Posted by Jim on March 14, 2018
Noted columnist Brian Feeney provides important insights on how the Good Friday Agreement is not being fulfilled, which Members of Congress should pay attention to—especially as we approach the 20th Anniversary of the Agreement (April 10).
One example of his truth to power-statements :’The British government is required under its international commitments to conduct a timely investigation into state killings. Some of the relatives of those killed have been waiting 45 years.”—Fr. Sean Mc Manus
Theresa May continuing to ignore impartiality
Brian Feeney. Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, March14, 2018
“Up until then[2006-210] both governments had an identity of interest and objective. Since then they’ve drifted apart. They don’t meet. After they believed they’d completed devolution the Irish government walked away. Under [Taoiseach] Enda Kenny the North may as well have been on the dark side of the moon…. During those years while Kenny’s government sat on their hands, the DUP were able to block any progress here because the Conservative proconsuls backed them and let them away with it. … So the DUP got crumbs off the table which damaged society here, most notably the end to 50-50 recruitment to the PSNI.”
All the evidence of the last 35 years shows that when the two governments keep an eye on this place and its protagonists and meet regularly matters run more smoothly.
The last best example was the years 2006-7 when Blair and Ahern shoe-horned Sinn Féin and the DUP into an executive after giving them an absolute deadline of November 2006 to clinch a deal.
The last big occasion of London and Dublin acting together to strong-arm the parties was 2010 when Brown and Cowen pinioned the DUP at Hillsborough and compelled them to accept devolution of justice and policing.
Up until then both governments had an identity of interest and objective. Since then they’ve drifted apart. They don’t meet. After they believed they’d completed devolution the Irish government walked away. Under Enda Kenny the north may as well have been on the dark side of the moon.
For the British however the opposite was the case. The Conservatives hadn’t won an election since 1993, so in 2010 David Cameron, desperate for a win, interfered in The North’s politics to try to squeeze out a couple of extra seats.
He prevailed on the UUP to link up formally with the Conservatives in the embarrassing failure that was UCUNF.
However, in the process Cameron meddled disgracefully here.
He fielded candidates in all but two seats in the UK and those two seats were North Belfast and Fermanagh/South Tyrone to give unionists a free run against Sinn Féin. Typical of Cameron, cynical, careless of the consequences. So much for ‘no selfish interest’ in the north.
As soon as the UCUNF fiasco bombed and Cameron found himself in a coalition, he dropped the UUP and swung to the DUP favouring them in any way he could to gain their support in tight votes when the Lib Dems wouldn’t support him. So the DUP got crumbs off the table which damaged society here, most notably the end to 50-50 recruitment to the PSNI.
Cameron didn’t care as long as it helped his Commons arithmetic. During those years while Kenny’s government sat on their hands the DUP were able to block any progress here because the Conservative proconsuls backed them and let them away with it.
Theresa May continued Cameron’s bias towards one community in The North disregarding the Good Friday Agreement’s ‘rigorous impartiality’ requirement. But hey, this is the English government. They have form. When a Commons vote is at stake, what’s an international treaty?
The most egregious example of this process was exposed again last week when Lord Justice Girvan burst Arlene Foster’s puffed up self-importance and declared her block on allocating funds for legacy inquests unlawful. He correctly pointed out that there is an obligation under the European Convention on Human Rights which is not conditional on a political agreement to conduct a full, open, transparent inquiry into why public bodies have taken a life.
Now here’s the thing: That obligation applies to the British government which have been blocking funding at the behest of the DUP for at least three years until there’s a political agreement.
Why does the Irish government not step in and demand a British-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference (BIIGC) on that issue? Upholding Article 2 of the ECHR is not a devolved matter. It is the British government which signed the ECHR, not Stormont. It’s a matter for the sovereign government that can’t be devolved.
The British government is required under its international commitments to conduct a timely investigation into state killings. Some of the relatives of those killed have been waiting 45 years.
The British-Irish Agreement, part of the Good Friday Agreement, is to ‘deal with the totality of relationships’ between Britain and Ireland and ‘there will be regular and frequent meetings of the Conference concerned with non-devolved matters’ – like honouring Article 2 of the ECHR for example.
