1169 And Counting.....

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.......
Twenty-six men were convicted on the word of Harry Kirkpatrick. On their appeal against those convictions could well rest the future of the 'Anglo-Irish Agreement'
('The Hillsborough Treaty') . Based on a full transcript of the Kirkpatrick trials , the story of how these convictions were obtained shows why the 'Supergrass System' is a pale shadow of justice.
By Derek Dunne. From 'MAGILL' magazine, February 1986.

Henry 'Harry' Kirkpatrick was the eldest in his family : he had three younger sisters and the family lived in the Lower Falls area of Belfast , then in Ardoyne . In 1969 , when he was twelve , violence overtook the Kirkpatrick family and they were burned out of their house by loyalists . They moved from one address to the next , finally ending up in Springhill . By this time , his sister and grandmother had died in a car crash , and his mother and father had separated .

Henry went to primary and secondary school and in 1970 he ended up in St. Thomas's school in Whiterock . However , he was moved out and sent to do social work with nuns . He joined Na Fianna Eireann, as did his friend Gerard Barkley and , over the next few years , they attended classes on explosives and weapons , sold Republican newspapers, collected money for Republican POW's and acted as lookouts for operations being carried out .

Around 1973 , Henry Kirkpatrick worked at Belfast Laundry and met his future wife there . He would marry her eight years later . He also worked as a barman for a while but the hours didn't suit and he quit the job . In 1974 , he left the Official IRA following the split: Seamus Costello left and took many members with him.......
(MORE LATER).

THE HOWARD MARKS AFFAIR.......
Customs Officers in England have arrested a man who could blow the lid off an embarrassing British Intelligence operation against the Provisional IRA , when he answers drug smuggling charges in London later this year.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, July 1980.
By James Curtis.

The main question re Howard Marks re-occurs again and again - will he tell all or some of what he knows about MI6 - either at an Old Bailey hearing into the original charges or at the separate proceedings following the recent arrests ?

If the charges were proved , he faces a long spell in jail so the temptation to speak out or do a deal might become strong , and there is always the possibility that the other defendants in the second case might cross-exam him about his MI6 role .

Since his disappearance in 1974 , Marks has been freely moving around in Britain with little or no attempt made by British police to apprehend him . He visited many of his old haunts and contacts , at Sussex University and in London . He bumped into an old university colleague , a 'Guardian' newspaper reporter , at a party and , as a result , 'London Weekend Television' prepared a film profile of his story . This film was due to be shown last July (ie July 1979) but the Programme Controller at LWT , Michael Grade (son of Lew) , stopped it after taking legal advice about the British Official Secrets Act.......
(MORE LATER).

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST HEROIN IN DUBLIN. The drugs crisis is one of the major problems facing young people in Dublin today. In large areas of the city it has now reached massive proportions , while in the inner city there is estimated to be a higher percentage of drug addicts and drug abusers than in Harlem in New York . But it has been only recently - 5 years after this epidemic began in earnest - that any notice has been paid to the problem. And even now the Free State government has failed to confront the crisis in a meaningful way . Tony Barry of Na Fianna Eireann has been looking at the issues for 'IRIS' magazine.
From 'IRIS' magazine, December 1984.

In an article in a Republican newspaper in June 1982 , Siobhan O' Malley described how a young Dublin housewife ran an unusual credit system , marking down details of the purchases she was owed for in a child's exercise book , the same as you might for teabags or sugar .

But her 'customers' were young drug addicts being supplied with £10 bags of heroin on credit until the weekend . If any 'customer' defaulted on his or her weekend payments , the 'heavies' were called in . Very few failed to pay up a second time .

An addict with an average heroin dependency might use three or four £10 bags a day , depending on the purity of the supplied drug ; but the 'tolerance' induced by repeated use of the drug means that many long-term addicts need to find up to £100 a day to achieve the same 'kick' . Not surprisingly , one of the characteristics of the heroin problem is the lengths to which pusher-addicts will go to introduce or reintroduce someone to the drug , since their own craving for a 'fix' of increasing amounts of heroin is dependent on their ability to involve more and more people with the drug . It is this 'pyramid pushing' which has been responsible for the massive growth of the heroin epidemic in such a short space of time.......
(MORE LATER).

Saturday, July 04, 2009

VOTE 'NO' to Lisbon Two!

In December 2008 - 6 months after the majority of those that voted in this State on the 'Lisbon 1' treaty had voted 'NO' , a conference was held in Brussels at which EU business representatives and the political leadership of the EU queried reps from Leinster House as to 'how we had lost' ; Micheál Martin and Dick Roche (who, in monetary and property terms, are both millionaires) explained , cap-in-hand , that they would need permission from their bosses in Brussels that it would be ok for them to return to Dublin and (falsely) claim that they fought tooth-and-nail to obtain 'a better Lisbon treaty' to put before the electorate in this State . Permission was granted.

When they arrived back in Dublin , Micheál Martin declared - " We will not be asking people to vote on the same proposition " and his political accomplice, Dick Roche, stated - " Our partners understand , I believe, that we cannot and will not put the same package to our people." However , those comments backfired on the Dastardly Duo : the political leadership in other EU member States became uneasy that the voters in this State were apparently being offered a better deal than they themselves got - the political bosses in Poland , Holland , Austria , Sweden and Britain "raised issues about the ('new') protocol text relating to a belief that the Irish guarantees [SIC] amount , in effect , to a new treaty" ('Irish Mail On Sunday' newspaper , 14 June 2009) .

