MacCool

AFTER British Crown Forces shot and critically wounded a man in the centre of Belfast Alex Maskey appeared on television explaining that he would not condemn the shooting as there might be a chance the man was armed.

There is an ironic similarity between Maskey's stance over this incident and the Free State political parties attitude to the three men charged with something, sometime, somewhere in Colombia (Details it seems are unnecessary in Irishmen's cases.)

The Columbian right-wing government is one of the most ruthless in the world. Yet the fate of three Irishmen is of so little interest to the Labour Party (New Stickie-Tricky Labour — Irish solution to an Irish problem, make Pat leader and we'll breed like rabbits!) that they withdrew representation at the ‘trial’, signalling the outcome they would prefer.

This decision was taken after consultation with spin doctors who said ‘if you send representatives you can't claim not to have seen what happened’ ... everyone knows rabbits eat carrots and carrots are good for your eyesight!

BEFORE finally making a decision they checked to find if they could send someone who was blind, deaf and dumb but while a large percentage of the party membership fitted the category it was decided it was still too risky as some of them might be capable of smelling a rat.

Those who have gone to Columbia have made it clear that they are there to see that the convictions are done ‘in the best possible taste’.

It is ironic that on the first day of the new trial two witnesses failed to appear. It seems despite the great media hype that the only ‘evidence’ is to be supplied by ‘super-touts’.

A method so widely used and abused that even the British had to acknowledge that it should not be used again. Of course the chaps up in Leinster house and those Dublin 4 types have short memories and the facts of the case and the quality of evidence being used is not going to be aired.

Just like up in Belfast the Columbian Three will receive ‘justice’ and Irish standards will suddenly become those that are acceptable to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

WONDERFUL title for a European Song contest song entrant ... I wonder do Phil Coulter and the lads read this paper. Come to think of it they are about the only jury who are truly accountable and transparent anymore.

The only thing that is more transparent  is Maskey and the Columbia thing and the Stormont spying affair and the shooting of a joyrider in Newry and the 200 loyalist bomb attacks and the shooting in Belfast of Irish people driving through the city centre …

But then that has nothing to do with a jury ...What is a jury? I hear you asking. Well you tell me. But leave out Phil and the lads.

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Web layout by SAOIRSE -- Irish Freedom December 7, 2002  Send links, events notifications, articles, comments etc, to the editor at: saoirse@iol.ie.