Comments on The Pensive Quill: Dáil Questions

The Justice for Marian Price Campaign call on all ...

2013-02-27T18:33:11.247Z

The Justice for Marian Price Campaign call on all concerned with the blatant abuse of Human Rights in the case of this gravely ill woman
to attend the rally in Coalisland on International Women's Day the 8th
March. The rally will be held at the Civil Rights Monument, Main Street commencing at 7.30pm. Marian has been interned in solitary confinement for almost two years and will spend her second Mother's Day and International Women's Day held in an isolated hospital unit. This outrage must be ended and ended now. We have to show our solidarity with Marian and shout with one loud united voice FREE MARIAN PRICE NOW. Following the rally the Free
Marian Group in Coalisland will also hold an exhibition to pay tribute to
all those women who suffered injustice, degradation and denigration as republican prisoners. For people travelling to Coalisland from Belfast a bus will leave Conway Mill at 6pm.

A MESSAGE FROM JERRY McGLINCHEY, MARIAN PRICE’S HU...

2013-02-26T21:53:04.845Z

A MESSAGE FROM JERRY McGLINCHEY, MARIAN PRICE’S HUSBAND

Marian and I and our families are delighted that you have made 'Justice For Marian' a theme for your parade today.

We are very much heartened by all who continue to work for her release.
As you are aware her health has deteriorated greatly during the now almosttwo years of isolated imprisonment.

Once again we thank you for your support and prayers: FREE MARIAN NOW !

Jerry McGlinchey

From Sandy Boyer: There will be a Marian Price co...

2013-02-26T08:37:08.272Z

From Sandy Boyer:

There will be a Marian Price contingent in the Sunnyside, Queens, NY "St.Pat's for All" parade on Sunday March 3.

This is urgent because Marian's parole hearing will stat on Friday. At least in the short term, this may be Marian's only chance to be free.

We will assemble at 12:30 at 47 Street and Skillman Avenue.

We will have a "Free Marian Price" banner and we can distribute messages
from Jerry McGlinchey, Marian's husband and Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.

Mass Transit Directions:

#7 Subway - Take to 46th Street and Bliss Street. Walk to 47th Street and
Skillman Ave.

Alternate Subway/Bus routes:
Take the R Subway to 46th Street (exit near intersection of 46th Street and Broadway) and transfer to the Q104 bus heading to Sunnyside. Get off at 48th Street and Skillman Ave. Walk to 47th Street (and Skillman Ave.). Or, take the E or F trains to Jackson Heights 74th Ave/Roosevelt, then take the Q32 bus to 58th St. and Skillman Ave, then walk to 47th St (and Skillman Ave.)Like
· · F

Michael Henry, so giving over our national territo...

2013-02-25T10:16:52.137Z

Michael Henry, so giving over our national territory claim to a wishy-washy, happy-clappy 'entitlement' issue that was put in place to appease unionism was a positive move?

Can you elaborate on this?

Also, I find your comments about my understanding this quite patronising - particularly coming from you.

I voted NO in the GFA for this very reason and didnt take the vote lightly. You can bet your bottom dollar I knew I understood it before I cast my vote.

Michaelhenry, this sounds so much like vacuous wa...

2013-02-25T08:34:29.824Z

Michaelhenry,

this sounds so much like vacuous waffle. Surely a better defence of the GFA can be made than this. I have heard opponents of the GFA make a more robust case for the merits of the GFA than what you have put.

The sole purpose of neutering 2 & 3 was to allay unionist suspicions not to advance nationalism or republicanism. Neither keeping them nor getting rid of them meant anything in terms of substance on the constitutional position of the NI state. The consent principle/unionist veto was now elevated to a pantheon all on its own emblazoned in neon lights and under no threat from a competing territorial claim(even though few of us doubted it had not already been firmly embedded).

The Government of Ireland Act meant nothing by the time it was replaced. It was an aid to the British case and did nothing for the nationalist one. It allowed the British to merely restate the terms on which they would leave (with majority consent in the North) Ireland while freeing them of the charge that they had some claim to the place that existed independent of the majority in the North.

Belfast Bookworm- They are positive to me because...

