Posted by Jim on November 5, 2018
The son of a County Tyrone couple who were shot dead by the unionist
paramilitary UVF is to take legal action after discovering a police
notebook containing his personal details was in the hands of the same
organisation who murdered his parents.
Paddy Fox, whose parents Charlie and Theresa were shot dead by the Mid
Ulster UVF at their home in 1992, said he was warned by the PSNI police
in 2004 that he was under threat from loyalists.
However he was never told that he was endangered because his details
were contained in a PSNI notebook which had somehow come into the
possession of loyalists.
According to the Irish News, which has seen the notebook, it contains
details of police operations and briefings, along with lists of names,
addresses and car registrations.
Personal details relating to Paddy Fox, whose parents were murdered by
the UVF, were contained in the notebook. It gives details of Mr Fox’s
address and also contains the make and colour of the car he was driving.
A number of other republicans are named on a PSNI ‘watch list’ which
also lists their dates of birth, addresses, car makes and registrations.
The PSNI have refused to say how notebook found its way into the hands
of loyalists, but none of those whose details were included were
informed of what appears to be an obvious incident of collusion.
Mr Fox said: “In the past I have been informed by the police that my
details were in the hands of loyalists but at no time was I ever told
how they got them.
“It now seems the details were from the very people issuing me the
warnings. There needs to be some accountability for this,” he said.
Peter Corrigan of Phoenix Law, which represents a number of those named
in the notebook, said: “We will be taking civil action against the PSNI
and Chief Constable for this very serious data breach, that potentially
resulted in at least one of my clients being told he was under threat
from loyalists back in 2004.
“The PSNI had a duty of care to inform those listed in this notebook at
the time that they had lost their private details and failed to do so”,
he added.
Posted by Jim on
Investigators were kept in the dark, papers show
Fresh revelations in the murder of nationalist councillor Patsy Kelly
have called into question all previous investigations into the killing.
Mr Kelly, a 33-year-old father of five, was abducted and murdered as he
travelled home from the bar he was running in the County Tyrone village
of Trillick in July 1974.
Shortly after being stopped by a patrol of locally-recruited British
Army soldiers (UDR), the independent councillor was shot dead, his body
weighed down and dumped into a lough.
His remains were finally discovered the following month. No-one has ever
been brought to justice for the killing.
Mr Kelly’s murder was claimed by loyalists, but the family has
repeatedly stated that they believe he was murdered by the British Crown
forces who then engineered a cover-up.
It has now been revealed that ammunition connected to the discovery of
the body was found in the lough, some of which matched the same calibre
of bullet that was used to murder Mr Kelly.
This crucial evidence was withheld from the original inquest and also
disappeared from subsequent police investigations by the RUC, the PSNI
and the Historical Enquiries Team; as well as an ongoing investigation
by the Police Ombudsman’s Office.
There are concerns that other evidence was also lost as a result of the
failure to include this ammunition find in any public report.
Mr Kelly’s son Patsy, who took part in a new RTE radio documentary on
the case, said, “This new information calls into question every single
investigation that has been carried out by the police from 1974 to date
into my father’s murder.
“How could such a vital piece of information have either been withheld
or never been uncovered following so many alleged previous
investigations?
“The fact that this information was never submitted to the original
inquest throws yet another very sinister twist on the history of this
case. We will continue to seek the truth about my father’s murder and it
is simply disgraceful that the pain and anguish of our family is being
compounded by continued inaction and cover-up by the authorities.”
Researcher Ciaran MacAirt, who uncovered the archive papers which
document the ammunition find, said other papers are being withheld by
the British Ministry of Defence and the British National Archives for
reasons relating to ‘state security’.
The Kelly family solicitor, Pat Fahy added: “What other evidence which
might point to the killers being connected to the security forces is
still out there? The police and the British government must now come
clean on what has all the appearances of a state-sponsored killing, and
subsequent cover-up.”
Posted by Jim on
British government ministers are treating the north of Ireland as a
colonial outpost which must be visited, however briefly, in order to
maintain the validity of their jurisdiction.
That was the only conclusion after a week which saw Brexit Secretary
Dominic Raab described as “a thief in the night” after his run to a
border rendezvous, while Direct Ruler Karen Bradley bolted from a
meeting in Belfast to catch a flight back to London after spending just
45 minutes talking to the North’s political parties.
Mr Raab visited Warrenpoint harbour in County Down on Friday, but dodged
local elected representatives and the media who were excluded from the
event.
With Brexit negotiations on the future configuration of Britain’s
imposed border through Ireland at a crucial juncture, South Down MP
Chris Hazzard expressed frustration at Raab’s behaviour.
“I think this is the perfect illustration of the cynicism and the
disrespect that the Tory government is showing towards the electorate
here in South Down and Ireland in general when it comes to Brexit,” he
said.
“The fact the Tories run away from this every time is telling in
itself.”
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald, who later had a meeting with Mr
Raab, warned him not to “act recklessly” on the previously agreed Brexit
‘backstop’, which is intended to ensure there is no remilitarisation of
the border area.
“We have told him that he and his government are acting in bad faith,
that they have stepped back from the commitments that they made to
protect the Good Friday Agreement in all of its parts, to ensure no
hardening of the border on our island and to ensure no loss of rights
for our citizens,” Ms McDonald said.
There was also scathing criticism of Direct Ruler Karen Bradley after
she cut short a meeting with the North’s political parties to catch a
flight, leaving senior politicians to describe the situation as
“embarrassing”, a “waste of time” — and worse.
Sinn Fein’s Mairtin O Muilleoir and John O’Dowd said Bradley was
treating “large sections of this society with utter and complete
contempt”.
