Cowen's cow'rin, tim'rous beastie of a Government squeaks on the issue of Shannon torture flights

galway | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Saturday November 01, 2008 14:50

by TD - Free Palestine Campaign

Whilst Rome burns, one doesn't set up a committee to discuss the quality of Nero's fiddling.?

Criminally complicit in facilitating the transit of CIA torture flights via pit stop Ireland, it's reported that the Government is shaping up to do a cap-in-hand spineless slither to "the incoming US administration on the issue of extraordinary renditions and on the US military's use of Shannon Airport ... (and a) Cabinet committee will examine and strengthen legal provisions to ensure that gardaí and airport authorities have adequate legal powers for search and inspection of aircraft. This may involve strengthening the provisions of the Air Navigation and Transport Acts." (Irish Times).

Alex Gibney, director of the 2007 Academy Award for Documentary Feature; Taxi to the Dark Side outside Galway Town Hall during last Summer's Film Fleadh with Peoples Inspection Team and GAAW activist, Laurent.

Regarding these legal provisions; akin to the emperors new clothes, this committee "has nothing on!" , for the Irish Government already has the legal clout and is duty bound under international law and the international instruments it is signatory to to inspect these torture taxis and terminate them but it is finding contemptible refuge in further hypocritical time wasting - when it comes to this apparent Damascene conversion, Mark Kelly, director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties puts his finger on this, in essence, idiot wind of change: "(it comes) at the eleventh hour" after the Government "realised that the writing is on the wall where its longstanding collusion in rendition is concerned."

Virgo intacta, Green Party foreign affairs spokesman, Ciarán Cuff, peeking his head above the duvet during a bordello session with his parties filthy bed fellows breathlessly opined, : "This marks a sea change in the way the Irish Government intends to approach the issue. It is a signal that this Government is taking human rights seriously." Oh yeah!

"USS Neutrality" drawing by anti-war activist; Mark Price.