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9 July 1998 Edition

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Editor's desk

Why does it not surprise me that Stephen McAllister, former RUC man and organiser of the Tour of the North parade through nationalist areas of North Belfast, was on the Drumcree march last Sunday? After all, it was he who said, ``What's the point of marching if it's only in our own areas?''

Stephen is a guy who likes to express his culture where he's not wanted. P>


The Down Democrat newspaper has accused An Phoblacht of seeing only ``what they want to see'' and reading only ``what they want to read'' after a piece we ran in this column on 25 June. The piece referred to a Democrat article which we said amounted to a PR job on behalf of the RUC. The local RUC commander and his assistant were shown in short sleeves and broad smiles as they walked through the sunny streets of Downpatrick. The article was an uncritical puff piece on behalf of a sectarian organisation. We stand by that. The NIO's ad agency would have been proud of it.

The most ridiculous inaccuracy in the Democrat's reply was that ``journalists, even Republican News journalists, are only human.''

Really? Have you seen our Northern editor?

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