Why did Kenny’s government since 2013 allow legacy funding and indeed legacy matters as a whole to become unlawfully dependant on a political deal in the north?
Why did they not call a BIIGC – even to keep the British honest – when the British threw in the spoiler of national security which again cannot be devolved?
Fat chance now with Brexit poisoning any British-Irish cooperation
Posted by Jim on
Tuesday March 13th
Flags affected: US & New York
Reach: Statewide
Proclamation
Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be lowered to half-staff today in honor of Army Sgt. First Class Maitland Wilson, a Brooklyn resident, who died in Landsthul Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany on March 7.
“I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and fellow service members of Army Sgt. First Class Maitland Wilson,” Cuomo said in a statement. “We join his loved ones in honoring his service and his sacrifice to this great nation.”
Wilson, 38, died as the result of a non-combat incident which is under investigation. He was assigned to the 831st Transportation Battalion of the 595 Transportation Brigade stationed in Manama, Bahrain, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve missions in Iraq and Syria.
Cuomo has directed that the flags on all state buildings be lowered to half-staff in honor of and in tribute to New York service members and those stationed in New York who are killed in action or die in a combat zone.
Posted by Jim on
FDNY’s bravest to box Irish police for charity in the ‘War on the West Side’ at Terminal 5
The event will raise money for the Homes for Heroes organization.
From fighting flames to fighting with fists, New York City’s firefighters are pulling on their boxing gloves to go head-to-head with a league of Irish policemen this month.
The 2018 Transatlantic Championship, dubbed the “War on the West Side,” will pit FDNY’s toughest against the Garda Siochana Boxing Club of the Irish National Police Service on Friday, March 30, in the name of charity, according to Bobby McGuire, the president of the FDNY Bravest Boxing Team.
“Company pride is at stake,” he told amNewYork. “The New York City Fire Department considers itself the greatest in the world. We really believe that and it would be an insult if anyone came to New York and kicked our a–es.”
The charitable fight is held once a year in addition to about three other fights against other agencies. In 2017, the Bravest Boxing Team collected $40,000 for Building Homes for Heroes — an organization that builds or updates homes for veterans and their families.
This year, 10 FDNY members from across the city will take the ring at Terminal 5, including one woman — Hildy Santana from Engine 75 in the Bronx.
“She’s as tough as they come and she should have won a gold medal in the World Police and Fire Games,” McGuire said. “She fought against an L.A. firefighter.”
Last summer, the firewoman won the home fight in her weight division.
Andrew Tanzi, who represents Engine Company 33 in the Bowery, also took home a title last year. He’s returning this year at the top of his game. He trains every day, including with his peers twice a week at a boxing club on Trinity Street. It’s intense but he loves the challenge.
“You really can’t evade a workout — it’s discipline and a test of character,” he said. “Being one-on-one means that you can’t rely on a team, and to me, there’s no greater challenge.”
Their jobs require them to be in top physical condition as it is, but boxing “brings it to a whole other level,” McGuire said. “You’ve gotta be in there with someone whose trying to take your head off, but at the end of the day, everyone has to go to work on Monday.”
No single station house has taken home the most wins, but there’ve been many from Engine 33/Ladder 9 located on Great Jones Street. This is the same house that lost 10 of 14 firefighters who responded to the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11.
Those who fight are all in the same line of work, which automatically gives the boxers a mutual respect for each other, according to Tanzi.
“That and knowing that we’re raising money for our respective charities definitely lightens the situation, making it more fun,” he said. “We all know we’ll never be professional. The job comes first.”
Tickets are $30 for general admission and $50 for VIP ringside seats. For more information, visit fdnyboxing.com.