The unhappy political leadership in those countries demanded , and got, a meeting with the EU Presidents Office in Brussels and loudly demanded to know what exactly was going on in relation to the so-called 'new Irish Lisbon treaty' and were assured by the fattest of all fat-cats in the EU that the two Dublin reps , Martin and Roche , had simply practically begged to be allowed to re-sell the old Lisbon treaty as 'a new and improved' version and that permission had been granted for them to do so. The political (mini) fat-cats from Poland , Holland , Austria , Sweden and Britain replied that such private assurances from Brussels re the Irish situation were worthless unless made public ; the EU Presidents Office then issued the following , short, statement , in relation to 'the Irish situation' - "The text of the guarantees (given to the Irish) explicity states that the Lisbon treaty is not changed thereby " ('Sunday Tribune' newspaper , 28 June 2009) , which was a follow-up statement to that issued on 19 June 2009 by Jan Fischer , the President of the Czech Statistical Office , who stated - "The protocol ('changes') will clarify but not change either the context or the application of the treaty of Lisbon . It is an explanatory clarifying text which changes not a dot nor comma of the Lisbon treaty."

It is obvious that an underhanded attempt is being made by underhanded politicians to 'sell' us the equivalent of 'snake oil medicine' : those demanding that we should vote 'YES' to Lisbon 2 are people of low calibre , with a matching set of political morals . Let's show them - by voting 'NO' to Lisbon Two in October 2009 - that we are better than they are!

The claim from those demanding that we now vote 'YES' to the Lisbon Two Treaty that they "have now secured a Commissioner in Brussels to look after our interests" is a false claim : under EU law , it is actually illegal for a Commissioner from any member State to seek to "look after" the interests of that particular State !
Likewise , the claim from the 'YES' side that they have obtained " protocols and guarantees" from Brussels (ie a "new/changed" Lisbon Treaty) is also false : before any such "new/changed" Lisbon Treaty can legally come into operation ,it would have to be approved by all 27 member States , not just by this State.

What the 'YES' side is attempting to sell is a bright , well-paid and very-well-pensioned political career for themselves in Brussels - we are witnessing from them, in effect , predictions from the same people that never saw things coming on what's going to happen next ! VOTE 'NO!' in October 2009 on 'Lisbon Two' - we don't owe them a cushy career . We don't owe them anything!

"Ní hea, No, Nein, Non, Nyet, Nope, Not, No Means No ..."
What part of that don't they understand ?

On Thursday , 12th June 2008 , a vote was held in this State on the Lisbon Constitution/Treaty : for months beforehand we were repeatedly told by the political 'establishment' in Leinster House that that what we were being asked to vote on was "non-negotiable" , that we had to vote on it as it then stood , that it was legally impossible to have anything removed from it or inserted into it. Now that same political 'establishment' are asking us to believe that not only was it possible to change that Treaty , but that they had managed to do so to the "benefit" of this State's position within the EU !

However - Czech prime minister Jan Fischer, who chaired a meeting on the supposed 'new Irish Lisbon Treaty' (as his country presently holds the EU presidency) was questioned (on Friday 19th June 2009) on these 'Irish changes' and dismissed them as nothing of the sort : "The protocol ("changes") will clarify but not change either the content or the application of the treaty of Lisbon. It is an explanatory clarifying text which changes not a dot nor comma of the Lisbon Treaty."
What has actually been 'achieved' by those idiots in Leinster House is a promise ("guarantee") from the bigger political fatcats in Brussels that , at some time in the future, they might look at making a few amendments to the way the Lisbon Two Treaty affects this State! And Brian Cowan and his equally useless cabal of semi-political misfits were never going to get "changes to the Lisbon Treaty" due to the fact that Poland , Holland , Austria , Sweden and Britain used their combined 'weight' to 'lean' on Brussels , stating that if the Irish were to be offered a new Treaty then they , too , would expect the same offer to be made to them - so a compromise was agreed : Brussels would allow Cowan to claim that a "new Treaty" for the Irish was on offer but , at the same time , made it clear to Cowan that what they were offering was a promise that , if passed this time, they would perhaps - at some future date - take a look at the manner in which the Treaty affected this State. And please have no doubt that that is all that is on offer here - a promise from corrupt millionaire politicians in Brussels that they will , someday , give a curious glance over their well-padded shoulder at the way their tax laws are effecting finances in this State.

Don't be fooled by them - VOTE NO TO LISBON 2 in October 2009 .

"The meeting and dinner heard how Ireland’s “intellectual mediocrity and lack of political courage” led to the rejection of the Lisbon treaty and included discussions of how to “cuddle and pamper” the Irish voter ahead of a new vote while at the same time “making pressures on them”.
(From here.)

This video gives an apt description of the type of morally and politically corrupt politician and system that are now demanding we vote 'the right way' on the already failed Lisbon Treaty. And this video shows what those bent career politicians stand to loose if we don't vote the way they want us to . As Republican Sinn Féin have stated - "The decision to re-run the referendum on the rejected Lisbon Treaty in the 26-Counties next October represents an attempt to subvert the sovereign will of the people.All kinds of pressure is being applied to those allowed to vote to ensure that they arrive at the result Brian Cowen and the EU 'élite' demand....."
(From here.)
Once again, this blog will be campaigning for a 'NO' vote on the Lisbon Treaty , for the same reasons : the "guarantees" which Brian Cowen has received have been given to him by similar unprincipled characters and , even if they were to be written in blood , would still be worthless . VOTE 'NO!' and help keep the lifts and corridors of the EU building free of more political rats , who scurry around trying to find the 'Sign In' book before they head back home to the political brothels they come from .
Sharon.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.......
Twenty-six men were convicted on the word of Harry Kirkpatrick. On their appeal against those convictions could well rest the future of the 'Anglo-Irish Agreement'
('The Hillsborough Treaty') . Based on a full transcript of the Kirkpatrick trials , the story of how these convictions were obtained shows why the 'Supergrass System' is a pale shadow of justice.
By Derek Dunne. From 'MAGILL' magazine, February 1986.

There had been a lot of 'visitors' calling to Harry Kirkpatrick during his two years in safe-keeping in Crumlin Road Prison . William 'Budgie' Allen's (aka William Reeves) wife had called to see him , and his best friend Gerard Barkley had also called , as had his own wife , sisters and mother . The RUC had been in with him 117 times in eighteen months , although most of those had been social visits - two RUC men , Meeke and Mitchell , had built up a relationship with him , despite the fact that Kirkpatrick claimed he had spent sixteen months trying to blow away as many of them as possible ! Kirkpatrick called the two RUC men by their first names , Kenny and Tommy , and they called him Harry.

