1169 And Counting.....

Saturday, December 16, 2006

30 YEARS UNDERWATER !

As confirmed here and here , a sponsored swim in the Grand Canal at Inchicore in Dublin will be held this Christmas day at 12 Noon !
This event has been held on every Christmas Day since 1976 , and has , as usual , been organised by the Cabhair group (details here) , an organisation which seeks to assist the families and dependants of Irish Republican prisoners . The swim , which will be held in the Grand Canal opposite the Blackhorse Inn ('Kelly's on the Bridge') pub at , as stated , 12 Noon , has been known to attract upwards of 200 on-lookers and the organisers supply a turf fire , music , and some food and 'light refreshments' for all those present !
If you can swim , come along on the day and earn your place at the turf fire or at least , perhaps , watch others doing so and maybe even donate a few shillings for their efforts . CABHAIR is an organisation run by voluntary effort and would not accept donations or subscriptions from the State (nor has it ever looked for same) and , as such , would greatly appreciate any financial assistance you can offer .
Go ráibh maith agat , agus Nollaig Shona !

Friday, December 15, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

In the absence of any attempt at all , let alone any plausible attempt , to explain the reasons for this extraordinary remand into Garda custody , the presumption must be that there was an ulterior motive on the part of the Gardai for taking this exceptional course of action : that ulterior motive , in the circumstances , could only be that they wanted to delay a medical examination and/or they wanted to construct an alibi which would explain how the accused persons came to be suffering from injury .

In any event there is the difficult case of Osgur Breathnach to answer : he was not placed in a cell with anyone before he was medically examined and removed to the Richmond Hospital and before he was seen by Aidan Browne SC - the evidence of Garda ill-treatment in his case is clear cut , and leads further suspicion to the Garda motives for remanding John Fitzpatrick , Brian McNally , Nicky Kelly and Michael Plunkett into Garda custody , following the preferment of charges in the District Court on the night of Wednesday , April 7 , 1976 .

There is additional reason for concern about this issue arising from the unexplained delay in charging the four accused - as the only evidence against any of them was their self-incriminating statements , there was no reason to delay charging them once they had been assembled together in the Bridewell Garda Station , literally yards from the Bridewell District Court .......
(MORE LATER).

Veteran Irish Republican , LILY MOFFATT , interviewed.......
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982 .
By John Doyle .

In 1919 , Lily Moffatt joined Cumann na mBan - " All round here joined when the Tans came . We were taught first-aid by Nurse Anne Horan from Slata . We used to carry messages and we drilled with .303's and colts in the bogs upon Curraghroe , instructed by Brian Nangle and Andy Feeney . They're all gone but myself . We did our drilling up at Nangle's house . We could see the Tans passing along the main road from our house . There was a short-cut through fields near where we lived and I used to help men escape down through the back lanes . "

IRIS magazine - " Did the male Volunteers respect you ? "
Lily Moffatt - " Lord , yes . They were very good , like brothers . They had every respect for us . We used to have dances in houses for funds to help the lads . The terrible thing was that some of them later went Free State and came back and raided us ."

IRIS magazine - " What do you think of women today being on active service in the IRA ? "
Lily Moffatt - " I think the women in the North are great . If I could go with them now I would . We were never asked to shoot or anything like that as girls , but we would have done anything . It's better now that women can take a full part . "
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

Fermanagh-South Tyrone .
Owen Carron (SF) : Elizabeth Flanagan (SDLP) : Davy Kettyles(WP) : Ken Maginnis(OUP).

This constituency has lost a few thousand votes in the Dromore-Trillick area of Tyrone to Mid-ulster , and gained some in Dungannon . The result may be to reduce the already small nationalist majority .

This is the seat that elected Bobby Sands and then Owen Carron - before that it returned Frank Maguire as a republican-leaning Independent . The SDLP has never been strong here and the constituency is the home of tactical voting - nationalists vote for the strongest candidate on their side to keep the Unionist out and vice versa .

The SDLP candidate is not well-known and Owen Carron , the sitting MP , will have no difficulty beating her . He would need about 85 per cent of the nationalist vote to beat the single Unionist candidate , however , and that isn't very likely , although he is playing down the Sinn Fein label and campaigning under the slogan - ' Save the Seat' .

Ken Maginnis , the Official Unionist candidate , is likely to take the seat .

By-Election , April 1981 (Westminster) - Bobby Sands (H-Block) 30,943 / Harry West (OUP) 29,046 .
By-Election , August 1981 (Westminster) - Owen Carron (H-Block) 31,728 / Ken Maginnis (OUP) 29,048 / Seamus Close (Alliance) 1,930 / T. Moore (WP) 1,132 / Others 339 .
Assembly Election 1982 (First Preferences) - All Unionists 27,990 , three seats / Sinn Fein 16,725 , one seat / SDLP 12,000 , one seat / Workers' Party 1,394 / Alliance Party 1,171 .
Next : South Down.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

At the sitting of the District Court at which John Fitzpatrick , Brian McNally , Nicky Kelly and Michael Plunkett were charged took place at 10.30pm and was over in a matter of minutes , there is no logistical explanation for their being kept in Garda custody overnight - the fact is that :
A) A remand into Garda custody is almost unique in the Dublin area :
B) There was no exceptional circumstances in this case which could possibly justify a remand into Garda custody :
C) In any event the remand applied for and obtained was into Garda custody , a highly unusual procedure .

There has been at no stage any official attempt to explain why the remand into Garda custody took place in this instance - no attempt either at the trial or on any other occasion . But there is a very obvious explanation and it is the following - if the prisoners were suffering from injuries received within the previous 24 hours at the hands of the Gardai , then the longer their committal to prison could be postponed the better , for no medical examination was likely to take place until then .

But there was an even more 'attractive' reason for remanding the prisoners back into Garda custody : by placing them back in the Bridewell Garda Station and by placing them two to a cell a scenario was being created whereby it would be maintained later that the injuries which they would undoubtedly be found to be suffering from , were either 'self-inflicted' or 'mutually inflicted'.......
(MORE LATER).

