PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .......
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
Andy Tyrie (UDA) says the Protestant paramilitaries ... "...have been seen as pretty inefficient and I think those people hope to try to change that by attacking high-profile members of the Republican Movement . " It is generally believed that the 'Ulster (sic) Freedom Fighters' (UFF) is an organisation made up of UDA members .
At the end of the interview Tyrie is still insisting he is an optimist - he still hopes that the 'Official Unionist Party' will go back into the Assembly . He clearly wants to believe that there is some way in which the ultimate sectarian confrontation can be avoided , the UDA can be put out to grass , and the politicians can find some basis for agreement : " Most people who live in the North don't want to slaughter each other .
But because they're conditioned they are inclined to build more efficient armies , more efficient 'anti-each-other' machines . I have watched people over the years trying to perfect their war machines , their machines for a 'Doomsday' situation .
But I have also seen people , when they do perfect these things , look for the alternative - to live together and work together . " (' 1169 ... ' Comment - It has always been possible for us here on this island to "live and work together ... " : but not under the present constitutional 'arrangement' - any other country that laboured with a part of its territory under the jurisdictional control of a foreign country would suffer the same 'troubles' as Ireland is . There is only one solution - a complete British military and political withdrawal from this island . Anything else will just 'manage' the issue in the short term (as our history has shown us) - the occupation must end , politically and militarily , to 'solve' the issue .)
[END of ' PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM '.]
(Monday , 15 August - 'The Inevitability of Sectarian Collision ' - by George Seawright , DUP . From 1984 .)
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 : " Another explanation for John Hume's large vote is that the Alliance Party absolutely and totally collapsed . Will that vote go back to Alliance in the local government elections ? It's obvious that sections of the Catholic nationalist middle class , clearly perceiving the SDLP to be in trouble - and we probably hyped it up and actually created the motivation for them to cross from the Alliance to Hume - and the fantastic machine that we had ; I mean , I have no doubt that we actually drove SDLP voters to the polls on June 14 ! (' 1169 ... ' Comment - to knowingly physically assist others to vote against you and then class yourself as "fantastic... " for doing so ... ?)
John Hume got a big vote . Now , why did we get a reduced vote ? The unpalatable things are that perhaps it's not entirely possible to totally harmonise the relationship between armed struggle and electoral politics (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ...as has been proved in July last - despite what the same Danny Morrision once said re carrying on the struggle "..with an armalite in one hand and a ballot box in the other .. " : both well-manicured hands now reach for the ballot box only , when dealing with Westminster or the Free Staters . The 'armalite' will be reserved for Republicans who have not surrendered . ) . And the one thing I have to emphasise , that all Republicans are united on , is that electoral politics will not remove the British from Ireland . Only armed struggle will do that . (My emphasis - Sharon : when Morrison made that remark (1984) Westminster claimed jurisdiction over six Irish counties - now (2005) Westminster still claimsjurisdiction over those same six Irish counties . Westminster has not changed regarding that jurisdictional claim - rather , Morrison and Provisional Sinn Fein have changed . They are now a Six County version of Fianna Fail - trading on the slight smell of sulphur that comes from them ....)
If the IRA was an absolutely huge well-armed guerilla army there would probably be no need for electoral politics . Because in most revolutionary struggles going to the ballot box takes place at the conclusion , the successful conclusion , of the armed struggle - as for example with the 'Patriotic Front' in Zimbabwe - rather than in the middle of the guerilla war , as is experimentally happening with the Republican Movement in the Six Counties ....... " (' 1169 ... ' Comment - "...experimentally.. " ? You mean as de Valera 'experimented' in 1926 ? And as Tomas MacGiolla 'experimented' in 1969/'70 ? And what were the results of their 'experiments' , Danny ..... ?)
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In the wake of the chaos in Prince's Street , Dublin , both the ' Irish Press' newspaper and Charles Haughey called for the resignation of the State Minister for Justice , Alan Dukes : this was knee-jerk reaction , pure silliness , given that Dukes is not a wet day in the job and cannot be held responsible for the chaos which has grown over the past decade .
Only if Alan Dukes follows the custom of expediency , of finding individual scapegoats rather than assessing the state of a garda force in which large numbers of gardai feel themselves entitled to commit offences in pursuit of political aims , albeit the political aims of the government - only then could there be a legitimate call for his resignation .
[END of 'CHAOS IN THE GARDAI' .]
(Monday , 15 August - ' THE INTERROGATION OF STEPHEN MOORE' : From 1986.)
Thursday, August 11, 2005
PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .......
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
Andy Tyrie (UDA) agrees with the strong views of his 'chief lieutenant' , John McMichael , in an interview in March 1984 , in which he said that over the next five , six or seven years , the UDA had to ... "...get down to the nuts and bolts of preparing the Ulster (sic) Protestant community for a head-on collision to decide whether in fact it will survive as a people on this island . "
The UDA Commander points out that McMichael drew his conclusions from ... "...the fact that the SDLP have opted out of Northern Ireland (sic- the SDLP had/have no 'Party Branches' in Donegal) politics and Sinn Fein have no intention of ever going into them . ( ' 1169... ' Comment - not only did [P] Sinn Fein get "into" politics in the Six Counties , all the way to Stormont , but it "got" out of , and stopped supporting , other means of resistance.) So now you have the bulk of the nationalist groups saying there is no future for the Ulster (sic) Protestant community and their job is to destroy it .
If you're talking about the warring groups , the groups that are involved in the war - and you must see the SDLP in that , and after Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich's recent statements , you must see him as part of the war effort against the whole Protestant community ( ' 1169... ' Comment - sic : Republicans never declared , or carried out , war , "against the whole Protestant community .." ) - then there's a big build-up of everything that's opposing Ulster's (sic) survival . Based on all those facts ( "facts ..." ?) it does'nt give you much hope for a political solution at the end of the day . "
Andy Tyrie also thinks that Sinn Fein's Danny Morrison will defeat SDLP leader John Hume in the EEC election next month . He warns that his ' intelligence reports' indicated that the illegal 'Ulster (sic) Freedom Fighters' had re-grouped on a military basis and their attack on Gerry Adams - whom Tyrie called ... "...not only a member of its military council but also Commander-In-Chief of the IRA .. " - was the beginning of a trend that would continue .......
(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 ' interview with Danny Morrison , Sinn Fein Director of Publicity :
Magill - " In the European elections in June (1984) , Sinn Fein failed to retain the 100,000 votes they had achieved in the Westminster election . It fell to 91,000 . Why ? "
DM - " Well , firstly we made a mistake in that we scientifically estimated that we would not out-poll John Hume or take the seat , sometime before the actual election . Then , inside the steering committee in the six counties , it was probably my bidding - because people like Gerry Adams , for example , were saying that we should'nt be pitching the stakes high - and I was arguing successfully with the majority that in order to enthuse our people we needed to give them an ambitious objective . And that ambitious objective was that we could out-poll Hume . Now , we believed that we would have held onto the 102,000 votes which we had achieved in June 1983 . We believed that as a result of ongoing constituency work we would have taken extra votes .
We thought that in the three constituencies which we did'nt contest in June 1983 , that we were bound to pick up some votes out of those three areas - that is , Strangford , North Down and East Antrim . So , even allowing for a lower poll we still believed that we would have taken an increased share of the nationalist vote . But we did'nt do it . In fact we held on precisely to the exact percentages as in June 1983 . Analysing why we did'nt even pull out the 103,000 - obviously a lot of soul-searching has to be done . And perhaps some unpalatable conclusions reached . To look at things over which we had no control : John Hume definitely had an advantage as a sitting MEP . In retrospect , not using the forum turned out to be as advantageous to him as if he had used it .
He fought it on European issues , he was the sitting MEP , and a lot of people , farming people , who classify themselves as our supporters - not all of them , obviously - but some people told me , yes , they voted for Hume . They voted for us in June , they voted for Hume this time because they saw the European election not as a crunch election , but as one concerned with their agricultural interests . So they opted for Hume ....... "
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
5. CHAOS .
The chaos within the Gardai spilled onto the streets , in front of the cameras , on March 22 , 1986 : the methods , tactics and attitudes of a decade were there . Had Detective Christy Power of the 'Task Force' not fired some shots , had the cameras not been there , the incident would not have assumed the proportions it has . Only the circumstances were unusual .
For over a decade the Garda Force has been allowed abuse its powers when it thought necessary . Usually there was no comeback - when public unease arose about garda conduct , as in the 'Kerry Babies Case' , a few individuals could be thrown to the 'liberal wolves' and the structural and systemic faults in the force could remain . As long as there were results , no one cared .
On March 22 , 1986 , several gardai had walkie-talkies and were thus susceptible to the chain of command . Nothing was done to halt their unlawful activities . No one could predict that we would all end up seeing the thing on TV . On past record , garda sources agree , a few individuals can be found to 'take the weight' ; Detective Christy Power , who was shot two years ago , is an obvious fall guy . Gardai point out that in this force , unlike most others , there is no counselling , no re-integration , for gardai who suffer the trauma of gunshot wounds .
In the wake of the chaos in Prince's Street in Dublin , both the 'Irish Press' newspaper and Charlie Haughey called for the resignation of the (FS) Minister for Justice , Alan Dukes (FG) .......
(MORE LATER).
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
Andy Tyrie (UDA) agrees with the strong views of his 'chief lieutenant' , John McMichael , in an interview in March 1984 , in which he said that over the next five , six or seven years , the UDA had to ... "...get down to the nuts and bolts of preparing the Ulster (sic) Protestant community for a head-on collision to decide whether in fact it will survive as a people on this island . "
The UDA Commander points out that McMichael drew his conclusions from ... "...the fact that the SDLP have opted out of Northern Ireland (sic- the SDLP had/have no 'Party Branches' in Donegal) politics and Sinn Fein have no intention of ever going into them . ( ' 1169... ' Comment - not only did [P] Sinn Fein get "into" politics in the Six Counties , all the way to Stormont , but it "got" out of , and stopped supporting , other means of resistance.) So now you have the bulk of the nationalist groups saying there is no future for the Ulster (sic) Protestant community and their job is to destroy it .
If you're talking about the warring groups , the groups that are involved in the war - and you must see the SDLP in that , and after Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich's recent statements , you must see him as part of the war effort against the whole Protestant community ( ' 1169... ' Comment - sic : Republicans never declared , or carried out , war , "against the whole Protestant community .." ) - then there's a big build-up of everything that's opposing Ulster's (sic) survival . Based on all those facts ( "facts ..." ?) it does'nt give you much hope for a political solution at the end of the day . "
Andy Tyrie also thinks that Sinn Fein's Danny Morrison will defeat SDLP leader John Hume in the EEC election next month . He warns that his ' intelligence reports' indicated that the illegal 'Ulster (sic) Freedom Fighters' had re-grouped on a military basis and their attack on Gerry Adams - whom Tyrie called ... "...not only a member of its military council but also Commander-In-Chief of the IRA .. " - was the beginning of a trend that would continue .......
(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 ' interview with Danny Morrison , Sinn Fein Director of Publicity :
Magill - " In the European elections in June (1984) , Sinn Fein failed to retain the 100,000 votes they had achieved in the Westminster election . It fell to 91,000 . Why ? "
DM - " Well , firstly we made a mistake in that we scientifically estimated that we would not out-poll John Hume or take the seat , sometime before the actual election . Then , inside the steering committee in the six counties , it was probably my bidding - because people like Gerry Adams , for example , were saying that we should'nt be pitching the stakes high - and I was arguing successfully with the majority that in order to enthuse our people we needed to give them an ambitious objective . And that ambitious objective was that we could out-poll Hume . Now , we believed that we would have held onto the 102,000 votes which we had achieved in June 1983 . We believed that as a result of ongoing constituency work we would have taken extra votes .
We thought that in the three constituencies which we did'nt contest in June 1983 , that we were bound to pick up some votes out of those three areas - that is , Strangford , North Down and East Antrim . So , even allowing for a lower poll we still believed that we would have taken an increased share of the nationalist vote . But we did'nt do it . In fact we held on precisely to the exact percentages as in June 1983 . Analysing why we did'nt even pull out the 103,000 - obviously a lot of soul-searching has to be done . And perhaps some unpalatable conclusions reached . To look at things over which we had no control : John Hume definitely had an advantage as a sitting MEP . In retrospect , not using the forum turned out to be as advantageous to him as if he had used it .
He fought it on European issues , he was the sitting MEP , and a lot of people , farming people , who classify themselves as our supporters - not all of them , obviously - but some people told me , yes , they voted for Hume . They voted for us in June , they voted for Hume this time because they saw the European election not as a crunch election , but as one concerned with their agricultural interests . So they opted for Hume ....... "
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
5. CHAOS .
The chaos within the Gardai spilled onto the streets , in front of the cameras , on March 22 , 1986 : the methods , tactics and attitudes of a decade were there . Had Detective Christy Power of the 'Task Force' not fired some shots , had the cameras not been there , the incident would not have assumed the proportions it has . Only the circumstances were unusual .
For over a decade the Garda Force has been allowed abuse its powers when it thought necessary . Usually there was no comeback - when public unease arose about garda conduct , as in the 'Kerry Babies Case' , a few individuals could be thrown to the 'liberal wolves' and the structural and systemic faults in the force could remain . As long as there were results , no one cared .
On March 22 , 1986 , several gardai had walkie-talkies and were thus susceptible to the chain of command . Nothing was done to halt their unlawful activities . No one could predict that we would all end up seeing the thing on TV . On past record , garda sources agree , a few individuals can be found to 'take the weight' ; Detective Christy Power , who was shot two years ago , is an obvious fall guy . Gardai point out that in this force , unlike most others , there is no counselling , no re-integration , for gardai who suffer the trauma of gunshot wounds .