2013-02-24T23:57:43.385Z

Belfast Bookworm-

They are positive to me because they are part of the GFA-the old versions were out-dated and had the
whiff of 26 county political partys about them- At least you admit to knowing that Articals 2 and 3 are still about-you would be surprised by the number of people who never read pages three and four of the GFA- [ or pretend they never read them ] did you like when the 1920 goverment of Ireland
act was removed-and all the acts that pre-dated that one-[page 3 also ]go on-say you had a few beers when you read that-i raised a glass to every man- woman- boy- girl who fought for Ireland-

Michael Henry; you talk about the 1999 versions of...

2013-02-24T22:27:56.258Z

Michael Henry; you talk about the 1999 versions of articles 2 & 3 like they're a positive thing.

Can you explain?

Michaelhenry, Amendment 19 killed of Articles 2 a...

2013-02-24T12:31:59.175Z

Michaelhenry,

Amendment 19 killed of Articles 2 and 3 as previously constituted. I never much thought the articles meant a great deal in material terms on the ground. However Article 19 codified what already existed - the South's acknowledgement of partition and bulking it out with democratic lgitimacy. This is what makes it such a powerful reversal of the Provisional war logic and strategy and what makes the Provisional struggle such a failure.

Both Martin Corey and Marian Price got out of thei...

2013-02-24T11:21:17.604Z

Both Martin Corey and Marian Price
got out of their prisons to visit a
loved one during a wake/funeral-neither of the two had the police or prison guards with them when they went to be with their family and friends and could have easly got away if they had of wanted to and there would have been thousands of houses accross Ireland where they would have been more than welcome to stay in-but the choose to go back to the prisons because there word was good and it meant that no excuse could be made to the next Republican in such circumstances-they should be at their homes with there familys-thats all they want-them getting out and going back in is proof they are not a danger to anyone-

Chris-

Chris McGimpsey and his brother tried to get rid of Articals 2 and 3 in the high court during the 80s-they failed-its ironic that both agreed to the new Articles 2 and 3 in the GFA-amazing that you yourself never mentioned those new articals Chris-do you not like them kid-

Pleased to see Marion and Martin's unjust Inte...

2013-02-24T00:41:14.691Z

Pleased to see Marion and Martin's unjust Internment getting at long last some decent attention chairde. Due in no small part by the ongoing and constant anti-Internment social-media Activists!

Fair play to Clare and Fr. Sean and thanks to them both! I like many other Republicans haven't much faith in Leinster House or their Representatives but at least the Campaign is beginning to bite the Establishment in public.

Thanks once again to Mackers for highlighting Martin & Marian's incarceration...

I am glad to see proactive people like Clare, but ...

2013-02-23T21:04:03.575Z

I am glad to see proactive people like Clare, but at the same time I read the lip service of Adams - who we all know doesn't give a fuck - all positive thoughts that this could be of any help to Marian,Martin at all fade.... answered by the same old rhetoric .....same old bullshit.

Does it occur to anyone here that the GFA had mand...

2013-02-23T20:12:45.357Z

Does it occur to anyone here that the GFA had mandated victory for Britain and defeat for the Occupied Irish?

And the complicit "Irish" gov't did their part for their British masters; by gutting Ireland's Constitution's Articles 2 and 3 that had laid claim to the entire island and its surrounding waters. So the people of Ireland, having voted for the sign-over of the Six-Counties, must have expected continuation of these "legalized" crimes against democracy-seekers.

Said it bafore folk, I think the only way to advan...

2013-02-23T18:50:25.524Z

Said it bafore folk, I think the only way to advance this matter, with attendant negative international publicity possibly pressurising the brits into conditional release/bail for these internees is our government bring the case to the ECHR, another Ireland v. UK!
The lenght of detention, the use of closed material and the issues attaching to these arrests if brought to international attention will show the occupiers up as the 'tin pot African dictatorship' referred to by Claire.

James they used to say the civil service was a job...

2013-02-23T15:07:22.582Z

James they used to say the civil service was a job for life ,the MLA,s have that well beat ,subsidised dinners,expense accounts ,free transport for ministers,junkets galore, holidays equal to working days and the word working is used losely here, yip more than a place of work Stormont can be described as a rest home for wankers. pensions why the fuck would they worry about pensions its a job for life even after death who honestly could tell the difference given their programme for government work rate.I reckon the skinny ones in Stormont are really dead bodies.

Clare Daly appears to be the exception rather than...