Veteran Irish Republican , LILY MOFFATT , interviewed .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982 .
By John Doyle .

" The IRA are no different today than in our time . They just have more up-to-date equipment ! " - Lily Moffatt .

Now living in Dromod , County Leitrim , at the age of 81 , life-long Irish republican Lily Moffatt (nee Freyne) is a glowing example of the full role played by women in the militant and political traditions of Irish republicanism , and an apt comparison with today's women IRA Volunteers .

Born at Aughoo , Rooskey , in County Roscommon , on March 10th , 1901 , it was no surprise that she grew up sympathetic to republicanism - " I was brought up in Fenianism , my uncle was a Fenian poet , all belonging to me were Fenian . It was all I heard at home . " Lily's first public involvement was during the election campaign in Roscommon successfully contested by Sinn Fein's Count Plunkett in 1917 , where she worked as a Sinn Fein election sub-agent on polling day .

In 1919 , Cumann na mBan was being organised in the area . Lily Moffatt was among the first to join.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

ARMAGH-NEWRY :
Jim McAllister(SF) : Seamus Mallon(SDLP) : Tom Moore(WP) : Jim Nicholson(OUP) .

The old Armagh seat , which included all county Armagh , had a Unionist majority : now the mainly unionist North Armagh area has been transferred to the new seat of Upper Bann , while the nationalist Newry town area has been added on from South Down . The result is a nationalist majority of between six and ten per cent but with a single unionist candidate and a split nationalist vote the outcome is doubtful .

The SDLP took two-thirds of the nationalist vote in the Assembly elections and their candidate , Seamus Mallon , is deputy leader of the party and identified with its 'greener' wing .

The fact that he was deprived of his Assembly seat because of his membership of Seanad Eireann (sic - Free State Senate) will do him no harm but , unless he can actually win votes from Sinn Fein , the Official Unionist candidate , Jim Nicholson , is likely to take the seat .

Assembly Election 1982 :
(First Preferences) All Unionists , 33,318 , four seats : SDLP , 15,630 , two seats : Sinn Fein , 8,224 , one seat : Workers' Party 2,806 : Alliance 1,806 .
Next : Fermanagh-South Tyrone.......
(MORE LATER).

Monday, December 11, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

MAGILL' magazine asked the (State) Department of Justice if there had been any other such cases of a remand from the District Court to Garda custody : the Department referred us to the Garda press office where , at first , we were informed by Sergeant Jim Quinn of the press office that " ....adult prisoners are never remanded back into Garda custody . We can't hold a prisoner for longer than is absolutely necessary . If we have occasion to interview a prisoner further , then we go into the prison to see him . " That seemed unambiguous .

But then , three days later , another official of the Garda press office , Breege Wymes , went to considerable pains to make contact with 'MAGILL' to offer additional unsolicited comment - she maintained that remands into Garda custody were commonplace , it happened every day , she said . We contacted Sergeant Jim Quinn again and asked for clarification as to the point at issue and for an explanation as to why we should be told such contradictory stories : he reverted to us following enquiries and explained that remand into Garda custody did take place in the circumstances outlined above (ie in remote areas) but although he had been stationed for a while in the Bridewell Garda Station in Dublin he was unaware of any occasion in which this had taken place !

Lawyers , dealing with criminal cases to whom we have spoken , said that the procedure was unheard of in the Dublin area . As Sergeant Jim Quinn had suggested to us that a remand into Garda custody might take place if the District Court had sat very late at night and Mountjoy Prison was closed , we contacted that prison and enquired up to what time they would admit prisoners - they replied that they would admit prisoners up to midnight and later if necessary if they were given notice that this was going to take place.......
(MORE LATER).

BEYOND BREAKOUTS AND SUPERGRASSES .......
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

Among the abuses of the judicial process in the North of Ireland is the mass trials at which the only link between the charges against the defendants is that they are based on the word of the same supergrasses : that RUC 'witnesses' are allowed to cite statements from former supergrasses which have since been retracted : and the absence of a defence of entrapment against RUC informers who themselves recruit people into illegal organisations and encourage them to commit 'terrorist crimes' .

Many Nationalist lawyers have lost what faith they had in the 'fairness' of the Diplock non-jury court system in the light of such abuses . The alienation among the IRA's potential supporters in the urban Nationalist ghettos and country areas must now be almost total . How can Jim Prior even begin to contemplate any further political initiative to win moderate nationalist support for the North's institutions when the right of so many ordinary nationalists to a fair trial , surely one of the foundation stones of any democratic society , is under such unprecedented threat ?

As one visiting New York lawyer remarked earlier this month , the British seem to have become like the Americans in Vietnam - they seem intent on destroying democracy here in order to 'save' it !
[END of 'BEYOND BREAKOUTS AND SUPERGRASSES']
(Next : Interview with veteran Irish Republican , Lily Moffatt - from 1982.)

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

MID-ULSTER :
Denis Haughey (SDLP) : Dr. Aidan Lagan (Alliance Party) : Danny Morrison (SF) : Rev. William McCrea (DUP) : Tommy Owens(WP) : William Thompson (OUP) .

This is Bernadette McAliskey's old seat : it used to have a nationalist majority of about 3,000 but was held by a Unionist because of a split nationalist vote . It has lost nationalist Strabane to Foyle and the mixed Magherafelt area to East Derry and has gained a republican area around Dromore in Tyrone from Fermanagh-South Tyrone .

It is now absolutely marginal in 'religious' terms but with a split Unionist vote , a nationalist may win . The SDLP had a small majority over Sinn Fein in the Assembly elections but Sinn Fein may be able to reverse that this time and Danny Morrison may win .

Assembly Elections 1982 :
(First Preferences) SDLP 15,244 , two seats : DUP 14,426 , two seats : Sinn Fein 12,690 , one seat : OUP 10,689 , one seat : Alliance 2,872 : Workers' Party 2,054 .
Next : Armagh-Newry.......
(MORE LATER).