In the wake of the chaos in Prince's Street in Dublin , both the 'Irish Press' newspaper and Charlie Haughey called for the resignation of the (FS) Minister for Justice , Alan Dukes (FG) .......
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .......
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
The UDA's 'Front' group , the 'Ulster (sic) Defence Force' will be , according to Andy Tyrie ... " ...a reserve army for a possible day of confrontation . We're not going to recruit people to go out and bomb and shoot people or parade or march about . What we want to do is to spend a considerable amount of time and finances training for the defence of their community . "
This , he says , involves plans to.... " ... change people's attitudes on defence plans for the whole community , put into operation semi-military schemes within the law , and make sure we have deep penetration within the community , in most (British) government offices and bodies , so that we have eyes and ears everywhere we can possibly get them . " Ultimately , the British government has more respect for the potential threat posed by the UDA , says Tyrie ... " ...they know rightly that in a crisis we can develop into a military machine very rapidly and they also know we have no qualms about defending this society . "
But he also emphasises that such a force (ie the 'UDF') would be used to stop the British government forcing Northern Loyalists into a united Ireland , and not ... "...to go out and attack the Catholic community . " ( '1169.... ' Comment - ..it did'nt work , then .... ) He also says he sees the attitudes of Unionist politicians to the UDA changing , with Martin Smyth of the 'Official Unionist Party ' speaking up for them and Ian Paisley of the 'Democratic Unionist Party' sharing platforms with UDA leaders in support of Loyalist prisoners ... "...they see the UDA working very hard to change the image of our organisation and they feel it's not as unrespectable as it was a few years ago to be associating with us , " says Tyrie .
" There's a big realisation that none of the Loyalist or Unionist groups can do anything on their own , and there's always a feeling that there is an impending crisis when we'll all come together ....... " The UDA was forecasting a 'head on' collision - Protestants , they declared , will otherwise not survive as a people on the island .......
(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.
The British ' Representation Of The People Act ' was introduced after Bobby Sands won the Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat in 1981 - the 'Act' prohibits prisoners from standing in elections . British sources say that this applies only to prisoners , not to ex-prisoners . The Provos , however , claim that it will be used to hamper them . They point to their attempt to stand ex-prisoner Kieran O' Donnell in a by-election in Dungannon and the British insistence that O' Donnell could not stand for election until five years had elapsed since his conviction !
Since many of the Provo members most active in community politics are ex-prisoners such harassment would hit them hard . In such circumstances , or even prior to the elections if the IRA accept that the gains that are to be made have already been made , the war will be stepped up , using the methods which have by now become traditional . Even in such circumstances , with some newly-won political support draining away , it can be guaranteed that the activities of the security forces will continue to be such as to consolidate a sufficient political base for the Provos to continue their war as long as they consider necessary .
In the South the debate following the death of Sean Downes was not about the relationship between the forces of this State and the RUC - instead the debate quickly collapsed into a farical examination of the fine print of Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act , to see if there are any more 'blinkers' we can put on . In the light of this , of the successes and setbacks which Sinn Fein has had in the establishment of a clear political base , and of the possibility of the stepping up of the war by the IRA , 'MAGILL' interviewed Sinn Fein's Director of Publicity , Danny Morrison .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
The 'fall out' from the 'Kerry Babies Case' hit the gardai - Commissioner Wren met with the Executive of the Garda Representation Association ; 'GRA' President , Jack Marrinan , told Wren - according to the minutes of this meeting - that the GRA was unhappy with the treatment of one of the four gardai , Garda John Harrington . As the other three men were Sergeants , they were represented by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors ('AGSI') , the GRA was not representing them .
Jack Marrinan ('GRA' President) , according to the minutes , said that Garda John Harrington was... "....not in the group threatening court action (and) was no way involved in the court threats " . He said that Harrington "...did not appear to be as deeply involved in the errors ... " as the others . Commissioner Wren said he would... "..very much bear in mind .. " this representation . In effect , the 'GRA' was accepting that all four gardai committed "errors" , although no one - not the Garda Commissioner , not the (FS) Minister for Justice , not Judge Lynch , not the media - could point to any such errors .
The 'GRA' was accepting that those 'AGSI' members who had considered court action against what they saw as unfair punishment (and as they no course of appeal) were " threatening" Commissioner Wren rather than using the judicial facilities available to them .
For the 'GRA' , as for everyone else , it was more expedient that individual gardai bear the brunt of the punishment rather than that there be a wholesale re-assessment of what had gone wrong with the garda force .......
(MORE LATER).
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
The UDA's 'Front' group , the 'Ulster (sic) Defence Force' will be , according to Andy Tyrie ... " ...a reserve army for a possible day of confrontation . We're not going to recruit people to go out and bomb and shoot people or parade or march about . What we want to do is to spend a considerable amount of time and finances training for the defence of their community . "
This , he says , involves plans to.... " ... change people's attitudes on defence plans for the whole community , put into operation semi-military schemes within the law , and make sure we have deep penetration within the community , in most (British) government offices and bodies , so that we have eyes and ears everywhere we can possibly get them . " Ultimately , the British government has more respect for the potential threat posed by the UDA , says Tyrie ... " ...they know rightly that in a crisis we can develop into a military machine very rapidly and they also know we have no qualms about defending this society . "
But he also emphasises that such a force (ie the 'UDF') would be used to stop the British government forcing Northern Loyalists into a united Ireland , and not ... "...to go out and attack the Catholic community . " ( '1169.... ' Comment - ..it did'nt work , then .... ) He also says he sees the attitudes of Unionist politicians to the UDA changing , with Martin Smyth of the 'Official Unionist Party ' speaking up for them and Ian Paisley of the 'Democratic Unionist Party' sharing platforms with UDA leaders in support of Loyalist prisoners ... "...they see the UDA working very hard to change the image of our organisation and they feel it's not as unrespectable as it was a few years ago to be associating with us , " says Tyrie .
" There's a big realisation that none of the Loyalist or Unionist groups can do anything on their own , and there's always a feeling that there is an impending crisis when we'll all come together ....... " The UDA was forecasting a 'head on' collision - Protestants , they declared , will otherwise not survive as a people on the island .......
(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.
The British ' Representation Of The People Act ' was introduced after Bobby Sands won the Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat in 1981 - the 'Act' prohibits prisoners from standing in elections . British sources say that this applies only to prisoners , not to ex-prisoners . The Provos , however , claim that it will be used to hamper them . They point to their attempt to stand ex-prisoner Kieran O' Donnell in a by-election in Dungannon and the British insistence that O' Donnell could not stand for election until five years had elapsed since his conviction !
Since many of the Provo members most active in community politics are ex-prisoners such harassment would hit them hard . In such circumstances , or even prior to the elections if the IRA accept that the gains that are to be made have already been made , the war will be stepped up , using the methods which have by now become traditional . Even in such circumstances , with some newly-won political support draining away , it can be guaranteed that the activities of the security forces will continue to be such as to consolidate a sufficient political base for the Provos to continue their war as long as they consider necessary .
In the South the debate following the death of Sean Downes was not about the relationship between the forces of this State and the RUC - instead the debate quickly collapsed into a farical examination of the fine print of Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act , to see if there are any more 'blinkers' we can put on . In the light of this , of the successes and setbacks which Sinn Fein has had in the establishment of a clear political base , and of the possibility of the stepping up of the war by the IRA , 'MAGILL' interviewed Sinn Fein's Director of Publicity , Danny Morrison .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
The 'fall out' from the 'Kerry Babies Case' hit the gardai - Commissioner Wren met with the Executive of the Garda Representation Association ; 'GRA' President , Jack Marrinan , told Wren - according to the minutes of this meeting - that the GRA was unhappy with the treatment of one of the four gardai , Garda John Harrington . As the other three men were Sergeants , they were represented by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors ('AGSI') , the GRA was not representing them .
Jack Marrinan ('GRA' President) , according to the minutes , said that Garda John Harrington was... "....not in the group threatening court action (and) was no way involved in the court threats " . He said that Harrington "...did not appear to be as deeply involved in the errors ... " as the others . Commissioner Wren said he would... "..very much bear in mind .. " this representation . In effect , the 'GRA' was accepting that all four gardai committed "errors" , although no one - not the Garda Commissioner , not the (FS) Minister for Justice , not Judge Lynch , not the media - could point to any such errors .
The 'GRA' was accepting that those 'AGSI' members who had considered court action against what they saw as unfair punishment (and as they no course of appeal) were " threatening" Commissioner Wren rather than using the judicial facilities available to them .
For the 'GRA' , as for everyone else , it was more expedient that individual gardai bear the brunt of the punishment rather than that there be a wholesale re-assessment of what had gone wrong with the garda force .......
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .......
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
The UDA decided that the best way for it to get 'friendly' with all the Unionist and Loyalist groupings was to establish a 'front' group ; the organisation within an organisation that it started to build has become known as the 'Ulster (sic) Defence Force ' : Andy Tyrie is understandably reluctant to admit to its existence , preferring to say that "...it could exist with a bit of hard work .. " .
But he admits that over the past two-and-a-half-years the UDA has been trying to build up an 'Officer Corps' , which will be different from ' the big Protestant mob' which the UDA was seen as in the 1970's , which felt all it needed to do to make the British listen was to put on shows of strength in the street . Andy Tyrie also concedes that elements of gangsterism and racketeering discredited the UDA in the eyes of working-class Protestants . ( '1169.... ' Comment - .. "gangsterism and racketeering " is still rife within not only the UDA ; as I type , the 'UVF' and the 'LVF' [other Loyalist militia] are having a shooting match with each other over territory . Because territory equals extra drug sales . The 'UDA' was political when it was first established in 1971 , but now it is just a large drugs gang .)
Tyrie says - " We do have a lot of weaknesses regarding people who can work out tactics , finance , planning - the things you'd expect an Officer to know - we've been working very hard to change that . The Loyalist people always want a Loyalist army beyond what they see as the established , controlled groups . Because they feel that quite a lot of our security (sic) forces are bought . If there was a united Ireland tomorrow they would adjust very rapidly to becoming a branch of the Garda or any other branch of the security forces . It's only a job to them . The Loyalist community feel that people like us , who are volunteers in a sense , would be prepared to go to extremes which the people who have been bought over would'nt go to . ( '1169.... ' Comment - Andy Tyrie need'nt have worried - the British Army , RUC , RIR etc were just as vicious as the UDA and others . )
It's all right talking about compromise , but we can't compromise . We have nothing to compromise with because every move we make in the sense of compromise is a step nearer a united Ireland . We won't be bought by anyone . We feel there's so many people within the present society in Ulster who would possibly go into a united Ireland . We feel that it's going to be necessary to have our army so we can say to the British government - ' Don't forget about us ....... ' "
(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.
The electoral campaign was never seen by the Provos as being central to their strategy . The belief is firmly held that only a prolonged and inexorable military campaign will force political concessions from the British government . Unfortunately (!) , there is all too much historical evidence both here and internationally to substantiate that belief . The nature of the conflict is such that the Provisionals have little leeway in changing military tactics . (' 1169... ' Comment - now they have no 'military tactics ' - just political tactics . They have neutered themselves .)
The Provisionals are limited to killing members of the security (sic) forces individually , usually off duty ( ' 1169.... ' Comment - those people were never 'off duty' - in the pub , or socialising elsewhere , they became the 'eyes and ears' of the State) , and mounting disruptions of the normality which the British seek to claim . It is these circumstances which have provoked discussion within the IRA on the stepping-up of the war against the State . Only the fear that massive disaffection by current sympathisers could lead to an obvious defeat in the 1985 local elections - which would be as much of a psychological blow as the previous victories have been a psychologist boost - could put the brakes on this .
Already , however , there is a belief that the electoral ceiling has been reached and that the intricacies of the electoral system will work against the Provos next year . The Provisionals believe that in the 1985 local elections they will be harassed and hampered by the amendment to the 'Representation of the People Act ' brought in after Bobby Sands won the Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat in 1981 .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In the wake of the 'Kerry Babies Case' , four gardai were chosen for sacrifice ; there was absolutely no evidence of wrong-doing by Gerry O'Carroll , P.J. Browne , Joe Shelly and John Harrington . The criticisms of the garda by Mr. Justice Kevin Lynch did not include anything done by those four gardai - it was crystal clear to everyone that the four were being punished , but the garda authorities found a form of words which blocked three of them from gaining a review of the case .
The 'Kerry Babies Case' , even after the controversial 'Lynch Report' , presented the authorities with an opportunity for a re-assessment . The individual gardai were cleared of the Hayes' allegations by the Tribunal , there need be no singling out of individuals , the kind of thing which would provoke opposition from the garda representative bodies . There was simply needed an acknowledgement that the garda techniques and procedures , whatever about the actions of individual members , produced watertight but false confessions .
In that light there could have been a re-assessment , one which the gardai involved could have co-operated with . However , the government's 'Complaints Bill ' was up and running , an artificially-created compromise , gerrybuilt to push through the' Criminal Justice Act ' . The four scapegoats would suffice ! By then there was conflict even within the garda representative bodies ; on October 31 , 1985 , less than a week after the 'punishment transfers' , Garda Commissioner Wren had a meeting at Garda Headquarters with members of the Executive of the 'Garda Representative Association' - legal threats were made at this meeting .......
(MORE LATER).
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
The UDA decided that the best way for it to get 'friendly' with all the Unionist and Loyalist groupings was to establish a 'front' group ; the organisation within an organisation that it started to build has become known as the 'Ulster (sic) Defence Force ' : Andy Tyrie is understandably reluctant to admit to its existence , preferring to say that "...it could exist with a bit of hard work .. " .
