PART 2 > SINN FEIN - IRISH NEWS ROUND-UP > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Sinn Fein TD to support motion of no confidence > > Sinn Fein TD Caoimhghin O Caolain has signed the motion of no > confidence to be moved against the Dublin coalition government. > He said that despite a satisfactory record on the peace process, > the government had "lost political cohesion and > political credibility in the Dail and in the country". > > Deputy O Caolain said he was supporting the motion because > "three years into its terms of office, this government has failed > on a range of key issues" and had lost political cohesion. > > He said the government's failure on vital issues such as the > housing crisis and the health service has been compounded by "a > series of gross political misjudgments". These included the > appointment of controversy-plagued judge Hugh O'Flaherty to the > European Investment Bank and a potentially prejudicial statement > by Tanaiste [Deputy Prime Minister] Mary Harney which forced the > postponement of the trial of disgraced former Taoiseach Charles > Haughey on corruption-related charges. > > In the case of the O'Flaherty appointment, he said people > throughout the country were "justifiably angry" at the > appointment itself and at the "arrogant persistence of the > government in proceeding with it despite clear opposition from > the public" and public representatives. > > He said: "I support the motion of no confidence on the basis of > the record of the government on critical issues during the past > three years. I see no evidence that the government can reverse > these failures in its remaining time in office. The issues > include: The growing housing crisis; The intolerable situation in > our health service with staffing shortages and hospital waiting > lists; Inequality in education; The decision to join NATO's > 'Partnership for Peace' without a referendum as promised by the > Taoiseach. > > Mr O Caolain said he voted for Mr Ahern as Taoiseach in 1997 > "solely on the basis of his and his party's positive disposition > towards a genuine and inclusive peace process. > > "At that time we were attempting to rebuild a shattered peace > process. In broad terms, my disappointments and continuing > concerns aside, I must record satisfaction with the Government's > record on the peace process and with the focused approach of the > Taoiseach and of Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen, whose > positive role is acknowledged and appreciated." > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Fears heightened after gun find > > The fears of nationalist residents in North Belfast have > heightened after a man was charged today [Wednesday] with > possessing a sub machine gun and 1,500 rounds of ammunition. > > The man John Lendrun, was arrested on Monday evening 26 June at > Halliday's Road in North Belfast near the Loyalists Tigers Bay. > > In the past week the area around the Halliday's Road/Limestone > Road junction has been tense. After the UDA issued it's threat to > nationalists last Tuesday 20 June local UDA members draped a UFF > flag on the gable of a derelict house at the end of Halliday's > Road. > > The houses on the other side are Catholic and across the road is > Parkside, a small Catholic enclave. > > In the past years there have been constant attacks on Catholics > living in the area and as recently as last week cars belonging to > Catholic residents were attacked, with their windscreens being > smashed in. > > In one case a woman who was driving along Limestone Road had the > windows in her car bricked almost causing her to loose control. > > Although the attacks on the nationalist homes in the area > increase during the run up to the marching season the fact of > life for nationalists in the area, which is vulnerable given it's > proximity to the UDA stronghold of Tigers Bay, is that they are > constantly targeted. > > Indeed last Christmas day the RUC had a landrover parked in the > area to protest nationalists from loyalist attacked. > > As residents believe the UDA is behind the planning of the > campaign of intimidation against them the news that a gun and > ammunition was found at the main flash point corner of Halliday's > road and Limestone Road has added to their fears for the marching > season. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Planning tribunal for Galway? > > -------------------------------------------------------------- > A small box advert in The Connaught Tribune and in the Galway > Advertiser last week brought about 20 interested citizens to a > city centre venue on Monday evening, 19 June, to discuss the > question of planning and related matters in Galway. Eoghan Mac > Cormaic went along. > -------------------------------------------------------------- > > 'We are here this evening to ask two simple questions' announced > Thomas Glavey Junior at the beginning of the meeting last Monday > in Richardson's Hotel in Galway: 'Have you been unfairly treated > by the planning authorities?' and 'Would you like to see Justice > Flood coming to Galway?' You could feel the tension in the room. > > Tom Glavey Senior was the cause of it all. A couple of years ago, > he decided to build a kitchen extension at the rear of a house he > owned in a Galway estate called Riverside. Built on reclaimed > land on the site of the old city dump, Riverside was at one time > a well off suburban setting but with the progress that Galway