The people of the north clearly voted to see their future in the
European Union in the referendum last June.
Those who voted remain came from all walks of life. They were
nationalists, unionists, republicans and others.
They did so because it is in their best interests politically, socially
and economically and because they did not want to see any return of a
hard border on this island.
Even before Article 50 was triggered, it was apparent that the north
would be hit hardest by the British government’s reckless Brexit agenda,
which offers nothing to the people of the north.
The Brexit referendum was driven by the narrow, right-wing interests of
the most hardline elements of the British Tory party and the far right
of UKIP. These parties have never shown any regard for the north of
Ireland or its people.
Since the referendum, Theresa May and her government have done nothing
to indicate this has changed. In fact they continue to blatantly ignore
the democratic will of the majority of the people of the north and the
parties mandated to be their voice.
Now that Article 50 has been triggered a period of what is likely to be
long and protracted negotiations will begin. The north will not be
represented at those negotiations.
Regardless of whether the political institutions were up and running, we
still would have no voice at the negotiating table and the Tories would
continue to attempt to ignore our views, just like Scotland.
Sinn Fein called for, and secured an all-Ireland forum to examine the
impact of Brexit on the entire island economy and our key sectors in
agri-food, energy, trade, higher education and so on.
This is not a done deal. It is the start of a period of negotiations at
European Council level involving all EU member states, of which the
Irish state is one.
It is my strong belief that there is an alternative for Ireland that is
real and achievable and which serves our best interests as a peripheral
but competitive island region on the edge of Europe.
We have developed a case for designated special status for the north
within the EU, which would allow the will of the people of the north to
be respected, retain access to the single market, protect jobs and
workers’ rights and the right of all our people to decide on their own
future including Irish unity, as set out in the Good Friday Agreement
and the principle of consent.
Both the Assembly and the Dail have passed motions calling for the
unique circumstances of the north to be recognised in relation to
Brexit.
The Irish government now has a moral duty and a political responsibility
to act in the national interest of all Irish citizens and act on the
Dail motion.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny needs to make it clear that his government will
formally adopt designated special status as a negotiating position when
the Brexit talks begin and work to persuade other member states of its
merits.
Brexit is an English problem which requires an Irish solution.
Every day more and more people from across a range of sectors, business,
community, tourism and education are realising the hugely negative
consequences Brexit will have on our hard-won progress.
Across the north, particularly in border areas, thousands of people have
taken to the streets to protest against the British government’s Brexit
agenda.
Today, as Theresa May triggered Article 50, demonstrations were staged
in both Belfast and Dublin.
Sinn Fein believes that the only credible approach is for the north to
receive designated special status within the EU.
We have been on a diplomatic offensive across Europe making our case to
the key decision makers in the Brexit process.
In order to secure designated special status people need to mobilise,
continue to make their voices heard and build support to ensure their
democratically expressed right to remain is recognized.
A prisoner in the republican wing of Maghaberry prison has been removed
following a dispute with other prisoners in a row which has pitched two
small republican political parties against each other.
Gabriel Mackle, from County Armagh, is a former member of the British
Army’s Royal Irish Regiment who became involved in republican activity
with the Continuity IRA (CIRA). In 2014, he was arrested and jailed,
being housed in the Roe 3 landing alongside other CIRA prisoners.
With time spent on remand and remission, Mackle is due for release early
this summer and has been previously granted periods of compassionate
parole.
He had lately been serving his sentence on the landing known as Roe 4
after being accepted there by by prisoners linked to the new IRA, who
are represented by the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association
(IRPWA).
He was removed after allegedly refusing to accept the collective nature
of the prisoners’ legal efforts against the prison regime. He is now in
isolation.
In a statement, Roe 4 prisoners said Mackle had been asked to leave the
Roe 3 community “as a result of his behaviour there”.
“He was accepted onto Roe 4 conditionally, despite his history in the
British Army’s RIR and his previous attitude and behaviour toward
Republican Prisoners. His acceptance onto Roe 4 was based on the ending
of this behaviour yet after a short time this continued.”
They accused Mackle of “systematic bullying”, of “making threats”
against their number, and other actions which “jeopardised the community
conditions without consulting the community”.
One issue they said was of particular concern was his individual
approach to judicial reviews that could have had “detrimental
repercussions” for all Maghaberry prisoners and not to him individually,
as he is due to be released soon.
“The relationship between Roe 3 and Roe 4 has never been stronger and
this individual is not welcome in either community,” they added.
Mackle refused to leave but was later forcibly removed from the landing
by prison warders and placed in the isolation unit of the top security
jail.
Republican Sinn Fein (RSF), which had been supporting Mackle, said he
had been removed from Roe 4 after threats from IRPWA-represented
prisoners.
An RSF spokesperson said: “These threats are coming from the very same
group that purport to promote unity, they are showing the Republican
people their version of unity but it has to be on their terms.”
It said Mackle had only returned from temporary release on Sunday night
when he was approached by three IRPWA-supported prisoners who informed
him that he had to hand over all legal papers to them, and have one of
their prisoners accompany him on legal visits.
It confirmed Mackle declined to show legal papers to the IRPWA prisoners
as he was represented by Cabhair, the CIRA representative group.
“Gabriel rightly refused to be bullied in this manner, stating he was
not an IRPWA PoW, that he was a Cabhair-supported prisoner and would
work under Cabhair-supported structures as he has been since being
incarcerated,” RSF said in a statement.
They claimed the incident came on top of what it claimed was “membership
poaching” by the IRPWA.
“It is not so long since the dirty protest when fellow Cabhair-supported
PoWs took the lead in that protest and welcomed newly incarcerated PoWs.