But he admits that over the past two-and-a-half-years the UDA has been trying to build up an 'Officer Corps' , which will be different from ' the big Protestant mob' which the UDA was seen as in the 1970's , which felt all it needed to do to make the British listen was to put on shows of strength in the street . Andy Tyrie also concedes that elements of gangsterism and racketeering discredited the UDA in the eyes of working-class Protestants . ( '1169.... ' Comment - .. "gangsterism and racketeering " is still rife within not only the UDA ; as I type , the 'UVF' and the 'LVF' [other Loyalist militia] are having a shooting match with each other over territory . Because territory equals extra drug sales . The 'UDA' was political when it was first established in 1971 , but now it is just a large drugs gang .)
Tyrie says - " We do have a lot of weaknesses regarding people who can work out tactics , finance , planning - the things you'd expect an Officer to know - we've been working very hard to change that . The Loyalist people always want a Loyalist army beyond what they see as the established , controlled groups . Because they feel that quite a lot of our security (sic) forces are bought . If there was a united Ireland tomorrow they would adjust very rapidly to becoming a branch of the Garda or any other branch of the security forces . It's only a job to them . The Loyalist community feel that people like us , who are volunteers in a sense , would be prepared to go to extremes which the people who have been bought over would'nt go to . ( '1169.... ' Comment - Andy Tyrie need'nt have worried - the British Army , RUC , RIR etc were just as vicious as the UDA and others . )
It's all right talking about compromise , but we can't compromise . We have nothing to compromise with because every move we make in the sense of compromise is a step nearer a united Ireland . We won't be bought by anyone . We feel there's so many people within the present society in Ulster who would possibly go into a united Ireland . We feel that it's going to be necessary to have our army so we can say to the British government - ' Don't forget about us ....... ' "
(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.
The electoral campaign was never seen by the Provos as being central to their strategy . The belief is firmly held that only a prolonged and inexorable military campaign will force political concessions from the British government . Unfortunately (!) , there is all too much historical evidence both here and internationally to substantiate that belief . The nature of the conflict is such that the Provisionals have little leeway in changing military tactics . (' 1169... ' Comment - now they have no 'military tactics ' - just political tactics . They have neutered themselves .)
The Provisionals are limited to killing members of the security (sic) forces individually , usually off duty ( ' 1169.... ' Comment - those people were never 'off duty' - in the pub , or socialising elsewhere , they became the 'eyes and ears' of the State) , and mounting disruptions of the normality which the British seek to claim . It is these circumstances which have provoked discussion within the IRA on the stepping-up of the war against the State . Only the fear that massive disaffection by current sympathisers could lead to an obvious defeat in the 1985 local elections - which would be as much of a psychological blow as the previous victories have been a psychologist boost - could put the brakes on this .
Already , however , there is a belief that the electoral ceiling has been reached and that the intricacies of the electoral system will work against the Provos next year . The Provisionals believe that in the 1985 local elections they will be harassed and hampered by the amendment to the 'Representation of the People Act ' brought in after Bobby Sands won the Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat in 1981 .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In the wake of the 'Kerry Babies Case' , four gardai were chosen for sacrifice ; there was absolutely no evidence of wrong-doing by Gerry O'Carroll , P.J. Browne , Joe Shelly and John Harrington . The criticisms of the garda by Mr. Justice Kevin Lynch did not include anything done by those four gardai - it was crystal clear to everyone that the four were being punished , but the garda authorities found a form of words which blocked three of them from gaining a review of the case .
The 'Kerry Babies Case' , even after the controversial 'Lynch Report' , presented the authorities with an opportunity for a re-assessment . The individual gardai were cleared of the Hayes' allegations by the Tribunal , there need be no singling out of individuals , the kind of thing which would provoke opposition from the garda representative bodies . There was simply needed an acknowledgement that the garda techniques and procedures , whatever about the actions of individual members , produced watertight but false confessions .
In that light there could have been a re-assessment , one which the gardai involved could have co-operated with . However , the government's 'Complaints Bill ' was up and running , an artificially-created compromise , gerrybuilt to push through the' Criminal Justice Act ' . The four scapegoats would suffice ! By then there was conflict even within the garda representative bodies ; on October 31 , 1985 , less than a week after the 'punishment transfers' , Garda Commissioner Wren had a meeting at Garda Headquarters with members of the Executive of the 'Garda Representative Association' - legal threats were made at this meeting .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, August 08, 2005
PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .......
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
The failure of the 1977 work stoppage was a turning point for the UDA : Andy Tyrie stated : " The British government stopped taking the loyalist community seriously after 1977 because they saw them so divided . What they did learn from 1977 was that people here are more concerned with their jobs , their British status and their respectable image because they're British .
Here more than anywhere else once a Loyalist becomes educated , he moves away and becomes part of a big bloc of people who will not become involved . The (British) government studies this and found that the most it can expect from most loyalists is to march about and protest . But if it means taking on the British establishment in a civil war situation , that is totally different . "
The UDA too learned from the 1977 failure - Andy Tyrie and his UDA 'lieutenants' resolved to turn the UDA into a permanent organisation . At first this involved going into electoral politics on an ' independent Ulster (sic) ' platform , which was less to do with 'territorial independence ' than "...identifying ourselves clearly as being Ulster (sic) people . " But around 1981-1982 it was decided to 'rest the political thing' because there was so much confusion among Unionists and in-fighting among their political leaders .
The UDA decided that if it was going to have to prepare , in the face of the rapidly growing Sinn Fein threat for an eventual 'doomsday situation' , it would need to be friendly with all the Unionist and Loyalist political groupings . A 'Front Group' would be needed .......
(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.
Belfast city centre is now being advertised as one marvellous big shopping centre - which it is - and some republicans point , for example , to Great Victoria Street : " It used to be a derelict street , you go down there now it's like Los Angeles at night-time ... " This is not just spite on behalf of the Provos ; when the (British) authorities emphasise that there is a return to normality they are making a political point - that the state is governable under British rule despite the best efforts of the IRA . The Provos see a campaign of bombing as a way of undermining such claims and the prestige and credibility of the security (sic) forces .
The successes of Sinn Fein in the electoral field have acted as a political constraint on the IRA (' 1169 ....' Comment - ...to the point that the PIRA organisation was 'stood down' last month , July 2005 ) - most IRA activity is now concentrated on the relentless killing of members of the security (sic) forces , a military tactic which is certainly more acceptable to Sinn Fein supporters than is the bombing tactic . The killing of Sean Downes in front of TV cameras undermined the credibility of those in Belfast , London and Dublin who had claimed that the RUC was a reformed force and necessitated the entering of caveats . In the nationalist ghettos , however , that claim of reform was never accepted . There is awareness that Sean Downes was the fifteenth person to die from a ' baton round ' , some of the previous
deaths being of children clearly not involved in violence .
The RUC shoot-to-kill policy , the resignation of the Armagh coroner , the complaints of lawyers about the 'supergrass' tactic , have all emphasised that the killing of Sean Downes was special only because it was so public . All of this created the circumstances in which Sinn Fein could make electoral gains even though the IRA was regularly killing members of the security (sic) forces in often horrific circumstances . In the short term , however , the Provos' political base is unlikely to spread very much wider . The electoral campaign was never seen by the Provos as being central to their strategy .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In May 1984 the 'Kerry Babies' saga began ; a public inquiry was launched in January 1985 , supposedly because the Hayes family made allegations against the gardai .
4. Expediency .
Up to the Kerry Babies case , there was a knowledge within the gardai that rules could be bent and stretched ; the courts invariably sided with the garda story and convicted .
There was some 'rowing back' ; some judges were beginning to challenge the abuses of Section 30 , which most remarkably led to the release of Robert Trimbole , and there was an even more important decision on Section 30 last year by Mr. Justice Barr . But there was still no reassessment in political circles , still no acknowledgement that there was within the force a trend towards righteousness , a crusading spirit in which gardai could ' know ' something and could then set about 'proving' it , could take shortcuts .
In the wake of the Kerry Babies report expediency ruled - the Hayes allegations were unsustainable and the family was discredited . Yet there was the question of watertight confessions to a crime they did not commit (' 1169 .... ' Comment - ..shades of the Donegal 'hit-and-run/murder' affair .. ) . Four gardai were chosen for sacrifice .......
(MORE LATER).
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
The failure of the 1977 work stoppage was a turning point for the UDA : Andy Tyrie stated : " The British government stopped taking the loyalist community seriously after 1977 because they saw them so divided . What they did learn from 1977 was that people here are more concerned with their jobs , their British status and their respectable image because they're British .
Here more than anywhere else once a Loyalist becomes educated , he moves away and becomes part of a big bloc of people who will not become involved . The (British) government studies this and found that the most it can expect from most loyalists is to march about and protest . But if it means taking on the British establishment in a civil war situation , that is totally different . "
The UDA too learned from the 1977 failure - Andy Tyrie and his UDA 'lieutenants' resolved to turn the UDA into a permanent organisation . At first this involved going into electoral politics on an ' independent Ulster (sic) ' platform , which was less to do with 'territorial independence ' than "...identifying ourselves clearly as being Ulster (sic) people . " But around 1981-1982 it was decided to 'rest the political thing' because there was so much confusion among Unionists and in-fighting among their political leaders .
The UDA decided that if it was going to have to prepare , in the face of the rapidly growing Sinn Fein threat for an eventual 'doomsday situation' , it would need to be friendly with all the Unionist and Loyalist political groupings . A 'Front Group' would be needed .......
(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.
Belfast city centre is now being advertised as one marvellous big shopping centre - which it is - and some republicans point , for example , to Great Victoria Street : " It used to be a derelict street , you go down there now it's like Los Angeles at night-time ... " This is not just spite on behalf of the Provos ; when the (British) authorities emphasise that there is a return to normality they are making a political point - that the state is governable under British rule despite the best efforts of the IRA . The Provos see a campaign of bombing as a way of undermining such claims and the prestige and credibility of the security (sic) forces .
The successes of Sinn Fein in the electoral field have acted as a political constraint on the IRA (' 1169 ....' Comment - ...to the point that the PIRA organisation was 'stood down' last month , July 2005 ) - most IRA activity is now concentrated on the relentless killing of members of the security (sic) forces , a military tactic which is certainly more acceptable to Sinn Fein supporters than is the bombing tactic . The killing of Sean Downes in front of TV cameras undermined the credibility of those in Belfast , London and Dublin who had claimed that the RUC was a reformed force and necessitated the entering of caveats . In the nationalist ghettos , however , that claim of reform was never accepted . There is awareness that Sean Downes was the fifteenth person to die from a ' baton round ' , some of the previous
deaths being of children clearly not involved in violence .
The RUC shoot-to-kill policy , the resignation of the Armagh coroner , the complaints of lawyers about the 'supergrass' tactic , have all emphasised that the killing of Sean Downes was special only because it was so public . All of this created the circumstances in which Sinn Fein could make electoral gains even though the IRA was regularly killing members of the security (sic) forces in often horrific circumstances . In the short term , however , the Provos' political base is unlikely to spread very much wider . The electoral campaign was never seen by the Provos as being central to their strategy .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In May 1984 the 'Kerry Babies' saga began ; a public inquiry was launched in January 1985 , supposedly because the Hayes family made allegations against the gardai .
4. Expediency .
Up to the Kerry Babies case , there was a knowledge within the gardai that rules could be bent and stretched ; the courts invariably sided with the garda story and convicted .
There was some 'rowing back' ; some judges were beginning to challenge the abuses of Section 30 , which most remarkably led to the release of Robert Trimbole , and there was an even more important decision on Section 30 last year by Mr. Justice Barr . But there was still no reassessment in political circles , still no acknowledgement that there was within the force a trend towards righteousness , a crusading spirit in which gardai could ' know ' something and could then set about 'proving' it , could take shortcuts .
In the wake of the Kerry Babies report expediency ruled - the Hayes allegations were unsustainable and the family was discredited . Yet there was the question of watertight confessions to a crime they did not commit (' 1169 .... ' Comment - ..shades of the Donegal 'hit-and-run/murder' affair .. ) . Four gardai were chosen for sacrifice .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, August 05, 2005
PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .......
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
Andy Tyrie (UDA) says - " The British government now tries to make sure there is no visible crises ; now it's done on a drip method , so that there's no big enough crises to motivate people to protest - because they know that under pressure the Loyalists will react very strongly . "
He says in the 1970's the UDA used to exist from crisis to crisis , hoping each time that the political leadership would pick up from where the paramilitaries had left off and start putting the Loyalist case across properly in Britain and abroad , and findings ways to run Northern Ireland (sic) that would win the co-operation of the Catholics .
" Ten years on it's still the same people , and they still have'nt learned to outwit the Republican groups , match them brain for brain . We still present our case very badly (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ..or is it simply that they had/have a bad case .. ?) - we have not convinced people outside our own community that we're a separate race of people who are willing to live here with our Catholic neighbours . " ('1169.... ' Comment - ...and that , readers , is the closest the UDA ever got to propaganda for foreign consumption ! )
The failure of the 1977 work stoppage was a turning point for the UDA .......
(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.
The last couple of years of political activity have served to demonstrate that the Provisionals have a solid and sizeable amount of support . During this period the IRA adjusted its military tactics , avoiding as far as possible the kind of action which carries a high risk and which has the potential to alienate sympathisers from Sinn Fein - such as the bombing of 'economic targets ' .
Within the IRA there is a belief that the 'authorities' have taken advantage of the 'Mister Nice Guy' tactics in order to claim that 'normality' is returning . (' 1169....' Comment - 'Normality' ? And what have we got today ? The Provisional movement about to 'police' the Six Counties for Westminster ! Hardly 'normality' , but it will suffice for Mr. Blair and his War Cabinet .. )
There is thus a move within the IRA to return to what one source described as "..the types of operation which it was renowned for in the past . " According to republican sources the IRA deliberately moved away from some types of chancy operation - such as commercial bombings - in order to facilitate Sinn Fein's electoral strategy ; such military operations have a high attrition rate , in terms of members captured and of civilian casualties .
