Posted by Jim on August 24, 2017
All U.S. senators have been alerted by the Irish National Caucus about a threat to the MacBride Principles contained in the Financial Choice Act
By Irish Echo Staff. New York City. August 24, 2017
The MacBride Principles are under threat from a section of an act that has been approved by the House of Representatives and is now before the U.S. Senate.
And Irish Americans are deeply concerned with the section in the Financial Choice Act that would, in effect, “most shamefully sabotage shareholder proposals by over 99% of the American people.”
This contention is being made by Fr. Sean McManus, founder and president of the Irish National Caucus, the lead advocacy group for the fair employment guidelines for Northern Ireland.
In a letter to all the one hundred U.S. senators, the INC states: “That section of the act would destroy the SEC Shareholder Proposal – Rule (14a-8) replacing it with a requirement of 1% ownership of the company over a three-year period (instead 1% or $2000 for one year) in order to be able to submit a proposal.”
The letter states: “So, for example, this would mean that to submit a shareholder proposal to Apple, one would have to own $7.5 billion in shares —and to submit a shareholder proposal to Wells Fargo, one would have to own $2.5 billion in shares —whereas at present one only needs to have owned $2,000 worth of shares for one year.”
Fr. McManus, who crafted the letter, said by way of elaboration: “This would amount to a flagrant attack on America’s founding principle, ‘We the people.’
“It would outrageously eliminate millions of citizens and the average American from having a say on the conduct of publicly held companies.
“The ordinary citizen, investor, consumer, and stakeholder are dismissed, leaving only the super-rich with any say. What American can possibly condone this? And what member of the U.S. Senate would vote for it— to take away the voice of the ordinary citizen, franchising only the mega rich? It is undemocratic, un-American, and would further lend credence to the all too common charge that the U.S. Congress is controlled by the 1% mega rich.”
With regard to specific implications for the MacBride Principles – which are enshrined in federal law – Fr. McManus continued: “From a specifically Irish-American perspective, 116 companies have agreed to implement the MacBride Principles. The principles have been signed into law by 18 states and numerous cities and towns.
“And the principles were twice passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law by Democratic President Clinton in 1998.
“Therefore, this terrible initiative is not only an attack on basic American values, but it will be seen as an attempt to sabotage the MacBride Principles, which have played a key role in promoting equality and non-discrimination in employment in Northern Ireland, thereby making a vital contribution to the Irish peace process.”
The Fermanagh-born McManus stated in his letter that he was “totally confident in saying that the Irish National Caucus is reflecting the opinion of the majority of concerned Irish Americans – Republicans and Democrats alike – when I respectfully ask you take a strong stand against this un-American attempt to silence the voices of ordinary American citizens.”
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Brian Feeney. Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, August 23, 2017
“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes,” as they don’t say in the DUP. Beware of the Greeks even when they’re bearing gifts.
It refers to the Trojan horse which enabled the Greeks to get inside the impregnable walls of Troy and overwhelm the garrison from within.
Britain’s paper on the Border last week is their government’s attempt to create a Trojan horse.
Theresa May’s sweetness-and-light article she gave this paper alone is such an obvious trick it deserves to be unwrapped carefully to discover her real intention.
First, it was only published in this paper because it is mainly read by nationalists and the British know that 89 per cent of nationalists who voted voted Remain.
May set out to convince nationalists that the British totally support the Good Friday Agreement, which the official paper says was signed up to by eight parties in The North but ignores the fact that their partners in government, the DUP, didn’t sign up.
Well, the British support the Good Friday Agreement up to a point.
If you read the document, and hardly anyone has, you’ll see that in paragraph 6 the British say the Agreement, endorsed by referendums north and south, confirms that “Northern Ireland’s constitutional status is a matter for the people of Northern Ireland alone to determine”.
Naughty, naughty – no it’s not. The Good Friday Agreement actually says in Constitutional Issues paragraph (ii) “it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone by agreement between the two parts respectively and without external impediment to exercise their right of self-determination”.