Friday, December 08, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

The Remand : The Case Gets Curiouser and Curiouser :
There are circumstances in which accused persons are placed in Garda custody after being charged in the District Court but these circumstances are very unusual , especially in the Dublin area . The reasons generally relate to the lateness of the hour at which the charges are made and the distance from a prison .

Thus if a person is charged with an offence in a remote area and remanded in custody , either by a District Justice or by a Justice of the Peace , then they may be held in Garda custody overnight , pending their removal to a prison the following morning , but this is rarely necessary in the Dublin area . In any event the extraordinary procedure was taken in this case of specifically getting a remand into the custody of two named Gardai - this procedure is virtually unheard of , although provided for under Section 25 of the Criminal Procedures Act 1967 .

In fact during the course of the Sallins mail train robbery trial the issue arose during the cross examination of the station Sergeant of the Bridewell Garda Barracks who was on duty on the night of April 7 , 1976 - he , Sergeant Padden , admitted that he could not recall any other case in which an accused person had been remanded into Garda custody . One of the senior Garda officers involved in the case , Detective Inspector Ned Ryan , was unable to explain during the course of the trial why the remand into Garda custody had occurred at all.......
(MORE LATER).

BEYOND BREAKOUTS AND SUPERGRASSES .......
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

One of the tasks of any ' Anglo-Irish Council' could be the expansion of the Irish (sic - should read 'State') Senate to allow for elected northern representation , thus going some way towards satisfying northern nationalist aspirations * while at the same time ensuring a permanent forum to discuss the possibilities of eventual condominium , joint sovereignty or federalism . ('1169...' Comment * ... "northern nationalists" may indeed 'aspire' to sit in a talking-shop with other suits , discussing the fortunes of their shares etc , but Irish Republicans would view such an 'aspiration' as aiming far too low.)

An all-Ireland economic development body should be set up , perhaps funded by a cross-border co-operation tax raised in Britain and both parts of Ireland (sic - Ireland has only one 'part' as it is a single entity) , which could help to channel capital , both foreign and local , private and public , to the North's areas of greatest need . ('1169...' Comment - in this humble blogs opinion , the " North's areas of greatest need " is to end British interference in that part of Ireland .)

And most immediately something has to be done to end the serious abuses of the North's judicial process which have been brought in * by the use of supergrass 'evidence' ('1169...' Comment * - not " brought in " , but exacerbated by , the use of such 'evidence ' ) - those abuses include convictions on the basis of uncorrororated and highly dubious 'evidence' of self-confessed criminals and perjurers and the use of the 'Bill of Indictment' procedure to avoid supergrass 'witnesses' having to confront those they are accusing at preliminary hearings.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

FOYLE :
Gregory Campbell(DUP) : John Hume(SDLP) : Martin McGuinness(SF) : Eamon Melaugh(WP) and Gerry O'Grady(Alliance) .

The old Derry constituency had a Unionist majority , but now much of unionist North Derry has been hived off into the new East Derry seat and the solidly nationalist town of Strabane has been taken from Mid-Ulster and added to Derry city to 'make up' Foyle .

It now has a safe nationalist majority and John Hume should win here but if Martin McGuinness increases the Sinn Fein share of the vote it could worry Hume . However , if John Hume is beaten , the SDLP might as well pack up and go home .

Assembly Election 1982 :
(First Preferences) - All Unionists 30,783 , four seats ; SDLP 20,279 , two seats ; Sinn Fein 8,763 , one seat ; Alliance 3,663 ; Workers' Party 974 . Next - Mid-Ulster.......
(MORE LATER).

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

Dr. Sean O' Cleirigh gave evidence of the injuries he found on examining Nicky Kelly -

" There was bruising between the middle and the lower third of the thigh . That is about two-thirds of the way between the hip joint and the knee joint on the left thigh , which was approximately two inches in diameter . There were also two small bruises on the front of the body , one just below the breast bone - the sternum - about an inch below the sternum : the other about three inches above and one inch outside the line of the left nipple . They would have been at most one inch in diameter - like small bruises .

He had extensive bruising of the left ear itself and behind the left ear . In other words , the discolouration extended from the ear itself . It extended for a couple of inches but it also extended down below the level of the ear . There was discolouration behind the right ear - it was a light brown . I describe it as 'browning'....... "

Referring again to the left ear , Dr. O' Cleirigh said - " I discovered that there was a swelling there and some discolouration and it was tender . He was in a state of very acute anxiety . I have quite a clear recollection of Kelly being particularly stressful . "

Dr. Sean O' Cleirigh was further questioned by Mr. Seamus Sorohan , State Counsel - '...those various injuries present ...matters that you noticed...distressful state ....what were all those matters consistent with in your opinion as a doctor...? ' Dr. O' Cleirigh replied - " They were consistent with beating of the type which he (Nicky Kelly) had described to me ." The doctor further put the ages of the bruisings found at one to three days : his evidence was corroborated by Dr. Sean Magee , who also examined Nicky Kelly at the same time.......
(MORE LATER).

BEYOND BREAKOUTS AND SUPERGRASSES .......
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

The UDA and the UVF recognise that the IRA is* a revolutionary organisation ('1169...' Comment* - ....at least it was then (1983) : in 1986 the PIRA became the military wing of a Leinster House-registered political party , and remains so to this day ) - with all the long-term dedication and 'fanaticism' such a term entails . Loyalists believe that the revolutionary violence of the IRA has to be fought with the 'defensive violence' of a united loyalist community .

We (ie 'Fortnight' magazine) believe that is the way to bloody sectarian civil war : we must believe that there are still political moves the (British) government can make * which could begin to create an atmosphere in which the nationalist working class could be weaned away from Sinn Fein ('1169...' Comment - ...as it was then , in 1983) , and support for the IRA's campaign could be correspondingly reduced . ('1169...' Comment * -...the only such "political move" would be an announcement from Westminster of a date for political and military withdrawal from this island.)