One mistake can result in an atrocity which wipes out months of political work ; within the IRA it is now felt that the British have been taking advantage of this , claiming a partial return to 'normality' , claiming that bombings are fewer than three years ago and that this is because they are on top of the 'security problems' ....... (' 1169.... ' Comment - if it was felt then that Westminster was "taking advantage.. " of the political situation which the then Sinn Fein organisation found itself in - what will Westminster do now that the Provisional Sinn Fein political party has handed itself on a plate up to them ?)
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In 1980 , a Mr. Christopher Lynch was released from jail by the (FS) Supreme Court after serving over three years for murder ; his 'confession' , after 22 hours 'interrogation' , was extracted in oppressive circumstances , said the Court . More serious was the fact that the judges pointed out that the confession could not be true as it contradicted known facts in the case : there was no inquiry , no re-assessment .
In April 1982 Peter Matthews died in Shercock Garda Station after a beating . Most gardai deplore what happened and disassociate themselves from any activity of the kind that went on there . But the Shercock case was another example of garda determined to get a 'confession' from a suspect , even though they already had enough evidence on which to lay charges . Had the gardai not continued the interrogation , Peter Matthews would not have been assaulted by whoever it was delivered the blow which crushed his pancreas .
By now , interrogations were standard , the gardai believed they had the right to do this and no one in authority was saying any different . Two trials failed to discover what happened at Shercock ; there was no reassessment .
In August 1982 , Amanda McShane was interrogated in a Dublin garda station ; she refused to sign a statement . Her solicitor subsequently found a written statement , as though made by McShane , awaiting her signature . There was no inquiry , no reassessment .
In June 1983 , at Naas , County Kildare , Michael Ward signed a confession to a string of burglaries and , according to sworn statements by gardai , pointed out the houses which he had burgled . He was released when it was discovered that he had been in jail when some of the burglaries had been carried out . 'MAGILL' magazine discovered that one of the burglaries to which he 'confessed' had never occurred . There was no reassessment .......
(MORE LATER).
( Re the 'Indymedia' issue : this matter has now been cleared-up to my satisfaction . I received a number of e-mails , from two Indymedia Mods. , one of which stated - ".... I can see now that your comment was deleted completely by mistake as it wasn't one of the ones that contained posts of images already posted to the site. (It was just above or below one of
those posts.).... " The Mod. apologised and I have since posted on 'Indymedia' without incident . I am content to leave the issue at that ....for now ..! )
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
Andy Tyrie (UDA) says - " The British government now tries to make sure there is no visible crises ; now it's done on a drip method , so that there's no big enough crises to motivate people to protest - because they know that under pressure the Loyalists will react very strongly . "
He says in the 1970's the UDA used to exist from crisis to crisis , hoping each time that the political leadership would pick up from where the paramilitaries had left off and start putting the Loyalist case across properly in Britain and abroad , and findings ways to run Northern Ireland (sic) that would win the co-operation of the Catholics .
" Ten years on it's still the same people , and they still have'nt learned to outwit the Republican groups , match them brain for brain . We still present our case very badly (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ..or is it simply that they had/have a bad case .. ?) - we have not convinced people outside our own community that we're a separate race of people who are willing to live here with our Catholic neighbours . " ('1169.... ' Comment - ...and that , readers , is the closest the UDA ever got to propaganda for foreign consumption ! )
The failure of the 1977 work stoppage was a turning point for the UDA .......
(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.
The last couple of years of political activity have served to demonstrate that the Provisionals have a solid and sizeable amount of support . During this period the IRA adjusted its military tactics , avoiding as far as possible the kind of action which carries a high risk and which has the potential to alienate sympathisers from Sinn Fein - such as the bombing of 'economic targets ' .
Within the IRA there is a belief that the 'authorities' have taken advantage of the 'Mister Nice Guy' tactics in order to claim that 'normality' is returning . (' 1169....' Comment - 'Normality' ? And what have we got today ? The Provisional movement about to 'police' the Six Counties for Westminster ! Hardly 'normality' , but it will suffice for Mr. Blair and his War Cabinet .. )
There is thus a move within the IRA to return to what one source described as "..the types of operation which it was renowned for in the past . " According to republican sources the IRA deliberately moved away from some types of chancy operation - such as commercial bombings - in order to facilitate Sinn Fein's electoral strategy ; such military operations have a high attrition rate , in terms of members captured and of civilian casualties .
One mistake can result in an atrocity which wipes out months of political work ; within the IRA it is now felt that the British have been taking advantage of this , claiming a partial return to 'normality' , claiming that bombings are fewer than three years ago and that this is because they are on top of the 'security problems' ....... (' 1169.... ' Comment - if it was felt then that Westminster was "taking advantage.. " of the political situation which the then Sinn Fein organisation found itself in - what will Westminster do now that the Provisional Sinn Fein political party has handed itself on a plate up to them ?)
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
In 1980 , a Mr. Christopher Lynch was released from jail by the (FS) Supreme Court after serving over three years for murder ; his 'confession' , after 22 hours 'interrogation' , was extracted in oppressive circumstances , said the Court . More serious was the fact that the judges pointed out that the confession could not be true as it contradicted known facts in the case : there was no inquiry , no re-assessment .
In April 1982 Peter Matthews died in Shercock Garda Station after a beating . Most gardai deplore what happened and disassociate themselves from any activity of the kind that went on there . But the Shercock case was another example of garda determined to get a 'confession' from a suspect , even though they already had enough evidence on which to lay charges . Had the gardai not continued the interrogation , Peter Matthews would not have been assaulted by whoever it was delivered the blow which crushed his pancreas .
By now , interrogations were standard , the gardai believed they had the right to do this and no one in authority was saying any different . Two trials failed to discover what happened at Shercock ; there was no reassessment .
In August 1982 , Amanda McShane was interrogated in a Dublin garda station ; she refused to sign a statement . Her solicitor subsequently found a written statement , as though made by McShane , awaiting her signature . There was no inquiry , no reassessment .
In June 1983 , at Naas , County Kildare , Michael Ward signed a confession to a string of burglaries and , according to sworn statements by gardai , pointed out the houses which he had burgled . He was released when it was discovered that he had been in jail when some of the burglaries had been carried out . 'MAGILL' magazine discovered that one of the burglaries to which he 'confessed' had never occurred . There was no reassessment .......
(MORE LATER).
( Re the 'Indymedia' issue : this matter has now been cleared-up to my satisfaction . I received a number of e-mails , from two Indymedia Mods. , one of which stated - ".... I can see now that your comment was deleted completely by mistake as it wasn't one of the ones that contained posts of images already posted to the site. (It was just above or below one of
those posts.).... " The Mod. apologised and I have since posted on 'Indymedia' without incident . I am content to leave the issue at that ....for now ..! )
Thursday, August 04, 2005
PREPARING THE DEFENCE OF ULSTER LOYALISM .
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
UDA Commander Andy Tyrie makes it clear that he does not want to sabre-rattle , that he wants to hope , often against hope , that a peaceful solution can be found to Northern Ireland's (sic) problems .
Ten years after the 'Ulster' Workers Council strike (UWC) he believes the Protestants are still not getting adequate leadership from their Unionist politicians , and that the British government now ignores the Loyalist community and is trying to move Northern Ireland (sic) slowly in the direction of a united Ireland without actually provoking an all-out crisis like that of May 1974 .
He says that "...though maybe it's mad , or wishful thinking , I'm still an optimist . The chances of peaceful accommodation through parliamentary politics are getting less , but I always hope that when you do arrive at a crisis situation people will say this has gone too far , it's going to cost an awful lot of lives , and maybe we should go up into the Assembly and try to work together .. "
But he is absolutely firm that the one thing the UDA will not countenance is interference by the Irish government (sic) in the North's affairs . Andy Tyrie claims that the UDA had nothing against the 1974 power-sharing executive - "...but we felt that the Council of Ireland was the thin edge of the wedge and that Ministers from Dublin would be coming up here and formimg a sort of joint government which would advance and advance until we were totally run by the Dublin government ....... "
(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.
The belief that Sinn Fein is approaching its ceilings of votes is likely , according to republican sources , to lead to a change in IRA military tactics . This may result in a return to a more intensive bombing of 'economic targets ' ; within the Sinn Fein leadership it is now believed that the party (sic) is unlikely to out-poll the SDLP in the short term and secure a position as the main representatives of the nationalist community in the North .
Sinn Fein will this month - after the new ward boundary arrangements are announced - work out its strategy for the 1985 local elections in the Six Counties . It may be hampered in its aim of maximising its vote by the rule changes brought in by Margaret Thatcher after the electoral victory of Bobby Sands in Fermanagh-South Tyrone in 1981 . To some extent the impression that Sinn Fein was breathing down the SDLP's electoral neck was deliberately fostered by the Sinn Fein leadership - against the advice of , for instance , Gerry Adams - in order to enthuse the Sinn Fein rank and file .
There has been a re-appraisal since the Euro elections in June 1984 , in which Sinn Fein - while retaining its percentage share of the nationalist vote - saw its overall voting figures fall from 102,000 to 91,000 . The 'armalite and ballot paper' strategy remains the same , with the involvement in electoral politics and community activities being seen as a way of involving wider circles of sympathisers but with the central belief retained that only a continuous and indefinitely prolonged military campaign will convince the British government that the State is ungovernable while the British remain ....... (' 1169 .... ' Comment - ....and now the Provos are part and parcel of that same State ; paid employees of Westminster who ask you to believe that they are following in the footsteps of Tone , Emmet and Pearse .... !)
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
As most of the allegations about garda 'short-cuts' involved members of republican groups there was a tendency to shrug them off as 'propaganda' ; or , if the gardai delivered the odd thump , so what ? Under cover of the suppposed need to protect the very existence of the State , the gardai were virtually given a free hand - the trend was as plain as daylight in the figures on the use of Section 30 , the extraordinary power of arrest , of virtual short-term internment , give to the gardai in the 'Offences Against The State Act' .
In the period 1972-1976 , the most violent period of the Northern conflict , 2,724 people were lifted by the gardai , under Section 30 : in the period 1980-1984 , with a relatively low level of violence , 11,035 people were arrested under Section 30 .
With the power of detention comes the power of interrogation . The crudities of the mid-1970's when suspects "...fell down the stairs .. " or "... walked into a door .. " with amazing regularity , eased off as the gardai became more sophisticated : interrogation techniques had by now become so refined that on one occasion there was a row between a local garda , who 'knew' a suspect was guilty , and the interrogators , who knew that the suspect was innocent even though he was ready to sign a confession after several hours of interrogation . There is something seriously wrong .
No one had planned for it to go wrong ; there was no 'grand design ' for the creation of a police State - just cops doing a job the best they knew how , and politicians ignoring the warning signs .......
(MORE LATER).
Over the last few days I have posted comments on the 'Indymedia' site in reply to a post on same regarding Provo Sinn Fein and the funds they receive from Westminster .
My comments added further information to the original piece , information which I backed-up with the source of where I obtained said information . Without any contact from 'Indymedia' , the posts I made were removed , while other posters ' coments were not touched .
I have had contact with 'Indymedia' over this issue - but all my posts concerning their censorship have now been removed as well . Political censorship on a public Forum (despite the fact that I did not contravene their 'Rules For Posting') : just thought you might be interested ...... Sharon . UPDATE - There have been developments in the early hours of this morning ; my 'banned' post has been re-published (and my posts complaining about same have been removed !) but , at the time of writing , I am non-the-wiser as to why my post was removed in the first place . I intend to pursue this matter further with 'Indymedia' . Sharon.
Ten years ago this month the ' ULSTER WORKERS COUNCIL' strike brought down the power-sharing executive of BRIAN FAULKNER and GERRY FITT .
ANDY POLLAK talks to UDA leader ANDY TYRIE , one of the men behind the 1974 work stoppage , and GEORGE SEAWRIGHT , one of the new breed of hard-line Loyalist spokesmen , about the outlook for Northern Ireland's (sic) Protestants in the 1980's .
From ' FORTNIGHT ' magazine , May 1984 .
UDA Commander Andy Tyrie makes it clear that he does not want to sabre-rattle , that he wants to hope , often against hope , that a peaceful solution can be found to Northern Ireland's (sic) problems .
Ten years after the 'Ulster' Workers Council strike (UWC) he believes the Protestants are still not getting adequate leadership from their Unionist politicians , and that the British government now ignores the Loyalist community and is trying to move Northern Ireland (sic) slowly in the direction of a united Ireland without actually provoking an all-out crisis like that of May 1974 .
He says that "...though maybe it's mad , or wishful thinking , I'm still an optimist . The chances of peaceful accommodation through parliamentary politics are getting less , but I always hope that when you do arrive at a crisis situation people will say this has gone too far , it's going to cost an awful lot of lives , and maybe we should go up into the Assembly and try to work together .. "
But he is absolutely firm that the one thing the UDA will not countenance is interference by the Irish government (sic) in the North's affairs . Andy Tyrie claims that the UDA had nothing against the 1974 power-sharing executive - "...but we felt that the Council of Ireland was the thin edge of the wedge and that Ministers from Dublin would be coming up here and formimg a sort of joint government which would advance and advance until we were totally run by the Dublin government ....... "
(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.
The belief that Sinn Fein is approaching its ceilings of votes is likely , according to republican sources , to lead to a change in IRA military tactics . This may result in a return to a more intensive bombing of 'economic targets ' ; within the Sinn Fein leadership it is now believed that the party (sic) is unlikely to out-poll the SDLP in the short term and secure a position as the main representatives of the nationalist community in the North .
