Tonight the Pensive Quill carries a letter from Martin Galvin that was published in the Irish News on the 15th July.
A chara,
Thirty years ago Republicans were in the midst of a Hunger Strike which would claim the lives of ten heroic patriots. This protest of last resort followed years of “naked brutality”, in which the Blanket men and Armagh women were beaten and brutalized, often during mirror searches or strip-searches.
Many supporters of the H-Block Armagh prisoners, Cardinal O’Fiaich foremost among them, did not endorse the armed campaigns of the IRA or INLA. However, they unapologetically backed these prisoners on humanitarian grounds, and pointed out that Republican political prisoners had been charged under special laws, tried before special non-jury courts, and declared guilty by Diplock judges. Even hostile commentators acknowledged that most Republican prisoners would never have been imprisoned but for the age-old struggle against British rule in Ireland.
For many of us who supported the Hunger Strikers, it is deeply troubling today to see Republican prisoners in Maghaberry made suffer the very same tactics of “naked brutality”, which the British used in their failed attempt to criminalize Brendan Hughes, Bobby Sands and their fellow Republican prisoners.
Today’s Republican prisoners and their families must take little comfort that such vicious policies may be sourced in London, but are now relayed through a compromised justice minister, jointly picked by the DUP and Sinn Fein. David Ford’s Thatcher-like cries of “no concessions” are hardly softened by the fact that Sinn Fein gifted him with the post he now uses to renege on the settlement signed and agreed last August.
How can Sinn Fein, - especially party members, who personally suffered prison beatings and wrongful convictions, - show us less interest in safeguarding Republican prisoners from brutality, than the DUP or David Ford in brutalizing them?
It must be asked, is Sinn Fein, on the same humanitarian basis as Cardinal O’Fiaich, among so many others backed the Blanket men, unwilling to halt strip-search brutality meted out to break Republican prisoners in Maghaberry? Worse, are they unable to do so, despite the Stormont posts they hold and their arrangement with Ford? Surely the legacy of the Hunger Strike and Blanket protest must come to more than this!
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Nothing as bad as poacher turned gamekeepr Martin,those who once grasped the nettle,endured the brutality and now after taking the queens pardon are quite willing to administer her writ,they took the shilling and now go about hmg businness with a willinginess that leaves former enemies in awe,and bewildered that these TORIES may become even more british than themselves,with the current revisionism going on within psf it will only be a matter of time before they employ the good old ra vs the new bad ra tatic and claim that those currently being forced to endure the horrendous conditions in Maghaberry are nothing more than common criminals opposed to the peace process,come to think about it they already have.to expect these people to react to the ever growing demand for humanitarian conditions in the prisions or demand justice for BL,when they could and should have been to the forefront of prison reform here,is expecting to much from people who are nothing more than lackeys,there will be changes to the prison system here sooner or later not because of psf but in spite of them.
ReplyDeleteThis extract referring to a potential compromise on the protests is from the Irish News on the 7th July 2011 and was discussed on sluggerotoole on the same day:
ReplyDelete"Sources say the Department of Justice agreed to the compromise in principle and the proposal was put to OFMDFM.
Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness is also believed to have agreed to the compromise.
However, it was abandoned at the last hour after Peter Robinson’s office said it would not compromise with dissident paramilitary groups in the present climate."
Looks like the veto works in predictable ways again.
Even if the authorities are politically opposed to the prisoners they could show that they can learn from history and show us all that we are not doomed to repeat it.
Simon
ReplyDeletethe 'doomed to repeat it' scenario is the tragedy.
like some USA politician remarking that 'Afghanistan history was irrelevant, history begins today'!
Pol Pot???
all those logistics, and a single brain cell seems the criteria for government.
Marty,
ReplyDeleteI have spoked to several people from Sinn Fein about the prisoners one I spoke to was a Sinn Fein MLA, they all say, they do not regard the prisoners as criminals.
They also said Sinn Fein have been proactive in trying to resolve the ongoing dispute.