Posted by Jim on March 13, 2018
March 13th
| FDNY BASEBALL TRYOUTS FDNY Baseball tryouts will be held on Wednesday, March 28, and Wednesday, April 4. Both tryout sessions will begin at 10:30am at Forest Park Victory Field on the corner of Woodhaven Blvd and Myrtle Ave in Glendale, Queens. Please note this is a turf field, so no metal spikes. If you have any questions, please email smiller@fdnybaseball.com. 2018 GENEROSITY 5K RUN/WALK SUPPORTING FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS Friends of Firefighters is excited to once again be participating in the Generosity Brooklyn 5K! Registration is officially open and you are invited to join them for the most heartwarming morning in April. The event takes place on Sunday, April 29, at 9AM in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Every dollar you raise benefits Friends of Firefighters. This event is part of the Generosity Series and will include other local non-profit organizations as well. Registration is $25 per person and each participant commits to raising a minimum of $200. Friends of Firefighters will support you in your fundraising efforts by providing fundraising tools and a page where you can collect donations. This is a great opportunity to get your friends and family together to support a cause you care about. Please spread the word and sign up today at www.generositybrooklyn.com/fof. METS GROUP TICKET DISCOUNTS FOR FDNY MEMBERS Citi Field is offering a group discount to all members of the FDNY for any New York Mets game (excluding Opening Day and the Subway Series) during the 2018 season. There are different package offerings with tickets that include: a Piazza jersey, 3-hour drink packages, unlimited food, a photo on the field and much more. For more information, please contact Max Johnson at MJohnson@NYMets.com or 718-559-3031. |
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Posted by Jim on
“Belfast man Raymond McCord, Sr. —from a Unionist/Protestant background— is one of the heroes of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.I am proud to call him a good friend. For 20 years, he has relentlessly campaigned for justice for his son, Raymond, Jr. who was murdered by Unionist/Protestant paramilitaries. Because some involved in the murder were British agents/police informers, the crime has been covered-up and justice denied. Even after 20 years there has not been an inquest.
Raymond, Sr. has testified before Congress in 2009, which the Irish National Caucus was proud to facilitate.
Now Raymond, Sr. has scored a notable victory in his argument that the power to call a Referendum on Irish unity should not rest in the hands of one person— the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, ‘who doesn’t even live in Northern Ireland.’”—Fr. Sean McManus
Raymond McCord believes the authority to call a border poll should
not rest solely with the secretary of state. Picture by Hugh Russell
Irish News. Belfast. March 13 2018
A victims campaigner has won High Court permission to pursue legal action over the holding of a Border poll in Northern Ireland.
Raymond McCord was granted leave to seek a judicial review of the British government’s alleged failure to implement a policy for calling a referendum on Irish unity.
A judge ruled he has established an arguable case that the current discretionary arrangements are unlawful.
With his challenge now advancing to a full hearing later this year, Mr. McCord insisted he wanted to remove any possible political abuse of the constitutional issue.
He said: “It’s about taking the green and orange out of the decision, and that’s how it should be.”
The staunch Unionist is mounting separate challenges in Belfast and Dublin over the current provisions for going to the public.
His case against the British administration questions the legality and transparency of the provisions for holding a Border poll.
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement a referendum can be called if the secretary of state believes a majority of people in Northern Ireland no longer want to remain part of the United Kingdom.
Mr. McCord, an outspoken critic of loyalist paramilitaries since a UVF gang beat his son Raymond Jr to death in 1997, is not pressing for such a poll.
But the Belfast man believes authority for calling such a significant ballot should not rest with one individual.
He claims the current criteria is too vague and undermines the Agreement.
It was confirmed in court that the British government’s position remains the same since Karen Bradley took over from James Brokenshire as secretary of state.
No opposition was raised to Mr. McCord being permitted to continue his challenge to the alleged lack of policy.
The judge, Sir Paul Girvan, held: “I’m persuaded there are legal arguments there which justify the granting of leave.”
The verdict means Mr. McCord has now secured the legal right to press ahead with cases in both jurisdictions.
He has already been granted leave at the High Court in Dublin to take proceedings against the Irish State, Taoiseach, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Attorney General.
Following the latest determination in Belfast he described the holding of a Border poll as the biggest decision since Northern Ireland’s formation.
“As it stands it’s left at the discretion of one person, a politician who doesn’t live here,” Mr. McCord said.
“It’s open to abuse and we need a policy set in stone so that it can’t be abused by any political parties for political gain.”
His solicitor, Ciaran O’Hare of McIvor Farrell law firm, also called for clarity and transparency.
“At this juncture, it appears that the decision whether or not to hold a poll is at the whim of one person and the public have no insight whatsoever into the decision making process,” Mr. O’Hare said.
“My client is looking forward to the full hearing of his case, which will be one of the most important constitutional cases that have ever come before the court.”