Sinn Fein will this month - after the new ward boundary arrangements are announced - work out its strategy for the 1985 local elections in the Six Counties . It may be hampered in its aim of maximising its vote by the rule changes brought in by Margaret Thatcher after the electoral victory of Bobby Sands in Fermanagh-South Tyrone in 1981 . To some extent the impression that Sinn Fein was breathing down the SDLP's electoral neck was deliberately fostered by the Sinn Fein leadership - against the advice of , for instance , Gerry Adams - in order to enthuse the Sinn Fein rank and file .
There has been a re-appraisal since the Euro elections in June 1984 , in which Sinn Fein - while retaining its percentage share of the nationalist vote - saw its overall voting figures fall from 102,000 to 91,000 . The 'armalite and ballot paper' strategy remains the same , with the involvement in electoral politics and community activities being seen as a way of involving wider circles of sympathisers but with the central belief retained that only a continuous and indefinitely prolonged military campaign will convince the British government that the State is ungovernable while the British remain ....... (' 1169 .... ' Comment - ....and now the Provos are part and parcel of that same State ; paid employees of Westminster who ask you to believe that they are following in the footsteps of Tone , Emmet and Pearse .... !)
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
As most of the allegations about garda 'short-cuts' involved members of republican groups there was a tendency to shrug them off as 'propaganda' ; or , if the gardai delivered the odd thump , so what ? Under cover of the suppposed need to protect the very existence of the State , the gardai were virtually given a free hand - the trend was as plain as daylight in the figures on the use of Section 30 , the extraordinary power of arrest , of virtual short-term internment , give to the gardai in the 'Offences Against The State Act' .
In the period 1972-1976 , the most violent period of the Northern conflict , 2,724 people were lifted by the gardai , under Section 30 : in the period 1980-1984 , with a relatively low level of violence , 11,035 people were arrested under Section 30 .
With the power of detention comes the power of interrogation . The crudities of the mid-1970's when suspects "...fell down the stairs .. " or "... walked into a door .. " with amazing regularity , eased off as the gardai became more sophisticated : interrogation techniques had by now become so refined that on one occasion there was a row between a local garda , who 'knew' a suspect was guilty , and the interrogators , who knew that the suspect was innocent even though he was ready to sign a confession after several hours of interrogation . There is something seriously wrong .
No one had planned for it to go wrong ; there was no 'grand design ' for the creation of a police State - just cops doing a job the best they knew how , and politicians ignoring the warning signs .......
(MORE LATER).
Over the last few days I have posted comments on the 'Indymedia' site in reply to a post on same regarding Provo Sinn Fein and the funds they receive from Westminster .
My comments added further information to the original piece , information which I backed-up with the source of where I obtained said information . Without any contact from 'Indymedia' , the posts I made were removed , while other posters ' coments were not touched .
I have had contact with 'Indymedia' over this issue - but all my posts concerning their censorship have now been removed as well . Political censorship on a public Forum (despite the fact that I did not contravene their 'Rules For Posting') : just thought you might be interested ...... Sharon . UPDATE - There have been developments in the early hours of this morning ; my 'banned' post has been re-published (and my posts complaining about same have been removed !) but , at the time of writing , I am non-the-wiser as to why my post was removed in the first place . I intend to pursue this matter further with 'Indymedia' . Sharon.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES .......
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
The 'Ulster' Clubs are already providing 'flying pickets' for ' Northern Ireland (sic) Office' Ministers , and look forward to harassing British - imposed Commissioners , urging a boycott of goods made in the twenty-six county State , picketing shops which do not comply , and local government bodies which continue to meet .
Generally , in the words of one of their most prominent members , they will continue to "... persuade people to hold firm .. " and in the words of another - "...remind the police (sic - RUC) which community they live in .. " ( ' 1169... ' Comment - ...and you can judge for yourself just how the loyalists in the 'Clubs' would carry-through on those two quotes !)
The betting is on a couple of weeks of political bickering after the leaders' meeting with Margaret Thatcher - during which the Clubs' eyes will be on the politicians - and then "...things will move quite quickly into a different phase .. " ( ' 1169.... ' Comment - ...again - you can use your own judgement on that quote .. )
If a moderate Unionist leadership ( ' 1169 ..... ' Comment - is there such a beast .. ? ) is to emerge it probably has to do so over the next few weeks , openly , unequivocally , and with dynamism , or take to the streets with the rest .
[END of ' POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES ' .]
(TOMORROW - ' Preparing The Defence Of Ulster (sic) Loyalism ' : From 1984.)
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Sammy Wilson (DUP) is prepared for what he terms "...extra-parliamentary actions .. " (ie killing Catholics) if the (1985) Hillsborough Treaty is not withdrawn : " I would'nt be a very good General , so I would hardly imagine that they (ie the Loyalist paramilitaries) would sign me up for that , but I'm sure there would be something I could do in a situation like that . I would'nt relish it , but I would imagine there are other people and that's their forte .
I can imagine that there are people from the border areas , political representatives who have been going to a funeral a week at times , who might not be as restrained as I would be .. " ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - goad others into violence ....then , later , condemn their actions . )
One man from the border area is Ivan Foster ; as a (religious) [!] 'Minister' , his theology does not prevent him from wielding a gun : " Modernism has equated Christianity with pacifism , which is a load of rubbish . It is useful to throw in here that title which is given to the Lord in the bible where it says of him that he is a man of war . These Anglo-Irish talks are entering a phase where it is very possible that the State will become a tyrant and say to me as a British citizen that I am going to lose a part of my citizenship because a foreign State is going to be given a role in the running of a part of the United Kingdom (sic) .
It is a Presbyterian doctrine , ground out in the hard mill of the days of persecution in Scotland , that when the (British) government , or the King as it then was , forsakes his lawful role and begins to enforce his will on the people , contrary to the contract that exists between him and the people , then the King is no longer the lawful Head of State - he has become a tyrant . And it is a Christian's duty to resist a tyrant . I would have no hesitation . I would not be joining the army of Ulster (sic) as a chaplain ; I would be joining it as 'Joe Blogs' , an ordinary foot soldier . I would not be infringing my conscience or the word of God , but acting in complete obedience to both .
I would have no compunction , not in the least . I know how to use a gun . There's no good carrying a gun if you don't know how to use it . There's no good carrying a gun if you don't intend to use it . And if I am ambushed , I have one prayer : ' Lord , let him miss the first time ...' "
[END of ' FIRE AND BRIMSTONE ' .]
(TOMORROW - ' The IRA Has To Do What The IRA Has To Do ' : from 1984 .)
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
It was at the climax of these proceedings that the garda , Christy Power of the 'Task Force' , began shooting - there were at least five gardai , uniformed and detective , within a few feet of him as he continued to wave his gun around . It was at this stage that a leading member of the Provisionals did the gardai's work for them ( ' 1169....' Comment - how history repeats itself ; the Provisionals are , once more , preparing to do the gardai's work for them ... ! ) and prevailed on Detective Christy Power to put his gun away .
3 . The Road To Prince's Street .
The gardai involved in the Glenholmes affair are not habitual criminals , nor are they evil or lunatic ; they are conscientious gardai going about the business assigned to them by the State (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ... as was proved years later by their conduct in Donegal .. !) . Perhaps the best explanation of their conduct came in an article by John Dickinson in 'The Irish Independent' newspaper in which the gardai were lauded for their activities - '... for what is seen as their intention to uphold the Hillsborough Agreement in the spirit as well as the letter .. ' (' 1169 ... ' Comment - the so-called 'Independent -group of newspaper is anything but ; it is a loyal servant of the State . ) .
The gardai had no personal motivation for committing offences (' 1169 .... ' Comment - again , as can be judged from their behaviour in Donegal !) - they had no professional motivation in that Evelyn Glenholmes was not wanted for any offence within their jurisdiction and had just been ordered free by a judge . But the British wanted Glenholmes and the Irish (sic) government had been loud and clear in its stated intention that British wishes on extradition would be granted . The gardai knew that if Glenholmes could be unlawfully detained , by whatever means necessary , there was a good chance that the (FS) government wishes would be fulfilled . They were apparently unaware that their activities would involve serious crimes , that they too are subject to the law . (' 1169 .... ' Comment - which should mean that it is not permittable for a garda member to plant explosives , 'find' them later , and hope for promotion for doing so ... !)
From the mid-1970's there has been clear evidence that increasingly wider sections of the garda force have been indulging in unprofessional activity ; This began with the Cosgrave Coalition's pressure on the garda force to "...get results.." . There was ample evidence of physical beatings delivered to suspects ; an increasing number of serious crimes was being 'solved' by the extraction of confessions . At no stage did the political or garda authorities accept that there was a problem ....... (' 1169 .... ' Comment - once again , any similarities with Donegal..... are intended !)
(MORE LATER).
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
The 'Ulster' Clubs are already providing 'flying pickets' for ' Northern Ireland (sic) Office' Ministers , and look forward to harassing British - imposed Commissioners , urging a boycott of goods made in the twenty-six county State , picketing shops which do not comply , and local government bodies which continue to meet .
Generally , in the words of one of their most prominent members , they will continue to "... persuade people to hold firm .. " and in the words of another - "...remind the police (sic - RUC) which community they live in .. " ( ' 1169... ' Comment - ...and you can judge for yourself just how the loyalists in the 'Clubs' would carry-through on those two quotes !)
The betting is on a couple of weeks of political bickering after the leaders' meeting with Margaret Thatcher - during which the Clubs' eyes will be on the politicians - and then "...things will move quite quickly into a different phase .. " ( ' 1169.... ' Comment - ...again - you can use your own judgement on that quote .. )
If a moderate Unionist leadership ( ' 1169 ..... ' Comment - is there such a beast .. ? ) is to emerge it probably has to do so over the next few weeks , openly , unequivocally , and with dynamism , or take to the streets with the rest .
[END of ' POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES ' .]
(TOMORROW - ' Preparing The Defence Of Ulster (sic) Loyalism ' : From 1984.)
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Sammy Wilson (DUP) is prepared for what he terms "...extra-parliamentary actions .. " (ie killing Catholics) if the (1985) Hillsborough Treaty is not withdrawn : " I would'nt be a very good General , so I would hardly imagine that they (ie the Loyalist paramilitaries) would sign me up for that , but I'm sure there would be something I could do in a situation like that . I would'nt relish it , but I would imagine there are other people and that's their forte .
I can imagine that there are people from the border areas , political representatives who have been going to a funeral a week at times , who might not be as restrained as I would be .. " ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - goad others into violence ....then , later , condemn their actions . )
One man from the border area is Ivan Foster ; as a (religious) [!] 'Minister' , his theology does not prevent him from wielding a gun : " Modernism has equated Christianity with pacifism , which is a load of rubbish . It is useful to throw in here that title which is given to the Lord in the bible where it says of him that he is a man of war . These Anglo-Irish talks are entering a phase where it is very possible that the State will become a tyrant and say to me as a British citizen that I am going to lose a part of my citizenship because a foreign State is going to be given a role in the running of a part of the United Kingdom (sic) .
It is a Presbyterian doctrine , ground out in the hard mill of the days of persecution in Scotland , that when the (British) government , or the King as it then was , forsakes his lawful role and begins to enforce his will on the people , contrary to the contract that exists between him and the people , then the King is no longer the lawful Head of State - he has become a tyrant . And it is a Christian's duty to resist a tyrant . I would have no hesitation . I would not be joining the army of Ulster (sic) as a chaplain ; I would be joining it as 'Joe Blogs' , an ordinary foot soldier . I would not be infringing my conscience or the word of God , but acting in complete obedience to both .
I would have no compunction , not in the least . I know how to use a gun . There's no good carrying a gun if you don't know how to use it . There's no good carrying a gun if you don't intend to use it . And if I am ambushed , I have one prayer : ' Lord , let him miss the first time ...' "
[END of ' FIRE AND BRIMSTONE ' .]
(TOMORROW - ' The IRA Has To Do What The IRA Has To Do ' : from 1984 .)
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
It was at the climax of these proceedings that the garda , Christy Power of the 'Task Force' , began shooting - there were at least five gardai , uniformed and detective , within a few feet of him as he continued to wave his gun around . It was at this stage that a leading member of the Provisionals did the gardai's work for them ( ' 1169....' Comment - how history repeats itself ; the Provisionals are , once more , preparing to do the gardai's work for them ... ! ) and prevailed on Detective Christy Power to put his gun away .
3 . The Road To Prince's Street .
The gardai involved in the Glenholmes affair are not habitual criminals , nor are they evil or lunatic ; they are conscientious gardai going about the business assigned to them by the State (' 1169 ... ' Comment - ... as was proved years later by their conduct in Donegal .. !) . Perhaps the best explanation of their conduct came in an article by John Dickinson in 'The Irish Independent' newspaper in which the gardai were lauded for their activities - '... for what is seen as their intention to uphold the Hillsborough Agreement in the spirit as well as the letter .. ' (' 1169 ... ' Comment - the so-called 'Independent -group of newspaper is anything but ; it is a loyal servant of the State . ) .
The gardai had no personal motivation for committing offences (' 1169 .... ' Comment - again , as can be judged from their behaviour in Donegal !) - they had no professional motivation in that Evelyn Glenholmes was not wanted for any offence within their jurisdiction and had just been ordered free by a judge . But the British wanted Glenholmes and the Irish (sic) government had been loud and clear in its stated intention that British wishes on extradition would be granted . The gardai knew that if Glenholmes could be unlawfully detained , by whatever means necessary , there was a good chance that the (FS) government wishes would be fulfilled . They were apparently unaware that their activities would involve serious crimes , that they too are subject to the law . (' 1169 .... ' Comment - which should mean that it is not permittable for a garda member to plant explosives , 'find' them later , and hope for promotion for doing so ... !)
