NOT WELCOME!






"Republicans throughout Ireland are strongly opposed to the impending visit by British Queen Elizabeth, who is also the British head of State, and will protest at this extravagant display of pomp and wealth.

But not alone for these reasons. Queen Elizabeth saw fit to award an OBE to Colonel Derek Wilford, Officer Commanding the Parachute Regiment on Bloody Sunday in Derry when they shot dead 14 unarmed civilians. Not exactly an inspiring role model for women? It matters not a whit that some of those armed forces are leaving Irish soil because their place will be taken by MI5 who are deeply embedded here.

There remains one huge obstacle to reconciliation between us and Britain and that obstacle is Partition. Part of the process of putting the past behind us and moving forward would be the removal of the illegal and unjust border that divides our country and our people. Have the courage Elizabeth Windsor and begin the process of handing back what has never belonged to you - the Six northeastern Counties. That would indeed be called a 'historic event'.

It has nothing to do with maturity on our part that we should welcome the Queen of England to our shores, rather it is the same slavish attitude that has always existed in Ireland. Being an occupied and colonised people for so long can make us willing participants in our own domination.

We reject the fraudulent claims of the English Queen to be 'Queen of Northern Ireland' ".
-statement from Cathleen Knowles McGuirk, Vice-President Republican Sinn Féin
June 26, 2007.
The Dublin Executive of Republican Sinn Fein intends to protest the visit of this English queen by holding a peaceful picket at 5PM on O'Connell Bridge in Dublin on the day of her visit . All welcome!
"There is always more brass than brains in an aristocracy."
- Oscar Wilde.

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'TORTURE CHARGES/COMRADES/CRISIS'


'ARE THESE CHARGES TRUE ?'
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

Under the above heading the following editorial appeared in 'The Longford Leader'newspaper on December 14 , 1957 :

' When he addressed Queen's University Literary and Scientific Society in Belfast on Wednesday night , Mr. H. Montgomery M.P., said there is no member of the bench in the North of Ireland today who has ever ordered a man to be flogged .

He then went on to make the signigficant statement that it was understandable that the Six-County Parliament might consider it necessary to keep flogging in reserve , particularly at present . He was hinting , of course , at the present trouble in the North .

Allegations have been made by an organisation in this country that political prisoners in the North are being subjected to torture and inhuman treatment . Can these charges be substantiated ? They certainly call for a full inquiry . In one case it is alleged that four prisoners were pulled out of their cells and squads of three men started questioning them in relays . Cocked revolvers were placed against their stomachs , throats and temples and sticks were pressed into their bodies . Handkerchiefs were twisted around their necks.......'
(MORE LATER).




SOUNDING OFF-COMRADES AND CALCULATORS.......

From 'Gralton' magazine, August/September 1983.
By Gene Kerrigan.

Governments rarely achieve a mandate for anything . In February 1982 Garret Fitzgerald sought a mandate on a 'hairshirt' programme and was rejected . Charlie Haughey, who was still in his boom and bloom phase, was elected . In November 1982 Haughey , with the Estimates published , had to seek a mandate for 'hairshirt' policies - he was rejected .

Garret Fitzgerald , who refused to say what his policies were , won . In November 1982 , neither Fine Gael nor Labour sought a mandate for the policies they are now implementing . They let the party machines gather the vote - the main job of the politicians was not to present policies which would win votes but to avoid saying anything which would lose votes !

The second consequence is that anyone trying to break into the system is playing against the odds . Again , there's no use moaning about it : it's a fact of life .

[END of 'Sounding Off - Comrades And Calculators']
(Next : ' The Prisons Of The Past' - from 2003)


CRISIS - WHICH CRISIS.......?

This election is not about the 'economy' . It's about the survival of sectional interests , clearly divided in a broader , simpler way than for many a long day . This election is not about the survival of the country (sic) : it's about choosing who will bear the cost of that survival.

From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.
By David McKenna.

We are good , though , at attracting 'foreign investment' or , to put it another way - what with straight grants and low rates of tax - it's a great little country for the multinationals ! But the multinationals take their profits out of the country . Indeed , when the grants and the low tax rates come to an end , they take their whole operation out of the country !

The trade unions and the trade union parties such as Labour and The Workers'Party take a different slant - they claim that the entrepreneur is dead , finished - a nineteenth-century notion . Planning , they say , is the answer , the creation of properly structured industries producing goods and services for which there is a definite market at home and abroad .

The trade union parties are not being ideological about this : the implication is that 'planning' includes going easy on the wage demands for the time being . The Workers' Party want to see the development of industrial Ireland , creating a workforce which , according to their 'book' , will then vote for them ! And The Labour Party have always been dead pragmatic , and are known to be so . But Fine Gael and The Progressive Democrats aren't that crazy about 'planning' - of the business parties , theirs comes closest to the 'song' sung by Maggie Thatcher over the water : cut public spending , cut taxes and stand well back - the economy will then ignite itself.......
(MORE LATER).

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'CUSTOMS POST BOMBED/COMRADES/CRISIS....'



'IMPERIAL CUSTOMS BOMBED'
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

On December 6 , 1957 , the Imperial Customs Post at Belleek , County Fermanagh, was demolished by Irish freedom fighters and the occupants removed to safety . An RUC-inspired statement that two young girls were removed from the danger area by the warning shouts of the Customs officials is untrue . The girls were in no danger at any time and were out of the danger-zone completely when the blast took place .