Harry had made statements about dozens of people , said how they had been involved in scores of 'crimes' . Twenty-seven of them were now in prison and , for almost two months , they had trouped through a tunnel across Crumlin Road to the Courthouse . The 'evidence' against them consisted of the word of Harry Kirkpatrick , who was then resting in the special annex of the same prison. The court time was taken up with proving that incidents happened as the 'Supergrass' claimed they had.

Kirkpatrick had passed a note to his wife on one of the last occasions that she came to visit him - " Things are going my way now , " he wrote . That was on Sunday 21st April 1985 ; on the Monday , 27-year-old Harry Kirkpatrick would troupe through the tunnel and take the witness stand . On his word he would send twenty-six men to prison for a couple of thousand years between them.......
(MORE LATER).

THE HOWARD MARKS AFFAIR.......
Customs Officers in England have arrested a man who could blow the lid off an embarrassing British Intelligence operation against the Provisional IRA , when he answers drug smuggling charges in London later this year.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, July 1980.
By James Curtis.

Howard Marks had been on the run for six years and is no stranger to the courts in Britain . In April 1974 he was due to face earlier charges of conspiracy to smuggle cannabis to the USA and , when out on bail , he had told family , friends and lawyers that he had been recruited by MI6 to collect information about the Provisional IRA and claimed that his spymaster knew he was involved with drug smuggling .

The possibility that Howard Marks might raise his MI6 involvement in his defence no doubt worried his intelligence bosses ; at this time , prison escapee Kenneth Littlejohn was telling the world that he had been cleared by his MI6 bosses to rob banks in Ireland . British MP's were calling for a full inquiry into the security and intelligence services , but those 'spy authorities' were spared any embarrassment when Marks conveniently vanished from his lodgings in Oxford a few days before his trial.

There has since been speculation about whether he was genuinely abducted or whether someone told him to make himself scarce . In the event , his parents were not directed to surrender any bail money . Back behind bars now , Howard Marks is unlikely to get bail a second time.......
(MORE LATER).

A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS.......
A look at issues raised by Liz Curtis' recent book.
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.
Review by Trisha Fox.

As Liz Curtis concludes in her book - " British people must , in the end , carry the responsibility for the policy their government pursues : they pay the piper and they could, if they wished, call an end to the tune .

Whatever the shortcomings of the coverage and the secretiveness of the British authorities , it is possible for people to take the initiative and seek out the information for themselves . Ireland is , after all , only next door."
[END of 'A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS']
(Next : 'Fighting Back - The Campaign Against Heroin In Dublin' , from 1984)

Monday, June 29, 2009

VOTE 'NO' to Lisbon Two!

The claim from those demanding that we now vote 'YES' to the Lisbon Two Treaty that they "have now secured a Commissioner in Brussels to look after our interests" is a false claim : under EU law , it is actually illegal for a Commissioner from any member State to seek to "look after" the interests of that particular State !
Likewise , the claim from the 'YES' side that they have obtained " protocols and guarantees" from Brussels (ie a "new/changed" Lisbon Treaty) is also false : before any such "new/changed" Lisbon Treaty can legally come into operation ,it would have to be approved by all 27 member States , not just by this State.

What the 'YES' side is attempting to sell is a bright , well-paid and very-well-pensioned political career for themselves in Brussels - we are witnessing from them, in effect , predictions from the same people that never saw things coming on what's going to happen next ! VOTE 'NO!' in October 2009 on 'Lisbon Two' - we don't owe them a cushy career . We don't owe them anything!

"Ní hea, No, Nein, Non, Nyet, Nope, Not, No Means No ..."
What part of that don't they understand ?

On Thursday , 12th June 2008 , a vote was held in this State on the Lisbon Constitution/Treaty : for months beforehand we were repeatedly told by the political 'establishment' in Leinster House that that what we were being asked to vote on was "non-negotiable" , that we had to vote on it as it then stood , that it was legally impossible to have anything removed from it or inserted into it. Now that same political 'establishment' are asking us to believe that not only was it possible to change that Treaty , but that they had managed to do so to the "benefit" of this State's position within the EU !

However - Czech prime minister Jan Fischer, who chaired a meeting on the supposed 'new Irish Lisbon Treaty' (as his country presently holds the EU presidency) was questioned (on Friday 19th June 2009) on these 'Irish changes' and dismissed them as nothing of the sort : "The protocol ("changes") will clarify but not change either the content or the application of the treaty of Lisbon. It is an explanatory clarifying text which changes not a dot nor comma of the Lisbon Treaty."
What has actually been 'achieved' by those idiots in Leinster House is a promise ("guarantee") from the bigger political fatcats in Brussels that , at some time in the future, they might look at making a few amendments to the way the Lisbon Two Treaty affects this State! And Brian Cowan and his equally useless cabal of semi-political misfits were never going to get "changes to the Lisbon Treaty" due to the fact that Poland , Holland , Austria , Sweden and Britain used their combined 'weight' to 'lean' on Brussels , stating that if the Irish were to be offered a new Treaty then they , too , would expect the same offer to be made to them - so a compromise was agreed : Brussels would allow Cowan to claim that a "new Treaty" for the Irish was on offer but , at the same time , made it clear to Cowan that what they were offering was a promise that , if passed this time, they would perhaps - at some future date - take a look at the manner in which the Treaty affected this State. And please have no doubt that that is all that is on offer here - a promise from corrupt millionaire politicians in Brussels that they will , someday , give a curious glance over their well-padded shoulder at the way their tax laws are effecting finances in this State.

Don't be fooled by them - VOTE NO TO LISBON 2 in October 2009 .

"The meeting and dinner heard how Ireland’s “intellectual mediocrity and lack of political courage” led to the rejection of the Lisbon treaty and included discussions of how to “cuddle and pamper” the Irish voter ahead of a new vote while at the same time “making pressures on them”.
(From here.)