There seems to be a host of contradictory opinions within the mainstream party.
One shinner who answered my comments under a alias kept referring to them as criminals, while a very high profile republican recently and in response to another comment, referred to them as republican prisoners.
There is no doubt, this issue is very sensitive and uncomfortable for Sinn Fein.
Marty,
ReplyDeleteI am probably telling you something you already know, which seems to be the story of my life.
Anyway, there is a debate organised in St Mary's college next week by the friends and family of the republican prisoners in Maghaberry. It starts at 7:30 and either begins or ends with a hunger strike exhibition.
Fionnuala,Its the old circus trick of riding two horses at once. Of for another analogy Sinn Fein speak with fork tongue.
ReplyDeleteMartin it seems as if the shinners aren't willing, nor able, to do any more than the SDLP nor Church before them. Not even to save a single man dying in a British Jail in the North.
ReplyDeleteAt least the ICJP made an attempt, unlike our former comrades who are too cosy in their puppet government to rock the boat.
And they have the neck to tell us that the sacrifice of 10 Brave Hunger Strikers paved the way for what they [and I emphasis 'they'] have now.
Sweet fuck!!
Fitt and company got the promise of more from Sunningdale...And Neither Fitt nor Hume carried the coffin of a single man or woman to an early grave to get it.
Anthony you have written long and consistently on the calousness of social workers handling of the baby P case --which is only one of countless cases of vulnerably old or young suffering years of abuse and neglect before finally succumbing to their lonley deaths.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought of Brendan Lillis's plight, and others, highlighting illtreatment in prison is that the smug git passing himself off as a Justice minister is a social worker first and formost -humane or compassion are not part of his job description --that is always someone 'elses' responsiblity.
Worse still, one wonders if David Ford might be Sinn Fein's handler on these matters after all they put him where he is??
Brendan Lillis Partner has repeatedly said that she does not want anyone with a gripe to use Brendan's name in an argument to score points or to verbally attack
ReplyDeleteother Republicans-
She wants everyone involved in the protests to get Brendan home-
most will follow her advice- just a pity that all can't- a pity that a few will go against what she want's-
I can assure you Mickeyboy I as one will attend todays vigil in Andytown purely on the grounds that as a republican I detest the treatment meted out to republican prisoners of war,and the continued unnecessarry incararceration of BL, but to attend the vigil without a gripe, at the less than useless attempts by a few within psf to give voice to BL,s condition is asking to much a cara, the silence of the leadership of psf i.e, Adams /Mc Guinness is deafening and to be truthfull it makes me as a republican angry ,
ReplyDeletemichaelhenry
ReplyDeleteAnyone with a loose connection with the politics of Ireland will know that the death of a political prisoner (or likley hostage in BL's case given the fact of his imprisonment) is a highly emotive issue.
I am not a dissident, I have no respect for their use of violence, but I equally cannot ignore the fact that Sinn Fein endorsed David Ford to represent them as their choice of Justice Minister. It could be said that David Ford is acting in their name --Sinn Fein have not withdrawn their support for Ford.
I appreciate the reasons why there should be a unified opposition to Ford on this matter from all political persuasions and none but there are obvious limitations on that.
When the "dissidents" make inroads in gathering support in America, when one of those organizations goes on a full-tilt bombing campaign, when the enemies of the west take notice as Libya once did, the chickens will have come home to roost. When that day comes there won't be a big enough fox to police that henhouse. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
ReplyDeleteTiarna,
ReplyDeleteWhile extremely reluctant to put all social workers in the same basket as the Baby P people I thought your characterisation of the British micro minister Ford was apt. He is there because of SF amongst other factors. But their inability or unwillingness to do what it takes exposes the limitations of the strategy they heralded as the mould breaker of Northern politics.
Marty,
There will be anger at SF for the very reason that the struggle was supposed to bring an end to Brit ministers maltreating republican prisoners. It has not happened. It turned SF into Brit ministers and the maltreatment of prisoners continues.
So very true Anthony.
ReplyDelete