Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bit Devine on May 22, 2013 at 4:31pm

Jim,

Most may wish to see things remain staus quo, "peaceful" and "quiet" or at least isolated occurrences that can be kept under radar. Others have an agenda, believe me.

In regards to the Weston Park Accord, it was, unfortunately, never passed in Westminster. The failure of the British government to act in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement forced the withdrawal of this legislation on 11th January 2006 by then Secretary of State Peter Hain.

That meant that they had a list of names to use as they saw fit.

In 2007, March 08, my friend, Gerry McGeough, was the first casualty of that list. He was running for office on a United Ireland platform and was picked up coming out of the polling place. He was subsequently charged and sentenced in a Diplock Court with alleged offences dating back 31 years to June 1981. Had these peace agreements been implemented as agreed between the Irish and British Governments in 2001, Gerry would never have been pursued, sentenced or incarcerated.

Diplock courts were to have been done away with and, per the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Acot 2007, were to be abolished effective July 2007. How convenient that they snagged him up in March. They said it was because he had been "in hiding" and "only recently surfaced". How does a man serve on the local council, work as an educator of children, and raise a family qualify as being either of those.

He has finally been released and is regaining his health slowly. His family is blessed to have him home. There is the shadow of rearrest, as the release was a provisional one and that is never clarified.

Marian Price was arrested three days after she attended a 1916 Easter Rising Commemoration held in Derry; one of many held by Irish republicans each year. At the event, Price held up a piece of paper for a masked man from the 32-County Sovereignty Movement as he read out a message. She was granted bail, but arrested again after she left the court on Paterson's orders. This time, the reason was based on secret information from the British intelligence services, which claims the evidence cannot be revealed due to national security concerns.

She has been before a judge and her case dismissed twice...yet she still sits in Maghaberry, her health deteriorating..in solitary confinement... She is one who will suffer because of the release of her sister's tapes being released. Marian was given a “royal pardon” in 1980 and left prison suffering from poor health back then. She has never really truly regained her health.

Marian's real transgression seems to be her critical remarks about conditions in the six Irish counties still claimed by Britain, and of the Good Friday Agreement that lead to the power-sharing arrangement between Sinn Fein and parties that support British rule in the north.

Martin Corey has spent, as of April 16 of this year,  three years in confinement at Maghaberry...there have never been any charges levied, he has not been interviewed or had anything explained to him. I had the good fortune to meet Martin in a small cemetery outside of Lurgan in 2009. He was good natured and took the time to tell me some of the stories related to the names on the headstones. Less than a year later, He was taken in to custody. It was stated he broke the terms of his Life Licence release. When his solicitor requested to know what Martin was alleged to have done, he was told it a matter of National Security and the subject of closed file information.

On Monday, the 9th of July, 2012, a High Court judge, Justice Seamus Tracy, who has a background in the European Human Rights Courts, ordered Martin’s immediate release, stating that his Human Rights had been breached under sections 4 and 5 of the European Human Rights act and that there were no charges for which he should answer. Martin exited the court a free man, or so he thought, as he stepped towards his family and friends, he was told that the then current Secretary of State, Owen Patterson, had overruled the High Court judge and blocked Martin's release.

What these three people had in common was that they were on the Weston Park Accord list. Amazing coincidence don't you think? They also believe in and are willing to be a voice for a United Ireland. Isn't that what we all want? Well most all of us, anyways

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Curley on May 22, 2013 at 6:47pm

"Well most all of us, anyways."

Is that a shot across my bow?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bit Devine on May 23, 2013 at 1:15am

No, mo chara, not at all.... 

There are still loyalists in Northern Ireland after all.... and they don't mind being held hostage for well over 600 years...in fact they don't think they are

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page