UI NOV 69 GO This document charts the developing crisis in the North, and in particular points to the issue of Fianna Fáil intervention both in terms of what it characterises as a ‘takeover of Civil Rights’ and mention is given to the ‘Voice of the North’, a most intriguing publication. It is most exercised by [...]
Dissident republican violence has the potential to set off a chain reaction that will strain the current political compromise Can the dissident republicans repeat the provisional IRA campaign? The answer, happily, is no. But they do have a purchase on events in Northern Ireland. Their activities serve to intensify unionist fears about the devolution of policing and justice at the very moment when...
Dissident republicans blamed for attempted murder The target of a republican dissident murder attempt in Northern Ireland was spirited out of his home before his potential killers arrived thanks to an Irish police intelligence report, sources revealed. The man, a Catholic officer with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and his family were moved out of their house in the border village...
As the UK national media had ignored the latest Stormont kerfuffle, they were hardly likely to sit up and pay attention to the weekend convolutions from La Mon House. Ears did prick up though when dissident republicans spoke in language they could easily understand. The obvious conclusions, fair and unfair, will be drawn: the more nationalists think the DUP are screwing Sinn Fein, the more the dissidents...
There are fears of an upsurge in violence in Northern Ireland, after an attempt to blow up the headquarters of the policing board in Belfast. Police say dissident republicans left a car bomb outside the building. It is thought only the detonator exploded. Five men have now been arrested, after an exchange of gunfire with police in Fermanagh last night. Sinn Fein member Gerry Kelly discusses his reaction...
Today, we learned that "Irish republican terrorists tried to blow up a police building in Belfast and murder police officers in an ambush in Fermanagh last night", both attacks part of what police say is " growing terrorist activity ". Last week a mortar bomb was discovered hidden on a roadside in Armagh. Police said it was designed to kill officers. Earlier this month, the Independent...
Suzanne Breen Tribune.ie November 15, 2009 **Via Newshound A republican facing extradition for questioning about the murder of a British Army recruitment sergeant in Derby 17 years ago has accused the authorities of “cherry-picking” whom they try to extradite . Anthony Gorman, who is living in Co Cavan, said he suspected Sinn Féin’s influence prevented similar action being...
Peter Robinson warns Sinn Féin that policing and justice row threatens devolution Northern Ireland's first minister vowed yesterday not to walk away from the Assembly, even if the row with Sinn Féin over policing and justice remains unresolved. But Peter Robinson warned Sinn Féin that its threats to the assembly's institutions were destabilising the entire devolution project....
Tomorrow I am off to Chester on a week long course organised by The Reader Organisation in association with the Royal Literary Fund. About fifteen other Royal Literary Fund Fellows will be there and, as far as I can tell, we will be spending rather a lot of time talking about poetry. My feelings about this course are a bit like the feelings I had before going on a camp with the cub scouts when I was...
BBC 19 Nov 09 Coleraine councillor Billy Leonard has been selected by Sinn Fein colleagues to become an assembly member in East Derry. He is succeeding the party's Francie Brolly who is to retire. Mr Leonard is a former Orangeman, RUC reservist and member of the SDLP. Following his selection he said it was an honour to be chosen to replace Mr Brolly "and to represent the people of East Derry"....
For those who follow Northern Ireland politics, there is one thing which happens from time-to-time, when the Democratic Unionist Party runs a candidate in a seat which is held by the Ulster Unionist Party (or which has recently been held by the UUP), and the unionist vote splits, leading to a nationalist, from the Social Democratic & Labour Party or Sinn Fein, either winning or coming close to...
A conference is being held in Iraq examining how NI peace principles might be applied to the city of Kirkuk. Kirkuk is the centre of the northern Iraqi oil fields and is an ethnically mixed city populated by Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmen and Arabs. A delegation including Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey, the Independent Monitoring Commission’s Lord Alderdice [...]
As noted on the delay in progressing the Education Bill , yesterday the ESA Chief Executive Designate, Gavin Boyd said However the Minister has made it very clear that she remains focussed on the agreed implementation date of 1 January. She plans that the Education Bill will move to Consideration Stage as soon as possible, so that it completes its Assembly passage early next month and becomes...