SAOIRSE32

Irish Abroad

**Via Newshound

By Sean O’Driscoll

Loyalist leaders have not offered any sign of developing a future political agenda, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said in New York on Tuesday.

Hain said that he gets a “barrage of complaints” when he speaks to Loyalists but they appear unable to follow Republicans into democratic politics. He also said that loyalism needs to ask if it has any purpose outside of gangsterism.

Hain was speaking during a three-day tour of New York and Washington.

“When I get Loyalists speaking to me, I get a barrage of complaints but I don’t get a future political strategy which, like it or not, Republicans have always had. That’s why Republicans are quite successful and I think the sooner Loyalists have a forward agenda, the more success they will have,” Hain said.

Hain said he had made his comments to individual Loyalist community leaders in Belfast, Lisburn and Ballymena but wanted the Loyalist leadership to consider his words.

He was speaking after the Ulster Defense Association announced that it wanted to discuss its future with the Northern Ireland Office and may consider disbanding.

Hain also called on the Orange Order to stop boycotting the Parades Commission, which is soon to have a new chairman and members.

“To keep boycotting the parades commission, especially a reconstituted parades commission, to put a road block up against dialogue, is not a forward agenda. There are too many people trapped in Northern Ireland’s past,” he said.

Hain said that his deputy, David Hanson, would be meeting with Loyalist leaders next week to discuss the UDA announcement.

Asked if there is any prospect of a political settlement when the largest Unionist party, the Democratic Unionists, have refusing to take part, Hain said that he was assured by DUP representative Jeffrey Donaldson, that the party was not completely ignoring the political system.

Hain said that it was time from the DUP to “come in from the cold.”

“It’s been out in the cold for most of its history. It’s now right at the center of Irish politics and with that come responsibilities. It’s a different, different role. They need to work that through and in time, I think they will,” he said.

Sinn Féin

Published: 19 November, 2005

Sinn Fein Education Spokesperson Michael Ferguson met with NIPPA Chief Executive Siobhan Fitzpatrick to discuss the need to secure the universal availability of Early Years provision throughout the island of Ireland. Meeting at NIPPA’s Belfast Offices the meeting discussed the recent budget allocation by Peter Hain and the need to promote an all Ireland strategy of provision that is underpinned by addressing the inequalities of deprivation and poverty.

Commenting upon the meeting Michael Ferguson said,

“ It is of the first importance that we promote Early Year’s provision, a point that I reinforced when addressing the ‘Re-Imagining Apprenticeship’ GMB Conference at Belfast City Hall this week. It was clear to all of us when discussing the skills deficit that early intervention and provision was crucial to increase educational attainment levels.

It is clear to educationalists and experts in early year’s provision that educational underachievement is a direct cause of deprivation and poverty and that it is simply not an educational problem but rather a health and social care issue as well.

We need an integrated delivery of health and social service provision into early years centers. In England a budget of £918 million has been set aside to promote Children’s Centres and the £50 allocated over the next two years to the Six Counties will not deliver the 40 Centres that we require. Indeed our Sure Start Programmes exclude 80,000 children from services because of under funding.

I assured NIPPA that we would continue to support the Community and Voluntary sector provision of Early Years support and in particular the intervention in rural areas and communities characterized by multiple deprivation.”

Daily Ireland

By Jarlath Kearney

Relatives of people killed by state-sponsored violence in the North have called for an “honest” appraisal of the Anglo-Irish Agreement’s position in modern history.
This week marked 20 years since the Irish and British governments signed the agreement.
Mark Thompson of the Belfast-based group Relatives for Justice said any analysis of the 1985 agreement must include an examination of the way that British government agencies had managed loyalist
violence.
He pointed out that, in 1985, just five people were killed by loyalists. Most of the victims were members of the unionist community.
However, within months of the agreement being signed, British government intelligence agencies began the process of reorganising and rearming loyalist paramilitaries through the work of Ulster Defence Association agent Brian Nelson.
“It was never any coincidence that, whenever there was a political initiative designed to alienate mainstream republican opinion, loyalist violence was in a sharp decline,” Mr Thompson said.
“In 1985, Thatcher and FitzGerald were looking at how to address the increasing force of republican
politics after the hunger strikes.
“The agreement was clearly designed to separate the nationalist community and break it up, elevating one political philosophy linked with the SDLP above another linked with Sinn Féin.
“But for that to work politically, then the conditions had to be right and what happened was that loyalist violence was effectively switched off for the entire year of 1985. There were just a small number of loyalist killings,” Mr Thompson said.
Recalling the aggressive and sustained nature of unionist protests at the time, Mr Thompson said the natural outcome ought to have been “a high body count of nationalists” caused by increased loyalist paramilitary attacks.
“In fact, quite the opposite happened. Taken together with the post-Anglo-Irish Agreement period during which Brian Nelson was recruited, this demonstrates that the British government controlled the project of switching loyalist activity on and off in tandem with specific political objectives.
“In 1987, when it became clear that the political project of trying to isolate republicans and stop the rise of Sinn Féin had failed, Brian Nelson was brought back in by the Force Research Unit, and then the major arms shipment came in from South Africa to rearm the death squads.
“There is a direct correlation
between the political and military tactics. Hundreds of nationalists died as a result of that, including the provision of information from Special Branch and the clearance of assassination routes through heavily militarised nationalist communities,” Mr Thompson said.
Describing the upsurge in collusion around the mid-1980s as “the real, untold story”, Mr Thompson called for an “honest” account of the period’s history.
“This week has seen some sterile, academic historical reflections on the Anglo-Irish Agreement. But we would call on academics, the media and the wider community to reflect on the obvious ability of the British government to switch on and off loyalist violence. It is notable that this element of history has been disregarded,” Mr Thompson said.

