18 March 2004 Edition

Lies fail to save Spain's right-wing government

18 March 2004

On Wednesday 10 March, pre-election polls in Spain indicated that the governing right-wing Popular Party would win a clear majority in last Sunday's Spanish general election, with a predicted 184 seats. By Sunday, however, the political climate had changed utterly as a result of a bombing atrocity that had left 200 people dead. Outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was left bemoaning the loss of the election, but it was his government's self-serving attempt to place the blame at the door of ETA, even in the face of growing evidence to the contrary, that led voters to shift allegiances. Free article

Hospital groups gather to take on Hanly

18 March 2004

A conference in Kill earlier this month brought 16 representative hospital action groups together to form an organisation to campaign for a quality health service for all. Representatives of Hospital Action Groups came from Clonmel, Ennis, Kilkenny, Louth, Longford, Mallow, Mayo, Monaghan, Mullingar, Naas, Nenagh, Portlaoise, Roscommon, Tullamore, Wexford and Wicklow. Free article

Cormac

18 March 2004

Adams condemns Madrid attacks

18 March 2004

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams condemned the series of bomb attacks in Madrid that caused great loss of life. "This is an appalling act," he said. "It is wrong and those involved should stop. Like everyone else I have been horrified by the images of this mornings atrocity and my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and those who have been injured." Free article

Republicans lack confidence in governments

18 March 2004

Commenting on last Thursday's meeting between the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP, speaking in Dublin on Friday before leaving for the USA and Canada, said: "I welcome the two governments' announcement that they plan to step up efforts after next week's St Patrick's Day celebrations to find a resolution to the current crisis in the peace process. Free article

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Bring Them Home campaigners to picket Colombian Vice President

18 March 2004

Supporters of the three Irishmen held in Bogota, are to stage a protest during the visit of the vice president of Colombia, Francisco Santos to Dublin next week. Mr Santos will meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen and members of the Dáil Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday 23 March. Free article

Sinn Féin anti-racist training seminar

18 March 2004

A Sinn Féin Intercultural Training Day was held in the Newgrange Hotel on Saturday last. Twenty-five Sinn Féin candidates and Directors of Elections attended. The Seminar was organised by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI). The issues covered were racism, discrimination and integration. Free article

Canadian Prime Minister shows support for Peace Process

18 March 2004

The new Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin, showed support for the Good Friday Agreement during the Montreal St Patrick's Day parade. Martin, who took over as leader for the governing Liberal Party of Canada last November, stopped to visit with the contingent of the Montreal Coalition for Peace in Ireland and briefly held one of the CPI's signs supporting the peace process. Free article

Support for family of Gervaise McKerr

18 March 2004

Upper Bann Sinn Féin Assembly member John O'Dowd has reiterated his party's support for the family of Gervaise McKerr and their calls for a full independent inquiry into shoot-to-kill incidents in North Armagh in the 1980s. The family of Gervaise McKerr last week lost a court bid in the House of Lords to force the British Government to carry out an inquiry into his killing. Free article

Presbyterian Minister accused in race row

18 March 2004

A Presbyterian minister has been condemned by the Chinese Welfare Association after he made offensive comments about ethnic communities in Belfast's Donegall Pass. The remarks came after racist leaflets were distributed in the area calling for members of the Chinese community to be expelled from the community. The leaflets were handed out during a public meeting and one was later found planted in the schoolbag of a Chinese child at a Belfast primary school. Free article


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