'Task Force' that they set up several years ago . Most of the recommendations have still not been implemented . Even by their own criteria , they are not doing enough . They never do. On the other hand , in cooperation with communities , the Garda Drug Units have been extremely successful in dealing with a lot of the heroin suppliers . Without the 'Concerned Parents Against Drugs' (CPAD), however , there would be a far more serious heroin problem today . As regards cannabis , though not a scientist , I can say that the vast majority of heroin users in my area have never been on cannabis before that ."
On 'AIDS' :
He reckons that for obvious reasons the AIDS problem will escalate - " ...but unfortunately we will all keep our heads in the sand until it becomes very serious ."
On education for all :
Reliable surveys have shown that one per-cent of all inner city youths enter third level colleges , compared with 45 per-cent in the Dublin 4 (ie 'upper-class') area . He was surprised that the figure was so 'high' for his area - " One could name the people from the inner city who have gone on to third level education . This is simply one aspect of an unjust society where the privileged get all the opportunities and the people in the centre of Dublin , or Cork or any other city get nothing . The government attempts to whitewash over these inequalities with pious statements such as 'Education For All' .
If you're a child growing up in Sheriff Street in Dublin, I don't think you're going to look to the government to help you get an equal footing in life......."
(MORE LATER).
A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .......Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.
The 'Socialist Women's Group' was however itself critical of the failure of the Republican Movement , and of the women involved in it , to raise the question of women's rights either internally or as part of the liberation struggle . But it was another organisation formed by women in 1976 that was to prove the cause of the final split between the NIWRM and the Socialist Women's Group : the emergence of the 'Peace Women' and the totally opposed reaction to them by the two groups , highlighted their different political thinking . The NIWRM supported the new group , and a statement issued at the time voiced its "...general support for the peace movement.." and called on feminists in England to reject the 'Troops Out!' movement and to reject any women who supported the anti-imperialist war .
Its failure to see that the Peace Women were controlled and supported by the British , the media and the Church for cynical political reasons permanently isolated them from the politically active socialist women .
In 1977 , the 'Belfast Women's Collective' was formed to organise working-class women and to agitate for proper child care and more employment opportunities for women . But a more important development was the establishment of 'Women Against Imperialism' by women activists in the nationalist ghettos , mainly in West Belfast , many of whom had been working in the Relatives Action Committees campaigning for political status for republican prisoners in the H-Blocks and Armagh.......
(MORE LATER).
KERRY DEATH MYSTERY.......From 'The Phoenix' magazine , January 2003.
(Note: as a result of our recent posts on this subject , a reader asked us to locate and publish this 'Phoenix' article . We are pleased to be able to do so.)
Asked by Garda Superintendent Pat O' Sullivan if John O' Shea had made a complaint to the Gardai or to a relative about his treatment at Tralee Garda Station , a family member said that he had not . Garda O' Sullivan rose to his feet at the end of the inquest and reminded the jury that 18 gardai had given evidence at the inquest , and stated that the Garda Síochána had nothing to hide and that all members involved acted in the proper way at all times .
However , the O' Shea family is now considering its options and may seek a judicial inquiry into the open verdict returned by the jury .
[END of 'KERRY DEATH MYSTERY']
(NEXT : 'REPUBLICAN EVICTIONS' - from 1998)