The Havies Bridge , about seven miles from Enniskillen on the Derrylin side , was also destroyed on December 6 , 1957 .

[END of 'Imperial Customs Bombed']
(Next : 'Are These Charges True?' - from the same source)



SOUNDING OFF-COMRADES AND CALCULATORS.......

From 'Gralton' magazine, August/September 1983.
By Gene Kerrigan.

All of the marking of registers and forms that goes on at polling stations and count centres has little to do with the current election - it is being done for the next election and the one after that . It is possible for parties to get a fairly accurate picture of who voted for them , who voted against them , whose vote 'swings' , where these people live and what has to be done to keep or win their vote next time .

That is : a "fairly accurate" picture - in some constituencies the geniuses are so good that they get a precise picture , house by house . A poll a few years ago showed that about half of the electorate make their choice on the basis of constituency service (ie 'clientelism') - things such as policy , the 'talent' on offer (...with apologises to the creature pictured!) or the extent of crookedness of the party leader are subordinate .

The parties have for each constituency a precise profile of their strengths and weaknesses , of favours owed , of problems stroked and promises made . They have the resources of Leinster House , which is routinely used as part of the election machine . The extent to which the major parties are able to manipulate the electorate cannot be overestimated , but it's no good moaning about this - it is a fact of political life everywhere.......
(MORE LATER).




CRISIS - WHICH CRISIS.......?

This election is not about the 'economy' . It's about the survival of sectional interests , clearly divided in a broader , simpler way than for many a long day . This election is not about the survival of the country (sic) : it's about choosing who will bear the cost of that survival.

From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.
By David McKenna.

But... the entrepreneur is a shy person who will only emerge to multiply if what the business parties refer to as 'the economic climate' is encouraging : in other words if it doesn't cost the entrepreneur a great deal to borrow the money he or she needs , and if there's a good chance of making a lot of money . In short - low interest rates and low taxes .

The government borrows approximately sixty per cent of its requirements at home , so if public spending was cut that money would , in theory , be available for the entrepreneurs . Alas , the business of interest rates is not something over which the government can exercise much control . Still it can lower taxes , which will make the entrepreneur happy , making sure that he or she gets a fair reward for 'courage in the marketplace' . It would also mean that ordinary taxpayers will have more money to spend on the goods produced by these entrepreneurs and their 'grateful workers' - alas , in these days of 'free trade' , it cannot be guaranteed that the taxpayers will spend their money on home-produced goods .

So what about producing goods to sell abroad ? Well , for some reason your average Irish entrepreneur doesn't seem to be terribly good at this . Even if he or she is 'cute' , the tendency will be to set up or acquire enterprises abroad rather than developing the buiness at home - like Michael Smurfit, for example.......

(MORE LATER).

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ULSTER HAS NINE COUNTIES,NOT SIX...


'LOVE ULSTER' TO SEEK SUPREMACY IN DUBLIN AGAIN ?




Willie Frazer of the so-called 'Love Ulster' organisation has stepped-up his campaign to parade through Dublin , accompanied by other Loyalist thugs and Combat 18 members .
These are the same people from , and representing , the same organisation which the Dublin Administration last year tried to assist in their quest to triumphantly parade through the streets of Dublin : the place-seekers in Leinster House authorised the use of force against those who objected to the presence of 'Union Jack'-waving neo-Nazi's in Dublin , resulting in other elements using the occasion for what they deemed to be their own advantage - riots ensued on the streets of Dublin .
If this Loyalist parade goes ahead , Republicans have made their position clear .
Are the 'powers-that-be' in Leinster House listening this time...?

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FERMANAGH AMBUSH/COMRADES AND CALCULATORS/CRISIS....?'


'FERMANAGH AMBUSH' .......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

In western Fermanagh , children who must cross the border to go to school are searched daily , their schoolbags turned inside out . The same treatment is meted out to workmen - in one case a man's boots were taken off .

In another case , two Franciscan priests were held for some time and closely searched by the RUC- an ordination card would not be taken as proof of identity .

[END of 'FERMANAGH AMBUSH']
(Next : 'Imperial Customs Bombed' - from the same source)



SOUNDING OFF-COMRADES AND CALCULATORS.......

From 'Gralton' magazine, August/September 1983.
By Gene Kerrigan.

Most of this 'clinic and patronage' work is routine by now , well known to the comrades with the calculators and way beyond their resources . And this bad news is only beginning.....

When people vote there are several party supporters sitting near the ballot box with copies of the electoral register - they mark off the name of everyone who votes . Nominally this is to guard against personation- and it does have some minor function in that regard . However , personation is usually just a game to keep the troops happy . They cancel each other out and it's a dying art , anyway . The real purpose of these supporters is to provide the parties with a list of everyone who has voted and the polling boxes in which they have voted .

At the count , the parties provide their supporters with pre-printed forms ; on these they fill in the number of each polling box as it is opened . There is an unwritten understanding that the party workers will be able to see each vote as it is unfolded and stacked . From this they mark in how many first preferences each candidate gets from each box , giving the parties a list of names and addresses - perhaps three or four hundred - of people who have voted in each box . They also have a list of how these votes were cast in that box , along with very detailed lists compiled by canvassers , which give indications of how individual voters lean . Their knowledge is not merely based on one election but is accumulated from several decades of elections.......
(MORE LATER).



CRISIS - WHICH CRISIS.......?

This election is not about the 'economy' . It's about the survival of sectional interests , clearly divided in a broader , simpler way than for many a long day . This election is not about the survival of the country (sic) : it's about choosing who will bear the cost of that survival.