The British government - or even better , all the British parliamentary parties in a joint statement - should make clear once and for all that there will never be any return of powers to a Stormont Assembly until there is guaranteed nationalist (not 'Catholic') participation in any devolved administration . ('1169...' Comment -....by which , then [1983] , was meant that the SDLP and the then Sinn Fein organisation would both have to implement British policy in that part of Ireland . And the Provos are now attempting to do so.) A 'formal' three-tier 'Anglo-Irish Council' , with its own budget and officials , should be set up as quickly as possible and charged with specific political and economic tasks *....... ('1169...' Comment*...a salaried 'talking-shop' , in other words , as that proposed body would be tasked with implementing British policy rather than finding ways of ending same.)
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

The Battleground .
There are six constituencies where the SDLP or Sinn Fein have a chance of winning a seat :
West Belfast -
Candidates : Gerry Adams (SF) : Gerry Fitt (IND) : George Haffey (DUP) : Dr. Joe Hendron (SDLP) : Mary McMahon (WP) and Thomas Passmore (OUP) .

Once a fairly marginal seat in 'religious' terms , the new boundaries have given this seat a solid 'Catholic' majority, removing the Unionist Shankill and Donegall Road areas and adding the Nationalist Lenadoon Estate .

It is based on the Falls Road , Andersonstown and Ballymurphy/Turf Lodge : with a split Unionist vote , Gerry Adams , who topped the poll in the Assembly elections , should have no difficulty winning the seat .

Assembly Election 1982 : (First Preferences) SF 10,367 , one seat : SDLP 8,368 , one seat : OUP 4,505 , one seat : DUP 4,394 : Alliance 2,733 , one seat : Workers' Party 2,493 : Progressive Unionist Party 1,255 : PD 144 .
(MORE LATER).

Monday, December 04, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

Dr. Sean O' Cleirigh , the independent medical witness , examined Nicky Kelly at Dublin's Mountjoy Jail at 7.30pm on Thursday , the 8th of April , 1976 : Dr. O' Cleirigh said in evidence -

" He had bruising over the left arm covering approximately the upper three quarters of the left arm and he had a similar type of bruising over approximately the middle two-thirds of the right arm - from the tip of the shoulders to about three-quarters way down the arm. There was also a large area of bruising , I call it 'ecchemosis' , that was an area approximately six inches over the left shoulder , at the back of the left shoulder on the back of the trunk ... "

Dr. O' Cleirigh said there was discolouration over the arms - "...a black blue discolouration . " He said - " The whole area was black blue . Over the back, there were areas where the discolouration was much fainter , and he also had bruising over both buttocks . I want to describe the area where it was - it was below the crest of the illium - the crest of the illium is what we would normally call the hips . It was on the upper crest of the pelvic bone , and this extended down for about two inches. It was right across the back . I called it 'linear bruising' because there were little lines through it . It was a slatey blue colour .

Over the left thigh , there was an area of slight bruising , where the discolouration was very slight , and this was approximately two inches by four inches . It extended from the tuborsity - the prominence at the top of the hip bone - the tuborsity , to the femor - the bone between the hip joint and the knee , and this was tender. By what I mean , when I palpitated it , there was pain present . It was roughly triangular in shape . The base was roughly two inches and the sides were roughly four inches . " Another detailed list of injuries was to follow.......
(MORE LATER).

BEYOND BREAKOUTS AND SUPERGRASSES .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

In the middle of September it looked as if this was turning out to be the authorities' (sic- ie by which the author means those paid , placed and/or 'authorised' by Westminster) best year in the fight against the Provisional IRA since Roy Mason's time , largely thanks to the emergence of the 'supergrass' phenomenon : a high point had been reached with the revelation that the RUC's latest 'converted terrorist' , Robert Lean , had allowed them , for the first time since the 'supergrasses' started to emerge at the end of 1981, to penetrate the West Belfast heartland of the IRA leadership.

Everyone was expecting some spectacular IRA action to rally the morale of its battered troops , but the stroke the Provisionals pulled was a particularly unexpected and humiliating one for the British government - in an operation of military-style precision and planning , 38 prisoners got out of the Maze Prison , trumpted as the highest security prison in these islands . It was the largest escape in British prison history , and at the time of writing 19 of the escapers are still free .

The reaction among Loyalists was interesting : while Ian Paisley and his ilk predictably screamed for Jim Prior's head and made unsubstantiated allegations about Irish Republican 'moles' inside the prison , some loyalist paramilitary leaders were the first to admit that the ability to pull off such spectacular strokes was one of the things that gave the IRA their credibility , both within the nationalist working class and among a growing number of politicians and media people in Britain , Europe and America.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

Sinn Fein have five advice centres or political clinics in West Belfast , four in Derry and one in Strabane , five in Mid-Ulster , four in Fermanagh-South Tyrone and three in Armagh-Newry .

Most of the city ones and at least one in each of the rural areas are open full-time ; the rural constituencies have a hard-core of four or five full-time workers each , as well as the Stormont Assembly members - West Belfast and Derry have about 15 full-time workers each , all of whom deal with arrests , raids , prisoners' welfare and other traditional Republican concerns , but they also deal with complaints about repairs to 'Housing Executive' houses , social security benefits and even roads and agricultural grants .

In West Belfast they have set up specialised housing and welfare departments , with full-time staff , to get to know the regulations inside out . In some areas , instead of waiting for complaints to come in ,they have gone round the doors with a check-list of possible repairs or benefits - like beds , blankets or rent rebates - to which the people might be entitled . Then they have submitted the claims en bloc to the 'Housing Executive' or the (Six County) Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), already broken down into the various categories used by the Department itself .

Gerry Adams claims this has forced the 'Housing Executive' and the DHSS to increase their staff in West Belfast and to issue new instructions to their officials to be more co-operative and less aggressive towards claimants.......
(MORE LATER).

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Friday, December 01, 2006

"....em....it's just that , George....eh......I just want to be sure , to be sure..."

