In a recent platform piece (December 23) on dealing with legacy issues Martin McGuinness sets out very clearly how the British government cannot be trusted to deal with these matters without some ‘international dimension’ to ensure that British ‘national security’ is not used to prevent the disclosure of all relevant information to the families of those killed during the long ‘dirty war’, which is now referred to by those settled in Stormont as ‘the conflict’.
He goes on to correctly point out that the British government were happy to accept an ‘international dimension’ in “...putting weapons beyond use, the monitoring of ceasefires, devising key principles and the chairing of key negotiations”. Absent, notably, from the list was the same international involvement in recovering most of the bodies of the ‘disappeared’. It could not have escaped the notice of such an experienced politician that the output of all of the above mentioned processes was to have furthered the British writ in the six counties, portraying them as ‘mere honest brokers’. The thought that they may acquiesce in some meaningful international oversight into how they played a pro-active role in the murder of so many people and then covered up that role, is indeed fanciful. The British government will use every strategy, from so-called ‘national security’ to parliamentary supremacy to delay and frustrate the victims’ search for truth and justice.
Similarly, they will not allow any international scrutiny of their ‘right’ to be here in the first place. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 allows the British secretary of state, through a six-county border poll, to deny the Irish peoples’ right to democracy and self-determination. New Sinn Féin continue to show only unequivocal support for this legislative dictatorship. It is impossible to understand how any political party is content to vest all our political futures in a sole member of a government who they proclaim is not to be trusted to deal with the past.
P NUGENT
Galbally, Co Tyrone
Prison’s isolation policy based on ‘threats’ should be stopped
Almost five years ago Gavin Coyle was arrested an imprisoned in Maghaberry Jail. From that date Gavin has been held in isolation on the ironically named ‘care and supervision unit’ – a euphemism for the punishment block. The block was described in November 2015 HMIP/CJINI report as ‘old and shabby’ with cells being ‘in a poor state of disrepair’ and the environment as being ‘oppressive’. The report further stated that ‘prisoners remained locked in their cells for at least 22 hours each day’ in a regime which is ‘too basic’.
This is a prison unit which was not designed for long-term habitation and it is used to hold the most disruptive, violent and uncontrollable individuals within the prison system.
Gavin is constantly subjected to a transient population comprised of individuals who are drug-crazed, screaming and beating doors and walls. He has been directly threatened on a number of occasions – being told he and his family will be targeted. The basis on which Gavin has been held in isolation is the falsified existence of a threat against him on the republican wing. Republican prisoners have made clear since Gavin’s arrest that he should be brought to Roe 4.
This has been underlined by protests and demonstrations on his behalf by republicans outside and by a 48-hour fast held in 2014 by all republican prisoners for Gavin’s immediate transfer. All of those who have spoken to republican prisoners regarding
Gavin’s isolation have agreed privately that they know there is no threat, even members of the jail administration have conceded as much. Despite all of this, the NIO/MI5 has continued to claim that a threat exists against Gavin.
This isolation policy based on ‘threats’ has been used before and its sole aim is to psychologically torment and break republican prisoners. Evidence of this, if needed, may be seen in the sworn affidavit of a prisoner held in similar circumstances who stated that an MI5 agent told him during an approach that... “he could take me out of the jail at any time he wanted and make it look like I was an informant. They told me that they were opposed to my moving to the republican wing”. It is clear that Theresa Villiers and the NIO/MI5 should discontinue this inhumane and archaic policy of isolation, and it must be reiterated once more that Gavin should be brought to the republican wing.
NATHAN HASTINGS
Maghaberry Jail
Disdain for cultural identity
There has been a muted response from the Irish government and media to the announcement that First Minister Arlene Foster has vowed she will not be associated with anything to do with marking the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising. It was my understanding that the post of First Minister was to represent all the people of the north and to behave in a way conducive to promoting good community relations and equality of treatment. Is Ms Foster not in breach of her ministerial code by showing such disdain for the cultural and political identity of more than 40 per cent of the electorate of Northern Ireland?
If it was the case that the Irish government and Northern nationalist political representatives proposed to boycott the Somme commemorations, the unionist lobby on both sides of the border along with the media would be scathing in their criticism. The commitment to parity of esteem, equality, partnership, and respect for the historical traditions of all, as mandated in the Belfast Agreement, is in danger of becoming a one way street.
Tom Cooper
Irish National Congress
Dublin 7
Message in a ballot
Patrick Dempsey (January 7) correctly articulates the dilemma facing countless thousands of northern Catholic voters in the forthcoming May assembly elections.
They cannot vote for Sinn Féin because to do so would mean sharing in the sin of abortion, which Sinn Féin supports and promotes. Likewise, to vote for the SDLP would involve supporting their promotion of same-sex marriage.
Unless Catholics can find suitable independent candidates to vote for, we suggest that they either refuse to vote or, better still, spoil their ballot by writing their objections on it.
Rest assured that those parties who rely on the Catholic vote to get themselves on the gravy train that is Stormont will soon get the message and change their policies accordingly.
CATHERINE SEWELL
St Joseph’s Pro-Life Group Dungannon, Co Tyrone
Perfidious Cameron
Why is David Cameron killing one fossil fuel industry to start potentially a much more hazardous one?
He has said he wants to exploit British Shale reserves so we are less reliant on other nations’ fossil fuel imports.
David Cameron has stated that Shale will not lower UK household gas prices.
Shale has a higher carbon footprint than coal after taking into consideration its full life cycle journey.
Shale also creates a staggering amount of waste, mainly from produced waters.
The Tory government’s decision to go all out for Shale while helping to kill off the coal industry in Britain for good is staggering. It is estimated that there are 2,400 million of tonnes of coal reserves left underground with skilled men and infrastructure to boot.
The coal reserves should be used to move us towards a clean, carbon-free future.
It seems to me the Shale revolution is about cashing in for the select few and not for the best interests of the British people.
M CAIRNS
Belfast BT15
