Sunday, January 20, 2002

The Same Old Story Aine Fox 14/01/2002 In July violence erupted once again on the streets. Groups consisting mainly of young men rioted day and night. The issue of contention a state backed sectarian procession unwelcome by the majority of people in the area. Consensus on the controversy 9:21:46 PM

Violence or Non-violence? Billy Mitchell 14 /01/2002 Violence of the sort that we have been witnessing in recent days is clear evidence of an unwillingness by many to engage in dialogue and rational political argument. It betrays a lack of confidence in the power of political persuasion to facilitate a resolution to the social and political issues that have created a sense of alienation within many working class unionist communities. It must be said, however, that lack of confidence in dialogue and the political process stems as much from the corruption that has increasingly become characteristic of post-Agreement politics as it does from any unwillingness by people on the ground to engage in political action. 9:20:28 PM

The Policing Problem Liam O Ruairc Starry Plough December/January 2002 On the 4th of November 2001, the RUC will change its name to [base "]Police Service of Northern Ireland[per thou]. This is a result of the policing reforms set up by the British Government under the pressure of Nationalists and Republican after the April 1998 Stormont deal. Reforms are necessary because policing in Northern Ireland differs significantly from the norm in standard Western capitalist societies. 9:17:55 PM

Calling a Spade a Shovel Anthony McIntyre 28/11/2001 As young republicans, we were always given the type of advice articulated by the anarchist Michael Albert - powerful oppressive propagandists rewrite history to show their roles as always virtuous. Not us, however. Our philosophy could never be labelled 'revisionist'. That pejorative adjective was something we hurled with fierce conviction in the direction of others who happened not to share our worldview. And who also deliberately falsified the historic record solely to justify their 'deviations'. Later in life I came to share the view of a Dublin politician who put things more bluntly - we just tended to hate those who disagreed with us. 9:16:19 PM

Writing as Activism Aine Fox 10/01/2002 Writing is a form of communication that dates back thousands of years. Many ancient societies believe that the Gods created writing, that it had divine origins. Most will today accept that this is not so and that progression and evolution lead to what we today call writing. We have come a long way from a caveman[base ']s etchings on a wall. Writing marks also a point between history and prehistory. History only began to be recorded of course when people where able to write it. Like most things in this world however writing was at one stage a new phenomenon and evidently only the privileged and rich where literate. 9:14:49 PM

Who are the Terrorists? Brendan Hughes 17/02/2002 A warning is given. A bomb goes off in Belfast. It was not meant to kill anyone. Right or wrong for planting it, to kill people was not the objective. This all raises questions of who is right? Who is wrong? What is right? What is wrong? The war is right - or so it seems. Who wins decides. The winner makes the judgement. In the cold light of day we know that the winner has the power to decide. 9:12:48 PM

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