Balless

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Orange Men Ride Goats

One of the few paintings that has nothing to do with poker, it displays a jester performing an act to entertain a royal couple. The title, "Riding the goat," has been wrongly associated with initiation into the Masonic Lodge. It is sometimes used as a joke between members and potential members. Cash was involved with the Masonic Temple, so this could possibly have been a joke for other members.

An "Unknown Mason" gives the following insight into this picture:

The Cassius Coolidge dog picture of "Riding the Goat" is Masonic in nature and yes it is sometimes used as a joke between members and potential members. It depicts one of the first three principal degrees of Freemasonry.

The dog riding the goat is wearing a blindfold. The blindfold is an important part of the first three degrees of Freemasonry and has a specific and symbolic meaning in each degree. The rope around his neck is called a "cable toe" and it too has a particular, significant and symbolic meaning in the particular degree this picture represents.

The three dogs sitting to the left at the desk indicate the three principal officers of any Masonic Lodge and on the necklace type collars they are wearing are the jewels of their office (each jewel being of a different shape and having it own significant meaning).

The dog to the right of the three at the desk is wearing a red cap. In Scottish Rite Masonry this cap is the emblem of a KCCH mason. A couple of the dogs are wearing blue caps. This too has a particular meaning in Scottish Rite Masonry. It is symbol that represents a fifty-year mason (meaning he was initiated fifty or more years ago).

So as you can see, there are things in the picture that any Mason can clearly see.

This book has rocked the Orange world in Ireland and has resulted in the resignation of large numbers of men from the Orange Order. The author is a former member of the Royal Arch Purple Order who resigned from the organisation several years ago. Being aware of the great ignorance which surrounds many of the practices and teaching of the Order he undertook an in-depth study of the institution. With much research, over the years, he discovered that many of the practices and teaching to have originated in Pagan Masonry.

Behind Closed Doors - the Hidden Structure Within the Orange Order, 

 "Obtaining any useful information on the highly ritualistic Royal Arch Purple initiation is fraught with many difficulties due mainly to the fact that both the Orange Order and the Independent Orange Institution are secret societies which zealously guard their secrets and mysteries from the uninitiated. It is fair to say they have succeeded in guarding their practices, teaching and symbolism over the years where even Freemasonry has failed. Published material on the degree is therefore rare."




Not only have many men resigned from the Orange Order recently but many more have been decided not to join this order through the reading of this book. As no one is aware of the demeaning character of this ceremony before being initiated, it is imperative to warn young Protestants males (the only people eligible to join) before joining.


The elaborate, highly ritualistic, Arch Purple initiation clearly belongs far outside the bounds of evangelical Protestantism. Such an outrageous theatrical display becomes a barrier to truth for the initiate rather than an appropriate channel to reach him. This type of nonsense is contrary to the traditional mode of service that Protestants have always enjoyed. In no place in Scripture do we see any semblance of instruction for believers to behave in such an unseemly manner. As evangelicals we must therefore oppose such evil encroachments. God's Word says: "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32).

From the Author

I have dedicated this book - behind closed doors - to my late father Will Malcomson who brought me up in the fear and admonition of God. And having faithfully preached the Word of God for many years taught me by example that I was saved to serve.The purpose of this research has been to break through the veil of mystery and secrecy surrounding the Orange Order's secret internal ritualistic body - the Royal Arch Purple and to examine it from an evangelical perspective. In doing so I was primarily directing this publication at fellow believers, especially those within the Orange Order, enabling fair, open and informed analysis of the subject. The Lord Jesus Christ said, "For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad" (Mark 4:22).




In addressing such a sensitive matter I was aware that some may question my actions or even misunderstand my motives, but it is my simple desire to lift up the name of our beloved Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ and to "earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude v3).
In addressing this subject I am primarily trying to establish whether the origins, practices, teaching and symbolism of the Royal Arch Purple Order are compatible with the infallible truth of God's Word or whether, as some evangelicals claim, the Order is nothing better than veiled Freemasonry embodying much unbiblical error, and therefore worthy of condemnation. The Bible declares: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil" (1Thessalonians 5:21-22).



