1916 Societies NY Chapter fundraiser in Kingston, NY May 27, 2017
Hey everyone great news Dermot Mahoney is graciously allowing us to hold a 1916 Societies Hudson Valley Fund Raiser at his pub the night of May 27th 2017. There will be live music and plenty o’pints. Place: Dermot Mahoney’s Irish Pub Kingston NY . We’ll be setting up a table as well with the petition, pins and books for sale. There will be a $10 cover.
The Dublin government’s failure to secure any kind of veto for Ireland
in the negotiations following Brexit has been strongly criticised as a
dereliction of its duties.
Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail criticised the government after it became
clear the Spanish government had succeeded where the 26 County
government had not, by obtaining an effective veto over negotiations on
the British outpost of Gibraltar, which lies to the south of Spain.
In reference to the north of Ireland, the draft negotiating position of
the European Council contains evidence of the aspirational and ambiguous
language of the 1998 Good Friday peace Agreement. However, there are no
specific protections for Ireland in the case it is outnumbered by the
other EU countries looking to close a deal.
Stephen Donnelly, Fianna Fail Spokesman on Brexit, asked: “Where was the
Taoiseach Enda Kenny when this was being agreed?”
He said the failure of the Dublin government to seek a similar veto over
how the EU engages with the north of Ireland was a major dereliction of
duties.
“The question that needs to be asked is: did the government seek a
similar veto and was it rejected, or did they even know such a deal was
being agreed with Spain?
“The Irish Government is relying too much on sentiment and is ignoring
the need to seek firm agreements, in writing, on the issues that matter
to the island of Ireland.”
Sinn Fein TD Peadar Toibin said that a veto was needed to help protect
the interests of people north and south.
“The most frustrating thing about this process is that as it stands, we
have little or no influence over what is happening on our island,” he
said. “This is a major mistake by our government and it needs to change
before this draft becomes the official negotiation process.”
And speaking from Strasbourg, Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy said the Dublin
government had “totally failed” to ensure that Irish interests were
defended in the position adopted by the European Council.
“The Council text on the impact of Brexit on Ireland is significantly
weaker than the resolution the European Parliament adopted, again
reflecting the failure of the Irish government to stand up to defend our
interests.”
He pointed to the European Parliament’s draft resolution, which Sinn
Fein’s MEPs had helped to write.
“The European Parliament’s draft resolution, while far from perfect,
acknowledges that a majority of people in the North voted to remain and
it explicitly states that the positions and interests of Ireland need to
be represented in negotiations, acknowledging that we will be especially
impacted,” he said.
“It expresses special concern about the impact of Brexit on the North,
and it demands that the Good Friday Agreement is protected ‘in all its
parts’.
“Most importantly it recognises the ‘special circumstances’ confronting
Ireland and calls on EU negotiators to ensure that there is no hardening
of the border.”
He said the European Parliament’s resolution is far superior on the
question of Ireland than the Council’s.
“The Irish Government has clearly failed its first big Brexit test. It
now needs to step up to the plate and actually put up a fight. They need
to defend our interests in the Council and they need to do it
immediately.”
‘UP YOURS, SENORS’
There was a hysterical reeaction in the British media as news of the
Spanish veto emerged. Former Tory leader Michael Howard inflamed
tensions when he compared the situation with the 1982 Argentinian
occupation of Las Malvinas, an archipelago colonised by the British in
the south Atlantic in 1833, and now known to them as the Falkland
Islands.
Howard told Sky News on Sunday: “Thirty-five years ago this week,
another woman prime minister sent a taskforce halfway across the world
to defend the freedom of another small group of British people against
another Spanish-speaking country, and I’m absolutely certain that our
current prime minister will show the same resolve in standing by the
people of Gibraltar.”
As the row escalated, notorious loyalist campaigner Willie Frazer posed
for a picture holding a machine gun and standing in front of two
military 4×4 vehicles, with the message “Bring it on Spain.”
The Spanish foreign minister suggested that the British commentary
showed that “someone in the UK is losing their cool”. Prime Minister
Theresa May later moved to cool tensions, dismissing the idea of a
military intervention.
However, the prime minister’s spokesman refused to condemn Howard’s
suggestion that the use of military force was an option. The EU also
said it would not back down in its support for Spain’s stance when it
comes to talks.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny denied his efforts had failed to make any headway
in the EU negotiating document, or that the language used for Ireland
was vague and conditional. Mr Kenny insisted that the guidelines
included a “very strong acknowledgement of our unique circumstances and
special case”, and that Gibraltar was a different case from Ireland.
“Gibraltar joined the EU with the UK and any change in the status of
Gibraltar is a matter between the UK and the kingdom of Spain.”
Sinn Fein’s Sean Crowe said it was “infuriating” that the British
government was treating people in the North as “second class citizens”
by refusing to acknowledge their situation. Fellow TD Maurice Quinlivan
said neither government were acting in the people’s interests.
“Sinn Fein has been advocating since the Brexit referendum, for the
[Dublin] government to call for a Special Status designation for the
North. This would not only substantially benefit North and South, it
would also solve the huge concerns that people have about the return of
a hard border,” he said.
“There is no reason the government should not campaign for a Special
Status for the North. It is the closest equivalent to the current status
quo and it leaves the door open for the North to be reunified easier
with the South in the future.”
The Limerick City TD also condemned Stephen Donnelly and Fianna Fail for
doing nothing to work towards a Special Status designation for the North
within the EU.
“Fianna Fail, the so-called Republican Party, are propping up this
minority government, so if they wanted they could insist the government
take a harder approach to negotiations around Brexit, and set out their
stand on a Special Status designation for the North within the EU.”
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.
