Léargas

The Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle today met to discuss the agreement reached at Stormont on Tuesday December 23 rd . There was an informed discussion. The Ard Chomhairle recognised that progress has been made in defending the most vulnerable against the Tory welfare and budget cuts. It also recognised that progress has been made with regard to the issues of flags, the past and parading. When Agreement was finally reached I acknowledged at the time that there was more to do at a community, political and national level to resolve these matters. Sinn Féin representatives have consistently recorded our concern that the governments have failed to deliver on their outstanding commitments including a Bill of Rights, Acht na Gaeilge, and an inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane and other outstanding matters. The British government specifically refused to implement a number of outstanding commitments and the Irish Government representatives accepted this. However, the recent talks al...

Invariably the British government likes to spin that its role is that of a facilitator – a neutral chair trying to persuade the obstinate northern parties to see sense and agree a deal. There is a pattern to all of the negotiations that have taken place since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. It’s almost like a complicated dance with some of the participants desperate to demonstrate how good they are at fancy footwork. But David Cameron is no Bruce Forsythe. Au Contraire. His government is a key participant and has the greater role to play. It claims jurisdiction over this part of the island of Ireland. Its political strategies and self-interest over the centuries created the conditions for conflict and division. Its armed forces were one of the combatant groups. Its Parliament passed a succession of repressive laws over three decades – often in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights – to protect its forces from legal challenge and to control and contain the confli...

  Niall Vallely died on Sunday. His funeral took place in Newry this morning and I was asked to give a eulogy during the mass which I was honoured to do. Below are my remarks:   Niall Vallely – an idealist, an activist, a family man, a musician Bhí idir iontas agus bhrón mór orm nuair a tháinig scéala chugam fá bhás Niall. Ba mhaith liom mo chomhbhrón a dhéanamh le teaglach Vallely ag an uair millteanach brónach i saol bhur gclann. Is mór an ónór domhsa a bheith ag caint faoi Niall inniu. He had a special place in his heart for his ‘three girls,’ Saoirse, Maebh and Roisin. And I am sure you will all miss him enormously. Niall was full of craic and fun and life. He had a boundless energy; an openness and warmth that made him instantly likeable. And he loved politics. And in so many campaigns over the years he was an activist; handing out leaflets, talking to people on the doorstep or outside the shopping centre, writing letters to the newspapers, arti...