The Spy me Eye
What I'm about to write below will leave me wide open to allegations of being a "republican sympathiser". However, I feel it necessary to draw attention to this particularily because of the role the media have played in it.
Yesterday it was revealed that the trial of three Sinn Féin men on charges of spying in Stormont had collapsed and the men were to be acquitted. Cast your mind back to October 2002; a massive police raid on the Sinn Féin offices in Stormont resulted in the arrest of Sinn Féin members Denis Donaldson, Ciarán Kearney and William Mackessy. This precipitated the collapse of the Northern Assembly and the resultant three year hiatus which is still ongoing.
The most baffling and shocking statement was made yesterday by the prosecuting QC, Mr. Gordon Kerr: "The director has concluded that having regard to the materials placed before him and his duties as a public authority under the Human Rights Act 1998, the prosecution for the offences in relation to the accused are no longer in the public interest". No longer in the public interest? You mean the "crime" that brought down the first semblance of meaningful devolved government in the North is not of the public interest? Not only this, but the QC seems to be saying that to continue the trial with such little evidence would be against the Human Rights Act 1998. Does anyone see a problem with this? Why isn't anyone crying out for the reinstatement of the Northern Assembly?
Now for the media. Admittedly, there has been the budget and Ivor to deal with over the last two days. However, this is surely at least front page material for the IT. No mention until the inner pages. Likewise, RTE have largely ignored it leaving it well down the running order in the bulletins.
It seems that when it comes to Sinn Féin, good news is no news and bad news is headline news. To reiterate, I am not in the Gerry and Martin fan club but do have an interest in media representations espacially with regard to Northen Ireland.
Published by Colm.
Yesterday it was revealed that the trial of three Sinn Féin men on charges of spying in Stormont had collapsed and the men were to be acquitted. Cast your mind back to October 2002; a massive police raid on the Sinn Féin offices in Stormont resulted in the arrest of Sinn Féin members Denis Donaldson, Ciarán Kearney and William Mackessy. This precipitated the collapse of the Northern Assembly and the resultant three year hiatus which is still ongoing.
The most baffling and shocking statement was made yesterday by the prosecuting QC, Mr. Gordon Kerr: "The director has concluded that having regard to the materials placed before him and his duties as a public authority under the Human Rights Act 1998, the prosecution for the offences in relation to the accused are no longer in the public interest". No longer in the public interest? You mean the "crime" that brought down the first semblance of meaningful devolved government in the North is not of the public interest? Not only this, but the QC seems to be saying that to continue the trial with such little evidence would be against the Human Rights Act 1998. Does anyone see a problem with this? Why isn't anyone crying out for the reinstatement of the Northern Assembly?
Now for the media. Admittedly, there has been the budget and Ivor to deal with over the last two days. However, this is surely at least front page material for the IT. No mention until the inner pages. Likewise, RTE have largely ignored it leaving it well down the running order in the bulletins.
It seems that when it comes to Sinn Féin, good news is no news and bad news is headline news. To reiterate, I am not in the Gerry and Martin fan club but do have an interest in media representations espacially with regard to Northen Ireland.
Published by Colm.
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