THIS WEEK IN THE PAPERS 9
I see our old friend Alex Maskey has been awarded an honorary degree by Lemoyne College, Syracuse, New York. He is now a ‘Doctor of Humane Letters’ – universities have the right to award these degrees to whoever they want but I can’t help but wonder about all the deserving people who have never been considered for these degrees – also Alex and his friends weren’t adverse to placing explosives in schools etc. – why would he be considered in the first place?
Posted in Current Affairs
Friday 30th March 1973
Compound 13 Long Kesh
There was nearly a riot in the compound today and the prods and the taigs were backing each other up.
Posted in prison life
Define the Term “Loyalist “.
Loyalism: the loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage the most common application is to the British Crown.
Ulster Loyalism: is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland’s status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom (i.e. unionism), support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries. It is a belief most predominant among, and traditionally held by Protestants in Northern Ireland.
Posted in Loyalism Today
Keep Politics Out of Sport? Tell That To The FAI.
The Republic of Ireland football team are due to play Italy in the European Championships on Sunday 18th June in Poznan. It is a game of huge importance for Italy but somewhat of a dead rubber for an Irish team who were completely outclassed in last night’s fixture with Spain. The date of the game against Italy is a significant one.
Posted in Current Affairs
The Long Awaited…………And Many Times Delayed….
Website Launch
Thursday 14th June seen the launch of the longkeshinsideout website. It was intended to be a small low key affair and invites were sent to around 50 people. Almost 70 people turned up at Farset for a presentation that lasted around an hour and a half. It was certainly encouraging to see such a good crowd and especially so to witness people from many different corners of Northern Ireland.
Posted in Current Affairs
Marking Time.
Throughout the Troubles there were thousands of men and women locked up, detained, interned, etc., from all over N. Ireland. There are many different versions of the Troubles with people making their own spin on stories to suit their needs and objectives. One thing that was reality for many men women and their families was imprisonment. It may have been in the 19th century brick house called the Crum – now an empty but budding tourist attraction. It may have been the ‘Stalag’ like cages and compounds of Long Kesh and Magilligan in the ‘70 and ‘80s. Or it may have been the cold concrete of the world infamous H Blocks in the ‘80s and 90s. And Armagh prison, open from 1780 until 1986, housed some of those women who were involved in the Troubles.
You had to survive, stay sane and live through the day. This article is about the loyalist Special Category prisoners in the cages of the Long Kesh in the 1970s.
Posted in prison life
WHAT PRICE A STORY?
I’ve always liked Sunday mornings – rise about 7, get washed, dressed and go down the stairs. Put the kettle on, then the radio – if it’s cold, put the heat on. Get the car keys and drive to the garage to get the Sunday papers. When I come back I pour out a cup of coffee and sit down to read the papers – Sunday World first, then the Sunday Life and then the Sunday Times – you need a few cups for the ‘Times’.
Posted in Current Affairs
THIS WEEK IN THE PAPERS 8
I came across a story this week which, once again, had me thinking about the benefits of living in this ‘wee’ Country as opposed to somewhere else. DC Comics, formed in 1934, and responsible for a lot of ‘Super-Hero’ and ‘Evil-Baddie’ characters, including –Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Lex Luther, The Penguin, etc. has announced that one of it’s ‘Super-Heroes’ is gay and will be ‘Outed’ soon. This has caused out-rage in certain quarters of the ‘good old U S of A’. ‘One Million Moms’, a US Christian Group has called on DC Comics to change their minds immediately with regards this decision. That is a really a lot of people to piss off! Apparently the smart money is on either Batman or Wonder Woman. Makes you wonder (pun intended) what will be the most popular costume at the ‘Gay Pride’ parade next year. I may fly down for a wee look!
Posted in Current Affairs
The concept of DDR – Decommissioning, Demilitarisation, Reintegration – is a feature of all countries coming out of conflict. Throughout the world, attempts have been made, with relative success, to address this. We have seen the complex attempt the government have made, following the Good Friday Agreement, to dismantle the machinations of the state military. Following their 2007 ‘Statement of Intent’, the UVF/RHC have a strategic approach to conflict transformation.
Read more in our Transformation page
Posted in Current Affairs
Alternatives – A community – based Restorative Justice Project
With the ever-increasing rise in paramilitary attacks, in the form of summary justice ‘kneecapping’ in Republican communities, this barbaric phenomenon is relatively a thing of the past in Loyalist communities. With the PSNI currently exploring new ways to eradicate this, Alternatives have been a leading agency in employing a human rights approach to addressing summary justice in partnership with the community.
Read more in our Transformation page
Posted in Current Affairs