2013-02-23T14:56:14.199Z

Clare Daly appears to be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to public representation,may she never become corrupted by the trappings and expense accounts the state uses to suck so many in,Eamon Gilmore is an example from socialist revolutionary to a bankers bag carrier,willingly carrying out the wishes of foreign bankers,who could not care less if a nation starved just as long as they recover their investments,Eamon Gilmore gives no more a fuck about the plight of Marian or Martin than he does about the Irish population as a whole.good on you Clare we could do with a lot more like you and none of the others.

Gilmore's Reply to Clare shows how the British...

2013-02-23T14:05:21.587Z

Gilmore's Reply to Clare shows how the British are hoodwinking the Irish TD's, "I met the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on Monday, 11 February. I have been advised that the Parole Commissioners for Northern Ireland will determine in March on the issue of her continued detention.". Is it not a well known fact that neither the parole commissioners nor the Justice Minister Have any say in the release of Prisoners held under secret evidence, This is down to Villiers and MI5, so the only outcome could be that MI5 authorise the Release and pass the information to the parole commissioners to release them on special terms. But withstanding that, It's about time all those TD's started to ask questions on the subject , at the same time.

Lets wait and hope the outcome in march is in favour of release, although I'm sure it will be under very stringent terms.

Clare does a great public service.

2013-02-23T13:44:54.162Z

Clare does a great public service.

Marty, You are right Gilmore after his state pensi...

2013-02-23T13:08:09.791Z

Marty,
You are right Gilmore after his state pension. Does anyone know what is the stormount pension for a MLA, when you get it and for how long. I have no idea how this pension works, for example if you serve a 4 year term as a MLA, do you get a 4year pension at 65 for a man, or life, if so what an expense that would be on the tax payer with 108 MLA, every 4 years?

Clare Daly's point that if Ms. Price's tre...

2013-02-23T11:36:05.421Z

Clare Daly's point that if Ms. Price's treatment "was taking place in a tin-pot African dictatorship, we would be banging our drums demanding justice" is emotionally satisfying, but unfortunately incorrect - at least insofar as the reaction of most people is concerned.

That people in power will go to any extent they feel necessary to neutralize perceived threats to their predominance is a cross-cultural reality.

That still more people will quietly acquiesce to such exercises of power is likewise a cross-cultural reality, because most people, at some level, perceive that the crushing of opponents is not nearly so much directed toward the opponent as it's directed toward the fears of the people witnessing that power being exercised.

Whether the powerful dress in tribal garb or in linen suits is immaterial; what matters is that the rank and file learns that they or their loved ones could just as easily suffer consequences similar to those who've had the gaul to oppose the existing order.

Fr. Mc Manus Visits Marian Price County Fermanagh...

2013-02-23T08:56:18.778Z

Fr. Mc Manus Visits Marian Price

County Fermanagh.Northern Ireland. Friday, February 22, 2013 – Marian Price was today visited by Fr. Sean Mc Manus, President of the Washington-based Irish National Caucus. He spent ninety minutes with her, accompanied by her husband Jerry Mc Glinchey and her attorney Peter Corrigan.

Fr. Mc Manus said: I have been raising Marian’s case with the U.S.
Department of State and the U.S. Congress, and I wanted to visit her to show both personal and Irish-American solidarity. My heart was broken and my soul outraged by how this heroic Irishwoman has been treated. This seriously ill, lovely, soft-spoken woman should not be in prison. Her persecution – yes, persecution – makes a mockery of the Irish peace-process, questions the whole judicial system, and raises doubt as to whether there has, indeed, been a “ new beginning” to policing in Northern Ireland. Surely Peter Robinson, Martin Mc Guinness, David Ford and the NI Secretary of State must know that there is something rotten withtheir government’s treatment of Marian.”

Fr. Mc Manus added : “ I was so impressed that despite all the inhumane treatment and judicial misconduct, Marian has maintained her dignity and self-respect.”

He concluded: “ When Peter Robinson and Martin Mc Guinness come to Washington for their annual St. Patrick’s Day visit, the hard truth will be this: No matter how nice or encouraging their words, their message will be overshadowed by their government’s treatment of Marian. Her cruel mistreatment will mock their words, telling Washington there is still something rotten in Northern Ireland.”

END

Fr. Sean Mc Manus

President

Irish National Caucus

P.O. BOX 15128

Capitol Hill

Washington, DC 20003-0849

Tel. 202-544-0568

Fax. 202-488-7537

sean@irishnationalcaucus.org