From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.
By David McKenna.

The price of money is high , these days , and international interest rates have gone up because the United States has been borrowing a lot of money to get its industry going again . So there's less money left to borrow , therefore the price of what's left is high , and if the price of money on the international markets is high then the price rises at home as well and we get high interest rates .

Entrepreneurs don't like high interest rates . Too much of any money they make has to be paid back to the lender . Then there's tax : the government finances its public spending - on health , education , social welfare etc - through taxation . That's the theory and up to about thirty years ago , it was in Ireland the reality : then we started borrowing for capital expenditure for day-to-day costs like social welfare payments etc whilst , at the same time , the government were collecting an ever-increasing proportion of income in tax . And entrepreneurs don't like high tax .

No worker likes high tax , but according to the business parties such as Fine Gael , The Progressive Democrats and Fianna Fail, the entrepreneur is the solution to all our problems , the 'answer' to what it takes to get the system going again . He , or she , thinks up some great idea , borrows the money to set up a factory to turn the idea into reality , creates employment , buys a house in Spain and lives happily ever after . As do the grateful workers . But.......

(MORE LATER).

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COLONIAL STATUS PERPETUATED.....




" The failure to break with the colonial past is illustrated by the State’s habit of imitating British practices and conventions. The names and structures of government agencies are copied direct from England: the ‘Special Branch’, the ‘Director of Public Prosecutions’, the ‘Ombudsman’ and so on. Even the forms used in tax assessment are direct copies of those used in Britain. (Originally the Department of Finance wanted to call itself ‘The Treasury’ but this was vetoed by Westminster: there could only be one Treasury and it wasn’t in Dublin!)
It is reflected too in uniforms: the uniforms worn by military personnel, by Civil Defence, even by traffic wardens. As for the police force, it is nominally unarmed but about 25% of it is plain-clothes and armed with Uzis. The Uzi is an Ingram-type machine pistol manufactured in Israel, probably out of re-cycled sardine cans or the like: it is a scatter-fire weapon favoured by security forces in countries where if a few by-standers are mown down then it is of no consequence. The Gardai also have stocks of CS-gas and plastic bullets, though these have only rarely been deployed.

It is often claimed that the State originates in the 1916 Rising and subsequent struggle for freedom. This is of course nonsense. The Free State destroyed and replaced the Republic declared in 1916 and is a continuation of the previous colonial regime by other means. It was established by an act passed at Westminster and it inherited the administrative machinery (and most of the personnel) of Dublin Castle. The State has continued to be ruled by a system of laws devised for a totally different society. British war memorials and the graves of Black-and-Tans are maintained by the Office of Public Works: Republican graves and memorials at private expense...."
(More here....)

Help us to break that 'colonial status...' .

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FERMANAGH AMBUSH/COMRADES AND CALCULATORS/CRISIS....?'


'FERMANAGH AMBUSH' .......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

RUC and B-Specials, along with the British military, scoured the South Fermanagh countryside on the day after the attack . Houses were searched and many people questioned . Tracker dogs were used in the search , and were also used in a British 'security force' sweep of the area bordering Lough Erne between Knockninny and Derrylin.

On the day before the attack B-Specials with tracker dogs had searched the entire area . After the attack it was also reported by Stormont that RUC County Inspector Reid was on the scene , but there is no truth in that story - he was photographed next day beside the fake Land Rover at the ambush site , surrounded by armed RUC guards.

Raids and searches in the Fermanagh area are now an almost daily occurrence ; many young men have been taken to Crumlin Road Jail where they have been subjected to rough treatment at the hands of the RUC . A taxi-driver from Swanlinbar in County Cavan was arrested in Enniskillen while doing a run , and was held for 48 hours and subjected to intense questioning . Children , too , are being stopped by these thugs.......
(MORE LATER).




SOUNDING OFF-COMRADES AND CALCULATORS.......

From 'Gralton' magazine, August/September 1983.
By Gene Kerrigan.

Political parties used to have wizards who knew every pocket in every constituency and who were valued for their knowledge . They knew that 'that' village was 'for' us and ' that other' village was agin us ! They knew which streets to send the party cars to on polling day . These people are still around , but they have been augmented by the HQ WhizzKids: these are the full-timers who spend literally years assessing , probing and stroking each constituency .

They weed out troublesome members , promote the 'useful' ones , rig selection conventions , sabotage awkward potential candidates and allocate areas within constituencies for each candidate to 'till' and 'harvest' . This is called - and they say it without a blush - "vote management" . These people don't just have knowledge of constituencies - they also have files and floppy discs !

Their other purpose is to conduct regular secret polls of the electorate then , having found out what the voters want , they formulate the party programme accordingly - using very general terms , as most policies will later be reneged. This is a marketing technique , precisely the kind used to launch soap powders and bubble gum . At ground level there is constant 'clinic' work - doing personal favours for voters , or appearing to do so . There is also patronage - providing , or appearing to provide , jobs or influence for supporters.......
(MORE LATER).



CRISIS - WHICH CRISIS ?

This election is not about the 'economy' . It's about the survival of sectional interests , clearly divided in a broader , simpler way than for many a long day . This election is not about the survival of the country (sic) : it's about choosing who will bear the cost of that survival.

From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.
By David McKenna.

" The major breakthrough of this election , " wrote journalist/economist Paul Tansey in 'The Sunday Tribune' newspaper of 8 February (1987) , "...lies in the fact that every significant political party contesting it has recognised that the Irish economy is in the midst of a deep crisis."

