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19 February 1998 Edition

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Editor's desk

This week Dublin Foreign Affairs Minister David Andrews said: ``The Irish government is totally opposed to and condemns utterly, all killings of any person, and for any purpose. We equally repudiate the use or threat of violence for political purposes.''

This makes them the only pacifist government in the world and when the bombing of Iraq commences we can expect to see the British government in the person of Mo Mowlam being indicted at the talks over its involvement in the inevitable killing of Iraqi civilians.

In fact the British government could, under Andrews criteria, be indicted right now for its repeated threats to use violence against Iraq for political purposes.

 


``Up the Continuity IRA'', was the rather pathetic outburst from the sole heckler who attended the jam-packed Sinn Féin public meeting in Dublin's Liberty Hall on Monday.

The interruption came about half way through Gerry Adams's address. ``Fair play to ye'', Adams replied before adding the cutting remark ``ceasefire soldier''.

Adams may not have realised how apt that remark was, as the heckler was none other than one Tom Ryan of Ballymun, a former supporter of the Workers' Party and arch opponent of republicans. Sticky Ryan's latest manifestation as a purer than pure republican is a relatively recent phenomenon, coinciding with the peace process and the first IRA cessation. Ceasefire soldier indeed.

 


Mixed metaphors are funny things and nowhere do they make more regular appearances than on the Irish political scene. A classic example was the remark by Sinn Féin Vice President Pat Doherty at Monday's public meeting in Dublin.

Talking about what Sinn Féin envisaged as transitional arrangements towards national reunification Doherty said that what was not acceptable was any ``slippery stepping stones'' theory. Thank God for that. As well as being entirely useless for getting from A to B, `slippery stepping stones' would be positively dangerous for those who would dare walk on them.

 


Apparently the absence of a tie around the neck of the usually dapper Seán Crowe during the Sinn Féin Press conference at Dublin castle on Tuesday was the subject of discussion on RTE's 2FM on Wednesday morning. And no wonder, because Crowe is the regular recipient of the Best Dressed Republican Award, an unofficial yet highly prestigious title bestowed annually by republicans in Dublin.

Sean Crowe wore suits and ties when duffles and docs were de rigeur for republican activists. So why did he adopt the open neck, casual approach which was carried so prominently and in full colour on the front page of the following morning's Irish Times? Well cynics who have observed closely Crowe's increasing electoral ambitions in Dublin Southwest have referred to the `Gregory factor'. Tony Gregory made history in the early 1980s as the first TD not to wear a tie in Leinster House. The issue of Gregory's lack of neckties became something of a talking point in Dublin but certainly did his electoral fortunes no harm. A colleague of mine interviewed him several years ago for a college magazine. His first question was ``Tony why do you never wear a tie?'' And the Dublin Central TD's reply? - ``If you don't have any better questions than that, get out.'' Gerry Ryan and 2FM please take note.

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