From the mid-1970's there has been clear evidence that increasingly wider sections of the garda force have been indulging in unprofessional activity ; This began with the Cosgrave Coalition's pressure on the garda force to "...get results.." . There was ample evidence of physical beatings delivered to suspects ; an increasing number of serious crimes was being 'solved' by the extraction of confessions . At no stage did the political or garda authorities accept that there was a problem ....... (' 1169 .... ' Comment - once again , any similarities with Donegal..... are intended !)
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES .......
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Effectively , four people run the 'Ulster' Clubs : Alan Wright , who belongs to no political party ; John McMichael , who belongs to the UDA ; and Lisburn Councillor Billy Bleakes and Armagh Councillor Philip Black , who are both members of the 'Official Unionist Party' (OUP) .
Over the whole of the North of Ireland , the DUP outnumber the OUP's in Clubs' membership but , in Billy Bleakes' home area of Lisburn , there are now six 'Ulster' Clubs - one chaired by the DUP , two by unaffiliated people , three by members of the OUP . The Clubs claim about 8,500 members , none of them merely nominal ; their meetings , held in Orange Halls or Town Halls , are never held in a venue where alcohol is available and are always started by a Bible reading . They are 'closed' meetings , and are described as consisting of "...an awful lot of discussion .. "
As to what they will be doing in the near future , no one seems to believe in the likelihood of Unionists withholding car tax and rates , no matter what the OUP Spokesperson on Law and Order (well sic ..!) Ken Maginnis MP rashly committed himself to last week - an outburst attributed by the unkind (!) to his belatedly realising that Clubs' support in his constituency now includes a significant section of his party support .
What the Clubs are doing is placing pickets on British politicians who visit the Six Counties .......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Sammy Wilson (DUP) wants the (1985) Hillsborough Treaty done away with -
" I don't like blood-curdling speeches , to be quite truthfull . I don't like issuing blood-curdling warnings , because we have to live amongst this , so I'll be quite careful in what I say . But all that I can say is that once we as a Unionist population feel that our future is under threat and that no one else is listening to us , and we've done all the political things we can do , there will be a turning to other methods . And my fear would be , and we have already seen this in small measures to some extent , that once that process starts , it's not the kind of thing you can turn on and off like a tap . ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - a typical Unionist ploy : goad others into doing the killing ...then condemn them for doing it . And it still works for them to this day . )
Once you start along that road , people start to look to all of those they imagine to be enemies , for example among the nationalist community in Northern Ireland (sic) . People will say 'Well , they're the ones who've been harbouring the terrorists . ' Large sections of the nationalist population would then be open to the kind of retaliatory action which years of frustration would bring out . I imagine the republic would be seen as that threat , the ones who are pushing the constitutional claim , and you're not too far away either , so people would say ' If we're suffering , you'll suffer . ' How it all ends I would'nt even want to start dreaming about . ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - .... not only 'goading' , but pointing in a certain direction , too .. )
I would no longer be a politician in that kind of situation ; people would have to opt as to whether they just wanted to drop out of everything or whether they wanted to maintain some degree of input and control . I myself would look for a role in whatever extra-parliamentary actions were available ....... " ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - "...extra-parliamentary actions ... " : TRANSLATION - " ...killing Catholics... " . Then condemning the deaths of said Catholics and , whilst washing his hands of the matter , murmer something about those who carried out the killings being left to feel that they had no other choice ... ) .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
Evelyn Glenholmes' supporters managed to get her into a car after the Free State Court released her ; but the gardai were'nt having that - once she was in the car and being driven off , there were attempts to physically stop the car from moving ; gardai jammed a car against the back bumper of Glenholmes's car and ordered the driver of the car in front not to move , thus immobilising the car . This involved threatening behaviour , unlawful detention , and innumerable criminal common law , civil and motoring offences .
The next stage of the offences involved harassment , intimidation and possibly unlawful detention , as gardai hemmed in Glenholmes and her friends and prevented them going about their business . Sometime around then , the gardai obtained their provisional warrant ; there were a number of common and actual assaults in O' Connell Street , Dublin , outside the GPO . Although the gardai had by now the right to arrest Glenholmes and to take whatever action necessary , including the use of force , to effect that arrest , they had by now blown the case .
Evelyn Glenholmes and her friends had been subjected to a number of offences over a period of about half an hour ; any Court would accept that citizens subjected to continual assault and threatening behaviour would have the right to defend themselves , using reasonable force . Those citizens could not be expected to accept , in the middle of a chain of assaults , that they should now acquiesce because a warrant had been obtained to legitimise the garda activity . The illegal acts performed by the gardai over a period of half an hour were witnessed by other gardai and had to be known to quite senion members of the force . No garda intervened to stop those offences being committed and no garda laid charges , then or later , as a consequence of those offences .
A blind eye was turned . This is a dereliction of duty .......
(MORE LATER).
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Effectively , four people run the 'Ulster' Clubs : Alan Wright , who belongs to no political party ; John McMichael , who belongs to the UDA ; and Lisburn Councillor Billy Bleakes and Armagh Councillor Philip Black , who are both members of the 'Official Unionist Party' (OUP) .
Over the whole of the North of Ireland , the DUP outnumber the OUP's in Clubs' membership but , in Billy Bleakes' home area of Lisburn , there are now six 'Ulster' Clubs - one chaired by the DUP , two by unaffiliated people , three by members of the OUP . The Clubs claim about 8,500 members , none of them merely nominal ; their meetings , held in Orange Halls or Town Halls , are never held in a venue where alcohol is available and are always started by a Bible reading . They are 'closed' meetings , and are described as consisting of "...an awful lot of discussion .. "
As to what they will be doing in the near future , no one seems to believe in the likelihood of Unionists withholding car tax and rates , no matter what the OUP Spokesperson on Law and Order (well sic ..!) Ken Maginnis MP rashly committed himself to last week - an outburst attributed by the unkind (!) to his belatedly realising that Clubs' support in his constituency now includes a significant section of his party support .
What the Clubs are doing is placing pickets on British politicians who visit the Six Counties .......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Sammy Wilson (DUP) wants the (1985) Hillsborough Treaty done away with -
" I don't like blood-curdling speeches , to be quite truthfull . I don't like issuing blood-curdling warnings , because we have to live amongst this , so I'll be quite careful in what I say . But all that I can say is that once we as a Unionist population feel that our future is under threat and that no one else is listening to us , and we've done all the political things we can do , there will be a turning to other methods . And my fear would be , and we have already seen this in small measures to some extent , that once that process starts , it's not the kind of thing you can turn on and off like a tap . ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - a typical Unionist ploy : goad others into doing the killing ...then condemn them for doing it . And it still works for them to this day . )
Once you start along that road , people start to look to all of those they imagine to be enemies , for example among the nationalist community in Northern Ireland (sic) . People will say 'Well , they're the ones who've been harbouring the terrorists . ' Large sections of the nationalist population would then be open to the kind of retaliatory action which years of frustration would bring out . I imagine the republic would be seen as that threat , the ones who are pushing the constitutional claim , and you're not too far away either , so people would say ' If we're suffering , you'll suffer . ' How it all ends I would'nt even want to start dreaming about . ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - .... not only 'goading' , but pointing in a certain direction , too .. )
I would no longer be a politician in that kind of situation ; people would have to opt as to whether they just wanted to drop out of everything or whether they wanted to maintain some degree of input and control . I myself would look for a role in whatever extra-parliamentary actions were available ....... " ( ' 1169 ... ' Comment - "...extra-parliamentary actions ... " : TRANSLATION - " ...killing Catholics... " . Then condemning the deaths of said Catholics and , whilst washing his hands of the matter , murmer something about those who carried out the killings being left to feel that they had no other choice ... ) .......
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
Evelyn Glenholmes' supporters managed to get her into a car after the Free State Court released her ; but the gardai were'nt having that - once she was in the car and being driven off , there were attempts to physically stop the car from moving ; gardai jammed a car against the back bumper of Glenholmes's car and ordered the driver of the car in front not to move , thus immobilising the car . This involved threatening behaviour , unlawful detention , and innumerable criminal common law , civil and motoring offences .
The next stage of the offences involved harassment , intimidation and possibly unlawful detention , as gardai hemmed in Glenholmes and her friends and prevented them going about their business . Sometime around then , the gardai obtained their provisional warrant ; there were a number of common and actual assaults in O' Connell Street , Dublin , outside the GPO . Although the gardai had by now the right to arrest Glenholmes and to take whatever action necessary , including the use of force , to effect that arrest , they had by now blown the case .
Evelyn Glenholmes and her friends had been subjected to a number of offences over a period of about half an hour ; any Court would accept that citizens subjected to continual assault and threatening behaviour would have the right to defend themselves , using reasonable force . Those citizens could not be expected to accept , in the middle of a chain of assaults , that they should now acquiesce because a warrant had been obtained to legitimise the garda activity . The illegal acts performed by the gardai over a period of half an hour were witnessed by other gardai and had to be known to quite senion members of the force . No garda intervened to stop those offences being committed and no garda laid charges , then or later , as a consequence of those offences .
A blind eye was turned . This is a dereliction of duty .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, August 01, 2005
POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES .......
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Alan Wright joined the Orange Order ; in the summer of 1985 , in Portadown , he watched Orangemen clashing with the RUC and organised an 'Action Committee' in the local Orange Lodge to protest at what he clearly saw to be the first 'fruit' of the unsigned Anglo-Irish Agreement ( the Hillsborough Treaty ) - that Committee grew . The ageing Orange leadership locally was displaced ; a meeting was called by two local Councillors , OUP and DUP . That meeting formed the 'United Ulster (sic) Loyalist Front' and elected Alan Wright as its Chairperson , as an 'honest non-party broker' . McMichael (UDA) was there from the start .
The two party leaders stayed away - Peter Robinson (DUP) came to speak ; the two parties swiftly formed their 'think-tank' working party . Ever since the politicians have been talking with ever greater urgency about the lack of time ..... no time for the Agreement to collapse of its own internal contradictions , no time to work out policies so that individuals will not spew them out at random . The political vacuum which fills with violence has become a staple of Unionist 'political-speak' , as it has been for the SDLP for years , and with only dim awareness of the irony .
So-called 'Fronts' started springing-up at local levels , though out of historical piety they were re-christened 'Ulster' Clubs ; a 'parent' Club for each Council area , 25 plus three for Belfast . The 'Front' still meets about a week before the Club's Acting Council , to 'direct' .
Effectively four people run the whole show .......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Gregory Campbell , DUP , claims that the Hillsborough Treaty could bring civil war to the North of Ireland - " That's the logical conclusion of what I'm saying . I realise that . I see that as going very near to the edge of the Protestant faith , of what I have held dear for twenty-five years . Obviously I'm not going to do that lightly , and it's not something that I would relish . But knowing Margaret Thatcher as we all do , as Arthur Scargill does , it's not likely that she's going to back down and we have to prepare ourselves for the inevitable . Dublin and London are slowly coming round to the position of blackmailing the Protestants , of saying ' you either have your country (sic) and you have your peace , and you have your guarantees ... or else the alternative is that you have civil war ' .
Now , given that option we will not have Dublin rule ; we cannot have Dublin rule . And I know how terrible , how horrible , how awful the consequences of me going to the logical end of my argument are . But I will have to act in my community as a safeguard , as a safety valve , as somebody whom the community can use for letting off steam , and try and channel the paramilitary activities in the best way possible . And I will have to try and minimise the effect it will have on the country (sic) in the event of that type of Armageddon situation coming about . But I have to say that if these are the options , to have a greater degree of peace and stability than we have had and to have guarantees within the United Kingdom (sic) , if we let Dublin have a small role in a consultative way in Northern Ireland (sic) , or to have an opposition which will result in widespread violence , then I am going to be pushed into a position where I have to adopt the second role ."
Sammy Wilson said - " Unionists are not spoiling for a fight and we are not itching for a civil war . We've got to live in this country (sic) and I hope I have a long time to live here . Personally I would like to be as comfortable as possible and to live as long as possible . I don't want to be warring and fighting and living in a Lebanese type-situation for the rest of my life . If I was sixty-five maybe I could tolerate it for a few years , but not when you're fairly young . So no one is going to embark on any course of action unless we are sure that there is a real threat . But regardless of how innocuous it looks in the immediate term we'll be asking what lies behind it . If it does give a toehold to the Irish government (sic) then we'll be seeking by all political processes that are available to us to oppose it . Once that is exhausted , I think people will quite rightly say - ' We've done our best , and no one has listened to us ' .
At that stage the role of the politician is going to change ....... "
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
2. Crime In The Streets.
Before Noon (on Saturday March 22 , 1986 ) [Free State] District Justice Connellan ordered that Evelyn Glenholmes be released from State custody ; it cannot be known for certain if there was a prior conspiracy among a number of gardai to frustrate the judge's order - it may have been that , coincidentally , the gardai decided to break as many laws as necessary to extradite Evelyn Glenholmes .
The decision to frustrate the order of the judge and to effectively keep Evelyn Glenholmes in custody was contempt of Court - however , there were a number of other crimes committed by the gardai in the course of effecting this contempt of Court . The criminal activity of the gardai was conducted in a number of stages - first , there was an attempt to prevent Glenholmes from leaving the Courtroom ; then there was an attempt to prevent her leaving the vicinity of the Court ; then there was a period of 'walking custody' , in which the gardai effectively detained her and prevented her going about her business . This was followed by a number of assaults .
At some stage along there the gardai obtained a provisional warrant , which , on the face of it , legitimised their subsequent behaviour . Then the shots were fired . The political motivation for the offences is clear ; if Glenholmes could be kept within reach for a nuber of minutes a warrant might be obtained which would allow the gardai to send her to Britain . The first stage of the criminal activity involved blocking the door of the Court and preventing members of the public , lawyers and journalists from leaving ! This involved crimes of common assault , threatening behaviour and unlawful detention - not just of Glenholmes but of a number of people . The gardai then chased Evelyn Glenholmes , her lawyers and friends , through the Court : this involved common assault , threatening behaviour and behaviour likely to lead to a breach of the peace .