This video gives an apt description of the type of morally and politically corrupt politician and system that are now demanding we vote 'the right way' on the already failed Lisbon Treaty. And this video shows what those bent career politicians stand to loose if we don't vote the way they want us to . As Republican Sinn Féin have stated - "The decision to re-run the referendum on the rejected Lisbon Treaty in the 26-Counties next October represents an attempt to subvert the sovereign will of the people.All kinds of pressure is being applied to those allowed to vote to ensure that they arrive at the result Brian Cowen and the EU 'élite' demand....."
(From here.)
Once again, this blog will be campaigning for a 'NO' vote on the Lisbon Treaty , for the same reasons : the "guarantees" which Brian Cowen has received have been given to him by similar unprincipled characters and , even if they were to be written in blood , would still be worthless . VOTE 'NO!' and help keep the lifts and corridors of the EU building free of more political rats , who scurry around trying to find the 'Sign In' book before they head back home to the political brothels they come from .
Sharon.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Not 'Terrorist Sympathisers' or 'Dissidents' , but "Protesters" !

The above picture is from the British 'Sunday Times' newspaper , issue dated June 21st , 2009 , and it was used to accompany an article on the on-going political unrest in Iran. The caption on the photograph reads - "Protesters set fires in Tehran yesterday, where a young woman, inset, was filmed dying of gunshot wounds. Far left, a battered and bruised masked man."
When that same newspaper covers stories of political unrest in Ireland in which Irish Republicans are involved , it 'slants' the story and any photographs to suit its own political agenda : an article like the above would be titled something along the lines of 'CLASHES : LAST THROW OF THE DISSIDENTS' and a photograph like the above would be captioned - 'Terrorist sympathisers riot and loot yesterday in Belfast/Dublin/Derry/Kerry etc as a female dissident lies dying , having been injured by her own side . Far left ,a Republican thug got more than he bargained for when he failed to make good his escape , having attacked the security forces'.
The 'Sunday Times' article goes on to highlight how the authorities in Iran are manipulating and 'spinning' reportage of the unrest , and how they are censoring and attempting to censor the output from journalists covering the story. Pot , kettle = sickening hypocrisy from that particular source.
As Oscar Wilde stated - "There is much to be said in favour of modern journalism . By giving us the opinion of the uneducated , it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community."
In the case of this and other articles in the 'Sunday Times' , the printed opinion of the journalists in question keeps us in touch with "the ignorance" ('attempted spin') of the"community" they work for - the political 'establishment' .
Sharon.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.
Twenty-six men were convicted on the word of Harry Kirkpatrick. On their appeal against those convictions could well rest the future of the 'Anglo-Irish Agreement'
('The Hillsborough Treaty') . Based on a full transcript of the Kirkpatrick trials , the story of how these convictions were obtained shows why the 'Supergrass System' is a pale shadow of justice.
By Derek Dunne. From 'MAGILL' magazine, February 1986.

Life in the annex of Crumlin Road Prison wasn't too bad for Henry 'Harry' Kirkpatrick . It was here that he was serving five life sentences for murder and over seventy other offences. There was a black and white television and a record player in the room and , just down the hallway from his room , there was a colour television set which he could avail of . And he had a guitar , which he played when he sang a song he had composed about 'Supergrasses' . He had company in that high security annex - on and off nine or ten 'grasses' had spent time there .

Just now , William 'Budgie' Allen and James Crockard (see piece dated 'Thu 21st Feb 1985') were there , two loyalist 'supergrasses' . The food wasn't too bad either , as the annex had it's own kitchen , separate from the main jail , as the inmates were afraid that they would be poisoned otherwise.

For almost two years , Henry 'Harry' Kirkpatrick had 'lived' there . The only times he had been out was when he had gone to Castlereagh Interrogation Centre to make statements , or to court . Between the time the 'trial' of the twenty-seven men he named had started and Kirkpatrick took the 'witness' stand , British Crown counsel had spent over forty hours with him in Castlereagh over a perion of seven days . An adjournment was sought and granted to him on the basis of 'ill health' . When he got on the stand , it was the first time the defence knew that he had all those 'visits'.......
(MORE LATER).

THE HOWARD MARKS AFFAIR.
Customs Officers in England have arrested a man who could blow the lid off an embarrassing British Intelligence operation against the Provisional IRA , when he answers drug smuggling charges in London later this year.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, July 1980.
By James Curtis.

Customs Officers in England have arrested a man who could blow the lid off an embarrassing British Intelligence operation against the Provisional IRA , when he answers drug smuggling charges in London later this year .

The man is Howard Marks, 34, an Oxford University graduate and a former agent of MI6 , Britain's external intelligence gathering department . He is also a former associate of the 'Irish Pimpernel' , James McCann.

Howard Marks was picked up in the bar of a quiet country hotel in Lavenham , Suffolk , in England , on Friday May 16th 1980 , during a series of customs raids in Britain which netted cannabis allegedly worth £10 million on the street market . During the swoop , a 50 ft yacht , 'The Bagherra', was detained and searched at Oban in Scotland ; four tons of cannabis were found at a farm building near Fort William , in Scotland , two tons of cannabis were impounded at a house in Kettering in Northampshire and a further four tons were seized at a farmhouse near Basildon in Essex . Customs investigators describe the drugs as a record haul and pulled in twelve people for questioning , seven of whom , including Howard Marks , were charged with dealing and conspiracy to smuggle drugs.......
(MORE LATER).

A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS.......
A look at issues raised by Liz Curtis' recent book.
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.
Review by Trisha Fox.

Liz Curtis , a member of the 'Information On Ireland' group , sees it as essential that people like herself are not only engaged in writing academic books , but work on all fronts of the cultural struggle to challenge the British propaganda machine . The 'Information On Ireland' group has been involved in producing booklets on the British media , plastic bullets and arguing for a British withdrawal .