It seems the old saying ‘Eaten bread is soon forgotten’ never rang so
true,” it said.
The event was held last Thursday at Inverary Playing Fields in east Belfast. Picture from Sydenham Bonfire Group/Facebook
by John Monaghan
A LOYALIST bonfire group which held a “fun day” to coincide with the funeral of Martin McGuinness have defended hosting the event claiming it kept young people away from interfaces where they may have gathered to “voice their anger”.
Sydenham Bonfire Group is under investigation after holding the party last Thursday, with flags, burgers, bouncy castles and face painting, at Inverary Playing Fields in east Belfast.
The group hit back at “negative publicity” after Belfast City Council, which owns the facility, announced it had launched an investigation saying the event was staged without permission.
The group had advertised the party as a “cultural” fun day “key to diffusing tensions by providing a release valve for those within the community understandably hurt and angry by the portrayal of Martin McGuiness as a peacemaker”.
Some of those who attended congratulated organisers in online posts on a “brilliant day” which the “kids enjoyed”.
In a Facebook post, the organisers wrote: “As we made clear at the time the core purpose of this event was a diversionary one, to provide a safe space for young people that otherwise may have sought to congregate at interfaces and voice their anger there.”
They added: “As those gathered in Londonderry indulged in revisionism and acquiesced to the presentation of an unrepentant terrorist as a ‘peacemaker’, we in East Belfast remembered the countless hundreds murdered at the hands of McGuinness’s IRA.”
PUP east Belfast councillor Dr John Kyle said he was unable to comment on the event adding: “I don’t know the facts of the case”.
A Belfast City Council spokesman said: “This event was organised without permission from the council and our staff were not aware of the event until they carried out a routine site visit at approximately 5pm on Thursday, March 23. At this stage, the event was underway.
“We are currently investigating the circumstances around this event and intend on speaking to our stakeholders about it.”
Last year The Irish News reported on concerns raised by parents of children playing football games at Inverary Playing Fields, where a UVF paramilitary mural had been painted behind one of the goals.
However, last month East Belfast FC announced that the UVF mural would be replaced by artwork celebrating the football club.
Easter Sunday, 16 April 2017 Gaelic Park, Bronx, NY
ANNUAL EASTER MASS & 1916 COMMEMORATION.
Join us for the oldest, largest Annual Easter Commemoration in the USA. We will honour Irish Republicans past and present. The largest private collection of Irish Republican memorabilia will be on display – dating from 1867 to present. Republican speakers, Republican merchandise, Republican music, etc….
The DUP’s Paul Givan lighting an Eleventh Night bonfire last year as communities minister
Brendan Hughes
A SENIOR Stormont civil servant said that a DUP minister lighting a Twelfth bonfire was “an offence” in an email exchange with officials.
The startling remark about Paul Givan while he was still communities minister is revealed in emails newly uncovered by The Irish News.
Mr Givan faced criticism last July after being pictured setting stacks of pallets alight to mark the Eleventh Night in south Tyrone.
The DUP and DUP-led executive departments at the time refused to respond to repeated requests for a comment.
But newly released emails show how staff in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) discussed whether to respond.
The Irish News had asked the department to clarify the legality of lighting bonfires, and whether there was any complaint or investigation about Mr Givan.
The media query was discussed by David Small, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
He wrote to a colleague: “Any thoughts on this? Happy for [unnamed official] to push this towards the council, but The Irish News also raise queries about when it is illegal to light a bonfire. Do we have a line on this?”
His colleague responded: “In essence lighting the bonfire is an offence and we probably want to stick to the lines; Lead responsibility for bonfire management rests with local councils and within district council-led multi-agency initiatives, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) will concentrate on progressively reducing the number of tyres being burnt on bonfires.
“On reflection over the past few days in dealing with issues such as this, a meeting with the minister [DUP environment minister Michelle McIlveen] would be useful [to] clarify her position on bonfires.”
The emails are revealed in freedom of information response. It was issued seven months after the request was made, in the weeks since civil servants took charge following the political collapse of the executive.
Names of some civil servants were redacted from the emails.
They also show that The Irish News’s queries were sent to Andrew Crawford, then DUP special adviser to Ms McIlveen.
In response, Mr Crawford wrote: “This is a load of nonsense. I would ignore it rather than responding – don’t bother referring him to council.”
Mr Givan lit the pyre as he attended the opening of a new Orange lodge football pitch near Augher with then First Minister Arlene Foster.
The Department for Communities provided more than £323,000 towards the Roughan pitch facility. The Orange Order said the pyre did not involve any tyres or flags.
At the time Sinn Féin’s John O’Dowd said Mr Givan “should be setting an example as a minister rather than posting pictures of himself setting fire to a bonfire”.
The image also attracted controversy online, with some questioning the impact of bonfires on the environment.
The email correspondence emerges amid recent criticism of Mr Givan over his decision to scrap a Gaeltacht bursary and questions over his ‘community halls’ scheme.
Mr Givan sparked anger among Irish-language campaigners after he withdrew the £50,000 Líofa fund just before Christmas.
The late Martin McGuinness cited the cut among his reasons for resigning as deputy first minister.
Mr Givan later re-instated the bursary, saying that he did not want Sinn Féin to use it as a “political weapon”.
In January the former communities minister also defended his ‘community halls’ fund after its cost nearly quadrupled to £1.9m and it emerged that most successful applicants were from the unionist community.
Mr Givan insisted the initiative was “open to all and made no distinction based on the community identity of the organisation”.
Asked about the Daera correspondence, the DUP did not respond to requests for a comment.