Daily Ireland

Animal-rights activists have launched a campaign to stop circuses using animals.
Members of the groups Animal Defenders International and the Animal Rights Action Network carried out undercover research between 2000 and 2003.
Campaigners claim to have uncovered a litany of animal rights violations, such as animals being kicked and beaten by circus handlers.
Activists also say they have gathered evidence that elephants and other animals have suffered psychologically as a result of being crammed into small spaces for long periods of time.
Kildare-based John Carmody of the Animal Rights Action Network said: “This investigation has revealed animal suffering in Irish circuses on a large scale, which the circus industry has been desperate to hide.
“If children only knew how these poor animals are treated, they would be totally shocked.
“Local councils need to know this and we will be lobbying them to ban the use of animal-act circuses.”
It is estimated that 150 live animals are used in circus acts throughout Ireland.

Belfast Telegraph

By Senan Hogan
19 November 2005

Proposed speaking rights for Northern Ireland MPs in the Irish Parliament would be an act of aggression against unionists and jeopardise any future relationship, the DUP has claimed.

The party said the planned concessions were short-sighted and would represent a quasi-constitutional claim on Northern Ireland, which had frustrated political progress for decades.

Speaking after a 90-minute meeting with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern in Dublin, DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley said: “The Irish Government should not jeopardise the prospect for a proper constructive relationship between our two countries.

“Disturbing the present constitutional balance would be short-sighted with far-reaching, long-term consequences.”

The DUP leader said all of the parties must work towards building a relationship which is practical rather than politically-motivated.

Mr Paisley also added that he did not believe that the Independent Monitoring Commission would be in a position to give the IRA a clean bill of health in its next report that is due in January. The North Antrim MP said: “The IMC has told us that in no way will they be able to say that they can give a clean bill of health to the IRA.”

Belfast Telegraph

Parents in bone marrow search for brave Aileen

By Nigel Gould, Health Correspondent
ngould@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
19 November 2005

A desperate mum sent out an SOS from America last night to people across Northern Ireland: “Please help save my little girl’s life.”

Marie Fearon, originally from Newry but now living in Connecticut, told how her nine-year-old daughter Aileen desperately needed a bone marrow transplant.

And in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph Marie said: “I would appeal to everyone across Northern Ireland to help us. We really need a donor match. It only takes a minute to get tested.

“I really believe there is a match out there in Ireland - north or south.”

In 1999, when little Aileen was just three, she was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia - a blood deficiency, representing a failure of the cell-generating capacity of the bone marrow.

Since then her mum and dad, Mike, who was also born in Newry, have been searching all over the world for a bone marrow donor match.

They have also tried a variety of alternative treatments but nothing has been successful.

Several donor recruitment drives have also been held by family members in Northern Ireland.

And recently some 100 local people were recruited to the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow charity’s register after a special clinic in Dromintee in Co Armagh.

But still no match was found.

Now, the family are hoping this report raises Aileen’s profile to the extent that people across the province will come forward to be tested.

“The only know cure is a bone marrow transplant,” Marie said.

“We have tried other treatments but they haven’t worked.

“At the moment Aileen is having transfusions every week. But this is unpredictable.

“She is also susceptible to infection.

“But we are trying to live our lives as normal in very tough circumstances.”

If Aileen is well enough, the family will be travelling to Northern Ireland after Christmas for a holiday.