Recently the group took part in an event organised by the GLC's media working group as part of the London ' Anti-Racist Year' campaign - they spoke at a conference entitled 'British Media and British Imperialism' , which was addressed by two members of Belfast Sinn Féin as well as by speakers from black , third world and anti-imperialist organisations , and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom . At present , 'Information On Ireland' is producing a short book on anti-Irish racism in Britain.......
(MORE LATER).

Monday, June 22, 2009

STREET ATTACK BY POLITICAL POLICE .

Injury sustained by RSF member after attack by members of the political police.

On Saturday , June 13th 2009 , members and supporters of Republican Sinn Féin in Lucan , County Dublin , were replacing posters for the 2009 Bodenstown/Wolfe Tone Commemoration in Sallins , County Kildare , which was due to be held the following day , Sunday 14th June 2009 . Whilst those Republicans were going about their business , a car containing three members of the State political police - the 'Special Branch' - pulled up and two men got out of the car and approached a relatively new member of RSF . They asked this young man what he was doing , told him who they were and demanded his name and address , which he gave them. They then attempted to question him further on his personal details , to which he replied , again, with his name and address . The 'Special Branch' agents turned aggressive and threatened the young man with arrest if he did not comply . He repeated his name and address and was then made to 'spread his arms on the car and stand with legs apart' whilst the State representatives searched him in a rough manner.
One of the members of the political police grabbed the young mans mobile 'phone from his pocket and when he attempted to retrieve it he was attacked by them on the side of the street - the photograph , above , shows the worst injury he received in this attack.
This unprovoked and vicious assault , which would have left an older , less healthy victim in hospital , was roundly condemned by local Republicans who have noted a marked increase in the level of harassment by those State thugs . We have been asked to record that attack and are glad to do so , and we are happy to acknowledge that the young man , the victim, intends to continue his work for Republican Sinn Féin and will not be cowed by this State sponsored intimidation.
Sharon.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

VOTE 'NO' to Lisbon Two!

"Ní hea, No, Nein, Non, Nyet, Nope, Not, No Means No ..."
What part of that don't they understand ?

On Thursday , 12th June 2008 , a vote was held in this State on the Lisbon Constitution/Treaty : for months beforehand we were repeatedly told by the political 'establishment' in Leinster House that that what we were being asked to vote on was "non-negotiable" , that we had to vote on it as it then stood , that it was legally impossible to have anything removed from it or inserted into it. Now that same political 'establishment' are asking us to believe that not only was it possible to change that Treaty , but that they had managed to do so to the "benefit" of this State's position within the EU !

However - Czech prime minister Jan Fischer, who chaired a meeting on the supposed 'new Irish Lisbon Treaty' (as his country presently holds the EU presidency) was questioned (on Friday 19th June 2009) on these 'Irish changes' and dismissed them as nothing of the sort : "The protocol ("changes") will clarify but not change either the content or the application of the treaty of Lisbon. It is an explanatory clarifying text which changes not a dot nor comma of the Lisbon Treaty."
What has actually been 'achieved' by those idiots in Leinster House is a promise ("guarantee") from the bigger political fatcats in Brussels that , at some time in the future, they might look at making a few amendments to the way the Lisbon Two Treaty affects this State! And Brian Cowan and his equally useless cabal of semi-political misfits were never going to get "changes to the Lisbon Treaty" due to the fact that Poland , Holland , Austria , Sweden and Britain used their combined 'weight' to 'lean' on Brussels , stating that if the Irish were to be offered a new Treaty then they , too , would expect the same offer to be made to them - so a compromise was agreed : Brussels would allow Cowan to claim that a "new Treaty" for the Irish was on offer but , at the same time , made it clear to Cowan that what they were offering was a promise that , if passed this time, they would perhaps - at some future date - take a look at the manner in which the Treaty affected this State. And please have no doubt that that is all that is on offer here - a promise from corrupt millionaire politicians in Brussels that they will , someday , give a curious glance over their well-padded shoulder at the way their tax laws are effecting finances in this State.

Don't be fooled by them - VOTE NO TO LISBON 2 in October 2009 .

"The meeting and dinner heard how Ireland’s “intellectual mediocrity and lack of political courage” led to the rejection of the Lisbon treaty and included discussions of how to “cuddle and pamper” the Irish voter ahead of a new vote while at the same time “making pressures on them”.
(From here.)

This video gives an apt description of the type of morally and politically corrupt politician and system that are now demanding we vote 'the right way' on the already failed Lisbon Treaty. And this video shows what those bent career politicians stand to loose if we don't vote the way they want us to . As Republican Sinn Féin have stated - "The decision to re-run the referendum on the rejected Lisbon Treaty in the 26-Counties next October represents an attempt to subvert the sovereign will of the people.All kinds of pressure is being applied to those allowed to vote to ensure that they arrive at the result Brian Cowen and the EU 'élite' demand....."
(From here.)
Once again, this blog will be campaigning for a 'NO' vote on the Lisbon Treaty , for the same reasons : the "guarantees" which Brian Cowen has received have been given to him by similar unprincipled characters and , even if they were to be written in blood , would still be worthless . VOTE 'NO!' and help keep the lifts and corridors of the EU building free of more political rats , who scurry around trying to find the 'Sign In' book before they head back home to the political brothels they come from .
Sharon.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

DUBLIN 1980 : THE GLUE SNIFFERS.......
Pictures by Andrew McGlynn. From 'MAGILL' magazine September 1980.

Two cultures overlapping in the one space , getting in each other's way sometimes . We have the hospitals , the machines , the learning and the money . And the petitions , the men in uniforms and robes and the buildings with bars and barbed wire.
Muscles flex , people get hurt . Some of the kids suck a 'solution' from the bottom of a plastic bag.
[END of 'DUBLIN 1980 : THE GLUE SNIFFERS']
(Next - 'THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY' , from 1986.)

A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS.......
A look at issues raised by Liz Curtis' recent book.
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.
Review by Trisha Fox.