There's another way of putting it : the taxpayers have their own political party now , unencumbered by history . The Progressive Democrats have helped spring Fine Gael out of the closet . It's a straight fight - taxpayers versus unemployment , and the winner gets to govern the State . Democracy is not a religious business , it's not about absolute moral , or fiscal , values . Sometimes Sunday newspapers try to play God , failing to recognise that they just represent the interests of their tax-paying readers . Still , it sells newspapers , and isn't what's good for business good for the State ?

Democracy is about sectional interests , people voting for themselves and their own survival , and why not ? At the best of times , survival is a matter of more than money . But not this time round . This election is not about making the exchange of information amongst women a criminal offence . It's not about the emotional survival of partners in dead relationships . It's certainly not about constitutional crusades , and even the Irish language has had to take a back seat . This is about money and the price of money.......
(MORE LATER).

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AN APPEAL FOR FUNDS-



THE DOGS OF FIONN ...


" It was a time of trouble-executions,
Death, searches, nightly firing, balked escapes –
And I sat silent while my cellmate figured
Ruy Lopez' Gambit from the 'Praxis'. Silence
Best fitted our mood: we seldom spoke.
'I have a thought,' he said, tilting his stool.
'We prisoners are so many pieces taken,
Swept from the chessboard, only used again
When a new game is started.' 'There's that hope,'
I said, 'the hope of being used again.
Some day of strength, when ploughs are out in March,
The dogs of Fionn will slip their iron chains
And, heedless of torn wounds and failing wind,
Will run the old grey wolf to death at last'.
He smiled, 'I like your image. My fat kings,
And painted Queens, and purple-cassocked Bishops
Are tame, indeed, beside your angry dogs! "
(....taken from here.)

- Written by Joseph Campbell, interned in the Curragh, 1923-24.


Read the above , follow the links and read what they offer . Then , read this link and see if you can help.......
Go raibh máith agat , from the '1169...' Crew .

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FERMANAGH AMBUSH/COMRADES AND CALCULATORS/A ROUGH BEAST.


'FERMANAGH AMBUSH'
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

Armoured Car Hit and Abandoned by Crew .

A heavily armoured car was put out of action and badly damaged after a land-mine exploded at Cassidy's Cross near Kinawley in County Fermanagh, following an ambush by guerrillas on December 1 , 1957 . A second armoured car sped on when the explosion occured .

The RUC issued a false statement claiming that a 'Land Rover' had escaped damage : a 'Land Rover' did appear on the scene , but it was after the armoured vehicle had been towed away and photographers were told that was the car hit by the land-mine ! Pictures appeared in the media showing the 'Land Rover' as Stormont attempted to minimise the damage caused .

The ambushers hit the second armoured car in the two-car patrol as it crossed over a culvert . The leading vehicle paused long enough to take the injured occupants to safety - the IRA guerrillas did not fire on them as they were removed from the armoured vehicle . The injured RUC men are believed to have been taken to Enniskillen Hospital: the RUC did not attempt to engage their attackers , being distracted as they were by the huge crater which the explosion blew in the roadway.......
(MORE LATER).





SOUNDING OFF-COMRADES AND CALCULATORS.......

From 'Gralton' magazine, August/September 1983.
By Gene Kerrigan.

The 'X-Every-Five-Years' cliche was finally killed-off by 'The Great Capitalist Plot Against Socialist Cliches of 1981/1982' , which involved staging three general elections within eighteen months . The other reason for the decline of the cliche was the greater readiness of the Left to intervene in elections : no count centre was complete without the comrade with the calculator -

" Okay .... ," the comrade would say , "...here's the way I see it . If 93% of the Fine Gaeler's surplus goes to the Labour guy , and if we get 34 votes from his surplus - which puts us above Sean Sugarloaf Mountain O' Looney (Ind) so that he gets eliminated first - and then if the Labour guy is elected next and we get 97% of his surplus , then we'll come within 800 votes of saving our deposit..."

The purpose of this article is not to revive the should we/shouldn't we argument about electoral politics . Most of us long ago answered that one - " It depends." But it is worthwhile , for the benefit of the comrades with the calculators , drawing a map of the electoral territory in which they are operating , and pointing out the hostility of the natives.......
(MORE LATER).




WHAT ROUGH BEAST IS THIS , ITS HOUR COME ROUND AT LAST.......?

By JOHN WATERS.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.

Politics isn't just about winning elections and holding onto power , it is also about a country's sense of self . We expect our leaders to reflect us as well as represent us . We are an interesting and enigmatic people and we deserve a similar kind of leader and they don't come any more interesting and enigmatic ('1169...' Comment - try 'devious' and 'arrogant'..) than Charles J. Haughey .

Frightening , too , maybe . But the relationship of a people to its leader should , like a love affair , have an element of risk , of danger , to it . This has been missing for a long time . We have no choice : let us embrace our destiny .

[END of 'What Rough Beast Is This , It's Hour Come Round At Last?']
(Next : 'Crisis - Which Crisis?' : from 1987)

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GREEN GOLD-BUT NOT FOR THE GREEN SUITS.......


The Hill Of Tara.

From this.....




...to this -



The alleged 'Green' part of this Leinster House administration obtained their vote for the most part due to their oft-stated opposition to , amongst other political crimes mooted by their new-found colleagues in that institution ,the destructive plans for the Hill of Tara . By their inaction , future generations will condemn 'the Greens' for washing their hands of the issue in exchange for political career-building . They are indeed well-suited to Leinster House .