Meanwhile, the Anthony Nolan Trust said potential donors should contact the charity on 0207 284 1234 or visit www.anthonynolan.org.uk

A spokeswoman said: “The Anthony Nolan is responsible for finding suitable unrelated donors for patients who require bone marrow transplants.

“Fewer than 30% of patients who need bone marrow transplants are able to find a compatible donor within their own families.

“The rest rely on the generosity of strangers who have volunteered to donate bone marrow to anyone in need.

“The Anthony Nolan Trust saves lives thanks to over 365,000 UK residents who have volunteered to donate bone marrow to any patient in need. The Anthony Nolan maintains a database of tissue-typing results of all prospective donors. Whenever a patient requires a bone marrow transplant the Anthony Nolan is requested to search this database to identify potentially matched donors.”

BreakingNews.ie

19/11/2005 - 10:34:40

Detectives hunting the killers of a dissident republican in Northern Ireland want to trace three vehicles seen in the area where his body was found, it emerged today.

Martin Conlon died after being abducted by two masked men and shot in Co Armagh last week.

Police have been examining several possible motives for the murder of the 35-year-old, including one theory that he was attacked because he was gay.

They have also been checking whether he was the victim of a fall-out with former associates linked to the Real IRA.

Conlon, who lived at Railway Street, Armagh, died in hospital after being found unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds at the side of the Farnaloy Road, near the neighbouring village of Keady.

Details of three vehicles spotted in the area in the hours before his body was discovered on November 7 were released today.

The PSNI wish to speak to the drivers of:

:: A dark coloured vehicle seen on the Farnaloy Road around 1.20pm.

:: A dark coloured vehicle, possibly an Audi, seen in the Tullynawood area of Darkley, around 3.30pm.

:: A blue Vauxhall Corsa vehicle seen on the Farnaloy Road around 6pm. It is understood a woman was driving the car.

Conlon was freed from jail in the Irish Republic last year.

He had been one of six men jailed in Dublin in March 2001 after pleading guilty to training people in the use of firearms.

He was abducted while visiting a friend in Greenpark Crest off the city’s Monaghan Road.

Conlon was driven from the scene in his own car, a silver Volkswagen Passat.

His body was discovered about a mile-and-a-half from where his car was later found burnt-out.

Guardian

Friday November 18, 2005 9:46 PM
By SHAWN POGATCHNIK
Associated Press Writer

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Northern Ireland’s dominant Protestant politician discussed key problems besetting the province’s peace process Friday during a rare meeting with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.

The Rev. Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, spent about an hour in Ahern’s Government Buildings headquarters in Dublin - only his second meeting there since opening normal diplomatic relations with the Irish government last year.

Paisley for decades rejected such contact in protest of Ireland’s involvement in Northern Ireland, a predominantly Protestant part of the United Kingdom.

Paisley, 79, said his party emphasized it remained unwilling to share power with Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Army-linked party that represents most Catholics in Northern Ireland. He said Protestants didn’t believe that the IRA had fully disarmed, even though international disarmament officials announced in September that the outlawed group had done this in secret.

Despite Paisley’s hostility to Sinn Fein, the British and Irish governments remain committed to reviving a power-sharing administration led by the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein. Such power-sharing was the central goal of Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace accord of 1998, but a moderate-led coalition fell apart in 2002 amid chronic arguments over the IRA.

Both governments say they are cautiously hopeful that a report due to be published in January by an expert panel, the Independent Monitoring Commission, will confirm the IRA has ceased all activities, including bank robberies and attacks on criminal rivals.

“Depending on what the IMC says, we will expect progress to happen thereafter,'’ said Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern, who took part in Friday’s discussions.

But Paisley discounted this. He said his party had been briefed twice in recent months by the monitoring commission, and was certain it wouldn’t absolve the IRA of involvement in all activities, particularly in fuel and cigarette smuggling.

Paisley said he also pressed the Irish government on its plan to permit Northern Ireland politicians to speak as guests in Ireland’s parliament. That proposal, sought by Sinn Fein, has been blocked by Irish opposition politicians.

Paisley said granting Sinn Fein leaders speaking rights in the Dublin parliament would “jeopardize the prospect of a proper, constructive relationship between our two countries.'’

He also criticized the Irish government’s failure to extradite three IRA-linked fugitives to Colombia, where they fled convictions for training Marxist rebels in IRA weapons-making techniques. The trio resurfaced in Ireland in August, eight months after absconding on bail, but Ireland’s legal system has taken no action on Colombia’s request for extradition.

“We conveyed in the strongest possible terms that allowing these fugitives from justice to live freely within the Irish Republic is unacceptable, and Mr. Ahern must facilitate their swift extradition,'’ Paisley said.