This book is not an attack upon Protestantism nor is it designed to undermine the traditional Unionist / Loyalist position in Northern Ireland. I have no axe to grind with any individual within the Orange Order, nor is it my intention to embarrass anyone by the publication of this book.



Lorraine Boettner in his book 'Roman Catholicism' ably outlines the evangelical Protestant position on traditionalism when he affirms, "We do not reject all tradition, but rather make judicious use of it in so far as it accords with Scripture and is founded on truth." Any time there has been a measure of true reform within the Church, there is nothing held valid simply because of antiquity or tradition. Men have submitted themselves to the instruction of God's Word, abandoning the objectionable teachings and inventions of man.



Man-made brotherhoods by their very existence are an anathema to a thrice-holy God. Whilst veiled with religious trappings and outward respectability, they are subtly designed on the devil's drawing board to be an alternative to, and a counterfeit of, the true brotherhood of believers, the Church.
This brotherhood of believers is not only ordered of God, but is created by Him for His glory and the extension of His blessed Kingdom. This body, the Church, is the sole institution ordained of God for the proclamation and defence of the Word of God, and has Christ as its supreme ruling Head. The Bible says, that God "hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).



The human body, so harmoniously fitted together, is presented in Scripture as a beautiful picture of the mystical union between Christ and the Church. By virtue of that union, the child of God enjoys spiritual unity and communion with that body of believers. The Bible says, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12).



The instrument God uses to bind the believer to Christ is the Holy Spirit. The true believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and is therefore joined to Christ through the work of the Spirit. The Bible says, "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (I Corinthians 6:17). Every believer united to Christ is thus united to His brethren by the Spirit, all being members of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:16 says, "The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth."



Every member has a unique part to play in the development of the body. None are there by chance, all have been the focus of God's special grace and mercy, being chosen in Christ and purchased by His precious blood. The Bible says, "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23).



Secret societies by their very existence are an alternative to the body of believers the Church, and thus deprive Christ of His rightful place in men's lives. Found within these institutions are all the component parts of the Church, albeit in imitation form. They even mimic God's people by portraying themselves as a brotherhood, referring to their fellow members as 'brethren' and the individual member as 'brother'. Nevertheless Jesus said, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Matthew 12:50).



Christians have no right to undermine their privileged position within the body of believers by joining such man-made counterfeits. Such compromise, damages their walk with God, weakens their commitment to the body of believers and flies in the face of Scripture.
It is my great hope that through reading this publication many people will come to a real understanding of the true character and workings of the Orange Order and the Royal Arch Purple degree in particular and that those believers within the Order will prayerfully consider the material outlined. Jesus said, "when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).

"The Royal Arch Purple candidate is led round the Chapter room three times in a time-honoured heathen manner...the floor of which is covered in branches and brambles, so as to ensure the journey is one of obvious suffering for the barefooted candidate.During his three journeys round the Chapter room, the candidate (without warning) is violently whipped on his legs with brambles and branches by the assembled brethren. This practice normally results in varying amounts of cuts and bruises to the initiate, depending on the brethren administering such, the candidate enduring a symbolic fall, each lap of the hall.
The whipping of the initiate's legs and the barefooted travel over brambles and branches is painfully endured by the candidate to the accompaniment of hilarious laughter from all those present, many imitating goat bleats, (reminding the candidate of his impending ride on the goat). This deeply offensive practice is carefully designed to further humiliate the nervous candidate. Amazingly, such ridiculous buffoonery is accompanied by the reading of Holy Scripture.




The three journeys of the candidate round 'the wilderness' are accompanied by three great falls symbolising the candidate's victory over death and the grave. As the candidate is led round the room the first time he sustains a fall, and is raised up, on the words "O death, where is thy sting?" He is then led round again and receives the second fall, and is raised up, on the words "O grave, where is thy victory?"
At the top of this ladder, the blindfolded Arch Purple candidate is made to kneel upon a representation of a coffin. The Royal Arch Purple lecturers then outline the importance and profound significance of this solemn act to him: "With my knees upon a representation of a coffin, my toes extended over the earth, to testify that I was duly prepared to suffer death and all its penalties, before I would divulge anything I had received, or was about to receive." Here the candidate agrees, by symbolically kneeling upon a representation of a coffin, to suffer the destruction of his own life before he would divulge the bogus teaching of this man-made counterfeit order. Yet Jesus says, "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (Luke 9:56).




