ON a day when the British-appointed Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in the North issued a report on the inequalities of the North's prison system for Catholics/nationalists, the DUP wants to downgrade the Equality Commission established under the Good Friday Agreement. Dr Michael Maguire stated that 80 per cent of prison officers are from the Protestant community and "Catholic prisoners receive fewer privileges than Protestants". Translated that means that prisoners from the republican/nationalist community are still treated with hostility by a prison regime drawn mainly from the unionist community. Free article

WHAT should be the European response to the economic crisis? That was the question asked at a seminar held this week by TASC, Ireland's leading left-wing think tank. Attended by progressive academics, trade unionists and NGOs, the seminar was part of TASC's ongoing effort to promote radical and credible alternatives to the current status quo. Free article

WITH the possible exception of the genocidal Oliver Cromwell - whose men butchered thousands of Catholics in Ireland in the mid-17th century - nobody provokes such vitriol and anger from Irish republicans as Margaret Thatcher. Just over 30 years ago, on 4 May 1979, Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister. She continued at the helm of British politics for over 11 years, leaving in her wake deep social unrest, mass unemployment, poverty and death. She had the audacity to paraphrase St Francis of Assisi as she first arrived at 10 Downing Street, stating: "Where there is despair, may we bring hope." Free article

"I FIGHT this poll on the basis of 24/7 opposition to republicanism." Have we ever heard more terrifying words or faced a more fearsome foe than Jim Allister? For it was he who in making this ringing declaration of determined intent at his campaign launch last week struck this writer with a feeling of sick dread from which I have yet to recover. I lie in bed, feebly plucking at the sheets and wondering who will save us. How can we beat a man who opposes us 24/7? For if Jim opposes us every second there can be only one explanation. Jim Allister does not need sleep. Think on it. Don't be so swift to shake your head, roll your eyes and turn to the sports page. Let me ask you one question dearest comrade: have you ever seen Jim Allister sleep? Free article

LAST weekend, GAA clubs across the country celebrated the 125th anniversary of the association in various ways. I happened to be out in north County Dublin and spent a while watching young Seán strutting his stuff for Man O War. Man O War, for those of you who don't know the exotic place that is Dublin between the city and Meath, is basically a townland between Skerries and Lusk and named after the battleship, for some reason that I have forgotten. It also has a famous 16th century pub of the same name. Free article

IN May 1974, an Executive in the Six Counties comprising a section of the Unionist Party under Brian Faulkner, the SDLP and the Alliance Party was under siege from unionist politicians and loyalist paramilitaries who were determined to bring it down. The Westminster elections of February 1974 had seen the Faulknerites heavily defeated by anti-Executive unionists. A body made up mainly of loyalist paramilitaries, the Ulster Workers' Council, was established and on 15 May it called a general strike against the Executive. There was support for the strike across the unionist population but also much intimidation of workers, with armed members of the UVF and UDA enforcing the stoppage. Free article