" To me the life of the businessman who eats his breakfast early in the morning , catches a train for the city , stays there in the dingy , dusty atmosphere of the commercial world , and goes back to his house in the evening and , after supper , to sleep , is worse than the life of the galley slave - his chains are golden instead of iron. "
- Oscar Wilde.

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COLONEL W.W.B. TOPPING/COMRADES AND CALCULATORS/A ROUGH BEAST.


'BRITISH COLONEL W.W.B. TOPPING ON THE CAMPAIGN' .......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

Colonel Topping had this to say about the press release from the Irish Republican Publicity Bureau- " I do not think I will be giving very much away when I say that for once they are not very far out in the picture they paint . "

The British Colonel also quoted an unnamed Newry man , whom he called 'a prominent member of the minority' , as writing to him stating that " ...if a plebiscite were held in the town of Newry very few would opt out of Northern Ireland (sic) ." Perhaps Colonel Topping should substantiate his statement by giving us the name of this 'prominent member of the minority' , and perhaps he might also test the truth of the alleged statement by holding a plebiscite in Newry ?

[END of ''BRITISH COLONEL W.W.B. TOPPING ON THE CAMPAIGN']
(Next : 'Fermanagh Ambush' : from the same source)




SOUNDING OFF-COMRADES AND CALCULATORS.

From 'Gralton' magazine, August/September 1983.
By Gene Kerrigan.

There used to be a great cliche on the political Left that always came into use at meetings with titles like 'Socialism -The Way Forward!' or 'Socialism - Making The Links!' or 'Socialism - Drawing The Lessons!' . That cliche was about parliamentary democracy and , like much of the rhetoric , it was an imported cliche . It read - " Capitalist democracy consists of putting an X beside someone's name once every five years! "

We even worked it out scientifically : if it took one minute to mark the X , the speaker might say , and you voted in every general election for fifty years , that meant you had ten minutes of democracy in your whole lifetime ! " Huh! ..." said the speaker - "...some democracy . The alternative we're proposing here tonight is the mass democracy ...etc etc etc......proletariat .....etc etc etc.....workers vanguard...etc etc.....memory of the class...etc etc......forward........make the links.....draw the lessons.....and hope you can come to our next meeting in a fortnight's time on 'Socialism - What Is To Be Done...' "

The 'X-every-five-years' cliche took a bit of a hammering when someone pointed out that it was a fine cliche for the British comrades , but over here we had PR voting and you got to mark 1-2-3 every five years . Okay , maybe the political point was the same , but it didn't sound as snappy , and that particular cliche went out of style.......
(MORE LATER).




WHAT ROUGH BEAST IS THIS , ITS HOUR COME ROUND AT LAST.......?

By JOHN WATERS.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.

If Charles Haughey were to put his 'abrasiveness' to good use in foreign financial circles on our behalf ('1169..' Comment- .....we now know that he put his brass neck to 'good use' in 'foreign financial circles' for his own benefit..) he could be forgiven for a lot . We don't need a pussy cat as Taoiseach , and Haughey is certainly no pussy cat . In government he will be a one-man show , but no single other Irish politician has been tested so hard and come up winning . ('1169...' Comment -.....he did indeed "come up winning" , but it was at the taxpayers expense.)

He could be the one to hold this country's (sic) head up high for the first time in a long time ; as John Healy keeps saying , you don't have to like Haughey , you just have to realise that , as of now , there is no possible alternative - the Left is cannibalising itself left , right and centre , and the Right - in the form of Dessie O'Malley and John Bruton- is standing by with jackboot at the ready . The media have depicted the recent struggle for the leadership of Fianna Fail as a personality issue , but in reality it was a struggle between two opposing ideologies or notions - Charlie Haughey's patronage against Dessie O' Malley's monetarism . I'll take Haughey's patronage any day.......
(MORE LATER).

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AN APPEAL TO REPUBLICANS....


The following quote is part of the description of the torture of Paddy Joe McClean (39), a remedial teacher. McClean was not a member of any section of the IRA; he was merely a local civil rights worker. He was arrested and taken from his home in Beragh, Co. Tyrone, at 5 a.m. on Monday 9 August 1971. He is married and has eight children. McClean stated:

"I spent the first 48-hour period with the other detainees at Magilligan camp. At the end of these initial 48 hours a hood was pulled over my head and I was handcuffed and subjected to verbal and personal abuse which included the threat of being dropped from a helicopter while it was in the air. I was then dragged out to the helicopter, being kicked and struck about the body with batons on the way.
After what seemed about one hour in the helicopter I was thrown from it and kicked and batoned into what I took to be a lorry. The lorry was driven only a couple of hundred yards to a building. On arriving there I was given a thorough examination by a doctor. After this, all my clothes were taken from me and I was given a boiler suit to wear which had no buttons and which was several sizes too big for me.
During this time the hood was still over my head and the handcuffs were removed only at the time of the 'medical examination'.
I was then taken into what I can only guess was another room and was made stand with my feet wide apart with my hands pressed against a wall. During all this time I could hear a low droning noise, which sounded to me like an electric saw or something of that nature. This continued for what I can only describe as an indefinite period of time. I stood there, arms against the wall, feet wide apart. My arms, legs, back and head began to ache. I perspired freely, the noise and the heat were terrible.
My circulation had stopped. I flexed my arms to start the blood flowing again. They struck me several times on the hands, ribs, kidneys and my kneecaps were kicked. My hood-covered head was banged against the wall....."
(More here...)

