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TÁNAISTE MICHÉAL MARTIN has said he is optimistic about the future of Northern Ireland but that there’s no place for complacency.
He was speaking at the British Irish Association Conference in Oxford, England.
He urged people not to take the Good Friday Agreement for granted.
Acknowledging the rioting in Belfast last month, he said there is “no perfect solution” to violence in Northern Ireland, but that the Troubles Legacy Act is not fit for purpose.
The controversial Act came into effect on 1 May.
A Commission took over the role of investigating hundreds of unresolved legacy deaths and cases of serious harm which happened before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
The PSNI no longer has responsibility for investigating unsolved crimes relating to the Troubles.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said the government will not immediately drop its legal case against the UK government over the Act following Labour’s general election victory.
Speaking today, the Tánaiste said that the relationship between Ireland and the UK has been tested in recent years.
“Brexit shook the foundations of established relationships and ways of working. Its implementation and outworkings created new fault lines in a society that did not need more causes of division.
“We ultimately managed to navigate all of that complexity – and are still doing so – in a way that maintained the principles and the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement and that safeguarded the interests of the people of Northern Ireland.”
Despite this, he said, unilateral decisions by the previous British government made partnership and reconciliation difficult.
“Throughout the eight years since Brexit, the devolved institutions have been in abeyance for more time than they have been up and running,” said Martin.
There is absolutely no room for complacency about that; not in Northern Ireland, not anywhere across these islands.
“I’ve said before that I believe that the public in Northern Ireland would have zero tolerance for another cycle of suspension, disenfranchisement and political torpor,” he said.
“In my view, that means having honest conversations about the practical functioning and management of the institutions. You can call that reform; you can call it political stability; you can call it whatever you want – what’s important is that it is tangible and impactful.”
Harris and his British counterpart Keir Starmer are to meet and attend the Ireland V England UEFA Nations’ League match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin together later today.
In a joint article in the Irish Times today, the two leaders said they wanted relations between their countries to go from “friction to friendship”.
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So, just to clarify, 200 plus young women still missing then?
Why would any parent wish to notify the thugs who run Nigeria as their own personal bank account of anything or be noticed in any way, this tragedy has become a farce,
Charlie Mountney …..this tragedy has become a farce.
Just like Flight MH370 and all these other psych ops hoaxes.
Firstly it’s called Psyops, not psych ops and secondly you’re a moron.
Ian Crowley So those that green thumb are also Morons?
And Its often abbreviated in two words ……http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/another-runaway-general-army-deploys-psy-ops-on-u-s-senators-20110223
Perhaps you are a bit of a moron
Ya, because rolling stone is a shining reference of all things military and not just a music magazine.
But even if you’d taken the trouble to read the headline you have seen it’s spelt psy and not psych. You were probably distracted by the picture of an “evil republican” below the headline or so scared by the presence of an illuminati like John McCain that you probably ran to Alex jones and re rest of the crazies to seek some stability.
You and your ilk are sad beings who see black and shout white and live every day in fear that the sky is falling.
You refuse to take the word of the establishment but rather take the word of people so obsessed with their own ego that they’d say or do anything to increase their YouTube hits. You have now been promoted to epic moron.
Hi Frank. Interesting suggestion. I think I see where you are coming from with that idea. I will give it some thought. Thanks.
So we have a grammar Nazi on board today….
Psychological Operations
psych ops
Psy Ops
PSYOP
Psych-Ops: Psychological Operations (Psy-Ops)
http://www.systemiccoaching.com/psych-ops.htm
It’s nothing to do with grammar. Just a lack of understanding of a subject you feel you must enlighten us all with.
You fail to realise that when you say things like Malaysian airlines, Nigerian girls and 9/11 are inside jobs/false flag operations/psych-ops (sic) or the actions of a one world government on open source media like you continually do that you may offend people who lost loved ones, re-open old wounds and perpetuate hatred through misunderstanding. It’s known that people who scream injustice behind conspiracy theories are just trying to be heard. They seek more attention then they have. Jim Corr was overshadowed by his sisters, you are overshadowed by the simplest single celled organism.