Other sources described her briefing as a “shitshow’ and a “car crash”.
“The tone of it just stank,” one party official told the BBC. “I can’t
emphasise enough how bad the atmosphere was.”
Posted by Jim on
“Brian Feeney explains why he is one of the 1,000 signers of a letter to the Taoiseach from ‘civic nationalism’( which does not have the same negative connotations as ‘American nationalism’).The pull-out quote from his article is very troubling:
‘The Taoiseach pronounced himself satisfied with the Joint Report and promised Irish citizens’ rights in The North, as EU citizens, would be protected and they would ‘never again be left behind’. Sadly none of that has happened. To the contrary. Within forty-eight hours the British ratted on what they had signed up to in the Joint Report.’”—Fr. Sean McManus
Xenophobic stance of the British government must be opposed
Brian Feeney. Irish News. Belfast. Monday, November 5, 2018
A year ago I was one of over 200 people who signed a letter from civic nationalism to the Taoiseach appealing to him as head of the Irish government to defend the rights of northern nationalists who, as Irish citizens, will remain EU citizens after Brexit.
There was growing concern at the starkly xenophobic stance the British government was adopting in Phase I of negotiations with the EU. Phase I was to deal with three elements: protecting the rights of EU citizens in the UK, the unique position of The North, and the financial settlement – the ‘UK divorce bill’.
On December 8 a joint UK-EU report was agreed, including the crucial paragraph 52 which states: ‘The people of Northern Ireland who are Irish citizens will continue to enjoy rights as EU citizens, including where they reside in Northern Ireland. Both Parties therefore agree that the Withdrawal Agreement should respect and be without prejudice to the rights, opportunities and identity that come with European Union citizenship for such people and, in the next phase of negotiations, will examine arrangements required to give effect to the ongoing exercise of, and access to, their EU rights, opportunities and benefits.’
The Taoiseach pronounced himself satisfied with the Joint Report and promised Irish citizens’ rights in The North, as EU citizens, would be protected and they would ‘never again be left behind’. Sadly none of that has happened. To the contrary. Within forty-eight hours the British ratted on what they had signed up to in the Joint Report. In the draft Withdrawal Treaty of March 2018, the phrase in paragraph 52, ‘where they reside in Northern Ireland’ had vanished. Furthermore, the undertaking to, ‘examine arrangements required to give effect to the ongoing exercise of, and access to, their EU rights etc.’ never happened.
Worse, in response to a question from Martina Anderson MEP, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, wrote that people in The North will not have access to EU policies and programmes when Brexit happens.
It became increasingly clear that Irish, as EU citizens, in The North will cease to have access to rights EU citizens are entitled to in health, education, professional qualifications, representation in the European parliament, and perhaps most critical, human rights. The British government will no longer recognise the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and have already set aside the EU Fundamental Charter of Human Rights. Therefore there are no means for anyone in the north accessing or enforcing their rights as EU citizens.
The growing alarm this plight has caused led me to join with 1,000 others from all over Ireland to sign another letter to the Taoiseach pointing out that our rights continue to be denied in many fundamental aspects. This is not only because of Brexit but by the despicable alignment of the British government with DUP policy to deny rights and equality to Northern nationalists. The British prime minister in her speeches does not even acknowledge our existence.
The fact that five times as many people as this time last year readily signed the letter illustrates the deep dismay at this shocking state of affairs.
Posted by Jim on
Brexit is undermining 20 years of peace in Northern Ireland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar claims
The Irish PM’s comments came after another Dublin politician said a hard border threatened the peace process
Harvey Solomon-Brady. The Sun. London. Sunday, November 4, 2018
BREXIT is undermining 20 years of peace in Northern Ireland and is fraying relationships between Britain and Ireland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.
The Irish prime minister gave a stark warning about the state of cross-border relations on Saturday, with just months to go before the UK is due to quit the European Union.
His comments came after another Dublin politician said a return to a hard border threatened the peace process, in a row following reports that a backstop plan was close to being agreed with Brussels.
Senator Neale Richmond, who chairs the Seanad’s Brexit Committee, told Brexiteer Tory MP Owen Paterson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that plans for solving The Border dispute using “existing practical systems” was “completely unfeasible”.
Speaking on RTE Radio One’s Marian Finucane programme on Saturday morning, the Taoiseach said: “Brexit has undermined the Good Friday Agreement and it is fraying relationships between Britain and Ireland.
“Anything that pulls the two communities apart in Northern Ireland undermines the Good Friday Agreement and anything that pulls Britain and Ireland apart undermines that relationship.”
The Irish [in fact, the British] border issue has been a major stumbling block in the Brexit negotiations
His comments came two days after Nobel peace prize winner and Conservative Lord Trimble accused Mr. Varadkar’s government of “riding roughshod” over the 1998 agreement.
Lord Trimble, who helped draw up the landmark agreement which ended decades of deadly fighting in the province, claimed that the Brexit process could result in Northern Ireland ending up as part of an “effective EU protectorate”.
Brexit talks have reached an impasse over the EU’s “backstop” plan, which would see Northern Ireland effectively remaining in the customs union and single market unless alternative arrangements were found to prevent a hard border.
But reports from Dublin had suggested that a deal involving an all-UK customs union in the Withdrawal Agreement, plus a separate backstop for Northern Ireland, is close to being agreed.
On Friday, Ireland’s deputy premier, Simon Coveney, said he believed a Brexit deal could be reached by the end of November, with his Westminster counterpart, Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, saying negotiators were “very close”, after the pair held talks in Dublin.