The British paper reasserts their false reinterpretation again in paragraph 53 of their document.
Maybe no-one in Sinn Féin read the document or, if they did, didn’t understand the significance of the change – which is vitally important – or maybe they are asleep at the wheel again.
Twenty-four years ago, the IRA army council had to be convinced that the British recognised the Irish people’s right to self-determination.
It was enshrined in a carefully worded paragraph in the 1993 Downing Street Declaration which was shown beforehand to the IRA to gain their acquiescence.
Now the British government – which Theresa May claims puts the Good Friday Agreement “at the heart” of its Brexit negotiations – has cavalierly cast aside that bedrock position.
Laughably, they then go on to threaten Brussels that if they oppose the British proposals they are undermining the peace process by making Britain breach the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Now let’s have a look at how absurd this position is.
The Agreement is backed by an all-Ireland referendum and lodged as an international treaty which binds Britain legally to support and respect it. They can’t breach it.
It is the action of the British government which threatens the Good Friday Agreement, not Brussels’, which is not bound by the obligations of an international treaty.
Essentially the duplicitous British position claims that it is the big bad EU which is bullying the Irish government into imposing a hard Border but kindly John Bull is doing his best to protect Ireland’s interests.
Yet the truth is, in her contempt for the plight of northern Nationalists, no northern party – no, not even their bought-and-paid-for DUP suckers – was consulted about the paper on the Border.
To add insult to injury, May’s speechwriters altered a critical clause in the Good Friday Agreement, they are supposed to be the joint guarantors of, to enhance the position of Unionists.
So much for an Agreement they’re legally obliged to uphold.
Luckily, Irish government officials can read and will be pointing out to Michel Barnier this particular flaw in the British paper.
Luckily too, Barnier will tell the British their suggestions about the Border are impossible but not before he dismisses David Davis’s transparent attempt to bounce Brussels into abandoning their negotiating position that no matters of trade can be discussed until progress on the first three items that Davis – don’t forget – has already agreed to deal with.
They are: the rights of EU citizens (that’s you); the divorce bill; and, wait for it, the Irish border at a political level, not the mechanics of trade, which is really all the British are interested in.
Only a fool would fail to recognise May’s Trojan horse.
Brian Feeney. Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, August 23, 2017
“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes,” as they don’t say in the DUP. Beware of the Greeks even when they’re bearing gifts.
It refers to the Trojan horse which enabled the Greeks to get inside the impregnable walls of Troy and overwhelm the garrison from within.
Britain’s paper on the Border last week is their government’s attempt to create a Trojan horse.
Theresa May’s sweetness-and-light article she gave this paper alone is such an obvious trick it deserves to be unwrapped carefully to discover her real intention.
First, it was only published in this paper because it is mainly read by nationalists and the British know that 89 per cent of nationalists who voted voted Remain.
May set out to convince nationalists that the British totally support the Good Friday Agreement, which the official paper says was signed up to by eight parties in The North but ignores the fact that their partners in government, the DUP, didn’t sign up.
Well, the British support the Good Friday Agreement up to a point.
If you read the document, and hardly anyone has, you’ll see that in paragraph 6 the British say the Agreement, endorsed by referendums north and south, confirms that “Northern Ireland’s constitutional status is a matter for the people of Northern Ireland alone to determine”.
Naughty, naughty – no it’s not. The Good Friday Agreement actually says in Constitutional Issues paragraph (ii) “it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone by agreement between the two parts respectively and without external impediment to exercise their right of self-determination”.
The British paper reasserts their false reinterpretation again in paragraph 53 of their document.
Maybe no-one in Sinn Féin read the document or, if they did, didn’t understand the significance of the change – which is vitally important – or maybe they are asleep at the wheel again.
Twenty-four years ago, the IRA army council had to be convinced that the British recognised the Irish people’s right to self-determination.
It was enshrined in a carefully worded paragraph in the 1993 Downing Street Declaration which was shown beforehand to the IRA to gain their acquiescence.