Just occasionally , a programme slips through that portrays oddly favourable points of view in some respects , though they might not be the primary intent of the programme maker .

A Programme in the 'Real Lives' series entitled 'A' Company , directed by Paul Hamann, showed a group of ex-British soldiers revisiting Belfast ten years after their first tour of duty . While the programme was primarily a propaganda exercise for the Brits , insofar as it portrayed relatively 'liberal' and informed ex-soldiers who stoutly maintained that their role had been that of 'peace-keepers' between sectarian factions , there did emerge several images favourable to Irish republicans .

The most memorable of these occurs after British Army Colonel David Hancock (see 'The Military Wing Of Unionism', here) is seen visiting a community leader , Frank Cahill, in Ballymurphy , whom he had first met while stationed in the area years earlier . Later , summing up his overall impressions , Hancock refers to his meeting with Frank Cahill : " The thing I shall remember is the dedication of the republican we saw this afternoon . No wavering after fifteen years of conflict on the streets . The same aims , same intentions , same dedication . It is foolish to plan a solution without taking a factor like that into consideration. "
(MORE LATER).

Monday, June 15, 2009

WOLFE TONE COMMEMORATION 2009 : brief report and a few photographs.

Between eight hundred and one thousand Irish Republicans gathered , as we do each year , in Sallins Village on Sunday June 14th last and marched in a well-organised fashion to the grave of Wolfe Tone , in Bodenstown Graveyard . The procession was led by uniformed members of Cumann na mBan , Na Fianna Eireann and an RSF Colour Party , and was very well received along the route by locals. The Thomas Davis Pipe Band from Cork , an extremely well-turned out and professional group , marched to and from the graveyard, never once missing a beat or a note as they done so. The proceedings were professionaly Chaired by Dan Hoban, Mayo, Peig Galligan (a walking encyclopedia of Irish Republicanism!) delivered a very fitting and respectful talk on the history of Wolfe Tone and those who supported the man and his objectives and Fermanagh Republican John Joe McCusker delivered a rousing oration , which was received with loud cheers by the large crowd gathered around the graveyard.
There was , as usual , a great 'buzz' and atmosphere about the whole day - even the harassment doled out by the nine members of the State political police couldn't ruin the day , try as they might. Their repeated interruptions were brushed aside and ignored by the large crowd , members of whom openly sneered at them and pushed back when attempts were made by these cretins to detain them. Overall , the whole event went as planned and was an honourable tribute to one of our Founding Fathers - Republican Sinn Féin are to be congratulated for organising this Commemoration , as are those who made the effort to attend. Well done to us all!
We publish with this brief report a couple of photo's from the day , and a link to where more of the same can be viewed -

Members of Cumann na mBan and Na Fianna Éireann in Bodenstown , 14th June 2009.

John Joe McCuskar , Fermanagh , delivering the main oration , Bodenstown 2009.

A full report and more pics will be published in the July 2009 issue of 'SAOIRSE' , which will be published on Wednesday the 8th of that month : meanwhile , more pics can be viewed here.
Thanks!
Sharon.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

In Bodenstown Graveyard...

Annual Wolfe Tone Commemoration, Sallins, Co.Kildare, 2.00pm,Sunday June 14, 2009.

The annual Wolfe Tone Commemoration will be held this year on Sunday 14 June (2009). The Dublin bus will leave from Aston Quay (ex-McBirneys/Virgin Megastore) at 12.45pm , and will be returning from Sallins to Dublin at 6.00pm . Price per seat €10, or nearest donation.

"In Bodenstown churchyard there lies a green grave
And wildly around it the winter winds rave
Small shelter is weaned from the cruel walls there
When the storm clouds blow down on the plains of Kildare

Once I stood on that sod that lies over Wolfe Tone
And I thought how he perished in prison alone
His friends unavenged and his country unfreed
Oh pity, I thought, Is the patriot's need

I was awakened from my dreaming by voices and tread
Of a band who came in to the home of the dead
There were students and peasants, the wise and the brave
And an old man who knew him from cradle to grave

This old man who saw I was weeping there said
We've come for to weep where young Wolfe Tone lies laid
We're going to build him a monument, too
A small one yet simple for the patriot true

My heart overflowed and I clasped his old hand
And I blessed him and blessed everyone in the band
"Sweet sweet 'tis to find that such things can remain
To a man that's been long been vanquished and slain

In Bodenstown churchyard there lies a green grave
And wildly around it let the winter winds rave
Far better it suits him the wind and the gloom
Until Ireland a nation might build him a tomb."
(From here.)
Thanks - we hope to see some of our readers there tomorrow, Sunday 14th June !

" To break the connection with England...."

Sharon.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

DUBLIN 1980 : THE GLUE SNIFFERS / HOPE IN THE SHADOWS / A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS.

DUBLIN 1980 : THE GLUE SNIFFERS.......
Pictures by Andrew McGlynn. From 'MAGILL' magazine September 1980.

The Dublin Committee For Travelling People got the lease for the house from a Catholic bishop , a fact that ironically comes in handy when neighbours petition to close the place down . The Health Board helps but there are bureaucratic foul-ups with Dublin Corporation and there's never enough money .

Committee members are teaching the children some basic skills like painting , carpentry and domestic science and the kids help to improve the house and get paid for their efforts , sometimes with food instead of money . The idea is not to adjust them to a settled lifestyle but to give them skills which they can use in the travelling life . These children are proud , and loyal to their own codes . It is best to approach them as equals or not at all .
(MORE LATER).

A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS.......
A look at issues raised by Liz Curtis' recent book.
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.
Review by Trisha Fox.

The film uses clips from earlier films of bombs , shootings and funerals , and overlays them with soundtracks from other footage , producing a totally distorted perception of Republicanism and a malicious profile of Gerry Adams.