I maintain my view that you are a moron and you have not given a single shred of evidence in support of your allegations or in defence of your intelligence.
I think there has been enough posted by myself and others with alternative views questioning the subject of Malaysian airlines, Nigerian girls and 9/11.
As regards Flight MH370 the whole thing has been a farce and the but of jokes…In 2014 an aircraft full of the latest transponders, black boxes cell phones etc cannot simply vanish off the face of the earth.. And by the way…..Their MAY Day Celebration among rescue crew at an air base in Perth was a real eye opener…Literally…. http://s28.postimg.org/fzghzu4zx/Planeeyee.jpg
As regards 9/11 yes certainly wounds have been opened up and people are quite bitter that the truth has been suppressed and people fed lies by the western mainstream media. I already pointed out several highly professional truth sites on this matter… two in particular involving the fire service (Who lost several hundred members) and Architects and Pilots for the truth of 9/11.
BTW the 2011 9/11 commemoration was also a bit of an eye opener….http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/7xhN0Byk5GQ/0.jpg
Maybe we should also keep “an eye out” for the Nigerian Girls.
There is virtually no such thiOpen Sourced western mainstream media hardly exists any more…
Frank, Are you a Max Malone fan by any chance?
john bissett ..Not really..
Well you seem to be spouting the same nonsense he does. Give me proof that the kidnapped girls was a psyops and not just some conspiracy theorist writing an article saying he thinks it is.
So guys standing in a circle is now a deep conspiracy. Tell me, we’re all these workers in on it you crazy muppet or is it just done for kicks by the ruling elite?
I suppose every time two soccer teams stand around the centre for a minutes silence before a match that’s just proof that the queen is a lizard and we never went to the moon!
If what you were saying was true then wouldn’t the secret government just make you disappear? Unfortunately no! The continues absence of evidence is overwhelmingly against you on this one.
Frank is just a wannabe David Icke.Clearly bat shit crazy and has deep rooted issues and the fact he believes numerology makes him a laughing stock.
This is the same David Icke (former football commentator on the BBC) who had to resign after saying he was the second coming of Christ and now tours the world spouting BS about the fact we’re all being ruled by Lizards disguised as humans?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiyrHZCksDM
At least Icke is funny. Frank is just sad.
Frank would blame the Americans if his soup went missing.
The Nigerian government are furious that 4 more children are safe?
No they are furious that the parents didn’t tell them that they are safe. Same as the parents of a missing person not telling searchers that their child had come home. It begs the question now as to how many other girls might actually be safe so now it puts a heavier work load on authorities to try and figure out who is kidnapped and who isn’t. A simple phone call or stroll into the local police station would have sorted out the whole thing long ago.
It’s not really the same though, is it? There were over 200 girls missing, and now there are still over 200 girls missing. It’s not going to change the operation, though it might deflect from the inability of the authorities to deal with the problem for a while.
Emily in case you missed this part of my comment…
” It begs the question now as to how many other girls might actually be safe so now it puts a heavier work load on authorities to try and figure out who is kidnapped and who isn’t.”
It’s gone from 300 down to 219 so who is to say it’s not 119 or 169? The Nigerian security are a joke at the best of times so the last thing anyone needs is supposed hostages sitting comfortably at home while people are literally putting their lives on the line looking for them.
Too many irregularities in this case. After a short time after the hostage taking the Nigerian army announced that all the girls were free, only to retract this statement a few days later. Kenya’s news24 also reported that they all free. Two days ago a German reporter who has been in Nigeria the last few weeks and who formally worked there as an NGO said on German TV that there were many reports in Nigeria that they were free and this accounted for the smug statement made by a top army official that he knew where they were. Otherwise his statement made no sense as it would have put the girls lives in danger.
Those freaks hunt down wild life for fun why can’t a crazy loon hunt them down for fun
have your say