Issue 2 - 2024 200dpi

26 March 2009 Edition

The Mitchel McLaughlin Column

26 March 2009

THE past decade has witnessed many tribunals of inquiry in the 26 Counties into corruption in public life, from politicians taking bribes, fixing planning applications, and granting exploration licences to multinational conglomerates at absolutely no benefit to the people of Ireland. Additionally, in the North, since the re-establishment of political institutions after almost 40 years of rule by unaccountable direct rule ministers and civil servants, the Assembly scrutiny committees are now beginning to uncover many examples of abuse of trust and bad practice. Free article

Focus on Ballymena drugs blight

26 March 2009

BALLYMENA, once best-known for being in the heartland of Ian Paisley and the home town of Hollywood actor Liam Neeson, has been dubbed by the media in recent years as "the drugs capital of the North". It is against this backdrop that the local Roger Casement Sinn Féin cumann and Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay last week organised a public meeting with a near-capacity attendance of 100 people in the Ballymena North Centre to hear expert groups working with people affected by drugs, councillors and the police. Free article

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

26 March 2009

Ireland and Europe need a new treaty for a new time, De Brún's delight at saving 600 Cookstown jobs, Ten thousand Catalans in Brussels and The work of MEPs Free article

Cúlchaint LE EOGHAN Mac CORMAIC

26 March 2009

Chuir mé spéis san abairt Ghaeilge ó Uachtarán SAM, Barack Obama an tseachtain seo caite nuair a d'aistríodh a mhana toghchána dó agus nuair a dúirt sé na focail 'is féidir linn'. Trí fhocal simplí, éasca le rá ach a bhfuil - le bliain nó mar sin anuas - teachtaireacht iontach láidir ag baint leo a deireann gur féidir rudaí a athrú, gur féidir le rudaí a bheith difriúil. Agus fiú le trí fhocal is féidir le go leor leor rudaí a bheith difriúil. Free article

Media View By JULIA CARNEY

26 March 2009

GARRET FITZGERALD emerged from his Dublin 4 bunker to attack the IRA's campaign in his Irish Times column last Saturday for having led to "output per head in the North falling behind that of our state for the first time". Output, eh? A lifelong partitionist, FitzGerald's argument is that the IRA campaign put back the cause of unity because it undermined the Northern economy. No doubt when his ancestors were fighting the British during the Tan War it was simply to boost share prices on the London Stock Exchange. "What ho, Charles, that Tom Barry chap just killed some of our lads in a place called Ballykilmichael or something. That'll boost the FTSE!" Free article

More than a game By Gael Gan Náire

26 March 2009

HIS NIBS, Mr Matt Treacy, has apparently taken French Leave again. Off drinking pints of Heino, no doubt, with that bloody shower and singing songs about cartoon bears with the alickadoos with their collars turned up and cooking fat or some gunge to make their hair stand up. This is the sort of thing they do be singing: Free article

Remembering the Past: Mass escape from Mountjoy

26 March 2009

FOLLOWING the establishment of Dáil Éireann in January 1919, resistance to British rule in Ireland continued to grow by the day and British repression intensified. The struggle within the prisons escalated and the month of March 1919 was to witness sensational escapes which severely embarrassed the British Government. Free article


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