The second stage of the criminal activity began outside the Court , when gardai attempted to prevent Glenholmes from entering a car , when they used violence to attempt to reach her . This involved common assault , actual assault , threatening behaviour and behaviour likely to lead to a breach of the peace . She managed to get into the car . But that was'nt the end of the gardai criminal behaviour .......
(MORE LATER).
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Alan Wright joined the Orange Order ; in the summer of 1985 , in Portadown , he watched Orangemen clashing with the RUC and organised an 'Action Committee' in the local Orange Lodge to protest at what he clearly saw to be the first 'fruit' of the unsigned Anglo-Irish Agreement ( the Hillsborough Treaty ) - that Committee grew . The ageing Orange leadership locally was displaced ; a meeting was called by two local Councillors , OUP and DUP . That meeting formed the 'United Ulster (sic) Loyalist Front' and elected Alan Wright as its Chairperson , as an 'honest non-party broker' . McMichael (UDA) was there from the start .
The two party leaders stayed away - Peter Robinson (DUP) came to speak ; the two parties swiftly formed their 'think-tank' working party . Ever since the politicians have been talking with ever greater urgency about the lack of time ..... no time for the Agreement to collapse of its own internal contradictions , no time to work out policies so that individuals will not spew them out at random . The political vacuum which fills with violence has become a staple of Unionist 'political-speak' , as it has been for the SDLP for years , and with only dim awareness of the irony .
So-called 'Fronts' started springing-up at local levels , though out of historical piety they were re-christened 'Ulster' Clubs ; a 'parent' Club for each Council area , 25 plus three for Belfast . The 'Front' still meets about a week before the Club's Acting Council , to 'direct' .
Effectively four people run the whole show .......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Gregory Campbell , DUP , claims that the Hillsborough Treaty could bring civil war to the North of Ireland - " That's the logical conclusion of what I'm saying . I realise that . I see that as going very near to the edge of the Protestant faith , of what I have held dear for twenty-five years . Obviously I'm not going to do that lightly , and it's not something that I would relish . But knowing Margaret Thatcher as we all do , as Arthur Scargill does , it's not likely that she's going to back down and we have to prepare ourselves for the inevitable . Dublin and London are slowly coming round to the position of blackmailing the Protestants , of saying ' you either have your country (sic) and you have your peace , and you have your guarantees ... or else the alternative is that you have civil war ' .
Now , given that option we will not have Dublin rule ; we cannot have Dublin rule . And I know how terrible , how horrible , how awful the consequences of me going to the logical end of my argument are . But I will have to act in my community as a safeguard , as a safety valve , as somebody whom the community can use for letting off steam , and try and channel the paramilitary activities in the best way possible . And I will have to try and minimise the effect it will have on the country (sic) in the event of that type of Armageddon situation coming about . But I have to say that if these are the options , to have a greater degree of peace and stability than we have had and to have guarantees within the United Kingdom (sic) , if we let Dublin have a small role in a consultative way in Northern Ireland (sic) , or to have an opposition which will result in widespread violence , then I am going to be pushed into a position where I have to adopt the second role ."
Sammy Wilson said - " Unionists are not spoiling for a fight and we are not itching for a civil war . We've got to live in this country (sic) and I hope I have a long time to live here . Personally I would like to be as comfortable as possible and to live as long as possible . I don't want to be warring and fighting and living in a Lebanese type-situation for the rest of my life . If I was sixty-five maybe I could tolerate it for a few years , but not when you're fairly young . So no one is going to embark on any course of action unless we are sure that there is a real threat . But regardless of how innocuous it looks in the immediate term we'll be asking what lies behind it . If it does give a toehold to the Irish government (sic) then we'll be seeking by all political processes that are available to us to oppose it . Once that is exhausted , I think people will quite rightly say - ' We've done our best , and no one has listened to us ' .
At that stage the role of the politician is going to change ....... "
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .......
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
2. Crime In The Streets.
Before Noon (on Saturday March 22 , 1986 ) [Free State] District Justice Connellan ordered that Evelyn Glenholmes be released from State custody ; it cannot be known for certain if there was a prior conspiracy among a number of gardai to frustrate the judge's order - it may have been that , coincidentally , the gardai decided to break as many laws as necessary to extradite Evelyn Glenholmes .
The decision to frustrate the order of the judge and to effectively keep Evelyn Glenholmes in custody was contempt of Court - however , there were a number of other crimes committed by the gardai in the course of effecting this contempt of Court . The criminal activity of the gardai was conducted in a number of stages - first , there was an attempt to prevent Glenholmes from leaving the Courtroom ; then there was an attempt to prevent her leaving the vicinity of the Court ; then there was a period of 'walking custody' , in which the gardai effectively detained her and prevented her going about her business . This was followed by a number of assaults .
At some stage along there the gardai obtained a provisional warrant , which , on the face of it , legitimised their subsequent behaviour . Then the shots were fired . The political motivation for the offences is clear ; if Glenholmes could be kept within reach for a nuber of minutes a warrant might be obtained which would allow the gardai to send her to Britain . The first stage of the criminal activity involved blocking the door of the Court and preventing members of the public , lawyers and journalists from leaving ! This involved crimes of common assault , threatening behaviour and unlawful detention - not just of Glenholmes but of a number of people . The gardai then chased Evelyn Glenholmes , her lawyers and friends , through the Court : this involved common assault , threatening behaviour and behaviour likely to lead to a breach of the peace .
The second stage of the criminal activity began outside the Court , when gardai attempted to prevent Glenholmes from entering a car , when they used violence to attempt to reach her . This involved common assault , actual assault , threatening behaviour and behaviour likely to lead to a breach of the peace . She managed to get into the car . But that was'nt the end of the gardai criminal behaviour .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, July 29, 2005
POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES .......
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Alan Wright , from the 'Ulster' Clubs , stated - " We recognise there has to be a role for the minority (sic - the Nationalists are not a "minority" in Ireland) , there is a dire need for co-operation . But I firmly believe that the environment for proper politics is not here because of the real source of the poison - militant nationalism . It's a cancer in our society ignored for fifteen years (sic - on so many levels !) . Our aims are to smash the (Hillsborough) Agreement and get the Loyalist people into a position of strength to face the authorities to create that environment .
It could probably be done eventually by sitting round a table . But that could take twenty years and another 2,000 dead . We have'nt the time . " When Alan Wright speaks of "...positions of strength .. " and a new environment , there are echoes of McMichael and the theories of the UDA's political wing . At other times he seems to quote unconsciously from Peter Robinson's pamphlets . He describes McMichael as "...a remarkable political thinker .. " and Robinson as "...the soul of integrity .. " . ( '1169..... ' Comment - "political thinkers (with) integrity" in the UDA/DUP ? Not likely .)
But when Wright speaks of the death-toll , he touches a personal tragedy : in 1979 , his father , Jim , six years out of the RUC Reserve , and his twenty-one year-old sister , got into the family car and began to move off from the house . An INLA booby-trap bomb killed his father and seriously injured his sister . Alan Wright was twenty-five at the time - " I did'nt join anything , I did'nt take up a gun . I did go out once to go down to the Tunnel area and spit in a republican's face and I came near it , but the spittle dried in my mouth . I could not do it . I started clinging on in the hope that the (British) government would do something for the Protestant community .
I joined no organisation , I clung to that . But no - on the 15th November (1985) they sold me out again . " The only organisation Alan Wright joined was the Orange Order .......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Jim Allister , the DUP Chief Whip , stated (re the 1985 Hillsborough Treaty) - " We may not have much confidence that we will achieve that end (doing away with that Treaty) by these methods (ie constitutional and democratic methods) but we have the avenue of trying to thwart and destroy the Treaty through parliament , and that can go out into the avenue of seeking to disrupt the parliamentary process , even to the nitty gritty of seeking to disrupt the (British) government's timetable . Then there is our task of seeking to demonstrate that the community has rejected the Agreement , through petitions , by-elections , a referendum or whatever means we think appropriate . After that we begin the process of making the province (sic) ungovernable , both through learning the lessons of the 1974 Ulster Workers' strike and through pulling out of even lowly local government .
The day Dublin civil servants arrive in any shape or form to administer this province (sic) is the day that we say 'Right , do it on your own , we're pulling out of every tier of government' . If we have done all that and we are still rejected , then they would have rendered me redundant as a politician , but they would not have rendered me redundant as an individual Loyalist , and then I would act in concert with hundreds of thousands of other individual Loyalists in arming ourselves . No self-respecting individual is going to do anything but resist . In those circumstances there are no lengths to which Ulster (sic) men would not go to stop it . None . "
According to Gregory Campbell , the Loyalists , having obtained what they regard as a mandate in a referendum or in by-elections , and having failed to stop Dublin involvement in the North of Ireland , would say "...we must form ourselves into a provisional government ; that provisional government must have a defence ; and that defence must be armed . The Protestant people must be armed . That is my own personal view of how the situation lies ahead . " Gregory Campbell continued - " In the setting up of a provisional government there would be so much community tension that ... well ... I hesitate to use the words civil war ... but there would be so much community tension that we would certainly have the kind of violence that we have'nt seen since the early 1970's .
Even then it was contained to North Belfast , the Bogside , West Belfast , Armagh , Fermanagh . But , in this instance , the whole province (sic) would be embroiled . And there would be much more numerous deaths ....... "
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
1. Shooting In The Streets .
Shortly after noon on Saturday March 22 , 1986 , Danny Morrison , a leading member of the Provos , was standing in Prince's Street , Dublin , with a gun pointed at his chest . The gun was held by a garda who had just fired at least three shots across the crowded street .
The garda had been waving the gun around and although there were many garda in the vicinity , none intervened . A few yards away another garda had drawn his automatic gun and was involved in a bit of 'pushing and pulling' with a colleague before crouching down and running back to hide behind a car ; this garda , with the automatic , seemed to be frightened of the garda who had fired the shots .
Meanwhile , Danny Morrison was walking forward towards the garda who had fired the shots - a uniformed garda and a detective to his left tried to hold him back but he brushed them off . Morrison , wearing a brown sweater , his sleeves rolled up , obviously unarmed , walked forward and stood in front of the garda who had fired the shots , remonstrating with him for firing a gun in a crowded street . The garda put his gun away .
A few feet away , inside the BHS department store , Evelyn Glenholmes was being arrested ; a young man who was trying to enter the store was having his shins kicked by a uniformed garda . Against all the received truths about law and order , against all that most people would want to believe , what had happened was that a leading member of the Provos , at mortal risk to himself , had brought to an end a shooting episode in a crowded street .
In the period leading up to this incident , an extraordinary number of criminal and civil offences had been committed ; these were patently not offences committed for personal gain . They were politically motivated offences . They were committed by gardai .......
(MORE LATER).
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Alan Wright , from the 'Ulster' Clubs , stated - " We recognise there has to be a role for the minority (sic - the Nationalists are not a "minority" in Ireland) , there is a dire need for co-operation . But I firmly believe that the environment for proper politics is not here because of the real source of the poison - militant nationalism . It's a cancer in our society ignored for fifteen years (sic - on so many levels !) . Our aims are to smash the (Hillsborough) Agreement and get the Loyalist people into a position of strength to face the authorities to create that environment .
It could probably be done eventually by sitting round a table . But that could take twenty years and another 2,000 dead . We have'nt the time . " When Alan Wright speaks of "...positions of strength .. " and a new environment , there are echoes of McMichael and the theories of the UDA's political wing . At other times he seems to quote unconsciously from Peter Robinson's pamphlets . He describes McMichael as "...a remarkable political thinker .. " and Robinson as "...the soul of integrity .. " . ( '1169..... ' Comment - "political thinkers (with) integrity" in the UDA/DUP ? Not likely .)
But when Wright speaks of the death-toll , he touches a personal tragedy : in 1979 , his father , Jim , six years out of the RUC Reserve , and his twenty-one year-old sister , got into the family car and began to move off from the house . An INLA booby-trap bomb killed his father and seriously injured his sister . Alan Wright was twenty-five at the time - " I did'nt join anything , I did'nt take up a gun . I did go out once to go down to the Tunnel area and spit in a republican's face and I came near it , but the spittle dried in my mouth . I could not do it . I started clinging on in the hope that the (British) government would do something for the Protestant community .
I joined no organisation , I clung to that . But no - on the 15th November (1985) they sold me out again . " The only organisation Alan Wright joined was the Orange Order .......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Jim Allister , the DUP Chief Whip , stated (re the 1985 Hillsborough Treaty) - " We may not have much confidence that we will achieve that end (doing away with that Treaty) by these methods (ie constitutional and democratic methods) but we have the avenue of trying to thwart and destroy the Treaty through parliament , and that can go out into the avenue of seeking to disrupt the parliamentary process , even to the nitty gritty of seeking to disrupt the (British) government's timetable . Then there is our task of seeking to demonstrate that the community has rejected the Agreement , through petitions , by-elections , a referendum or whatever means we think appropriate . After that we begin the process of making the province (sic) ungovernable , both through learning the lessons of the 1974 Ulster Workers' strike and through pulling out of even lowly local government .