After the gravity of his obligation is further impressed upon the Arch Purple candidate the assembled Chapter gather at the back of the steps ('Jacob's ladder') and unfold a large canvas blanket. The blindfolded initiate, who has his back to the blanket is then told to cross his arms whilst still kneeling upon a representation of a coffin.



He is then asked, by the lecturers, "In whom do you put your trust?" The nervous candidate answers "God" (normally with a little prompting from his guide) whereupon he receives a violent push backward unto the blanket. Here he undergoes one of the most painful and humiliating experiences within the Royal Arch Purple ceremony, when he is brutally kicked and tossed upon the blanket by the assembled Chapter for a number of minutes. This practice is known as "riding the goat."
There is no greater proof of the corrupt nature of the Royal Arch Purple Order than this demeaning farce. How anyone could interpret it as anything other than an organised disgrace defies belief. One wonders how any Christian could defend such an irreligious sham and explain how it at all promotes holy living or respect for one's fellow man. The Bible solemnly states: "be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD" (Isaiah 52:11).




At the end of his "ride on the goat" the candidate is rolled up in a bundle and carried in the canvas or sackcloth sheet to the north-west corner of the Chapter room, where he is informed of the consequences of disloyalty to the Royal Arch Purple. Two lecturers converse to explain the penalties as follows: "Can you explain to me the three great and solemn penalties of a Royal Arch Purpleman? First - That I would suffer my throat cut across from ear to ear, my tongue torn out by its roots, and with my body buried in the rough sands of the sea, two and a half cable tow lengths from where the tide ebbs and flows, about twice in a natural day, before I would divulge. Second - That I would suffer my left breast torn open, my heart and vitals taken therefrom, and with my body given to the vultures of the air, or the wild beasts of the field, as a prey, before I would divulge. Third and last - That I would suffer no less a penalty thanthat of having my body severed in two, one part carried east, the other west, taken to the top of some high hill or mountain, the parts thereof burned to ashes, the ashes scattered to the four winds of heaven, so that not a vestige of such a vile or perjured wretch as I should remain amongst men, more especially Royal Arch Purple men, should I divulge, part or parts, secret or sign, sign or token, of anything I had received, or was about to receive, or may hereafter be instructed in, unless to a brother Royal Arch Purpleman, well knowing him to be such, after strict trial and due examination, or upon the word of a well-known brother." One must ask, how a believer could be part of an Order that confers such evil spiritual bondage upon its members. One wonders what pathetic defence they could give for bestowing such barbaric penalties on the initiate in the light of Holy Writ, or what shred of contrived justification could be uttered to explain how such repugnant rhetoric in any way promotes the Protestant Faith?

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   IRISH REPUBLICAN NEWS
   http://republican-news.org

   Friday-Monday, 22-25 January, 2010


1.  NOW OR NEVER
2.  PSNI man arrested over Loughinisland massacre
3.  Gun attack in south Armagh
4.  SF calls on PSNI to end informer pressure
5.  Anger at Cameron's 'Orange Card'
6.  Waterford plant closes for last time
7.  Feature: Bloody Sunday - the struggle continues
8.  Analysis: Ruling greeted by the sound of silence


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 McGuinness has said Sinn Fein has fulfilled its obligations in
 government and is now insisting unionists and the two government do the
 same to avoid a political crisis.

 His comments came ahead of a crunch meeting with DUP leader Peter
 Robinson over the hardline unionist party's refusal to implement the
 2006 St Andrews Agreement.

 In the end the meeting only lasted thirty minutes. Shortly after this,
 the 26-County Taoiseach Brian Cowen and British Prime Minister Gordon
 Brown decided to fly from London to Belfast to join the talks at
 Hillsborough Castle outside Belfast, where discussions are continuing.

 Mr Cowen and Mr Brown began a meeting with the two parties at 5pm.  It
 is understood Mr Brown is unlikely to be able to remain in the North
 beyond this evening.

 Before they departed Downing Street, both Mr Brown and Mr Cowen made
 reassuring and cautiously optimistic statements for the assembled media.