Read the above , follow the link and read what it offers . Then , read this link and see if you can help.......
Go raibh máith agat , from the '1169...' Crew .

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COLONEL W.W.B. TOPPING/RENT COURT/A ROUGH BEAST.


'BRITISH COLONEL W.W.B. TOPPING ON THE CAMPAIGN' .......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

Quoting from a press release from the Irish Republican Publicity Bureau, British Colonel W.W.B. Topping gave the reason for the 'troubles' in Occupied Ireland : " For example in the Fermanagh area , the headquarters of British mechanised forces there are at Castle Archdale, near Enniskillen . Tanks , heavy armoured cars weighing 15 tons at least , armoured scout cars and heavy troop carriers are used nightly along all Fermanagh roads .

Churchill tanks have been used to guard main roads while the other vehicles in the patrol passed by . All units of the British Army which are engaged in these operations are accompanied by B-Specials who act as guides..." The RUC Commandos, the 'Irish Republican Publicity Bureau' press release went on to relate , were more of a Black-and-Tan terror force than an elite group picked from the RUC- they had been specially trained at Ballykinlar British Military Camp by the British Army for anti-guerrilla operations . The majority of these 'RUC Commandos' were full-time B-Specials.......
(MORE LATER).





A DAY AT THE RENT COURT.......
From 'GRALTON' magazine , August/September 1983 .

Both of the houses mentioned in the above cases , and one other dwelling , were bought by the present landlord in 1979 : he paid between £1000 and £1500 each for them . This information was supplied by a friendly valuer , but was not mentioned in court and therefore was not taken into account in fixing the rents .

The judge in this court is known to be more sympathetic (!) than most to the tenants that come before her and , indeed , she treated them kindly . It did not , however , appear to affect her final rent decisions : from 87 pence per week to £19.50 and from 57 pence per week to £16 . ('1169...' Comment - decisions like those made by well-heeled insulated leading-lights of the so-called 'Establishment' contribute in no small way to situations like this. However , then , as now , that is of no concern to those well-heeled 'elite'.)

[END of 'A DAY AT THE RENT COURT']
(NEXT : 'Sounding Off - Comrades And Calculators' ; from 1983.)


WHAT ROUGH BEAST IS THIS , ITS HOUR COME ROUND AT LAST.......?

By JOHN WATERS.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.

On the campaign trial you get the sense of being in the presence of a man whose hour has come round at last , of destiny about to be fulfilled , that Charlie Haughey has used up all of his life-time's bad luck . ('1169...' Comment - whatever about that , Haughey lost no time in manufacturing more 'bad luck' for himself...) And the reason why he is going to win this election is that we want to feel that we have used up all of our bad luck as well , and that with Haughey at our head we will stride boldly forward into a new bright future . And perhaps we will , too . Most of us believe that this is a great little country which has been * dragged down by vested interests and small-minded men - politicians , economists , journalists etc . ('1169...' Comment *...and still is..)

But maybe Charlie Haughey , too , is all wind and piss , but it remains , largely , to be seen . We cannot really say that he has yet had a real chance . Or maybe not - in all the acres of newsprint written about this election , one of the most interesting items was a piece in 'The Sunday Tribune' two weeks ago by Vincent Browne, which purports to report a private conversation with Haughey in which he is supposed to have said that in office he is 'determined to face the tough decisions' in spite of his campaign rhetoric .

If this is accurate it bodes ill for the prospect of any new thinking being injected into the running of political affairs , if Charlie Haughey is prepared to allow the same economists and commentators set the agenda for the coming five years . He seems , listening to his public utterances , to really believe that this country has the capacity for large-scale growth , but if he allows himself to be frightened by the figures and the economic blackmail of the World Bank then it will not happen . No country or business ever became great on cuts.......

(MORE LATER).

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'LOVE ULSTER' TO SEEK SUPREMACY IN DUBLIN AGAIN ?




Willie Frazer of the so-called 'Love Ulster' organisation has stepped-up his campaign to parade through Dublin , accompanied by other Loyalist thugs and Combat 18 members .
These are the same people from , and representing , the same organisation which the Dublin Administration last year tried to assist in their quest to triumphantly parade through the streets of Dublin : the place-seekers in Leinster House authorised the use of force against those who objected to the presence of 'Union Jack'-waving neo-Nazi's in Dublin , resulting in other elements using the occasion for what they deemed to be their own advantage - riots ensued on the streets of Dublin .
If this Loyalist parade goes ahead , Republicans have made their position clear .
Are the 'powers-that-be' in Leinster House listening this time...?

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COLONEL TOPPING/RENT COURT/A ROUGH BEAST.


'BRITISH COLONEL W.W.B. TOPPING ON THE CAMPAIGN' .
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

British Colonel W.W.B. Topping told the Larne Unionist Association that no one knows how long the campaign of Resistance will continue and "...what other wicked forms it may take.." He said that after 30 or 40 years Mr. de Valera had realised there was no hope of cutting the Six Counties from the United Kingdom .

Colonel Topping said that since December 12 , 1956 , 40 men had been convicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment totalling 272 years , that 242 men were held in the Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast, of whom 166 were held without charge or trial , and 27 were detained in prison also without charge or trial but under 'investigation' for trial .

