Irish News Where Is Our Democracy? On the day that was to have been election day in the Northern Ireland, thousands gathered in 30 cities and towns across the island to demonstrate their discontent with British Prime Minister Tony Blair's cancellation of elections. Protests were held in Belfast, Dublin, Cork City, Clonakilty, Mallow, Waterford, Tralee, Tuam, Ballinasloe, Westport, Charlestown, Castlebar and Sligo in an effort to highlight the cancellation as well as in a bid to call for elections to take place as quickly as possible. Blair postponed elections for a second time, this time "indefinitely," citing a "lack of clarity" of the IRA's future military plans - despite two speeches by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams aimed at reassuring Blair of the IRA's peaceful intentions. Had the election gone ahead as planned on May 29, the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin were poised to make the greatest electoral gains. Blair conceded his hesitancy to hold elections was in part due to the fact that one of the predicted victors, Ian Paisley's DUP, have said that they will refuse to sit in the power sharing assembly and will attempt to destroy the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement. However, many from both sides of the political spectrum have decried the election cancellation as a ploy to save David Trimble and his Ulster Unionist Party, which the British government finds more moderate and more palatable than the DUP. "This is the sort of activity you get in a country which knows nothing about democracy, where leaders interfere with people's right to choose when they think the result will not be to their liking," said Nigel Dodds, the DUP Member of Parliament for North Belfast. Blair's decision to cancel elections was also attacked as irresponsible and undemocratic by the British Conservative Party, the US National Committee on American Foreign Policy, the Irish government, the SDLP, Sinn Féin, the Women's Coalition and all other Northern Ireland political parties, with the exception of David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party. "In recent negotiations, the IRA had responded to every reasonable request to clarify its commitment to end its support for violence. The Unionists cannot forever have a veto on the peace process. The people of Northern Ireland deserve better," criticized US Senator Edward Kennedy, who is often a critic of the IRA. The Irish government, co-sponsors of the Good Friday Agreement, lobbied against the British decision to cancel elections, without success. "I disagree with the British government on the postponement of the elections. I re-iterated this in conversations with Mr Blair ...Ultimately I believed that another postponement causes more problems for the peace process.," said Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Indeed, the 108-member power sharing assembly, the cornerstone of the Good Friday Peace Agreement, has been suspended since October when direct rule was returned to London following allegations of Sinn Féin espionage activity. The peace process is now in an indefinite and protracted limbo causing alarm for the inherently contentious summer marching season. With the absence of a clear, definable next political step, fears of a lethal political vacuum are mounting. US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland Richard Haass‚ said. "What we want is elections as soon as possible and we want the political institutions at Stormont up and running." Some analysts have compared the current crisis of the Good Friday Agreement to the 1974 Sunningdale Agreement founded on a similar power sharing assembly, which collapsed 24 violent years before its successor. The major caveat to the comparison is, however, that the Sunningdale Agreement did not include republican participation and because of its lack of inclusion of all parts of the community it failed. This time Sinn Féin is advocating for the power sharing assembly and urging the British and Irish governments to take note. "People want to see the reinstatement of the democratic process and they want to see the politicians effectively back in the driving seat, dictating the pace of events and making sure that the peace process comes to a successful conclusion," said Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness. Consequently, Sinn Féin presented a motion to the Irish Parliament, the Dáil, demanding that elections to the North's Assembly be held before the end of June and that Dáil representation be given to those living in the North. The Dáil, however, rejected that motion, but accepted a motion that called for elections to take place "quickly." But to date, the protests and lobbying for speedy elections have remained unacknowledged by the British Prime Minister. On the day of protests and would be elections, Blair was visiting British troops in Basra, Southern Iraq-an irony not gone unnoticed by those in the North. "As polling day passes in Northern Ireland it is ironic that Tony Blair has gone to Iraq to witness the transition to democracy being established in that country. While Northern Ireland is denied democracy, Tony Blair travels to foreign countries to celebrate the delivery of democratic structures," said DUP leader Peter Robinson. Stakeknife Unmasked, Or Not? by Buffy Maguire Stories about a high-ranking IRA member who acted as an agent for British Army intelligence have been disseminated in Northern Ireland for years and speculations about the double agent's true identity, code named "Stakeknife," have become part urban legend making it hard to decipher truth from fiction. This blurred distinction became even murkier when the May 11 Sunday editions of newspapers in Ireland and Scotland broke a story alleging the identity of Stakeknife to be that of Alfredo "Freddie" Scappaticci, a brick layer in his late 50's from Riverdale estate in Andersontown, West Belfast. Within hours of reading the published allegations Scappaticci left his home in West Belfast and went into hiding in another part of the city. All the newspapers which broke the story had claimed that he had been 'spirited' out of Belfast and was holed up in a British army safe house somewhere in England. Forty-eight hours after publications named him as Stakeknife, Scappaticci released a statement through his attorney denying reports that he was a British informer and denied any connection to British military and/or intelligence gathering agencies. "My statement basically is that I am Freddie Scappaticci. I am sitting here today with my solicitor. I