....the forceful words of our esteemed leader , Bertie Ahern , on how he sought clarification from George Bush that Washington was not using Shannon Airport as a facility to assist them in their oil war in Iraq .
This is the same political clown (Bertie , we mean...) who , when asked in September last about political appointments to State Boards replied - " I might have appointed somebody but I appointed them because they were friends , not because of anything they had given me . " !!
When Bertie Ahern has to think for himself - ie on the occasions when he believes the paid lackys around him who , for a laugh , tell him that he is actually intelligent enough to answer questions and make minor statements without their assistance - the above two quotes are more recent examples of just how politically moronic and immature the man is . An earlier example of Mr. Ahern's political incompetence can be had from his speech to the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in April 1997 , when , no doubt having been advised by his lackeys to do so , he spoke on the issue of political corruption within the Fianna Fail party - " No-one , no-one , is welcome in this party if they betray the public trust . I say this and I mean this with every fibre of my being. "
This from the man who signed blank cheques (see 'Cheque-Mate' , here) for the political criminal Charlie Haughey and who , more recently , was caught taking money from his business pals in Manchester !

To conclude : we ask readers who are not familiar with the Irish people , and/or those who have reasonably competent politicians to elect , not to confuse the political and moral calibre , or lack of , of these clowns with the Irish people as a whole . The political careerists in that chamber are a blight on those of us who live in the real world - any impression given , taken or implied that there is a political , moral or mental connection between 'us' and 'them' is erroneous and such thoughts should immediately be discarded . Those political clowns have embarrassed the rest of us into apologising to sensible people everywhere on their behalf as , in their privileged and sheltered world , only the weak apologise . We are genuinely sorry for the impression given by Bertie Ahern and his colleagues in Leinster House that 'the Irish are fools'. Sorry .

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

After lunch , Nicky Kelly alleged , Detective Garda Michael Finn was responsible for him falling off a seat and stood behind him asking questions , slapping him on the ears when he gave 'unsatisfactory answers' : by late afternoon , Kelly alleged , Detective Garda Thomas Ibar Dunne punched him on the arms and suggested to him roles that he played in the Sallins mail train robbery .

Between the hours of 9.00am on the Tuesday (6th April , 1976) and 5.30pm on the Wednesday , Kelly underwent continuous questioning during which time he alleged that he was shouted at by Detective Garda Dunne and punched repeatedly on the arms by him , and that he was also beaten by a number of detectives whom he could not identify . Detective Garda Michael Finn and Detective Sergeant Patrick F. Cleary were accused by Nicky Kelly of beating him on three separate occasions with a black jack - Kelly alleged he was beaten under the arms and from the legs to the knees , that he was being punched and shouted at to sign a statement , and that Detective Garda Michael Finn threatened to break his nose .

On the third occasion when he alleged he was beaten with the 'black jack' by Detective Sergeant Patrick F. Cleary , a statement had already been written out , and it was his refusal to sign it which brought on the third , and according to Kelly , the worst of the beatings with the 'black jack' . He also alleged that during this period Detective Garda Egan slapped and punched him about the arms , ears and face , and that Detective Sergeant Culhane shouted and roared at him , and that Culhane punched him , causing him to fall to the ground . After the third beating with the 'black jack' , Nicky Kelly said he signed a statement at 5.15am in order to stop further beatings.......
(MORE LATER).

THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST .......
By STEPHEN GREER .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

The supergrass development has undoubtedly damaged the paramilitaries for the time being , but the long-term results could easily prove to be counterproductive as far as the establishment of peace , justice and stability is concerned . ('1169...' Comment - In relation to being "counterproductive as far as the establishment of peace justice and stability is concerned..." , one need look no further than the continuing claim of jurisdiction from Westminster over six Irish counties , and the enforcement of that claim by political and military methods . Any 'treaty' which disregards that fact serves only to prolong the struggle .)

The parallel with internment is disturbingly close : in the early 1970's , detention without trial was seen by those who advocated it as a potential panacea for the mounting disorder - it is now widely recognised , however , that this 'security initiative' served only to incarcerate many innocent men , thus further alienating large sections of the nationalist community from the legal process , and that this in turn dramatically increased the flow of recruits to the IRA and added fuel to an already bitter civil conflict . The supergrass strategy contains the seeds for a similar harvest .
[END of 'THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST']
(Next - ' Beyond Breakouts And Supergrasses' : from 1983)

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

'The Credibility Factor' :
Before October the Sinn Fein candidates and their policies were little known outside republican circles - ('1169....' Comment : ....as intended by those who introduced , supported and maintained political censorship) as their South Armagh Assembly member , Jim McAllister , puts it : " A lot of people thought we were just wild men , only good for shouting 'Brits Out!' ... " Since then ,they have got a lot of TV and press coverage in the North , emerging as just as articulate and able as their SDLP counterparts . A lot of the 'bogeyman effect' has been dissipated , just by public exposure .

'The Registration Factor' :
The (Six County) Assembly elections revealed that thousands of people had no votes : electoral officers have admitted that in a few areas like South Armagh up to 30 per cent of the population were unregistered - many of these were republican supporters who saw no point in voting or were suspicious of all forms of 'officialdom' . More were alienated youth . Sinn Fein have put in a big effort to get these people registered and it should have some effect on this election and a bigger effect in 1984 or 1985 .

The most significant factor in increasing the Sinn Fein vote , however , is likely to be constituency work ; they had gradually been getting interested in social and economic issues for some time but it has really taken off since the October 1982 elections , with Advice Centres/Clinics having been opened and staffed in West Belfast , Derry , Strabane , Fermanagh-South Tyrone and Armagh-Newry.......
(MORE LATER).

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

Nicky Kelly stated that the Gardai then 'spreadeagled' him against a wall and kicked his legs apart , causing him to fall to the ground . They jabbed him in the ribs when they were doing this , and Detective Garda Thomas Ibar Dunne is alleged to have cursed at Kelly throughout the ordeal .

The last alleged assault on that Monday (April 5th 1976) was when Detective Garda Michael Finn brought Nicky Kelly up to a cell and shoved his head into a toilet bowl five or six times ; Kelly was taken to the Bridewell Garda Station at approximately 1.00am on the Tuesday morning , where he rested the night in his cell .