is > experiencing, the town has long moved beyond it. Many homeowners > were replaced with tenants; students, nurses, workers from the > nearby factories and the many building sites. > > Vacant land, 50 or 60 feet yards below the estate was earmarked > as an industrial estate and from the brow of their hill the > Riversiders watched the pile drivers pounding away below them, > and felt the tremors running up through their not so substantial > foundations. > > Cracks appeared on the social and physical fabric of the area. As > the cracks climbed up the walls the prices tumbled down and > properties were being sold off - to developers - at half the > market value. The lower end of Riverside, upwardly mobile once, > was now quite literally downwardly mobile as owners like Tom > Glavey wondered would their homes slide down the banking into the > industrial estate. With no requirement for planning approval for > the single-storey extension he envisaged, Tom began building. The > cracks were racing up the walls as fast as the extension was > rising and Tom looked about for a solution. He saw one a few > doors down the street - a two-storey extension, and so, he > followed suit. Without planning approval. > > With the building successfully shored up and with a smart new > kitchen and bedroom to his house, Tom Glavey lodged his > application for retention, was duly turned down, and as expected > appealed the decision. Unfortunately, he neglected to include > #100 with his appeal - not as you might suspect ,a tiny bribe, > but the standard fee. His appeal came back, he relodged it and > included the cheque but as ill luck would have it, he was a day > late. The appeal was rejected. > > Galway Corporation sought to have the extension demolished and so > it went to court. Over 18 months of legal tangles the Corpo, and > the Judge in the case, were determined to have the building > levelled. In May of this year the worst case scenario arrived > when, five weeks into a six-week stay, Tom Glavey was arrested > and bundled off to Castlerea prison for contempt of the order to > knock the building. He was there for the next six days, on hunger > strike, before finally agreeing in court to demolish the building > by 11 July and thus purge his contempt. > > Back on the outside, the Glavey family began reflecting on their > plight. They could not believe that justice was being done. They > accept that they had an unapproved building, but in a city like > Galway that seems to be nothing new. All around them retention > orders were being granted, with planning laws flouted and bent, > it seemed. And not a sinner in prison as a result, except Tom. > > They are not stupid people, these Glaveys. They suspect, but > can't yet prove, that all is not as it should be in the > procedures. Tom thinks that "the remedies offered via 'appeals' > are actually worse than the initial problem". He thinks too, that > it is bizarre that the appeal into a decision taken is often made > to the same organisation which made the decision in the first > place. He wonders how the small man or woman can end up in prison > over a kitchen extension, while retention orders seem to be the > cement binding large developments together. > > He won't accuse anyone of corruption. Yet. He asks, however, if > it might not have worked out a lot cheaper on him, with his > spiralling legal costs, his loss of liberty, and the looming > demolition of his kitchen; if he had slipped some willing hand an > adequately stuffed brown envelope, paper bag or shoe box and had > taken his chances that way. > > The meeting agreed. In fact, the audience at the meeting seemed > to know of numerous dodgy decisions made in respect of planning > in the City of the Tribes, so much so that if half of what they > alleged be true, the place will soon be renamed the City of the > Bribes. > > The Glaveys were given some support at the meeting and, no doubt, > met others in similar circumstances to their own, powerless in > overturning decisions, shocked at the scale of allegations, angry > and demanding that something be done to make the system fairer > and transparent. > > They are going to invite Flood to visit Galway and unearth what > he can. That small 'box ad' might be just what Galway needed and > might spell the death of what is obviously a much reviled system. > As the death notices used to say years ago, 'other papers please > copy'. The Flood Tribunal could soon be sitting in a courtroom > near you. > > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > > > >>>>>> Analysis: Robert's worth too much to let this go > > By Diane Hamill > > A new book by leading academic Bill Rolston focuses on 23 cases > of state involvement in killings associated with the conflict in > Northern Ireland. The stories are told by people - mostly > relatives - who have campaigned over the killings. Today we are > printing an extract from the book, Unfinished Business: State > Killings and the Quest for Truth. Diane Hamill tells the moving > story of the death of her brother, Robert, in Portadown three > years ago, and of the campaign for justice which continues to > this day > > IT was the 27th April 1997. I was working up in a nursing home in > Carnlough and I had my mummy and my brother John up staying with > me. It was lovely up there in the countryside. I was working > nights and about six o'clock in the morning, mummy came to the > nursing home and said Robert had been hurt. I thought it couldn't > be our Robert, for our Robert was over six foot and well-built. > > She said: "Diane, there were 30 of them and the police just stood > there and let it happen." > > What had happened was, about half one that morning, he was making > his way back from St Patrick's Hall in the centre of the town > with my cousins Joanne and Siobhan and Siobhan's husband Gregory, > they had to go through the centre of Portadown. They had phoned > for a taxi but there were no taxis. As they came down to a > junction they could see there were a couple of lads hanging > about, but they could see there was an RUC Land Rover parked at > the top of the street so they felt safe to go on ahead. > > As they got to the junction, the boys were attacked. The police > have told us the figures range from 40 to 50 of them, male and > female. So they pulled the boys and beat the boys, they > concentrated on Robert for some reason. We were hoping that he > was knocked out with the first blow for they beat him around the > head. > > The police didn't get out of the vehicle. People coming out of > Catholic pubs some two hundred yards away tried to get the boys > away from them and still the cops stayed in the vehicle. One of > the fellows actually came out of the pub and opened the door of > the Land Rover and pulled one of the cops out and said: "You sat > and watched this happening." > > The cop got back into the jeep again. I don't know how long the > attack actually lasted for, but I know that the crowd got fed up. > They stood in a circle around Robert as he lay on the ground. I > think he lay with his chin to his chest, not getting any oxygen. > The ambulance came, I don't honestly know how long after, but > that was the first first-aid he got. > > At that point the cops got out because they saw the ambulances > coming, I think one of them approached Siobhan and said: "Turn > him on his side."Siobhan hadn't a clue what to do. > > The cops never even fired a bullet in the air, they never did > anything. We found out later, about 10 minutes after Robert went > down the road, a fellow had come out of the same club and seen > the crowd. He approached the RUC vehicle and said: "They are > coming out of St Patrick's Hall and there is a crowd here. You > had better watch out." > > They never came up the road to stop people coming down. What > scares me most is that those people, 30 or 40 of them, knew they > would get away with doing something within 15 yards of the > police. Robert was taken to Craigavon hospital and the CT scan > wasn't working so they had to rush him down to the Royal. > > He went to the Royal on the Sunday morning and they did a brain > scan on him and told us it was clear. We thought he was going to > be okay. They were reducing all his drugs. They were expecting > him to come round anytime. We were going to get a camera and take > a photo of him just to show him what he had put us through. > > As the hours went on, you could see him starting to come round a > bit. You could see his fingers and feet starting to move a bit. > But by three o'clock that afternoon he hadn't woke up and he > should have woke up. On the Monday I was talking to one of the > nurses. Robert would get really agitated and he would thrash > around. He wasn't opening his eyes but he was semi-conscious. I > kept saying to that nurse: "Why isn't he waking up?" She said to > me: "Did you ever consider how long he was lying on the ground > without oxygen?" > > Then it clicked with me, they thought he was brain damaged. On > the Tuesday morning they moved him out of intensive care. They > thought that because Robert could breathe, he didn't need > intensive care. They moved him up to the neurological ward and > basically there he suffered immensely for ten days in extreme > pain. > > It was like he knew he was caught in this body and couldn't get > out of it. Our Robert was such a big, lively fellow. He took no > orders, he was quite assertive. To see him lying there knowing he > couldn't get out of it! Each day we thought he was getting better > and the doctors told us he was off the critical list, he wasn't > going to die. But they didn't know whether he would regain full > ability or whether he would stay the way he was. We were prepared > for all that. > > Twelve days after he was hurt, I decided I would go back to work > and that was the Thursday. > > There were some of us with him all of the time. Daddy had stayed > with him on Wednesday night and I couldn't get away until four > and I was going to take mummy over on the way home from work. As > were walking into the ward about four o'clock, I could see there > was an emergency trolley beside his bed and I tried to speed up, > but I didn't want to scare the heart out of mummy. I thought it > couldn't be him. There was an old man across from him who had > been sick and I thought he had died. > > People had been in that ward a long time and the relatives get to > know each other. A woman came out and said, "Don't go down there, > love." I went round and there was doctor standing there. Robert > had literally just died. > > I think the nurses came in to change the sheets because he > perspired so much from thrashing around and he had arrested. They > tried to resuscitate him but he died. That was the Thursday the > eighth of May. He was buried on Sunday. In their first coverage > the newspapers picked up the police statements.Then gradually > over the days their statements changed because we were talking