We look at the stories that were making the headlines in the Andersonstown News this week in 1985...
Nationalists unite to take on unionists
SDLP, Sinn Féin and Peoples Democracy councillors will unite at the City Hall on Friday, to oppose Unionist attempts to further isolate the Nationalist community.
Paschal O'Hare of the SDLP and Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey have both declared their opposition to the Unionist move to have councillors sign a ‘declaration’ “renouncing violence" before they can stand in an election.
A coalition of 15 Loyalist councillors have succeeded in having a Special Meeting of the Council called for Friday to vote on the motion.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News yesterday, Belfast solicitor and SDLP councillor for North Belfast, Paschal O'Hare, said the motion should "be treated with the contempt it deserved”.
"This is an attempt by the DUP to muzzle a section of the people", he said. "It is quite clear that the whole exercise is an attempt by the Unionists to outdo each other in the run up to the May election."
Though acknowledging that he couldn't speak for all his SDLP colleagues, Mr O'Hare stressed he would show his contempt for this "abuse" of City Council time by refusing to vote or take part in the debate. Alex Maskey said Sinn Féin viewed the Unionist motion as "hypocritical" given the DUP's links with Loyalist paramilitaries.
"It is part of the continued attempt by the Unionist parties to disenfranchise Nationalist voters who have freely elected Sinn Féin representatives to represent their views,” he said. "These attempts are a clear indication of the frustration felt by Unionists at the active role performed by Sinn Féin councillors on behalf of their constituents."
Mr Maskey said a "rider" to the motion which called on public employees not to cooperate with Sinn Féin was a piece of "subtle intimidation”.
The Unionist motion is signed by S. Wilson, T. Patton, I. McCrea, W. Stevenson, M. Crooks, P. Whitley, G. Bannister, E. Smyth, R.S. McCrea, J. Stewart, G.A. Haffey, J.T. Foster, W. Bell, A. Redpath and F. Millar. The full motion reads: "That this Council, with a view to preventing Sinn Féin abusing the democratic process and posing as a legitimate political organisation, calls upon her Majesty's Government to take effective action, through a requirement by law that all candidates for Local Authority, Assembly or Parliamentary elections be required to sign a declaration renouncing violence; failure to sign such a declaration automatically banning any candidate from seeking political office. Pending the introduction of such legislation this Council calls on all persons holding public office to deny facilities to consult and/or cooperate with members of Sinn Féin who seek ultimately to destroy the political process."
GREAT CRAIC: Ladies from the Ardoyne Association during a break in their ‘Old Tyme Music Hall’ night in the Ardoyne Hall
Andytown News prison ban
THE Northern Ireland Office has denied claims that a blanket ban has been placed on the Andersonstown News at Armagh Jail. According to relatives no copies of the Andersonstown News have been allowed into the prison and wardens have told them the paper is banned.
Following a series of formal complaints by prisoners in the H-Blocks last year the prison authorities there lifted a total ban on the Andersonstown News but reserved the right to block any particular edition. In practice this has meant that three out of every four copies of the paper are forbidden to prisoners.
The NIO spokesman told us that no copies of the Andersonstown News had been presented at Armagh Jail in the recent post. The spokesman said: "There is no blanket ban on the Andersonstown News in any prison in Northern Ireland. Copies can be brought in but as with all publications each one is looked at and may be stopped if it is felt to be prejudicial to ‘the security, good order or discipline’ of the prison."
If any person has difficulty in getting copies of the Andersonstown News into prisons they should contact our offices.