am telling you that I am not guilty of any of these allegations. I have not left Northern Ireland since I was challenged by reporters on Saturday night." "Nobody had the decency to ask me if any of these allegations were true and why the police had not come to question me about these allegations." Scappaticci said he did not know why he was accused of being Stakeknife, but conceded that he had been in the republican movement although he said left it 13 years ago. His attorney, Michael Flanigan, claimed his client was a victim of an erroneous allegations and uncorroborated claims leaked to the press. "My client refuses to engage in challenging every statement made by an unnamed and apparently unnameable security source." Secret agent Stakeknife is said to have infiltrated the IRA in the 1970's and to have been in charge of the 'nutting squad'-the group responsible for hunting down and dealing with informers. Reports of Stakeknife's level of involvement vary widely. Some sections of the British press even claim that he is responsible for the deaths of up to 40 people. Most recently, heightened attention has been paid to the identity of Stakeknife because Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens announced intentions to interview Stakeknife about claims that innocent nationalists and other intelligence agents were murdered to protect his identity as a secret agent. In his report issued last month, Stevens discussed the role that British agents played in orchestrated murders concentrating on the British Army's Force Research Unit (FRU), which has repeatedly been accused of aiding loyalists to kill IRA suspects and their sympathizers by supplying them with 'inside' information during the 1980s and 1990s. Stakeknife is alleged to have worked for the FRU and it has even been claimed that he was instrumental in 'directing' the IRA's peace process in the mid 1990's. When the story initially broke, the majority of public opinion, according to an Irish News poll, believed that Scappaticci was Stakeknife. But, as the story progressed key Sinn Féin representatives, such as Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Gerry Kelly and Pat Doherty, asked the nationalist community to slow down judgment and to be cautious of uncorroborated media reports. "Mr Scappaticci was very categoric about what he said. All I know is that the people who made the accusations certainly have an agenda in doing so," said Sinn Féin councillor Gerry Kelly. Public opinion changed later that same week, when Scappaticci granted an interview to Robin Livingstone with The Andersontown News. In this interview, he said that the first time he heard about the article was the Saturday night before it was published when reporter Greg Harkin from The Sunday Tribune came to his home and told him about the article, to which Scappaticci said he responded "you're joking." In The Andersontown News article, he again steadfastly denies the allegations against him. Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, also condemned the "Leaks and anonymous briefings" over Stakeknife, which, he fears, could further destabilize the political process in Northern Ireland. And thus far the nationalist community is left without a clear sign from their leaders as to the true identity of Stakeknife and/or the legitimacy of the allegations against Scappaticci. Furthermore, British authorities will only officially confirm the existence of British double agent named Stakeknife, refusing to either confirm or deny his identity publicly. Meanwhile, in legal papers presented to the High Court that are expected to be heard in the first week of June, Scappaticci is seeking an order compelling security minister Jane Kennedy to comment on his denial of the Stakeknife allegations. To date, Minister Kennedy has refused to confirm that Scappaticci was a British agent. SARS Takes Toll On Dublin's Special Olympics The Special Olympics is being hosted in Ireland this month with over 160 countries participating. However, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is preventing some countries from participating. China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are being asked not to send delegates for the games. The Minister for Health, Micheál Martin said that on the basis of advice from the Expert Medical Committee, led by Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jim Kiely, that delegations from countries which are listed by the World Health Organization as SARS-affected areas, have been asked not to attend the Special Olympic Games this month. Fortunately the Philippine and Singapore delegation were taken off the SARS-affected list at the last minute and have been cleared for entry to the Games. Canada was added to the barred list, although talks are continuing on whether they will remain so. Only 10 participants are from the Toronto area where cases of SARS have been found. Towns and communities in Ireland were matched with participating delegations based on size and facilities as a way of allowing the visitors to see some of the country outside Dublin and experience Irish hospitality. Over 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches are expected, making the Special Olympics the largest sporting event in the world this year. Over 30,000 people have volunteered to help with the event. The controversy was sparked when the Clonmel town council in Co. Tipperary, who were supposed to host 63 Hong Kong delegates, decided to ask them not to come due to the SARS outbreak. The Tánaiste, Mary Harney, said that she felt the council's decision was premature and that they should have waited for a debriefing from the World Health Organization and the Irish Expert Committee on SARS later before making a decision. Organizers of the Games said that athletes and their entourages were willing to go into quarantine 10 days prior to entry into Ireland. China and Taiwan sent their National Table Tennis to Europe with such precautions in place. However, it is uncertain whether they will participate. Both the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and the Minister for Health, Micheál Martin felt it was too early to make a decision at the time. Mary Davis, Chief Executive of the Special Olympics committee, said that she understood the apprehensions of host towns but she did not want the Special Olympics athletes to feel that they were being singled out. However, Hong Kong agreed not to take part in the host town program. The World Health Organization advised that for large meetings a person symptom free and who has not been in close contact