At 07.30 this morning, David Black, a Northern Ireland Prison Service officer was ambushed and shot dead on his way to work by Republicans opposed to the Good Friday Agreement. Though the actions of violent Republicans are often portrayed as emanating from a sense of blood lust or barbarism, I have previously argued that this(…)
Over the past two days in Stockholm I have been participating in the EU’s working group on de radicalisation. As the work of this group develops I hope to share some impressions and lessons with you all. In order to give some context to these occasional posts, I should first explain the background and purpose(…)
Martin McGuiness today offered to hold talks with anti-Good Friday Agreement Republicans who remain committed to violence. But could these talks occur and if so, where would they lead? McGuiness, once a firm proponent of violence, threw down the gauntlet to anti-GFA Republicans stating: My message to those who remain committed to violence is that it(…)
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has developed and launched www.counterextremism.org, an online resource for policy makers working on radicalisation and polarisation. It includes an easily searchable up-to-date repository of government policies and programmes, both current and historical, and contains a log of case studies and evaluated best practices. This library of resources acts as(…)
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton today delivered a speech in Geneva to mark Human Rights day. This speech focused on LGBT human rights and is quoted in full below. It is certainly worth taking the time to read or watch, the video can be watched here. Good evening, and let me express my(…)
In my first post for this blog last year I referred to the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) as the ‘blind spot’ of the Good Friday Agreement and highlighted the necessity for swift reform, not least due to propaganda value offered to anti-GFA groups through the appalling conditions prevalent at HMP Maghaberry. In addition to(…)
The head of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association and leading member of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement Marian Price is currently being held in the hospital wing of Maghaberry High Security Prison, an otherwise male facility. Price, who was convicted of the Old Bailey bombings in 1973, has had her life licence revoked by(…)
The Joint Committee of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Irish Human Rights Commission have today called for the establishment of an all Island charter of rights. The joint committee was established by the Good Friday Agreement which, which specifically mentioned the possibility of such a charter: It is envisaged that there would(…)
Last week I wrote a post dealing with the apparent demise of the political voice of Loyalism, the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP). In the week that has followed the other side of the Loyalist coin, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), has orchestrated sectarian riots in Belfast by attacking Catholic homes in Short Strand. The ongoing(…)
In the recent Stormont Assembly elections the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) suffered a disappointing election result, failing to take a single seat. This has led many, including senior party members, to ask whether or not the PUP, the political wing of the UVF, has a future as a serious political organisation. If what we are(…)
