29 June 2006 Edition

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The week's news in brief

Corrib pipeline to be election issue

Sinn Féin Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald and Louth TD Arthur Morgan joined a Shell to Sea protest outside the Dáil on Tuesday. The demonstration was mounted to highlight the Government's effective handover of Ireland's natural resources to the multinational oil company. Shell to Sea is seeking to make the matter a general election issue.

Evening Herald lies

"Complete and utter lies" is how Sinn Féin has described the 26 June headline in the Evening Herald newspaper. Three men from Ballinamore, County Leitrim who pleaded guilty to assault charges in the town last year, are not members or election workers for Sinn Féin, despite claims to the contrary by the Evening Herald. This fact had been made clear to the Herald and Sinn Féin will now be raising the matter with the National Union of Journalists.

Derry Volunteers remembered

Over 2,000 republicans attended the annual Volunteers' Commemoration March in Derry on Sunday, 25 June.

The parade was led by hundreds of republican former POWs. Some of the former prisoners carried pictures of Volunteers from the IRA's Derry Brigade who died during the conflict.

The Derry Brigade's Roll of Honour and Roll of Remembrance was read by Ciaran Maguire, the brother of Volunteer Charles 'Pop' Maguire, who was shot dead by the SAS in 1981.

Addressing the large crowd leading Belfast republican and former cell mate of Bobby Sands, Seanna Walsh said that while republican methods may change the struggle was not finished and republican objectives remained the same.

Mary Lou welcomes rendition discussion

Sinn Féin National Chairperson and MEP for Dublin Mary Lou McDonald has welcomed news that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will meet in Strasbourg early next month to discuss the issue of "extraordinary rendition" CIA flights and Ireland's complicity in the practice. Speaking last Tuesday she said the government needs to come clean and tell people exactly what it has been involved in and give a clear commitment that it will not engage in these practices in future.

Bone/Oldpark Commemoration

Kathleen Duffy, mother of 15-year-old Seamus Duffy, lays a wreath at a commemoration ceremony in the Oldpark area of North Belfast on Sunday 25 June. Seamus was shot dead by the RUC with a plastic bullet in August 1989 and is commemorated in the area's Garden of Remembrance along with the many republican and nationalist people from the Oldpark area who lost their lives in the conflict. Sinn Féin councillor Tierna Cunningham gave the main address.

Lisburn boycott urged

Sinn Féin is calling for the support of local authorities throughout Ireland, with connections to Lisburn Council, to cut off all links with the bigoted council.

Councillor Paul Butler made his appeal in the aftermath of last week's Council AGM, which again saw the DUP dominated council exclude Sinn Féin from positions of power within the council.

Michael Ferguson, Sinn Féin's longest serving councillor on Lisburn Council accused the Alliance Party of making, "a back room deal", with the DUP with Alliance councillor Trevor Lunn elected mayor with the DUP councillor James Tinsley as deputy.

Harney should resign after daming report

The resignation of Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney has been demanded following a survey that revealed that Ireland's health system is one of the worst in Europe.

The results of the European think-tank, Health Consumer Powerhouse survey placed Ireland 25th out of 26 European countries examined for the quality of their health services.

Sinn Féin's Health Spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said harney should "resign in shame".

Loyalist attacks in Slaughtneil

Magherafelt Sinn Féin Councillor Kate McEldowney has accused loyalists of heightening tensions following attacks on a Hunger Strike mural and recently erected Irish Language signs in Slaughtneil. The attcaks follow other similar incidents in the area.

This is an orchestrated campaign by unionist politicians stoking the fire and loyalists carrying out the act, McEldowney said.


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