The day Dublin civil servants arrive in any shape or form to administer this province (sic) is the day that we say 'Right , do it on your own , we're pulling out of every tier of government' . If we have done all that and we are still rejected , then they would have rendered me redundant as a politician , but they would not have rendered me redundant as an individual Loyalist , and then I would act in concert with hundreds of thousands of other individual Loyalists in arming ourselves . No self-respecting individual is going to do anything but resist . In those circumstances there are no lengths to which Ulster (sic) men would not go to stop it . None . "
According to Gregory Campbell , the Loyalists , having obtained what they regard as a mandate in a referendum or in by-elections , and having failed to stop Dublin involvement in the North of Ireland , would say "...we must form ourselves into a provisional government ; that provisional government must have a defence ; and that defence must be armed . The Protestant people must be armed . That is my own personal view of how the situation lies ahead . " Gregory Campbell continued - " In the setting up of a provisional government there would be so much community tension that ... well ... I hesitate to use the words civil war ... but there would be so much community tension that we would certainly have the kind of violence that we have'nt seen since the early 1970's .
Even then it was contained to North Belfast , the Bogside , West Belfast , Armagh , Fermanagh . But , in this instance , the whole province (sic) would be embroiled . And there would be much more numerous deaths ....... "
(MORE LATER).
CHAOS IN THE GARDAI .
The Evelyn Glenholmes affair not only involved unlawful activity by gardai , it stemmed from the chaotic condition of the force which has resulted from ignoring the warning signs of the past decade .
By Gene Kerrigan.
First published in ' MAGILL ' magazine , April 1986 .
1. Shooting In The Streets .
Shortly after noon on Saturday March 22 , 1986 , Danny Morrison , a leading member of the Provos , was standing in Prince's Street , Dublin , with a gun pointed at his chest . The gun was held by a garda who had just fired at least three shots across the crowded street .
The garda had been waving the gun around and although there were many garda in the vicinity , none intervened . A few yards away another garda had drawn his automatic gun and was involved in a bit of 'pushing and pulling' with a colleague before crouching down and running back to hide behind a car ; this garda , with the automatic , seemed to be frightened of the garda who had fired the shots .
Meanwhile , Danny Morrison was walking forward towards the garda who had fired the shots - a uniformed garda and a detective to his left tried to hold him back but he brushed them off . Morrison , wearing a brown sweater , his sleeves rolled up , obviously unarmed , walked forward and stood in front of the garda who had fired the shots , remonstrating with him for firing a gun in a crowded street . The garda put his gun away .
A few feet away , inside the BHS department store , Evelyn Glenholmes was being arrested ; a young man who was trying to enter the store was having his shins kicked by a uniformed garda . Against all the received truths about law and order , against all that most people would want to believe , what had happened was that a leading member of the Provos , at mortal risk to himself , had brought to an end a shooting episode in a crowded street .
In the period leading up to this incident , an extraordinary number of criminal and civil offences had been committed ; these were patently not offences committed for personal gain . They were politically motivated offences . They were committed by gardai .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Great to be back .... !! Bhi an saoire caite inne ('the holiday was over yesterday') and we hope that this post will signify a return to 'normal service' on '1169 And Counting..... ' . But we are not quite sure that we have shaken-off the holiday 'cobwebs.....' : so check back tomorrow , as well , and see how we are doing ....... ;-) . Sharon .
POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES .......
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Ask Unionists , either political or paramilitary , or anywhere on the spectrum in between , to explain the 'Ulster' Clubs and they talk first of Carson's legacy , the 'Ulster' Clubs of 1912 , and next of how remarkably naive but sincere Alan Wright is . He resents the pointed queries about the UDA's position in his organisation , and is tired fending off suggestions that he might be easy to manipulate : " No one's behind Alan Wright except the Lord . "
It's an odd habit , referring to yourself in the third person . On the same theme , his independence , he told ' Fortnight' magazine ... " ...Alan Wright's a thirty-one year old man from Portadown ... " , with no political axe to grind . But he does have a religious axe and he keeps it sharp . He's a Salvationist , a Salvation Army man - " At the end of the day my politics are not divisible from my faith . It's Protestantism versus Rome . "
Like all convinced evangelists he speaks of matters spiritual and in his case matters politico-spiritual with complete unselfconsciousness . Basically , it's a harsh message all the more startling for being delivered in an 'unpolished' way . You feel as if you've stumbled on someome completely untried , rehearsing their lines . Smashing the Hillsborough 'Agreement' is his first and prime aim but the Clubs will not go out of existence once that 'Agreement' is scrapped . There can only be peace when a new environment is created : " Militant Nationalism must be addressed . You can't kill the dream but you can remove the dreamer . The Ulster (sic) Clubs are not anti-Roman Catholic for the sake of being anti- Roman Catholic and anyone who smashes a Roman Catholic's windows , say , will have us to deal with , let me tell you . But we are anti-Nationalist...".......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Gregory Campbell , DUP , stated (re Fianna Fail) - " What they are beginning is a process . John Hume calls it a healing process ; well , as far as we are concerned it is to open a wound , to fester the wound and to rub salt in the wound . We will find ourselves at the very end of the constitutional road and we will find ourselves in the very same position as Carson found himself in at Balmoral in 1912 , where we will have to get every able-bodied man in Ulster (sic) armed as best we can , whether it is with guns or sticks . Once the ink is dry and the unionists acquiesce in any way to Dublin involvement , then we are finished . "
Sammy Wilson , DUP , stated - " You don't give a consultative role if it does'nt mean anything . Once that role is conceded , nationalists on both sides of the border would want to work on it and develop it , and what might seem innocuous initially could be the embryo for a huge monster which would eventually gobble us up . Our case is this : that when it comes to the internal arrangements in this province (sic) , to the devolving of powers , the (British) government requires that there be widespread acceptance of any changes . Yet when it comes to a much more major constitutional change , that is giving an outside government (by which he meant Dublin) a role in Northern Ireland (sic) , the (British) government is not prepared to concede that it requires the measurable widespread acceptance of this community . "
According to Jim Allister , the DUP Chief Whip at the Assembly , Unionists have a carefully planned strategy of opposition to the Anglo-Irish package : " If it gives a role to the Dublin government it is unacceptable , no matter how innocuous it may seem . Assuming that that is the case , then we set ourselves on a course of seeking to undo that process . Our first bounded duty is to exhaust each and every constitutional and democratic facility we have ....... "
(MORE LATER).
McFARLANE - THE INSIDE STORY .......
Last month , BRENDAN McFARLANE was ordered by a Dutch court to be extradited back to the North to serve out a sentence of 25 years . He is appealing the decision . His companion GERARD KELLY had his plea accepted that his offences were political . BRENDAN McFARLANE has been on the run since he led thirty-seven men in an escape out of the MAZE PRISON in September 1983 . In an exclusive interview with MAGILL at Bylmerbages Prison in Amsterdam , McFARLANE talks about his life , his youth and upbringing , and his involvement with the ARMED STRUGGLE in the North .
By DEREK DUNNE .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1986 .
In prison in Amsterdam , Brendan 'Bic' McFarlane has no association with any of the other prisoners ; he cannot attend Mass with the other men and he is only allowed one hour's fresh air a day , taken separately . In relation to the appeal , he says that he's " ...prepared for the worst , so that when it happens , you're better prepared to deal with it . "
He has a colour TV in his cell , which costs nine guilders - seventy cents a week . But he gets 'paid' three guilders ( eighty cents) a day - just to be in prison . He is very critical of the " ...misinformation .." that is being "..put about.. " regarding the North of Ireland - " People here are educated and they think that there's two religions fighting it out and the poor Brits are stuck in the middle . The BBC version of events always comes across . When an eleven-year-old schoolgirl gets blown away by a plastic bullet , the British Army version comes across . "
When asked if he ever thought of stopping his activity through pressure , he says - " ...you have to soldier on . If you sit down you'd collapse under that pressure . You have to fight . " ('1169..... ' Comment : But , of course - that was 'then' , this is 'now' ; no more fighting for 'Bic' and his colleagues [not against the Brits , anyway...] . Instead , 'concerns' will be raised in Stormont and Leinster House . And Westminster to follow , no doubt . And those same 'concerns' will also , no doubt , be raised on the so-called 'Policing Boards' in the Six Counties when the Provisionals eventually take their seats on same . "Soldering on ... " , Brendan ..... ?)
[END of ' McFARLANE - THE INSIDE STORY ' .]
(Tomorrow - ' CHAOS IN THE GARDAI ' - from 1986 . )
POLITICOS AND PARAMILITARIES .......
Fionnuala O'Connor on the struggle for the Loyalist leadership as the politicians and their paramilitary allies gear up for a strike .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1986 .
Ask Unionists , either political or paramilitary , or anywhere on the spectrum in between , to explain the 'Ulster' Clubs and they talk first of Carson's legacy , the 'Ulster' Clubs of 1912 , and next of how remarkably naive but sincere Alan Wright is . He resents the pointed queries about the UDA's position in his organisation , and is tired fending off suggestions that he might be easy to manipulate : " No one's behind Alan Wright except the Lord . "
It's an odd habit , referring to yourself in the third person . On the same theme , his independence , he told ' Fortnight' magazine ... " ...Alan Wright's a thirty-one year old man from Portadown ... " , with no political axe to grind . But he does have a religious axe and he keeps it sharp . He's a Salvationist , a Salvation Army man - " At the end of the day my politics are not divisible from my faith . It's Protestantism versus Rome . "
Like all convinced evangelists he speaks of matters spiritual and in his case matters politico-spiritual with complete unselfconsciousness . Basically , it's a harsh message all the more startling for being delivered in an 'unpolished' way . You feel as if you've stumbled on someome completely untried , rehearsing their lines . Smashing the Hillsborough 'Agreement' is his first and prime aim but the Clubs will not go out of existence once that 'Agreement' is scrapped . There can only be peace when a new environment is created : " Militant Nationalism must be addressed . You can't kill the dream but you can remove the dreamer . The Ulster (sic) Clubs are not anti-Roman Catholic for the sake of being anti- Roman Catholic and anyone who smashes a Roman Catholic's windows , say , will have us to deal with , let me tell you . But we are anti-Nationalist...".......
(MORE LATER).
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE .......
The Democratic Unionist Party would prefer a Civil War to acquiescence in a role for the Dublin Government in the affairs of the North of Ireland after the Anglo-Irish summit .
FINTAN O'TOOLE spoke to DUP activists about the depth of their opposition to the Anglo-Irish deal and their willingness to resort to violence .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Gregory Campbell , DUP , stated (re Fianna Fail) - " What they are beginning is a process . John Hume calls it a healing process ; well , as far as we are concerned it is to open a wound , to fester the wound and to rub salt in the wound . We will find ourselves at the very end of the constitutional road and we will find ourselves in the very same position as Carson found himself in at Balmoral in 1912 , where we will have to get every able-bodied man in Ulster (sic) armed as best we can , whether it is with guns or sticks . Once the ink is dry and the unionists acquiesce in any way to Dublin involvement , then we are finished . "
Sammy Wilson , DUP , stated - " You don't give a consultative role if it does'nt mean anything . Once that role is conceded , nationalists on both sides of the border would want to work on it and develop it , and what might seem innocuous initially could be the embryo for a huge monster which would eventually gobble us up . Our case is this : that when it comes to the internal arrangements in this province (sic) , to the devolving of powers , the (British) government requires that there be widespread acceptance of any changes . Yet when it comes to a much more major constitutional change , that is giving an outside government (by which he meant Dublin) a role in Northern Ireland (sic) , the (British) government is not prepared to concede that it requires the measurable widespread acceptance of this community . "
According to Jim Allister , the DUP Chief Whip at the Assembly , Unionists have a carefully planned strategy of opposition to the Anglo-Irish package : " If it gives a role to the Dublin government it is unacceptable , no matter how innocuous it may seem . Assuming that that is the case , then we set ourselves on a course of seeking to undo that process . Our first bounded duty is to exhaust each and every constitutional and democratic facility we have ....... "
(MORE LATER).
McFARLANE - THE INSIDE STORY .......
Last month , BRENDAN McFARLANE was ordered by a Dutch court to be extradited back to the North to serve out a sentence of 25 years . He is appealing the decision . His companion GERARD KELLY had his plea accepted that his offences were political . BRENDAN McFARLANE has been on the run since he led thirty-seven men in an escape out of the MAZE PRISON in September 1983 . In an exclusive interview with MAGILL at Bylmerbages Prison in Amsterdam , McFARLANE talks about his life , his youth and upbringing , and his involvement with the ARMED STRUGGLE in the North .
By DEREK DUNNE .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1986 .
In prison in Amsterdam , Brendan 'Bic' McFarlane has no association with any of the other prisoners ; he cannot attend Mass with the other men and he is only allowed one hour's fresh air a day , taken separately . In relation to the appeal , he says that he's " ...prepared for the worst , so that when it happens , you're better prepared to deal with it . "
He has a colour TV in his cell , which costs nine guilders - seventy cents a week . But he gets 'paid' three guilders ( eighty cents) a day - just to be in prison . He is very critical of the " ...misinformation .." that is being "..put about.. " regarding the North of Ireland - " People here are educated and they think that there's two religions fighting it out and the poor Brits are stuck in the middle . The BBC version of events always comes across . When an eleven-year-old schoolgirl gets blown away by a plastic bullet , the British Army version comes across . "
When asked if he ever thought of stopping his activity through pressure , he says - " ...you have to soldier on . If you sit down you'd collapse under that pressure . You have to fight . " ('1169..... ' Comment : But , of course - that was 'then' , this is 'now' ; no more fighting for 'Bic' and his colleagues [not against the Brits , anyway...] . Instead , 'concerns' will be raised in Stormont and Leinster House . And Westminster to follow , no doubt . And those same 'concerns' will also , no doubt , be raised on the so-called 'Policing Boards' in the Six Counties when the Provisionals eventually take their seats on same . "Soldering on ... " , Brendan ..... ?)
[END of ' McFARLANE - THE INSIDE STORY ' .]
(Tomorrow - ' CHAOS IN THE GARDAI ' - from 1986 . )
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