the death of Mo Mowlam
international |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Friday August 19, 2005 15:34
by iosaf mac diarmada
rest in peace now.
on the 14th of August 1969 British troops entered the statelet of Northern Ireland, an event which came to be seen by many as the start of modern Irish History.
on the 24th of March 1972 the post of "Secretary of State for Northern Ireland" was created by the UK government after the dissolution of the Stormont parliament which had ruled the statelet since 1922.
The 11th person to hold the post, and the only woman was Dr. Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam who was the British government direct ruler of northern Ireland from May 3, 1997 to the 11th of October 1999
She died today at 56 years of age.
Of all the direct rulers, she was perhaps the nicest & will be remember fondly by many.
A member of the British Labour Party who came into her ascendance under Tony Blair, she had come from the older wing of the party that upheld the prinicple of Irish unity.
Unknown to most who negotiated with her, or were affected by the decisions she made during her tenure, she suffered a brain tumor.
Few will forget the occasion when she removed her wig in anger.
Other will recall her role in bringing the IRA back to a ceasefire and Sinn Fein into multi-party talks.
Yet more will remember her visit to the loyalist prisoners in Long Kesh / the Maze prison.
Some will remember her admittal she smoked cannabis.
Some will remember her role in the Good Friday agreement which was signed during her tenure.
& we all ought remember her vehement opposition to the war on Iraq and British foreign policy after her resignation from politics in 2001.
Mo Mowlam
(September 18, 1949 - August 19, 2005)
Rest In Peace.
{for truly we have long been accustomed to a british government & state & representatives of the same that lie, distort facts, manipulate, and use the most flagrant and immoral tactics of populism. Such behaviour did not begin with any Irish adventure or misadventure, and unfortuanately did not end with the murder of De Menezes on the 22nd of July 2005. But somehow you seemed different, and we would like to think you were}