IrosApril/May 1998 hConnoll y AssociationOemociu: campaigning for a united and independent Ireland c Responding to Irish labour Berresford Ellis's the needs of Irish leader's 'rambling illegal 'arms' find: prisoners remarks' the sequel EHUTPage 5 TConnolly Column:SETBAC Page 6 Page 12 K As the peace process reaches a critical stage, Irish Democrat editor David Granville reports on the reaction to British government proposals published in a government White Paper in March and aimed at rooting out discrimination and tackling disadvantage in the six counties he recent publication of a White However, SACHR expressed disap- Commission for Racial Equality and respected independent human rights stream of government, she said. Paper detailing government pointment that "its recommendation the Disability Council, SACHR campaigning organisation the "While much of ihc language in the proposals for promoting on fair employment legislation, that stressed that although it "had previ- Committee on the Administration of While Paper is very positive, it is not employment equality in the affirmative action, fair participation ously warned about the danger of a Justice (CAJ). at all clear how the proposals will be North has been given a luke- and indirect discrimination should be hierarchy of discriminations which is Maggie Beirne of the CAJ claimed put into practice." warm reception by human defined by law, appear not to have unacceptable from a human rights that the government's response to There was also little evidence to Irights and campaigning organisations. been accepted". point of view", it would need to con- SACHR's recommendations had been suggest that the overarching Equality The government proposals On the question of establishing an sult the existing bodies before com- "far from positive". Experience in Commission, which would continue include: a new statutory obligation to Equality Commission to replace the menting in detail. Northern Ireland had demonstrated to police equality measures from out- promote equality of opportunity in the Fair Employment Commission, the Concern over the government's that the question of equal opportunity side, rather than inside, government, public sector, with a new Equality Equal Opportunities Commission, the proposals has also came from the well- needed to be brought into the main- would strengthen the powers already Commission to police its implementa- available to the individual equality tion; an extension of fair-employment I bodies. What was needed, she insisted, law; measures to combat the unem- * was lor the guidelines need to be put ployment 'differential' between 5 on a legislative looting in order to give Protestant and Catholics, and a boost i them the necessary teeth, for existing initiatives to combat dis- r The CAJ was also expressed con crimination and unemployment. ~ cern that the government had not Launching the government's pro- = acted on SACHR's recommendations gramme on March 11, Secretary of on affirmative action, contract compli- State Mo Mowlam said that Labour ance and Section 42, which currentlv had been elected with a clear commit- allows discrimination on national ment to act on the party's principles of security grounds. fairness, justice and equality of oppor- Delivering a slinging criticism oi tunity. "We wanted to take action not the government's plans, leading acad- just to ensure that employment is fair- emic Christopher McCrudden, Reader ly shared but also to promote equality in Law at Oxford University and a for- of opportunity across a broad front in mer member of SACHR, argued thai the employment and unemployment the new Equality Commission would fields," she said. be marginal to the central-policy mak- The current White Paper is the ing within government. "The new government's response to detailed rec- commission will not, you can be sure, ommendations made by the Standing silling in on the weekly meetings of Advisory Committee on Human ihe inner circle of permanent secre- Rights (SACHR) in its report taries. But lhai is where ihe power Employment Equality: Building For The within ihe civil service really lies," he Future, published in June 1997. wrote in ihe Sunday liuumss 1'nst SACHR, an independent statutory Responding on behall of l lie body which advises the Secretary of Connolly Association, general secre- State on human rights issues in the tary linda l inlay warned that unless North. changes were made to the While Paper However, while the current propos- proposals, ihe British government als go some way towards implement- looked sel to miss a golden opportuni- ing SACHR's recommendations, there ty lo create a new climate ol equal is concern that a number have either opportunity in the Nlorih. been omitted or lack the necessary Warning of the detrimental effect legal teeth to make them effective. thai lhis could have on the peace Giving an initial response, SACHR process, he said: "Without the neces- welcomed