Leading Workers Party spokespersons (whose political affiliations are not revealed on the programme) are allowed free rein to malign Adams , while being portrayed themselves as 'balanced commentators' . Seamus Lynch recounts - unchallenged - a fictitious conversation he alleges he had with Adams in which the latter claimed he was "prepared to wade knee-deep in Protestant blood " .

Elsewhere in the programme , a photograph is shown of a solitary standing hut in the Long Kesh Cages after the camp burning in 1974 . The programme alleges that Adams had refused to burn* the cage of which he was Officer Commanding , lacking the courage to do so . However , Adams was not Officer Commanding of his Cage at that time and claims he did take part in the burning of the camp . And it should be noted that the hut shown in the TV programme , for illustration purpose , was occupied by loyalist prisoners , not republicans.

('1169...' Comment : * According to verbal accounts given by some of those who shared prison time with Adams , he was tasked by the Screws with keeping the cage he was in , Cage 11 , clean , and carried out clean-up duties on a regular basis . This despite the fact that republican POW's were under orders not to take instructions from the Screws - Adams was said to be the only republican prisoner that was on friendly terms with the prison authorities. Also , it has been stated that Adams repeatedly stated "this is wrong" , when told that the Cages were on fire.)
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

BODENSTOWN 2009.

Annual Wolfe Tone Commemoration,Sallins,Co.Kildare, 2.00pm,Sunday June 14, 2009.

The annual Wolfe Tone Commemoration will be held this year on Sunday 14 June (2009). The Dublin bus will leave from Aston Quay (ex-McBirneys/Virgin Megastore) at 12.45pm , and will be returning from Sallins to Dublin at 6.00pm . Price per seat €10, or nearest donation.

"In Bodenstown churchyard there lies a green grave
And wildly around it the winter winds rave
Small shelter is weaned from the cruel walls there
When the storm clouds blow down on the plains of Kildare

Once I stood on that sod that lies over Wolfe Tone
And I thought how he perished in prison alone
His friends unavenged and his country unfreed
Oh pity, I thought, Is the patriot's need

I was awakened from my dreaming by voices and tread
Of a band who came in to the home of the dead
There were students and peasants, the wise and the brave
And an old man who knew him from cradle to grave

This old man who saw I was weeping there said
We've come for to weep where young Wolfe Tone lies laid
We're going to build him a monument, too
A small one yet simple for the patriot true

My heart overflowed and I clasped his old hand
And I blessed him and blessed everyone in the band
"Sweet sweet 'tis to find that such things can remain
To a man that's been long been vanquished and slain

In Bodenstown churchyard there lies a green grave
And wildly around it let the winter winds rave
Far better it suits him the wind and the gloom
Until Ireland a nation might build him a tomb."
(From here.)
Thanks - we hope to see some of our readers there on Sunday 14th June next!
Sharon.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

DUBLIN 1980 : THE GLUE SNIFFERS.......
Pictures by Andrew McGlynn. From 'MAGILL' magazine September 1980.

Rule Number One : check your glue bag at the door . Eat and wash if you want to , then collect your bag on the way out . No point confiscating the bags as the kids just wouldn't come back , and then wouldn't get the chance to eat or wash . No one's going to change that fact - these are Dublin kids , street smart , and they know the layout of the city . They will forage elsewhere for food and a wash , if they have to.

The Travellers have one culture , the settled community another : the two cultures share the same space , they clash sometimes , but the settled community have ' bigger sticks ' . The troubled kids have fallen into the crack between the two cultures .

Some of the children who visit the house are ill , obviously so . They refuse to stay alone in hospital , terrified of being on their own . Bring them in pairs and they are turned away from the hospital as "they cause trouble" . Tentatively , the Dublin Committee For Travelling People has been seeking ways of bridging the gap , bringing the children to the Jervis Street Drug Unit in twos and threes for counselling . Apart from the direct damage caused by the glue there is the danger of serious accidents - the kids chase one another through traffic , and at least one small girl has been knocked down twice by cars . Sometimes there are hallucinations , resulting on at least one occasion of one boy insisting that if he could just be left alone at the top of a building he could fly away from it . There have been no deaths . Not yet.......
(MORE LATER).

HOPE IN THE SHADOWS.......

For some Northern nationalists the Anglo-Irish Agreement ('Hillsborough Treaty',1985) only makes their lives more dangerous , for others it offers hope on a road to nowhere. Fionnuala O'Connor visited a (Provisional) Sinn Fein advice centre in the Ardoyne and Seamus Mallon's office in Newry.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, December 1986.

Tommy McGrath was sure that young prisoners had already been released ahead of time because " representations" had been made , and that morning he had met a relative of a young Provo recently given a multiple life sentence . People like that had hopes of the Agreement too , he said , they wondered if it might produce an amnesty . " Eventually that's what I hope that the Provos would see the proper course is , through negotiations * , just as De Valera did in 1925 when he gave up the struggle - if that happened we'd have some movement on an amnesty. "

Peter Barry's praise for the RUC and commendation of it to young Nationalists wasn't easy to assimilate , however : " That was his personal view , " said Frank Feely, to silence all around us in the room . " We're happy enough with the Dublin government ** . I'd put the blame on the British government for failure to deliver on the RUC and the judiciary - they'll never have the co-operation of the nationalist people *** until there's justice in the judiciary and the RUC , and the abolition of the UDR is brought about . If that doesn't happen it will lead to the death eventually of the 'Anglo-Irish Agreement' (the Hillsborough Treaty) - a couple of years is as long as people will give it....... "

('1169..' Comment * for "negotiations" read 'if we give up the Struggle will you treat us better?' , because that is 'success' to people like Tommy McGrath. ** "Happy enough" with those who politically , physically and morally work hand-in-glove with those "you blame" ? How can that 'happiness' be justified? *** Wrong! "nationalist co-operation" with Leinster House and Westminster is guaranteed , as 'nationalists' will 'settle' for being treated 'better' by Westminster , whereas Irish republicans seek to remove the British presence , not co-operate with it.)
(MORE LATER).

A BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS.......
A look at issues raised by Liz Curtis' recent book.
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.
Review by Trisha Fox.

