BY DECLAN KEARNEY
Sinn Féin National Chairperson

PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott says he sees no “evidence” of a residual “dark side” contaminating the new beginning to policing. But his recent public relations narrative simplistically ignores reality.
He need not look far for the evidence.
He should start by reading the material available to him, not just that filtered by... Free article

ASSEMBLY AND COUNTY COUNCILS VOTE TO BAN CONTROVERSIAL GAS EXPLORATION PRACTICE

BY MARK MOLONEY

THE use of the controversial gas exploration practice known as “fracking” has been halted in the Six Counties after Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Alliance Party and the Green Party all voted in favour of an Assembly motion on 6 December calling for a moratorium on the practice and a... Free article

BY MARK MOLONEY

RECORD NUMBERS of Palestinian families are being forced from their homes due to Israeli Government demolitions and attacks from armed Israeli settlers.
Throughout 2011, more than a thousand people were forced to flee as Israeli armoured bulldozers, backed by heavily-armed troops, destroyed their homes to make way for the development of more settlements.
The... Free article

This is funded by the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)

THE agreement on financial discipline hammered out by EU leaders (all bar Britain’s David Cameron) fell far short of its goal of achieving a ‘breakthrough’ to solve the financial crisis.
The causes of the financial crisis are many but the lack of control or supervision of financial markets was its main driver.... Free article

Club CLG Nua do Bhaile Átha Cliath

LE CATHAL Ó MURCHÚ

TÁ CÉIM MHÓR tógtha ag Gaeil Bhaile Átha Cliath le bunú foireann peile nua.  Baineann an fhoireann le club nua den CLG – club ina labhraítear Gaeilge agus a fheidhmítear tré Ghaeilge.  Is é seo Na Gaeil Óga, cumann CLG a tháinig ar an saol i Mí Eanair anuraidh seo agus a thosaigh ag imirt a chéad chluiche i Mí Feabhra ina... Free article

40th ANNIVERSARY OF UVF ATTACK THAT KILLED 15 | OMBUDSMAN’S FINDING ANGERED RELATIVES

BY PEADAR WHELAN

THE families of the 15 killed and 17 wounded in the UVF bomb attack on McGurk’s Bar on 4 December 1971 have lodged legal papers in Belfast High Court challenging the PSNI and the Police Ombudsman’s handling of the case.
The news came as relatives held a ceremony to mark the... Free article

An Coimisinéar agus an Acht faoi ionsaí

TÁ IONSAÍ fíochmhar dhá dhéanamh ag Rialtas Bhaile Átha Cliath ar an nGaeilge agus cearta Gaeilgeoirí agus tá do thacaíocht phraiticiúil ag teastáil le sin a throid. Tá sé íorónach, ag am nuair atá feachtas láidir ar siúl sna Sé Chontae le Acht Teanga don Ghaeilge a chuir in áit - agus iad ag féachaint ó dheas ar thóir eiseamláir - go... Free article

ONE of the interesting things about Irish political journalists and commentators is how little they know, or understand, about politics. Collectively, they sometimes appear to be a group of priests giving marriage advice. They don’t really understand it, they’ve no particular experience of it, but they’re very sure they’re right.
Now don’t get me wrong, many of them are great on... Free article

BY PEADAR WHELAN

And I stepped out,
and I stepped in again

Learning to dance
for Lanigan’s Ball

THE PSNI is now employing hundreds of former RUC members who resigned from the force and benefited from the Patton redundancy plan. But the PSNI claims it cannot provide details of how many former RUC members it now employs. Nor can it say how many it has employed in the past ten... Free article

A GENUINE IRISH REPUBLIC | AS WE APPROACH 2016 . . .

BY CIARÁN QUINN

MICHAEL NOONAN, in his introduction to the 2012 Budget as the Fine Gael/Labour Finance Minister, told the Dáil:
“On this day 90 years ago, on 6 December 1921, the Treaty was signed. The Treaty restored Ireland’s sovereignty which for so long had been lost.”
Getting the first line of the Budget so wrong was not... Free article