On that Tuesday morning (April 6th , 1976) , Nicky Kelly said that Detective Garda Thomas Ibar Dunne shook him and that Detective Garda William Maher pushed him about and , later on , a Detective Garda Lawlor and a Detective Garda Boland pushed him from one to the other , and shouted at him . At one stage , Kelly fell to the floor and , he alleged , Detective Garda Boland hit him with a chair - further , he alleged that Detective Garda Lawlor and Detrective Garda Boland punched him on the arms and slapped him on the upper body . There was to be no let-up for Nicky Kelly after the lunch break.......
(MORE LATER).

THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST .......
By STEPHEN GREER .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

In Britain , criminal trials are heard before juries and it is the legal duty of the presiding judge to warn jurors of the dangers of relying on uncorrobrated accomplice evidence : in the North of Ireland , however , 'terrorist' cases are tried by non-jury 'Diplock Courts' where the only comparable safeguard is the bizarre practice of the judge warning himself - in 1982 , Mr. Justice Murray refused to convict Charles McCormick , an RUC Special Branch Officer charged with the murder of an RUC colleague , on the grounds that the only evidence against McCormick was that of an accomplice ! Judges in the supergrass trials have tended not to follow suit . Indeed there is little evidence to show that they have taken any heed of their own warnings .

The prominence of supergrasses in the North of Ireland's criminal justice system can only be properly understood as the latest instalment in a long line of 'security policies' which have failed to eliminate political violence from this society . In the UK , with the exception of the drive against organised crime in London in the late 1960's and early 1970's , informers have appeared in a much more random manner and have not been fashioned into the cutting edge of a deliberate law enforcement strategy .

The claim that the supergrass phenomenon will contribute to the pacification of the violence in the North of Ireland must be treated with considerable scepticism.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

The name 'Londonderry' is as offensive to North of Ireland nationalists as 'Rhodesia' was to blacks in Zimbabwe - or 'Kingstown' to the people in Dun Laoghaire , Dublin . Even the 'Derry Journal' newspaper , which normally supports the SDLP , attacked them for "...sadly misreading public opinion.." over the Derry City Council 'Derry-name' change issue .

Sinn Fein made hay out of the SDLP's gaffe , sticking up mocking posters about the 'Londonderry branch of the SDLP' all over the Bogside. It was a small issue but to a lot of nationalists it symbolises what they see as the SDLP's tendency to play down nationalist grievances to appease British , Unionist and even Southern media opinion . ('1169...' Comment- ...the Provos , on the other hand , blow loud ,long and hard about nationalist grievances : at this stage in their political 'career' they have to , in order that they may keep their own people on board . But that will change in time.)

There has only been one test of electoral strength between the SDLP and Sinn Fein since last October - in a local council by-election in Carrickmore in Mid-Ulster : it was not an SDLP stronghold , and the vacant seat had been held by the more nationalist IIP , but in the by-election in March Seamus Kerr of Sinn Fein won , with 2,289 votes to 654 for the SDLP candidate who came third , after 'The Alliance Party': but Carrickmore is not typical - it has a long republican tradition and the size of the Sinn Fein majority over the SDLP is not likely to be reproduced elsewhere but , significantly , Seamus Kerr claims that Sinn Fein increased its vote substantially over its total in the (Six-County) Assembly elections : if that trend is repeated , even on a smaller scale , in other areas , the SDLP must be very worried . And there is reason to think it may be.......
(MORE LATER).

Monday, November 27, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

THE CASE OF NICKY KELLY .
Edward Noel (Nicky) Kelly was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act , 1939 , at Arklow , County Wicklow , at 10.00am on the Monday morning of the 5th of April , 1976 , and brought soon afterwards to Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station in Dublin .

He said in evidence that repeated requests for legal counsel were ignored and alleged the first assault took place around midday when Detective Garda Thomas Ibar Dunne turned him round by the shoulders against his will in the presence of Detective Sergeant Francis Campbell and that he was shouted at by Detective Dunne : later on , Nicky Kelly said , Detective Garda Thomas Ibar Dunne slapped him about the face and ears , shouting at him all the time , and that Dunne then sprinkled holy water on him .

Nicky Kelly said that Detective Garda Michael Finn (*'CASE 2' , here) entered the room , slapped him , and asked him if he was ready to make a statement . Further , Detective Finn made him stand up and sit down on a chair repeatedly , and then pulled the chair from under him , causing him to fall to the ground . Kelly alleged that the next assault occured when Detective Garda Thomas Ibar Dunne punched him on the arms , and that Detective Garda Michael Finn was the next to assault him by ramming his head of a locker , whilst Detective Garda William Maher was present also . Together , Kelly claimed , the Gardai shouted at him to "own up....... "
(MORE LATER).

THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST .......
By STEPHEN GREER .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

There are at least three factors which make the testimony of the North of Ireland's 'converted terrorists' especially unreliable -
1) The need to construct a story sufficiently appealing to the RUC to attract immunity from prosecution , and the financial and other rewards which 'successful' supergrasses obtain could operate as an incentive for the fabrication or embroidering of 'evidence' .
2) It seems that several supergrasses were rejected in the past by the paramilitary organisations to which they once belonged because they were regarded as being unscrupulous or of a criminal disposition . If the paramilitaries take this view how can the 'authorities' trust them as reliable and credible witnesses ?
3) Because of the hostility which undeniably exists between informers and their former paramilitary colleagues and others , there is a serious risk that such witnesses may attempt to use the criminal justice system to pay off old scores against personal enemies . This could result in people being convicted for offences which they did not commit .

It is also extremely misleading to present the supergrass strategy as merely a particular application of the 'UK'-wide practice of defendants 'turning Queen's evidence' : for one thing , unlike most supergrasses here , criminals 'grassing' on their associates in Britain are usually not granted total immunity from prosecution - as a rule they are tried and sentenced before appearing as 'Crown' witnesses in cases against their criminal colleagues.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

Sinn Fein supporters are mostly young , employed and unemployed and/or ex-prisoners - as are their candidates in elections . They live in the working-class ghettos , they speak the people's language ('1169...' Comment - ..... or at least they did , then : but that was before the professional spin-doctors taught them [post 1986] how to pad-out a reply with terms such as "...going forward.." and other similar shite talk !) , they experience their problems .

