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6 November 1997 Edition

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Editor's desk

Word reaches me that the gardaí in Limerick are in a bit of a tizzy. One of their uniforms is missing and they are no doubt afraid someone impersonating a guard may begin battering some innocent citizens. The offending clothes were thrown out of a guard's house during spring cleaning. Or was a member of his family trying to send him a message?

 


Adams finished the public meeting in Derry's Guildhall on Monday night with a story from Stormont: Martin McGuinness was walking through a corridor in the building where the talks are being held when he met a Unionist. He said ``Hello''. The Unionist said ``Hello'' This went on for several days. Finally Martin asked ``Can you not say anything but `Hello'?'' Whereupon the Unionist replied, ``Cad é mar atá tú?''

 


I was very pleased to hear from a source this week that UK Unionists Bob McCartney and Cedric Wilson had a rare oul time in Dublin last Saturday. They were spotted in high good form, finding the atmosphere much to their liking. Great to see the two fine gentlemen enjoying the hospitality of their capital city. A sign of things to come?

 


A Sinn Féin picket on Blanchardstown Garda station to highlight Special Branch harassment of party members in the Dublin suburb caused considerable irritation to the local Sergeant last Friday, Halloween Night.

He first threatened to charge the picketers with obstruction and then demanded the names of all those participating. Undeterred, the protestors stood their ground. Then the bold Sergeant attempted a novel ploy to disperse the picketers who were by this time drawing considerable interest and attention from local people. Pointing at the children on the picket he told the parents that it was against the law to have them there and that he would report them to the Eastern Health Board for having their children out in the cold.

 


I have heard from a wee bird in Portadown that two people from the town met NIO officials twice in the past couple of weeks over, we presume, a cup of tea and a wee bun.

The pair, let's just call them Jennifer and Jim, had their latest meeting on Monday with these two British officials, one of whom is stationed in Stormont, the other in the United States.

What they talked about is anybody's guess. But given that the latest meeting happened just days before Garvaghy Road Residents' spokesperson Breandan MacCionnaith and Ormeau Road spokesperson Gerard Rice were due to fly out to the States to put the case for residents who want Orange marches blocked from strutting through their neighbourhoods, it seems the NIO wanted some ``local knowledge''.

Why the NIO would want to go to Jenny and Jim to find out what was happening on the Garvaghy Road is anybody's guess as Direct Ruler Mowlam could have organised a meeting with the two anti-march lads when she herself flies out to the States next week, although the poor woman is probably not on speaking terms with Breandan given the way she shafted the people he represents in July this year

 


Brian Anson writes from France asking what all the fuss was about the Adams/Blair handshake. ``The detractors are lucky it didn't all take place in this country,'' he writes. ``The President of Sinn Féin might have actually kissed Mr Blair.''

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