with a suspected SARS patient may freely be welcomed without any other measures. However, he or she should remain vigilant, and if symptoms develop within 10 days of arrival, contact the Medical Service of the hosting Organization/Institution in the country. The Special Olympics Games opening ceremony will be on June 21. Former South African President, Nelson Mandela, will officially open the games. Timothy Shriver, President of the Special Olympics said in a statement that the Special Olympics was a "unforgettable and life-changing opportunity for ordinary fans to see people with mental disabilities perform at their very best." He added. "It is our hope that the Irish authorities, in considering additional options, can arrive at a favorable and equitable resolution for all." Mícheál Martin defended the government move by saying that it was "not an issue of discrimination, but of public health." Irish Government Defends Economic Record by Susan Rafferty In mid May The Irish Times published a TNS/MRBI political opinion poll which rated the country's support for leaders in the government and opposition parties as well as the Shannon Airport issue. The Irish public's approval rating of the job that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is doing has dropped two points and is now at a low of 41 percent. The rating for the Tánaiste, Mary Harney, remains stable at 45 percent. In addition the poll showed that 65 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the job being done by the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrat coalition government. The news was no better for opposition leaders Enda Kenny of Fine Gael and Trevor Sargent of the Green Party, who shared the lowest approval rating of only 26 percent dropping by 3 and 10 percentage points respectively. The new Labor Party leader, Pat Rabbitte, achieved the highest satisfaction rating with 49 percent up 5 points from the last poll. However this may be partly due to the fact that the poll was taken on the two days immediately following the televised Labor Party Conference. Nonetheless Rabbitte insisted that it was also a reflection that their campaign, of highlighting the government's broken promises since the election, was having an effect on the population. Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin President, also scored highly with a personal satisfaction rating of 48 percent up 4 points. A turn in the fortunes of war perhaps is what influenced the new support for the Government's decision to allow US war planes to refuel at Shannon airport. Prior to the war a poll showed that 69 percent disapproved of US military use of Shannon while the poll in May showed that this figure has fallen to 39 percent disapproval. The Taoiseach said that he was disappointed with the poll results and in an attempt to answer the concerns of the public the Fianna Fáil party, published a report entitled 'Fianna Fáil, The Economy, What We Said'. The document consisted of 13 pages filled with defense of their actions since re-election 12 months ago. The document was forwarded to all Fianna Fáil TD's and councillors countrywide. They refuted the Labor party campaign and claimed that although the country was in an increasingly tight monetary position they would not go into 'crippling debt' The document contains statements from both the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy and Ahern in chronological order, mapping their economic policy, since October 2001. Denying the Labor party's claims, Ahern said that Fianna Fáil had not lied to the public. Police Board About-Turn On PSNI College by Breda Heffernan The Northern Ireland Policing Board is to re-open bidding to secure a site for the new state-of-the-art Police Service of Northern Ireland training college. Initially the Board had decided that the new facility, expected to cost in the region of £150 million, should be located no more than 45 miles from Belfast. However it is expected to over-turn this rule in early June. The 45 mile limit caused anger among politicians and business leaders throughout the rest of the six counties. They claimed it was utterly unfair to deny their areas the opportunity to benefit from the potential economic windfall that the college would bring. Criticism of the tendering criteria was strong in Derry, the second largest city in the North, and it is understood that pressure from the business community and politicians there ultimately led to the Policing Board's about-turn. A lobby group from the city had threatened legal action if the Policing Board did not change their tendering criteria. William Hay, a Democratic Unionist member of the Board from Derry, welcomed the Board's reversal. "It was unfair to have a restriction of 45 miles from Belfast and to exclude the rest of Northern Ireland. People have to realize that the PSNI is a police service for the whole of Northern Ireland, not just Belfast. No area should be ruled out simply on a mileage rule." He added. "Hopefully we can lay this issue to bed now and allow all of Northern Ireland now to bid for this huge project. At the end of the day it might still end up 45 miles from Belfast but at least the rest of the North would be content and happy that they were allowed bid for it as well." The construction of a new purpose-built training college for the PSNI was recommended by the Patten report on police reform. Chief Constable Hugh Orde has said he wants a site for the facility finalized as soon as possible so that it will be open by 2007. The row over the siting of the campus had meant that the completion date was in doubt. However, despite the new competition, the Policing Board is confident that one of almost 30 locations will be decided upon quickly and that the project won't be delayed further. There had been suggestions that the Irish Government had offered to contribute nearly £30 million towards the construction of the campus, should it be located in Derry. Hay said he had no objections to an offer of funding from the southern government, as long as there were "no strings attached." "The whole issue of the Irish Government money, I am not sure they came in at the right time to suggest that, but I will take money from anyone provided there are no political strings attached." These are a few sample stories. For more, pick up your free copy of The Irish Herald. Click here to find the Irish Herald vendor nearest you. Main | Where's the Craic? | Advertising Rates Classifieds | Where to Find The Irish Herald Subscribe to The Irish Herald | Links About The Irish Herald | The Irish Yellow Pages