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29 October 1998 Edition

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Editor's desk

A wall which bears an IRA slogan was seen recently in the former Czechoslovakia, the state which commerciallly manufactured Semtex, an explosive more talked about by unionist politicians now than when it was deployed in IRA bomb attacks.
Czechslovakia has been dismantled as a state and replaced by the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The factory which made Semtex is closed. The IRA has been involved in a cessation of armed activity for over a year. But as the world moves on you can always count on the unionists to stay stuck in their own peculiar time-warp.

 


And staying on the subject of Semtex an article in Saturday's Guardian newspaper entitled Unkown Soldiers quoted a 95-year-old veteran of the Tan War Jack O'Riordan as follows: ``I'd say the Provisional IRA were the best fighting men Ireland ever had. Semtex put them where they are at the moment, and that's a great negotiator. The peace will hold for that reason. And I'm all for the peace now.''

 


When Caoimhghín O Caoláin opened his speech at last week's TCD debate in Irish one of a small group of students who giggled uncomfortably heckled ``Speak English, you're in Ireland now!''

``The last time that was said to me I was also in this country and the speaker was Michael Mates MP'' replied Caoimhghín, referring to the time Mates tried to shout down Irish at the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body in Cavan. The irony of it all was seemingly lost on the Trinity heckler. In the building where last week's debate was held hangs a huge protrait of Trinity graduate and founder of Conradh na Gaeilge Dúbhglas de hIde.

 


And staying with anti-Irish language sneerers, during the Assembly debate on Irish, Bob McCartney maintained that he didn't mind what language speakers used, ``be it Swahili or Irish'', but he was ``amazed at Sinn Fein's dogged pursuit of the issue when 85% of Republican News was in English''.

So to encourage an avid reader like Bob to learn a wee bit of Gaeilge or vote in favour of translation equipment: ``Ta brón orainn faoi an píosa droc scéil a fuair tú ón Cruiser''.

 


Fianna Fáil is blaming the broadcasting of a radio interview with its candidate Sinéad Behan for her failure to win the Cork South Central by-election.

The interview took the form of a quick-fire quiz. Pat Kenny mistakenly ran her tape on RTE radio.

The following is the list of questions Sinéad was asked and her answers.

1. Who was the first person to hold a seat in Cork South Central? (answer) ``Don't know''

2. Who was the last Ceann Comhairle? (answer) ``Don't know''.

3. How many unemployed are there in Cork City? (answer) ``Don't know''.

4. How many joyriders have been killed in Cork this year (answer) ``Fourteen''. (Correct answer) Four.

5. What paramilitary organisation has not declared a ceasefire? ``Don't know''

6. What is a T.D.s Salary? (answer) £34,000.

The last question was the only one which the prospective TD aswered correctly, which just about demonstrates where the priorities of establishment politicinas lie. To be fair on Sinéad it is doubtful whether the Fine Gael or Progressive Democrat candidates would have fared any better.

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