Of those 27 detained in prison , Topping said , it was likely that 13 would be charged with offences , and the question of charges against the remaining 14 was under consideration . In the same speech he gave the reasons behind why all this was happening in Occupied Ireland when he quoted extracts from a press release by the Irish Republican Publicity Bureau.......
(MORE LATER).





A DAY AT THE RENT COURT.......
From 'GRALTON' magazine , August/September 1983 .

Mr. O' Sullivan , a joiner by trade , was made redundant in 1980 . He is not yet of pensionable age and does part-time work at the local credit union for £50 per week . After 'due consideration' , the judge in the rent court decreed that the old controlled rent of 87 pence per week be increased to £19.50 pence per week for the next five years !

Another case , involving a Mrs. O' Neill , came to court without the solicitor and valuer to which she is entitled . The lady is in her seventies and somewhat confused about what is happening , so the judge appoints a solicitor to act on her behalf . Mrs. O' Neill and her son live together in a house similar to that of the O' Sullivan's in the last case : her son has not worked for eight years and gets £26 per week unemployment assistance , and she herself has the old age pension . She has lived for 43 years in the house .

The living room is damp and the ceiling cracked . The bedroom is damp . There is no bathroom . One of the walls of the outside toilet fell down recently . There is only a cold water supply . The judge listened to all this , then decided that the rent of 57 pence per week should be increased to £16 per week for the next five years.......
(MORE LATER).



WHAT ROUGH BEAST IS THIS , ITS HOUR COME ROUND AT LAST.......?

By JOHN WATERS.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.

It is a measure of Charlie Haughey's political astuteness that he has managed to turn even the media's hostility * to his advantage . (*'1169...' Comment - the establishment media were too scared of Haughey and his powerful 'friends' to expose the huge difference between his legitimate income and his lifestyle . They were more frightened of him and his cronies than 'hostile' to them.) During the attempts to remove him from the leadership in 1983 he effectively managed to hold on , not in spite of but because of the hostility of the press towards him . The line was that he , as democratically elected leader of the party , could not be seen to be hounded out of office by the media .

That line worked , and so well did Haughey sow the seed that nowadays the media are bending over backwards to be fair to him . Anyway , it is probably true to say that unless the media could prove that Charlie Haughey ate live babies for brekkie there is nothing they could do to touch him . This , in turn , has allowed him to become more relaxed with the media , and in this election campaign , apart from the occasional tetchiness , he has been good humoured and co-operative .

This time round there is a sense that nothing can touch him , that all that went before were false starts , that this time it's for real . Charlie Haughey is about to inherit the earth and them as don't like it can go and get knotted.......
(MORE LATER).

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THE HILL OF TARA.......



.....there's a motorway under (and above!) all that muck -



From this, this and this .....

.....via this......

......to this!

The Green Party get their careers , Fianna Fail secure a probable slap-on-the-wrist for themselves at a future Tribunal but , for the moment , those that bank-roll that organisation make millions more for their off-shore accounts. Or to stash in Bertie's biscuit tin.......

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OCCUPIED IRELAND/RENT COURT/A ROUGH BEAST.


'THE TRUE POSITION IN OCCUPIED IRELAND' .
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

The Stormont Finance Minister , Captain Terence O' Neill, told a West Essex group dinner meeting that it was important at this time that the British people appreciate the true position in Occupied Ireland . In this work , said the Stormont Minister , the Ulster Association had a valuable role to play in Great Britain .

The dinner was held in the Palace of Westminster: Mrs. Patricia McLaughlin , Six Counties Imperial M.P. at Westminster , presided .

Captain Terence O' Neill stated : " The true position in Occupied Ireland is that in their attempt to win world sympathy (for a free Ireland) the people who thought they were going to get it have lost it..." Mr. O' Neill did not elaborate !

END of 'THE TRUE POSITION IN OCCUPIED IRELAND']
(Next : ' British Colonel W.W.B.Topping on the Campaign' - from the same source)




A DAY AT THE RENT COURT.
From 'GRALTON' magazine , August/September 1983 .

Mr. O'Sullivan is appearing for his wife , the tenant of the house , who is ill . She was born 65 years ago in the house in question , an artisan's dwelling in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin . They married in 1945 and he moved in . Mrs. O ' Sullivan became the tenant in 1960 when her father died .

In assessing the new rent to be struck , any improvements done before 1960 - a new bathroom was put in and electric lighting - are not taken into account by the court . Improvements after 1960 are taken into account , and these include putting in a hot water supply . There is fungus on the wall in the living room and poor ventilation necessitates the floorboards being replaced every five years .

The judge calmly asks "....and that keeps the damp under control , Mr. O' Sullivan , does it...? " Both the landlord's and the tenant's valuers agree that two pound per week can be allowed as fair return for all this tenant's work , as opposed to the 87 pence now being charged . But the judge has other ideas.......
(MORE LATER).



WHAT ROUGH BEAST IS THIS , ITS HOUR COME ROUND AT LAST.......?

By JOHN WATERS.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.

A lot of the objections to Charles Haughey , it has been said , have a great deal to do with class prejudice * and little enough to do with objective political assessment . ( '1169...' Comment : * "Class prejudice" in that Haughey believed he was more fitting to a different "class" other than that which he was born into.)

There may be some truth in this . Charlie Haughey is a little northside gurrier , the product very much of his background . Politics and political journalism are something of a club , and the members of that club like to see themselves as equals . Haughey believes that you fight for your place on the ladder and that , moreover , the top rung is for him alone . Journalists don't like this .

