Ireland

TGWU stewards win an inquiry

Submitted on 25 February, 2004 - 01:57

Three former TGWU shop stewards have called off a hunger strike after claiming victory in their dispute with their trade union.

Gordon McNeill, Madan Gupta and Chris Bowyer were dismissed as shop stewards by the TGWU and sacked from their jobs as security staff at Belfast International Airport in May 2002 - along with 21 other people - after a strike. They were demanding a TGWU inquiry, made up of rank and file members of the union, to uncover the truth about the role played by their union official, Joe McCusker, and other officials.

A nightmare for the GFA, but not necessarily for socialists

Submitted on 9 January, 2004 - 17:27

By Annie O'Keeffe

For years they have talked of it as the "nightmare scenario" which would signal the end of the Good Friday Agreement. Now, as a result of the December 2003 elections, Northern Ireland is right in the middle of the "nightmare".

Behind the news: Deadlock in Belfast

Submitted on 9 December, 2003 - 15:39

In the Northern Irish elections, Sinn Fein has emerged as the biggest party on the Catholic-Nationalist side and their political polar opposites, Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party, as the biggest party on the Protestant-Unionist side.

The Good Friday Agreement stipulates majority consent in each of the two communities as a condition without which no Northern Irish government can be set up. The Democratic Unionist Party opposed the Good Friday Agreement and now demands that it be "renegotiated". What seems to follow is that restoration of Belfast government - which has been suspended for more than a year - is now an impossibility.

Unionist crisis shakes Blair's plans

Submitted on 23 October, 2003 - 17:20

Amidst much whipped-up anticipation Tony Blair flew into Belfast on Tuesday 21 October, as did Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, to be in time to cop the glory for a new, "historic" agreement between Northern Ireland Unionism and Irish nationalism.

The day had been "choreographed" so that step by step it led up to a triumphant announcement of a major "success" by Tony Blair. Catholic-Protestant power-sharing government, suspended a year ago, would be restored after a late November Northern Irish general election.

The Emmet Conspiracy

Submitted on 1 October, 2003 - 17:43

By Jack Cleary

The romantic 19th century song lamenting "old Robert Emmet, the darling of Erin", is still widely known and sung today - two hundred years after the public executioner hanged the 25-year old Emmet, cut him down alive, disembowelled him, and then chopped him up before a gawping crowd in Thomas Street, Dublin.

It was the last terrible act in the drama of the first Irish republicans, the United Irishmen.

Unionist split threatens the GFA

Submitted on 2 July, 2003 - 21:46

By Jack Cleary

With an imminent split in the David Trimble-led Unionist Party, prospects of an early resurrecting of the suspended Northern Ireland power-sharing Executive faded further this week.

Letters

Submitted on 2 July, 2003 - 21:27

Two pleas for unity in action
Protestant autonomy: imperialist prop?

A plea for unity in action

A bother, upset and disappointment I have is to see the continuing 'spat' between the many 'left'/Marxist groups. All seem to concentrate not on a main enemy, capitalism, but on each other.

Northern Ireland Elections cancelled; the 'process' continues

Submitted on 3 June, 2003 - 00:14

By Jack Cleary

The Northern Ireland elections, due under the Good Friday Agreement, have been postponed indefinitely. Since last October the power-sharing government in the Six Counties of Northern Ireland has been suspended, and there is no immediate prospect of it being restored.

Where next for Northern Ireland?

Submitted on 16 May, 2003 - 22:22

By Colin Foster
The postponement of the Northern Ireland Assembly elections signifies that the London-Dublin "Good Friday" plan of 1998 to reshape Ireland, bit by bit, from above, is stalled for another long period, at least.

Can the Northern Ireland peace process be revived?

Submitted on 2 May, 2003 - 01:34

By Patrick Murphy

Attempts to revive the peace process in Northern Ireland (NI) have stalled. After George Bush's visit to Belfast during the Iraq war, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern expected to be able to announce the reopening of the NI Executive. Elections are due in May and the two governments don't want to postpone them.