The SDLP candidates are all middle-class : three of the four candidates in Belfast are doctors , and most of their workers are middle-class too . On election day they have to pay people to staff the polling booths . Sinn Fein have no trouble getting volunteers .

The SDLP give the impression of being tired , jaded and out of touch with the people : the 'Londonderry' issue is a good example - at the end of April the small 'Irish Independence Party' (IIP) group on Derry City Council proposed that the official name of the city be changed back from 'Londonderry' to 'Derry' : the SDLP , who control the council , said they didn't want to offend the Protestant minority in the city and abstained . The motion was voted down by the Unionists.......
(MORE LATER).

Friday, November 24, 2006

THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST .......
By STEPHEN GREER .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

The ' horrors of paramilitary violence' cannot furnish a satisfactory justification for such derogations since it is primarily because rights such as these have not been upheld by the state in the past , and are not being fairly applied in the present , that the grievances which have sustained the conflict here originally arose and have persisted . ('1169...' Comment - ....and that is the difference between those seeking 'increased civil rights' from the British [SDLP , Provo SF , and Leinster House in general , amongst others] and Irish Republicans , who seek a British military and political withdrawal .)

Responding to violent unrest of this kind by adding to the sense of injustice which nourishes it can only postpone the establishment of peace and stability . ('1169...' Comment - "the sense of injustice which nourishes" political violence on this isle is the actual physical and jurisdictional British presence , not the [lack of] 'civil rights' which are 'granted' by those in command of the occupation.) Any regime which seeks such a 'solution' is seriously selling short on the fundamentals of democracy and deceiving the people it governs into believing that all will be well once the 'men of violence' are safely locked up !

In the context of the present debate a fair trial means primarily that strict rules of evidence and procedure , founded upon the principle that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt should be rigidly adhered to . Doubt must remain about the guilt of defendants convicted , as many of the supergrass cases have been , upon the uncorroborated evidence of accomplices whose account of the facts cannot be considered to be in any sense objective....... ('1169...' Comment - "uncorroborated" and/or "objective" or not , if the 'evidence' assisted Westminster in removing from the scene those who offered resistance then it was acceptable.)
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

Ask somebody in the street in the Bogside area of Derry for directions to Cable Street and the chances are they'll ask if it's the Sinn Fein Offices you're looking for . They are that well-known and they're in the heart of the depressed Bogside area . ('1169...' Comment - too 'depressed' for the now 're-dressed' Provos : see 'Sinn Fein move out of Bogside - prominent republican speaks out' , here.) There are others in the sprawling working-class areas of Creggan and Shantallow and in the Waterside .

The SDLP Office is in an empty shop in Clarendon Street in Derry's city centre and has only been open for a couple of weeks - there was no sign outside the place last week to indicate what it was and one irate supporter came in complaining that he had had difficulty in finding it !

At the Sinn Fein Office a woman came in to say that Peggy O' Hara , the mother of Patsy O' Hara , one of the 1981 hunger-strikers , had had her house raided again that morning by the British forces , just a few days before her son's anniversary . Local people came in complaining about housing problems , young men and women in denims , the working-class youth of the area , rushed in and out with posters and election registers .

The SDLP Office was busy enough too but the workers were middle-aged and mainly middle-class : they were mostly addressing envelopes - they would have young people too , they said , when they'd finished school , but they didn't have the working-class or those out of work , who make up the bulk of Derry's youth . Those Offices illustrate the contrast between Sinn Fein and the SDLP.......
(MORE LATER).

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

Brian McNally was convicted by the State Special Criminal Court but the State Court of Criminal Appeal held that the court of trial had been wrong in admitting in evidence alleged verbal admissions , as no note had been made by the Gardai concerned of these alleged admissions , and therefore Brian McNally had not had an opportunity to read over such a note , or an opportunity to amend same , or to sign it .

Solicitor Pat McCartan who was acting for Brian McNally and Nicky Kelly asked Dr. Sean O Cleirigh and Dr. Sean Magee to examine Brian McNally when he was transferred to Mountjoy Prison - he asked both doctors to attend to ensure that at least one of them would be available . Dr. O Cleirigh made the examination on the evening of Thursday , April 8 , 1976 , at around 7.30pm , some 36 hours after Brian McNally had signed the self-incriminating statement .

Dr. O Cleirigh said in evidence that he found marks over McNally's left shoulder consisting of a mixture of bruising , scratching and excoriation , approximately four inches by two inches , and similar type marks below the left buttock . He found more bruising at the back of the right leg and right thigh , six inches by two inches , a similar mark below the right knee (four inches) and two red scratch lines . There was a reddening of the skin over an area of four inches , below the left knee and calf , and there was swelling and discolouration of the left eye . The left ear was swollen and inflamed and there was an abrasion of about a quarter of an inch on the right ear . Dr. O Cleirigh had more to add.......
(MORE LATER).

THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST .
By STEPHEN GREER .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983 .

Arguments in favour of the current use of 'supergrasses' in the North of Ireland usually consist of three 'essentials' -
1) In an emergency situation a balance has to be struck between the right of accused persons to a fair trial and the right of the community to be free from political violence :
2) The 'supergrass' phenomenon is merely a particular application of the time-honoured practice of defendants 'turning Queen's evidence' , which is commonplace in criminal trials throughout the 'UK' :
3) Supergrass 'evidence' provides the authorities with an indispensable method of putting 'terrorists' behind bars and its use may even herald the end of paramilitary activity in the North of Ireland altogether .

Strong points can be raised to each of these points -
First , it can be argued that the right to a fair trial is a legal and moral absolute , non-negotiable even in public order crises , since the exposure of innocent people to punishment can never be permitted merely in order to make it easier for the authorities to deal with the 'guilty' .

