Long Gallery War Revisited
The Assembly Commission has just finished meeting to try to iron out the war over the use of the Stormont Long Gallery for controversial occasions. This was sparked, of course by Sinn Fein's Jennifer McCann, who booked the room for a function tomorrow to commemorate the life of the IRA member Mairead Farrell. The Commission, which normally operates on a consensus, put the matter to a vote and Sinn Fein's Paul Butler was heavily outnumbered. The function will now go ahead in Sinn Fein's party office, but the Commission has banned cameras from being taken up the stairs.
So just like IRA decommissioning, we will be told it went ahead, but denied any photographic evidence.
UPDATE: No sooner did I file the above than a Commission source disputed the notion that this went to a formal vote. The source said new interim rules were approved without a formal vote, although Paul Butler registered his objection.
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Stormont's Long Gallery should not be used to mark any events that involve terrorism. Surely common sense and manners would tell everyone that.
Mark
DUP DEFYING LOGIC AS USUAL
DUP opposition to the use of the Long Gallery for a commemorative event in honour of Mairéad Farrell is illogical and exposes again the hypocrisy of their position within the two Party Fascist Coalition. In sharing power, the DUP have accepted implicitly the bona fides of their Partner, warts ‘n’ all. Whether the DUP like it or not, Ms Farrell is an iconic figure within Republicanism for her exploits as Bomber (Conway Hotel, 1976) and Hunger Striker & Dirty Protester (Armagh Women’s Gaol, 1980-81) along with her Unlawful Killing by Crown Forces (Gibraltar, 1988) - a CV to be proud of in Republican eyes and worthy of commemoration. If the DUP is content to have Martin McGuinness as a Joint First Minister then why all this gnashing of teeth over the Farrell event?
Of course the real problem is that the deceit perpetrated on the Electorate by the DUP is coming home to roost. The Party is starting to find that riding two horses at once -- on the one hand, chuckling with Sinn Féin and on the other, condemning them -- is starting to cause pain. How long before the DUP begin to suffer from a very painful case of the [political] splits?
I’ll close with a question to the DUP: would you object if Sinn Féin were to propose an event in the Long Gallery to honour the thirty-five year contribution of Martin McGuinness to Irish Republicanism? My guess is that your silence would be deafening and therein lies the illogicality of your position on the Farrell commemoration.
Susie
Carryduff
7 March, 2008