Also , of course , there's his patent vulgarity : the four-letter words and so on , which journalists also use , though you'd never gather that from the response to the aforementioned interview in 'Hot Press' magazine . To this day some superior-minded journalists upbraid me for publishing the interview , 'fucks' and all , yet everyone knows that Charlie Haughey has a tongue that would make a lumberjack blush but nobody is allowed to say so . This says a lot more about journalists than it does about Charlie Haughey.......
(MORE LATER).

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THE DOGS OF FIONN ...


" It was a time of trouble-executions,
Death, searches, nightly firing, balked escapes –
And I sat silent while my cellmate figured
Ruy Lopez' Gambit from the 'Praxis'. Silence
Best fitted our mood: we seldom spoke.
'I have a thought,' he said, tilting his stool.
'We prisoners are so many pieces taken,
Swept from the chessboard, only used again
When a new game is started.' 'There's that hope,'
I said, 'the hope of being used again.
Some day of strength, when ploughs are out in March,
The dogs of Fionn will slip their iron chains
And, heedless of torn wounds and failing wind,
Will run the old grey wolf to death at last'.
He smiled, 'I like your image. My fat kings,
And painted Queens, and purple-cassocked Bishops
Are tame, indeed, beside your angry dogs! "
(....taken from here.)

- Written by Joseph Campbell, interned in the Curragh, 1923-24.


Read the above , follow the links and read what they offer . Then , read this link and see if you can help.......
Go raibh máith agat , from the '1169...' Crew .

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PARTITION/WOMEN'S GHETTO/A ROUGH BEAST.


'THE QUESTION OF PARTITION' .
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

" The question of Partition is , of course , a burning political issue which can be determined only by democratic action , " states Arthur G. Bottomley, British Labour M.P. , writing in 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper on December 4th , 1957 .

" The ultimate decision on Partition , " he continues , " rests with the Irish people themselves , who will determine this issue by their votes in the ballot-box . " Fair enough , Mr. Bottomley . Now ask your Government why they don't allow us "...to determine this issue by (our votes in) the ballot box.." ? To satisfy his Tory-Unionist hosts no doubt , Mr. Bottomley adds this rider :

" Certainly United Kingdom public opinion would not support a policy which was for taking the initiative in urging the people of Northern Ireland (sic) to leave the United Kingdom and through this the Commonwealth of Nations ." Isn't that a contradiction , Mr. Bottomley ?
[END of 'THE QUESTION OF PARTITION']
(Next : 'The True Position In Occupied Ireland ?' - from the same source)



OUT OF THE WOMEN'S GHETTO .......

By INEZ McCORMICK.
A review of Margaret Ward's book - 'Unmanageable Revolutionaries:Women and Irish Nationalism' .
From 'FORTNIGHT' magazine , October 1983.

This book's lesson is that women's issues can easily be pushed to the sidelines , and women's rights , once won , have to be constantly protected , used and extended or they will be eroded . Let women organise anything and it will be ignored by most men . Yet , if successful , it will be taken over by them and the history of its origins rewritten .

There is nothing more calculated to drive men off in search of refreshment than a discussion of 'the women question' that does not threaten male power . Once it does , they queue up at the platform to speak on it , pledge undying support for women's rights , lecture women on how best to get them - and then cast their votes for the maintenance of male privilege and power .
[END of 'OUT OF THE WOMEN'S GHETTO']
(Next : 'A Day At The Rent Court' - from the same source)


WHAT ROUGH BEAST IS THIS , ITS HOUR COME ROUND AT LAST.......?

By JOHN WATERS.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine, 'Election Special' , 1987.

There are a lot of good things about Charlie Haughey : there's his record as a minister in various departments over the years , for example . ('1169...' Comment : Whatever 'good things' the man done were placed in the shade by the man himself by virture of how he used those "various departments" to further his own enrichment.)

Haughey is into populism and patronage not ideology , but he never forgot that he came from the wrong side of the tracks . But also , on a personal level , on the odd occasion when he lets his guard slip , there is the faintest inkling that behind the facade there is , just possibly , something approaching a heart of gold . ('1169...' Comment : It's verbal clap-trap like this that explains why the Haughey's of this corrupt Statelet can plunder as they do - journalists , for the most part , are no threat to them.) He quite often shows signs of genuine warmth when he is with people he likes and trusts .

You could see , for example , on the election campaign trial , that he has a lot more time for Dr. John O'Connell than he has for Seamus Brennan: he has also shown himself to have some sense of objective morality in public life , as evidenced by his response to the Belgrano sinking, something which could not be said of by any means of every Irish politician at that time ('1169...' Comment : .....a classic opportunity for Haughey to play 'the Green Card' , which he duly did . However , some journalists were fooled...).......
(MORE LATER).

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APPEAL FOR FUNDS.......


Republican Sinn Fein are embarking on a development and modernisation programme for their organisation which will include advances in recruitment , publicity , upgrading of technology and improved Office accomodation .

This will cost a considerable amount of money , which RSF haven't got , necessitating this financial appeal . All subscriptions , large or small , can be sent to the treasurer of the Republican Sinn Fein Development Fund at Head Office , 223 Parnell Street , Dublin 1 , or made payable to -

Republican Sinn Fein Development Fund ,
Allied Irish Bank ,
Capel Street ,
Dublin 1.
Account Number 15411-097.

All donations will be appreciated and acknowledged.
Go raibh máith agat !
Sharon.

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