Comments on The Pensive Quill: Screws Beating Brian Shivers

Convictions of McConville and Wootten Unsafe: ILDC

Alec, monitors in court. This DNA evidence is hig...

2012-03-11T19:21:10.294Z

Alec,

monitors in court. This DNA evidence is highly suspicious. Keep it in the public eye and make it as rigorous as possible. If the judiciary is to convict people then make sure the bar is very high and that it is made as difficult as possible for it to revert to form. We know the type of injustices that occur when we have a judiciary that has no ethics - Birmingham, Guildford, M62

I know you are right, Mackers. I fear the worst fo...

2012-03-11T16:28:20.671Z

I know you are right, Mackers. I fear the worst for Brian if he fails in his appeal. Of Course, we will do all in our power to build a campaign to secure his release but it will be an uphill battle due to the nature of the charges. In a proper court of law he would not hve been convicted on the available evidence, however,taking in to account the nature of the diplock system and the pressure to get a conviction, it was heavily weighted against him. The fate of Paul Kinsella is a terrible prospect for Brian.

Those bastards who are intent on creating as much ...

2012-03-11T12:41:39.515Z

Those bastards who are intent on creating as much pain and misery in the lives of republican prisoners,will no doubt receive a massive payoff then claim that their backs are severely injured by protesting republican prisoners and get dla,then when they have set up their holiday homes , guess who,s back to work doing what they do best?anyboby want to bet thats not what will happen.?

Alec, the politics of it will allow pressure to b...

2012-03-10T09:04:02.263Z

Alec,

the politics of it will allow pressure to be mounted against any decision to release him on compassionate grounds. Apparently humanitarian intervention is about bombing Libyan civilians. The unsafe conviction is probably his best bet. And as we remember, when they are vindictive they will take it right to the end. Pol Kinsella and John Hanna were conflict prisoners that they allowed to die in the jails. At a time, too, when it was clear that the armed conflict was coming to an end

testing 1/2....(just testing to see if i can post ...

2012-03-09T20:31:28.823Z

testing 1/2....(just testing to see if i can post comments

Mackers, I think you have it spot on. And if they...

2012-03-09T14:02:36.584Z

Mackers,

I think you have it spot on. And if they do release him it will be all of five minutes before he takes his last breath.

Marty, I am glad Raymond didn’t dispute the statu...

2012-03-09T13:37:18.371Z

Marty,

I am glad Raymond didn’t dispute the status of political prisoner even if he stumbled. You could see them drop that stance once people serving times for what the Provos did are released; Gerry McGeough for example. They will feel freer then to level the ODC charge. Also, implicit in what Raymond says is that political prisoners are still with us so too is political policing.

Rory,

in the context of what you say it is instructive on how Brian Halpin was treated within SF for highlighting the Gerry McGeough case.

Alex,

I think he will need to win the appeal. These people will not release him on medical grounds. They are not going to be routed as they were on the Brendan Lillis case. They will find it much easier to stand over their decision on this one. The unionists will howl blue murder and the nationalists will be milder than lukewarm.

Disgusting nothing but the same from those bigote...

2012-03-09T11:45:26.731Z

Disgusting nothing but the same from those bigoted thugs, these boys intend to have as much fun abusing their charges before they take their golden handshakes,instead of facing the boot and charged with inhuman and degrading treatment, Raymond Mc Cartney was asked on tv last night if he thought that those men now on the dirty protest should be treated as political prisoners,he had to be asked twice before he said yes they should,now it is time he told those in charge of his party that and its time even at this late stage for qsf to throw its not inconsiderable weight into getting some justice and respect for the republican prisoners,we were at a well attended meeting in Conway Mill last light in support of Marian Price,representatives of a number of political and community organisations pledged support for the campaign to free Marian, qsf,s reps Austin and Jennifer McCann remained firmly seated,and quiet!

in the not too distant future we will all come to ...

2012-03-09T11:39:49.100Z

in the not too distant future we will all come to know the name Brian Shivers. Suffering from a life threatening condition, with a life expectancy of 4 to 5 years, he will become the focus of a major humantarian campaign to secure his release. His only hope is to see his appeal expedited and his conviction overturned, or else, be pardoned on medical grounds.

Anthony, I can't say for sure so keen to main...

2012-03-09T11:22:43.452Z

Anthony,

I can't say for sure so keen to maintain the silence, but I can't help thinking that there are two large political parties down here who describe themselves as republican.

Both have a vested interest in maintaining the belief that all to good in the North since the peace process got going.

The two government parties make no secret of their hatred of republicans.

Itsjustmacker, A sorry lot in the Felons Club. ...

2012-03-09T06:48:20.950Z

Itsjustmacker,

A sorry lot in the Felons Club.

Alec,

If anybody calls that gang working men they may as well call the judiciary workers in wigs

Rory,

That’s an interesting point – a greater need down here to suppress information about Maghaberry brutality. I thought it was just the general indifference and arms length approach. Something to think about.

This is unacceptable. Whatever about the six count...

2012-03-09T00:37:00.438Z

This is unacceptable. Whatever about the six counties, there is a wall of silence on the conditions in Maghaberry in the twenty six.

Any posters I put up supporting the prisoners are removed almost immediately, whereas other posters I put up about issues that effect the south seem to survive much longer.

I would like to know who is so keen to keep the public in the dark on the P.O.W's situation.

Maghaberry is almost never mentioned in the southern media. After a long and hard campaign last year Brendan Lillis' plight got a few column inches in the days before his release, but I very rarely see or hear mention of Marion Price, Jerry McGeough and the rest.

An attack on Brian Shivers was only a matter of ti...

2012-03-09T00:16:12.461Z

An attack on Brian Shivers was only a matter of time. That it occurred as quickly as it did, on his first visit to an outside hospital, only goes to show the uncontrollable hatred of Republicans felt by many screws. Putting themselves in the role of public avengers these bigoted individuals have enjoyed a free hand within the system for many years. Any Republican prisoner can attest to the brutality of the POA going right back to the early days. Beatings, forced baths, mirror searches, strip searches, wing shifts; every foul method has been employed to degrade, humiliate and demoralise political prisoners. To describe them as working men and trade unionists is to miss the point entirely. Screws chose the combatants role and paid a price for it. Hopefully, there will be a time in the future when those given a duty of care over prisoners will act as proper human beings.

Screws Beating republican P.O.W's, now I am Re...

2012-03-08T22:29:10.883Z

Screws Beating republican P.O.W's, now I am Refering to The Kesh, But now we are back to the old british ruling diplock judiciary courts and Ulster Protestant Screws and psni/R.U.C, thuggery, and they think they are men?, are they hell, beating up a defenceless Terminally ill Republican P.O.W "Brian Shivers". Were is the Auld Shinners and their followers in the Felons club Now?, call yourselves Republicans?, Nothing but a bunch of British Puppets. Get off your Pints and get outside Maghaberry to show your support for those P.O.W's incarcerated and tortured within, and, the way things are going at the moment, the rest of PSF will be looking for seats in Dail Eireann as a face saving exercise.
Thanks for posting this Anthony, also thank you to Mandy Duffy. PRO, Family and Friends of Republican Prisoners Maghaberry.