More republican hypocricy

[Wasp]

Monumental row over 'terror shrines'
Sunday Life 23rd March 2008

A ROW over illegal IRA monuments erected on public-owned land has taken a new ,twist. Republicans are adding new permanent features to a controversia IRA memorial in Castlewellan within days of the DUP ,demanding the immediate, removal of what they have describedas"terror shrines" erected on council-owned land.

The memorial was erected on council land in the Co Down town's Main Street seven years ago - sparking protests from unionists. Now,within the past few days, construction work has started on a more permanent memorial enclosed by a wall. Said DUP MLA Jim Wells: "I will be protesting to the planning servicefor I have no doubt they will not beappIying for pIanning permission again."People find this totally offensive."

The twist comes after a motion was'tabled in the name of the party's three members on Down District Council - Wells, William Dick and Billy Walker - demanding the removal of the monument and another in a council owned park in Downpatrick.

They are making the push after what they claim is a move to "air
brush unionism and its symbols from history" in Limavady and Banbridge.
"The monuments in Dunleath Park in Downpatrick and The Square in Castlewellan do not have planning permission and they both cause considerable distress to the unionist community who have suffered grievously at the hands of republican terrorists," said Mr Walker.
Quote:
"What's more offensive - a Charles and Diana mug, a statue to a Northern lreland man who becomes the Prime Minister of New Zealand or monuments to IRA murderers who butchered people? Down council has had quite sufficent time to deal with it."

But Sinn Fein MLA William Clark, rejected the criticism.He said: "There is no intention to cause offence. Republicans have every right to commemorate their dead." The Downpatrick memorial was erected on the spot where IRA man Colum Marks was shot dead by undercover RUC officers as he prepared to launch a mortar attack in April 1991. The monument in Castlewellan lists, the names of IRA members killed during the troubles.The DUP has warned that it is prepared to take a test case on the issue, which could have major legal implications.

Last summer, it was revealed that there are more than 60 illegal memorials both loyalist and republican on public land across Northern Ireland.

[Jim]

"There is no intention to cause offence. Republicans have every right to commemorate their dead."

Completely right.

[Wasp]

So is this just a one way thing for republicans and not everyone else?

[He_Who_Walks_in_The_Wilderness]

on the one hand sinn fein are demanding that unionist symbols are stripped from council premises to create a 'neutral' enviorment and on the other they are erecting republican memorials and they say they are not hypocites

[earl]

Both sides are guilty of hypocrisy. I would have wished that republicans would have led the moral line, done the right thing and tried to do things as inclusively as possible, but it seems that NI politics has not matured enough for this to happen. I would rather that there was some kind of cross community dialogue for this kind of thing.
But Unionist politicians are being equally hypocritical in asking for these to be taken down without addressing any nationalist/republican concerns for neutrality. No one wins in this situation, but maybe this is some sort of plan between SF and the DUP to keep some form of tension in place to try and convince the hardliners on each side that their respective parties haven't 'sold out'. I mean as a topic, this one is very, very low down the list of priorities. There's a world recession looming, is the presence, or lack of a statue in an area really going to help NI through the coming global downturn?

[Wasp]

The memorial was erected on council land in the Co Down town's Main Street.

That is very very different to what is in council chambers abd a wee statue out of site from everyone commemorating a boy who left to become NZ prime minister.

Setanta can you honestly not see the blatant hypocricy? Can you only answer with side stepping the issue.?

Does it matter whether or not Unionist symbols were removed from inside a building when sinn fein are in support of memorials in main streets in mixed areas?? About time you caught yourself on concerning these issues.

[Jim]

wasp said:

The memorial was erected on council land in the Co Down town's Main Street.

That is very very different to what is in council chambers abd a wee statue out of site from everyone commemorating a boy who left to become NZ prime minister.

Setanta can you honestly not see the blatant hypocricy? Can you only answer with side stepping the issue.?

Does it matter whether or not Unionist symbols were removed from inside a building when sinn fein are in support of memorials in main streets in mixed areas?? About time you caught yourself on concerning these issues.

Its all council land. Even the falls is council land.

[Wasp]

So Jim you have no problems with uvf memorial being erected on a main street in a mixed area? Do you setanta or anyother republicans here??

Now Jim your party caused a storm over a statue of a man who left here as a 14 year old and went on to become NZ pm. This small statue is behind council buildings and is out of view to everyone. I lived in Limavady for several months, I still go there to visit people and I only ever found out about the statue because of republicans protesting about it. I never ever knew it even existed.

Is this double standards or not?

[Bilk]

Of course it is double standards, republicans are the kings and queens of double standards. It is offensive to remember the dead of two world wars, but perfectly respectable to commemorate the deaths of people who murdered not only unionists, but nationalists, who didn't agree with their form of nationalism. I would be equally offended by the way, if there were statues of the murderers on the unionist side errected. Lest someone should accuse me of double standards.

wasp said:

So Jim you have no problems with uvf memorial being erected on a main street in a mixed area? Do you setanta or anyother republicans here??

Now Jim your party caused a storm over a statue of a man who left here as a 14 year old and went on to become NZ pm. This small statue is behind council buildings and is out of view to everyone. I lived in Limavady for several months, I still go there to visit people and I only ever found out about the statue because of republicans protesting about it. I never ever knew it even existed.

Is this double standards or not?

[bearhunter]

Sorry Stetanta, but the hypocrisy here is just mind-blowing. They're taking the piss surely.

[Wasp]

BH this is the type of shite we have to put up with and Unionism seems to get the blame for everything.

[Bilk]

bearhunter said:

Sorry Stetanta, but the hypocrisy here is just mind-blowing. They're taking the piss surely.

Would someone mind pointing out where I was hypocritical?

[Wasp]

I think BH means sinn fein and their hypocrisy but after re-reading it again maybe he does mean us Unionists. Although I will go with my 1st assumption to give BH the benefit of the doubt.

[Republic]

I think BH was referring to SF when he said ''they''.
At least thats how I took it.

[bearhunter]

I was referring to SF when I mentioned both hypocrisy AND taking the piss. Sorry, I should have been clearer.