to > the newspapers and giving our side of what happened. > > The girls actually gave a statement to the Irish News before > Robert died and told how the police had stayed there. So the RUC > had to change their story. The very last statement they released > said it was an unprovoked sectarian attack. After Robert died, > the media were down in our house the next morning. They wanted > daddy to talk and he wasn't going to do it, but we wanted to get > the story across. > > Other people might have told them to clear off, but I knew from > the day Robert was hurt that if you wanted to get anything done, > you had to use these people like they use us. Daddy sat down and > I just jumped in beside him in case he broke down. I remember him > telling them they jumped on his head. I just thought about the > police not helping him and I thought, "You pigs, you aren't > getting away with this". > > So I went to Rosemary Nelson and she was for us straight away. > She just knew straight away what to do. They can't deny the fact > that they were there and that he was attacked fifteen yards away > from where they were and that they didn't do anything at all. > > All they had to do was stick one arm out of the jeep and fire a > bullet in the air. They had no excuse whatsoever. We started to > gather petitions to get the officers suspended, for they weren't > even suspended. Over a few weeks we collected 20,000 signatures, > we could have got a lot more if we had gone berserk on it, but I > thought twenty thousand was enough. > > We met Mo Mowlam a couple of times, she never did anything. The > officers were never suspended. I think they were out on the sick > for some time. We got this anonymous call - we believe it was a > police officer. He gave us the names of the cops who were in the > jeep that night. He told us the officers had gone off on sick > leave. > > I had never had any dealing with the cops. I didn't know how > malicious they could be, how they could trick and twist. But > within days of Robert's attack, I knew they couldn't be trusted > at all. We had asked about video evidence for there are four > banks and building societies around the junction where he as > attacked. They told us there was nothing, only the vehicle on one > of them. I don't actually know where the video evidence is. > > They waited so long before they arrested anyone there was no > forensic evidence left. A couple of days after Robert had died, > there were six fellows lifted and charged with murder. That was > May. In October three of them were released. Then in November > they let two more go. > > They let Stacy Bridgett go. So now, when we walk round Portadown, > we bump into Stacy Bridgett regularly. There is one fellow still > in jail, Mark Hobson; he has had five different hearings. > > We had a vigil on Robert's first anniversary and they (the Irish > government) sent a representative, a senator. Brid Rodgers (SDLP) > was there, Gerry Kelly, (Sinn Fein) was there. > > A few hundred people turned up and we just moved off to the spot > where Robert was attacked, just a few of us for we knew the whole > crowd couldn't go in case of an attack. > > We stopped half way up Woodhouse Street, and just the family > carried a wreath to the spot at the top of Woodhouse Street where > Robert had been attacked. We had put flowers on the lamppost > where he had died every day for a month after he died and > everything was totally destroyed. Mummy wanted us to do it but > she was getting upset. We wanted to defy them but it was just > tearing her apart. > > We stopped that June, but it was his birthday on the twelfth of > September and we did it then, but they pulled them down again. > The sad thing about that was it was just after Diana's death and > there were flowers everywhere, but they wrecked Robert's. On the > thirteenth of July 1997, I had to go to town, myself and my > boyfriend. He had told me not to go, but me being me went ahead. > He pointed out some flowers on the pole. We thought, "Imagine > someone thinking of him now a couple of months down the line!" We > went over. There was a card stuck beside the flowers and it read, > "For the Portadown Six Heroes". That's how evil they were, > someone had actually sat down and thought of that. > > There was a white hankie there and I had no idea what it was for > until the following Sunday. We live near a loyalist area and > there was a fellow shouting over to us, pretending to pull > someone to the ground and kick their face. He was shouting, "Did > you get the white hankie to wipe your tears away? Did you'se get > it?" > > We have tried publicity, the petition and the Irish government. > Its been over a year-and-a-half and we don't seem to be getting > anywhere so we have decided on a private prosecution. We think > there is bound to be enough evidence there to prosecute everyone, > those involved, the RUC officers. > > They were duty bound to act but they didn't do it. They could > have at least protected him or helped him and I believe they > decided not to do it. They knew rightly Robert was a Catholic > because of where he was walking. We have discussed a private > prosecution with Mike Mansfield. He is going to do it for us but > he is really busy. > > It's a matter of waiting for Hobson's trial to finish and for the > DPP to decide whether there is going to be any disciplinary > action against the RUC officers. I had been watching the > television and the Stephen Lawrence case was on