Now the British government – which Theresa May claims puts the Good Friday Agreement “at the heart” of its Brexit negotiations – has cavalierly cast aside that bedrock position.
Laughably, they then go on to threaten Brussels that if they oppose the British proposals they are undermining the peace process by making Britain breach the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Now let’s have a look at how absurd this position is.
The Agreement is backed by an all-Ireland referendum and lodged as an international treaty which binds Britain legally to support and respect it. They can’t breach it.
It is the action of the British government which threatens the Good Friday Agreement, not Brussels’, which is not bound by the obligations of an international treaty.
Essentially the duplicitous British position claims that it is the big bad EU which is bullying the Irish government into imposing a hard Border but kindly John Bull is doing his best to protect Ireland’s interests.
Yet the truth is, in her contempt for the plight of northern Nationalists, no northern party – no, not even their bought-and-paid-for DUP suckers – was consulted about the paper on the Border.
To add insult to injury, May’s speechwriters altered a critical clause in the Good Friday Agreement, they are supposed to be the joint guarantors of, to enhance the position of Unionists.
So much for an Agreement they’re legally obliged to uphold.
Luckily, Irish government officials can read and will be pointing out to Michel Barnier this particular flaw in the British paper.
Luckily too, Barnier will tell the British their suggestions about the Border are impossible but not before he dismisses David Davis’s transparent attempt to bounce Brussels into abandoning their negotiating position that no matters of trade can be discussed until progress on the first three items that Davis – don’t forget – has already agreed to deal with.
They are: the rights of EU citizens (that’s you); the divorce bill; and, wait for it, the Irish border at a political level, not the mechanics of trade, which is really all the British are interested in.
Only a fool would fail to recognise May’s Trojan horse.
Posted by Jim on
Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, August 23, 2017
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has said the British government’s stance on trading relations with the European Union after Brexit is “not a realistic position”.
Speaking during a three-day visit to Canada, he said the Republic’s government is “confused and puzzled” by what trade agreement the UK wants with the EU.
“At the moment they have the best trade deal possible, the best one imaginable, which is a customs union and access to the single European market and the European economic area,” he said.
“What they seem to be suggesting all along really for the last 14 months now is that they want to have all the advantages of being in the EU but none of the responsibilities and costs, and that’s not a realistic position.”
Speaking to Bloomberg, Mr Varadkar added: “It’s not yet clear to us these better deals that the British government really wants from Europe and from other countries, and I think some more clarity in that area would be very helpful.”
The Republic’s foreign affairs minister also warned British authorities yesterday that Ireland will not be used as a “pawn” in Brexit negotiations.
Simon Coveney also said sufficient progress on the future of the Border has not been made during Brexit talks.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire in Dublin, Mr Coveney said: “We do not want the Irish issue, the Border issue, to be used as a pawn to try to pressurise for broader trade agreements.”
He warned that in order for Brexit negotiations to move onto the next phase, “measurable and real progress” is needed.
Before the meeting, Mr Brokenshire insisted there was no possibility of the UK staying within a customs union post-Brexit.
He said that to do so would prevent the UK from negotiating international trade deals.
Following a meeting with the Irish and British Chamber of Commerce, he said there would be a period of implementation where the “UK would adhere closely to the existing customs union”.
“But ultimately it is about the UK being able to negotiate international trade deals. We want to harness those freedoms. If we were to remain in the customs union that would prevent us from doing so,” he said.
He added: “We are leaving EU, customs union and single market. We have set out options as to how we can achieve that frictionless trade.”
Mr Coveney said the Irish government believes the best way to progress “the complexity of Britain leaving the European Union is for Britain to remain very close to the single market and effectively to remain part of the customs union”.
“That would certainly make the issues on the island of Ireland an awful lot easier to manage.
“But of course the British government’s stated position is not in agreement with that but that doesn’t mean we won’t continue to advocate for that.
“In the absence of that it is up to the British government to come up with flexible and imaginative solutions to actually try to deal with the specific island of Ireland issues.”