the government's commit- sary legislative controls to ensure ment to introducing a statutory oblig- enforcement, we could easily find ation to promote equality in the public these proposals ending up alongside sector and proposals to enhance the many ol their predecessors in a existing Targeting Social Need pro- bulging file marked 'well-meaning but gramme by combating unemploy- ineffectual'. Discrimination and ment; tackling discrimination in Sheffield Irish Festival director Chrissy Meleady is joined by local Irish children and piper Brian Howard for the unveiling inequality continue to be an enormous health, housing and education, and of a memorial in Crookes cemetary commemorating the deaths of Irish navvies in the Totley tunnel disaster towards the problem in the North and it's going to dealing with forms of'multiple depri- end of the last century. Exact details of the incident remain shrouded in mystery and the local Irish community is mount- lake a lot more than fine-sounding vation'. ing a campaign to discover the truth about one of the worst railway-building disasters of the era. words to tackle the problem." Irish Democrat April/May 1998 Irish Democrat April /May 1998 Page 3 News News mish OemocBAC NEWS IN BRIEF Sheffield Irish Parliamentary first NEWS IN BRIEF founded 1919 \1111j111 c >3, No ? Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington Collusion bombshells explode over peace talks Jim Connell memorial festival first John McDonnell is to be congratulat- Trade unionists, town councillors and ed for initiating what appears to be PARADES COMMISSION to his murder. local history and community organisa- COMMUNITY FESTIVALS the first ever recorded parliamen- Democrat reporter SACHR is among those who have tions in London and Co. Meaih have Democrat reporter tary debate on the Irish in Britain. welcomed the report and its recom- launched a £40,000 appeal to cover the ramatic new evidence exposing THE TRAIN APPROACHING Addressing MPs on March 5, he mendation of sweeping changes to ihe cost ol a commemorative sculpture lo he organisers of Sheffield's British military and RUC . said that it was astounding that emergency regime in Northern the Irish labour movement activist tirsi ever Irish Festival have involvement in the work loyal- PLATFORM 4 IS THE DELAYED... no debate had taken place Ireland. Jim Connell to be erected at his birth declared the event a ist murder gangs has erupted before, given that "Irish migration A recently published book bv place in Ireland. Writing one week before the British and Irish government target resounding success and are dramatically onto the political to Britain goes back as far as the first investigative lournalist Scan Although an active trade unionist date ol April 9 lor reaehing a settlement which can be put to the alreadv getting down to the scene in recent weeks, causing forays by Irish chieftains to Wales, McPhilemy, also links senior RUC throughout his life. Council is hard work of preparing next maximum embarrassment to the gov- people of the six and 2ft counties, it would be foolish to predict the during which they kidnapped a small D and Ulster Defence Regiment'Royal ptobably best known as the author ihe year's festival, which they hope will be ernment and its security forces. eventual outcome. All of the participants have been involved in T boy who grew up to become our Irish Ranger officers and prominent 'Red Flag' which, despite ihe adveni of even bigger and better. Although the latest revela- patron saint, Saint Patrick." unionists from all walks of life with New Labour, remains ihe favoured intense negotiations over the past weeks - although not necessari- l he festival, which included events tions, which come at a particu- Referring to the recently published loyalist murder gangs. anthem ol the labour and trade union ly with each other, as the Ulster Unionist Party has maintained its at venues throughout the city in the Frain Family, Leeds Comhaltas, larly delicate stage of the CRE report, which highlighted the The Committee, by Scan movement, in Britain. March, was organised by the Sheffield Chris Sherbourne and Denny Barclay peace talks, will come as no boycott of any direct dealings with Sinn Fein. Despite high levels continuing existence of anti-Irish McPhilemy, which is currently Born in Kilskvre, Co. Mcalh, in Irish Forum and the city's library ser- were among the musical acts, many of surprise to informed of sceptisism at grass-roots level, and open disagreement between racism in Britain, he gave his full unavailable in Britain for legal rea- 1852, Council moved to Dublin .11 lin- vices, and was sponsored by Guinness. them local, who performed through- observers, the quality and backing to its call for the ethnic mon- sons, details how the sixty members age ot 19, and from there, a lew vcars the parties involved over a number of key issues, including the In addition to a wide range of out the festival.