One programme which used these methods of manipulation in the crudest possible way was the Granada TV 'World In Action' programme transmitted in December 1983 , entitled 'The Honourable Member For West Belfast', which was a profile of Gerry Adams made by John Ware and Ed Vulliamy.

John Ware was already well known to republicans for his unethical standards of journalism . Several years ago he interviewed Danny Morrison for 'World In Action' , in a programme on which British 'direct-ruler' Humphrey Atkins was also to appear . When , however , Atkins insisted that Morrison's interview be withdrawn as a precondition for his appearance , John Ware agreed .

Two years later , Ware got another opportunity : in his own words to his colleagues in London , the programme he was now putting together was conceived as a 'hatchet job' on Gerry Adams . " I'm going to screw Sinn Féin and stitch up Adams , " he said . Visiting Belfast , however , John Ware told Gerry Adams and Danny Morrison that the aim of the programme was to produce "...an in-depth analysis of the rise of Sinn Féin and the allied politicisation of the Republican Movement .. " , but Sinn Féin had previously been warned by Ian Stuttard of Ware's unethical intentions , and therefore declined to take part .
(MORE LATER).

Friday, June 05, 2009

SPOILED ON PURPOSE!

As per my stated intention , I deliberately spoiled my two ballot papers today , Friday 5th June 2009 : there was no candidate whom I considered to be principled enough to deserve my support and rather than simply not bother claiming my two ballot papers - one for the local council elections and one for the European Gravy-Train election - I claimed both and purposely spoiled both.

SPOILED ON PURPOSE!

I had no hesitation or second thoughts regarding this : it is career politicians and wanna-be career politicians like those who contested seats in my area that have this State corrupted and have the majority of people here either living on the bread-line - if they're 'lucky' enough to have a job in the first place - or having to borrow from money lenders for day-to-day living expenses. Over 400,000 people are now signing-on for State benefits and I for one will not be rewarding one or more of the morally bankrupt politicians responsible by voting for them.

A plague on all their houses.

To those that will say something along the lines of "Irish men and women fought hard to get you the vote in the first place..." I say - No , they didn't . Those people struggled as they did to obtain democracy , fair play and justice : no man or woman that I respect sought to obtain for me or others a vote in a morally and politically corrupt Statelet , where the 'leaders' reward themselves financially with outlandish salaries and pension 'rights' while those that they beg , plead and bribe to vote for them are practically financially destitute.

No one on those ballot papers worth voting for.

If you haven't already been to your polling station , you could do worse than to do as I have done today - actually , you could do two things worse : vote for a candidate you believe to be 'the best of a bad bunch' and not bothering at all to visit the polling station . Do visit your polling station , do claim your ballot papers , and do purposely spoil it if you are faced with the same political 'choice' that I was faced with today . A 'NONE OF THE ABOVE!' mark on those ballot papers will serve you , and the economy , much better than a vote for those you consider to be 'the best of a bad bunch' .
Thanks for reading!
Sharon.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

(For brief report on the Trade Union protest march in Dublin on Wednesday June 3rd 2009 , click here.)

Think twice before you vote to simply 'change the management' .

A recent poll by a well-known Irish youth-oriented website , which is sponsored by , amongst other entities ,the State Department of Social and Family Affairs and the State Department of Foreign Affairs (full list of sponsors here) , has found that " Up to 70% (of young voters) won’t vote " and that this election will be " missing the ‘youth factor’. Young people in Ireland are not as uninterested in the upcoming elections as many people might think. Instead they are finding the political system inaccessible, confusing and uninspiring."
According to SpunOut.ie "....there are approximately 500,000 young people in Ireland between the ages of 18 and 25 and according to a SpunOut.ie poll, up to 70% (350,000) of these may not be voting on Friday."

Don't add to their false prestige and financial well-being by voting political leeches on to the gravy train!

For what it's worth , this blog would ask those who are entitled to vote - young and not-so-young - to claim their vote and , if a suitable candidate is not contesting for a seat in your area ,to purposely spoil that vote!

Elections to the so-called 'European Parliament' will be held in the Six north-eastern counties of Ireland on Thursday 4th June 2009 : having scanned the websites , leaflets , policy documents and stated political intentions of the candidates contesting that election in those occupied Six Counties , the only advice we can offer those intending to claim their ballot paper is to purposely spoil it by , for instance , writing 'None Of The Above!' on it and deposit it in the ballot box . If you feel that the statement 'None Of The Above!' doesn't quiet express what you think of the politically self-serving monied 'elite' that are trying to convince you to put them on to the European/Leinster House/local Council gravy train , feel free to write your own message on your ballot paper.
Elections to that same European gravy train , local councils and , in Dublin , to two vacant seats in Leinster House , will be held in the 26-County State on Friday 5th June 2009 : again , having scanned the websites of those contesting those elections , having read their brochures and leaflets and having talked to some of them on the street and on the doorstep , we again - for the most part - recommend purposely spoiling your vote . The exceptions (*) we would recommend voting for are those who look at problematic issues from an Irish Republican perspective . Candidates like these, for instance , who have made it clear where they stand in relation to the important issues and who have a political point-of-view that we on this blog are in agreement with.

If you can't use it to affect real change ,then play smart and safe : spoil it!

Finally - those of us with an interest in politics have seen this before : where we replace one set of political incompetents with the set of political incompetents - or a mixture of them - that had previously been voted out of office . The result was , and is , that they get fatter and richer while we continue to get screwed.
If we're fool enough to keep repeating the process then we deserve to be screwed.
If there are no decent , principled candidates (see above link*) contesting in your area for a seat ,then purposely spoil your vote . Either write " None Of The Above! " on it , or perhaps a shorter message of your choice...!
Thanks!
Sharon.
(PLEASE NOTE - our usual Wednesday '3-in-1' post will be held over until Saturday 6th June 2009 , which is the day after the last election on this island . We want to try and reach as many people as possible with this message and will leave it here until that date.)