In a democracy it is the duty of the state to guarantee civil peace without attempting to purchase it in the currency of fundamental legal rights . Significantly , in the North of Ireland , it is the bastions of Unionism who most vehemently advocate the abandonment of this 'cardinal principle' of British jurisprudence.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

Sinn Fein only contested 7 of the 12 constituencies last October while the SDLP fought all 12 . In the seven constituencies where they faced each other directly , Sinn Fein actually got 40 per cent of the combined nationalist [Sinn Fein and SDLP] vote and , in the five key constituencies listed above the gap was even narrower with Sinn Fein getting 45 per cent of the nationalist vote and actually beating the SDLP in two areas - Fermanagh-South Tyrone and West Belfast .

Sinn Fein are very precise about their objectives in this election - ('1169 ...' Comment : ....and those objectives did not then centre around working in a British-established 'parliament' on Irish soil..) they don't claim that they will beat the SDLP overall this time : Gerry Adams aims at 90,000 votes or just under half the nationalist total . They see this election as only one step in their strategy and are looking ahead already to the North's local elections in 1985 - and possibly the EEC elections next year , though they haven't decided on contesting them yet .

They aim to substantially improve their vote this time and get the SDLP on the run with a view to beating them in 1985 and ousting them from what Sinn Fein sees as the SDLP power base , the local councils . For Sinn Fein to win even 90,000 votes would require a 41 per cent increase over their total in the Assembly elections : it is a big undertaking . Can they do it ? The signs are that they might.......
(MORE LATER).

Monday, November 20, 2006

THE SEEDS OF A POLICE STATE .......
There is substantial evidence that a major crime was perpetrated within the Garda Siochana five years ago .
The evidence for this crime has certainly been available to senior Gardai ever since then , but no enquiry whatsoever has taken place , let alone any Garda being disciplined in connection with that crime .
By Vincent Browne and Derek Dunne .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1983 .

Brian McNally further alleged that during the period when he was being interviewed between 11.45pm and 1.00am on the Wednesday morning , that the door of the interview room was burst wide open and that four or five plain clothes detectives came in , one of whom he identified as Detective Garda Joseph Egan : McNally said that he was made to stand , that he was called a " Northern bastard.." , was slapped across the face with the back of the hand ; was pushed from one Garda to another ; was struck by Detective Sergeant Patrick Culhane : had his shirt torn , the wing of his glasses broken , and that he lost consciousness .

He also said he was lying on the floor and that he heard screams and that Detective Garda Michael Finn came into the room , in the company of another member of the Garda Siochana whom he couldn't identify - McNally said he was caught by the shoulders and kneed in the stomach , pushed around , hit on the head and the left eye , pushed against the table and beaten on the shoulders , lips , ribs , back and shoulder blades and hit between the legs with a black jack , punched on the head and eye and that he was crying and screaming like a child . He said that he had to be helped off the floor to go to the toilet .

He denied in court making any statement , and he alleged that the statement was already written out and that when he refused to sign it , he was threatened with the black jack again and therefore did so sign it in order to avoid a further beating , at 7.00am on the Wednesday morning .......
(MORE LATER).

(Martin McGuinness , left , with Henry Kissinger , as usual , on the right ...)

DISARMING MARTIN .......
All (P)Sinn Fein leaders have a series of mantras and mini-speeches which they seek to get into every interview , regardless of the question .
The task of the journalist is to avoid setting off these reflex responses : the problem with Martin McGuinness is that he does it so pleasantly that it seems impolite to interrupt him .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , March 1999 .
By John Waters .

Martin McGuinness stated - " If we're on to this debate about what's best - the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement or the collapse of the Good Friday Agreement , in terms of is republicanism or nationalism or the people of Ireland better off , I have to say to them , from my experience , that the best scenario is the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Because there are no guarantees at all about what will happen on the other side of failure . Conceivably , we could be handing to our children effectively a scenario that has armed struggle , of whatever variety , continuing for thirty more years . ('1169...' Comment - sic : was McGuinness involved in a 'struggle' for 'civil rights from Westminster' which began in 1969 ?) And I'm not prepared to be part of that * . I'm not prepared to accept defeat on this issue ." ( '1169...' Comment * - McGuinness is more than "a part of that " : he is one of the main players in a process which , similar to that which Michael Collins led , guarantees that future generations will be born on this isle whilst part of it will still be under jurisdictional control from Westminster . He himself will forge a career in the greasy till , as will most of those who , like him , gave up the job for the easy way out , having learned nothing from our history . For shame. )
[END of ' DISARMING MARTIN']
(Next - 'THE SEEDS OF ANOTHER BITTER HARVEST' ; from 1983.)

THE PROVOS AT THE BALLOT BOX .......
By Michael Farrell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1983 .

The SDLP's credibility has been battered over the last few years by the election of Bobby Sands and then Owen Carron in Fermanagh-South Tyrone and by Sinn Fein's success in the Assembly elections but each time an excuse could be found . The Fermanagh by-elections in 1981 took place in a highly emotional atmosphere during the Long Kesh hunger-strike and , anyway , the SDLP didn't stand in that election so there was no direct clash .

The Assembly elections , when Sinn Fein got 64,191 votes and five seats - narrowly missing a couple more - to the SDLP's 118,891 votes and 14 seats , were harder to explain away , but eventually the pundits came up with some excuses ; there was still an emotional overspill from the hunger-strike / the election was under PR so people could register a protest vote for Sinn Fein without wasting their votes / Sinn Fein only got one third of the total nationalist vote and there had always been a maverick hard core in the nationalist community who never backed the SDLP .

This time those excuses won't wash so easily : the effect of the 1981 hunger-strike can't be 'blamed' for ever - this election is under the straight vote so nationalist voters will have to make a clear choice between the SDLP and Sinn Fein . And the 'maverick vote' argument will collapse if Sinn Fein get more than one third of the nationalist vote - as they confidently claim they will . In fact a close look at the Assembly election tends to demolish the 'maverick' argument anyway.......
(MORE LATER).