and I knew how > his family were feeling. We held a press conference and read out > statements about a private prosecution. We advertised for > donations in the Irish News. We opened an account and called it > The Robert Hamill Justice Fund and took out a half page advert in > the paper. > > Someone sent us a five thousand pound anonymous donation. I was > really unsure at the start of whether to do it, for a lot of > people who had started campaigns got nowhere and were really > devastated. I went to the Aidan McAnespie annual dinner in the > GAA club (in Boston). I did an article for the Boston Herald as > well while I was there. The Guardian did a really good article > for us. Jeremy Hardy writes for the Guardian as well and he has > got us good publicity. > > The Insight programme did a documentary for the TV. I was really > afraid that they would go out of their way to make the RUC look > good. I don't know how they would have done that - they would > have had to tell lies - but they were really truthful and I think > that helped the campaign. We got a lot of harassment. Daddy would > have been walking down the street and the RUC would drive by and > slow down. My brother was standing at the end of the street > talking to a couple of girls and the RUC in one of their cars > stopped and stared right at him. It is real provocation. > > One time he was standing with two of his mates and two Land > Rovers came along, just when the campaign started. Eight RUC men > got out of the Land Rovers, all dressed in riot gear at least two > of them had plastic bullet guns. > > They lined up across the street and just stared at the boys. They > were looking to aggravate them into doing something. Another time > he was just walking along a little foot bridge and they came > driving through in a Land Rover and hit him on the ankle with one > of the wheels. > > One time I was stopped at traffic lights and there were three > lanes. I was in the middle lane and the RUC were in the next > lane. As the lights turned green they pulled off and swerved out > in front of me. All the media coverage has made our faces known > in Portadown. My two young cousins were in the shopping centre a > few months back with their children. They were recognised and > chased out of the centre. > > One of the children wet herself with fear. We got a wee pup in > January and we went up the town centre to get some squeaky toys > for him. As we left the shopping centre, there was a loyalist > protest and there were about twenty of them. > > One of them recognised me and stared shouting, "You fenian > bastard? Where's Robbie now?" I phoned the police and they did > nothing. It's hard when someone did you wrong and then the people > who are supposed to do something don't do anything. > > I have been to Scotland and London to a Socialist Workers Union > rally. When we had a vigil for Robert, Monica McWilliams from the > Women's Coalition turned up there. I met a fellow who works with > Kevin McNamara and he is helping us word the parliamentary > questions to be asked, but there is nothing really much happening > at the minute. > > With these cases it so political it depends on the atmosphere at > the time whether people actually take an interest in you. There > were things that happened in Robert's case and the media say to > me, if anything happens let me know and I would let them know and > they didn't report it. > > This Patten commission which has been set up, my brother wrote to > them, but we got a letter back from an official in October (1998) > and they refused to look at it because it was sub-judice. But > it's not sub-judice for the cops haven't been charged with > anything. At a public meeting with the Patten Commission later, I > again asked for a private meeting. This time we got one. Ideally > I would like the RUC to face criminal charges. I'm a nurse and if > someone had died because of something I didn't do, I would have > been suspended straight away and an investigation would have > taken place. > > There is not another police force in the world who would get away > with this. They are the best equipped police force in Europe and > they couldn't do a thing to save our Robert's life. If we had not > stood up and said this was wrong, they would probably not have > given us as much hassle. > > They hate us for some reason. I do feel hated by the RUC. I would > never regret doing what I do. I'm glad they hate me, I want them > to hate me for then I know that I'm having an effect on them, you > know actually getting somewhere. Robert was worth too much to let > it go. > > Sometimes you get really exhausted and down and you think, oh my > God, how are you going to go on with this. But you just go on, > you have to. I think they are hoping we will just give up on this > and go away but we can't. > > All this talk of peace is good, but it makes people want to > forget what the RUC have done. That Patten commission are > supposed to investigate the RUC but they don't want to hear. How > can you learn from the past if you're not told what they have > done? > > > > > > > c. RM Distribution and others. Articles may be reprinted with credit. > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > RM Distribution > Irish Republican News and Information > http://irlnet.com/rmlist/ > > PO Box 160, Galway, Ireland Phone/Fax: (353)1-6335113 > PO Box 8630, Austin TX 78713, USA mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > > RMD1000628150241p3 >