 However, Sinn Fein's patience with the process appeared to collapse on
 Friday following three years of failed efforts to share power with the
 DUP and an apparently dismissive approach by scandal-hit DUP leader
 Peter Robinson.

 Over the weekend, Sinn Fein declared that the talks with the DUP had
 ended before holding out the possibility of progress at today's
 [Monday's] final 'critical and defining' engagement.

 The key disagreements remain the DUP's stalling on the transfer of
 policing and justice powers and demands by the Protestant Orange Order
 for the abolition of the Parades Commission.

 Mr McGuinness claimed that, while his party had backed new policing
 structures after the 2006 St Andrews agreement which paved the way for
 power-sharing, the DUP had yet to fulfil its commitments.

 "Within three months of the St Andrews agreement we in Sinn Fein moved
 forward decisively on the issue of policing, took what was considered to
 be an historic and monumental decision," he said.

 "And we did that within three months of St Andrews... to ensure that
 these institutions would work.

 "Three years on, three years on, we are waiting for the DUP to deliver
 and honour their commitments, that all of us were supposed to have
 signed up to under the terms of an agreement that was presided over by
 the Irish Government and the British government."

 The former IRA commander who stunned hardline republicans when he
 described members of the breakaway 'Real IRA' as "traitors" last March,
 said he had worked hard to form an effective political partnership,
 first with the former DUP leader Ian Paisley, and then Peter Robinson.

 "From the very beginning of this process... I have been at pains to make
 this place work," he said.

 "It's been my life's work over the course of recent times because I
 passionately believe in power-sharing, passionately believe in
 all-Ireland institutions and passionately believe in working in a
 positive and constructive mood with all of the people that I come in
 contact with."

 He added: "Unfortunately, we have learned that there are people within
 these institutions who only see the future through the prism of one
 section of the community - that is not a sustainable way to move forward
 and I am not going to be part of that."

 Mr McGuinness, flanked by Sinn Fein colleagues including party president
 Gerry Adams, said: "I respect the mandate of Peter Robinson. I respected
 Ian Paisley's mandate. It is now time for them to respect ours."

 In the absence of any agreement, Martin McGuinness is likely to resign
 as Deputy First Minister. In that scenario, Assembly elections would
 have to be called after seven days and held within seven weeks.

 * We will continue to bring updates today on any breaking developments
 from the talks in Belfast.


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>>>>>> PSNI man arrested over Loughinisland massacre


 A member of the PSNI was suspended on Friday over allegations that he
 protected the UVF murder gang who carried out the Loughinisland
 massacre.

 Willlam Patterson was arrested by investigators from the Police
 Ombudsman's office at his County Down home on Thursday and interviewed
 about the June 1994 massacre on the Heights Bar which left six men dead
 and live others seriously wounded.

 His arrest is understood to have been the first time that a serving
 member of the RUC/PSNI has been questioned over allegations of Crown
 force collusion in the atrocity.

 Mr Patterson was interviewed about assisting the UVF, perverting the
 course of justice and withholding information.

 In 2006 the families of those killed in Loughinisland asked the then
 police ombudsman, Baroness O'Loan to investigate what they believed were
 "serious flaws" in the original RUC investigation.

 It had emerged that an RUC agent, codenamed 'Mechanic', had supplied the
 getaway car and that one of the murder weapons had been smuggled into
 Ireland from South Africa by British army agent Brian Nelson.

 One of the families' other concerns was the loss of potential forensic
 evidence when the RUC suddenly destroyed the getaway car used in the
 attack. The families also questioned the RUC's inability to use forensic
 evidence found on one of the gang members' balaclavas.

 A spokesman for the ombudsman confirmed that Its investigators had
 arrested a PSNI man on Thursday.

 "He was questioned by its investigators and released pend ing further
 inquiries, he said.

 The families' solicitor Niall Murphy welcomed the arrest but expressed
 concern about the development.

 "The families are extremely concerned that this officer, who was serving
 In the same ponce station In Downpatrick as the Loughlnlsiand murder
 investigation, Is now being questioned over allegations that he
 protected the killers and deliberately perverted the course of justice,"
 he said.

 "This is a major development which raises all sorts of serious questions
 about security-force collusion in the Loughinisland massacre."

 The massacre was one of the worst atrocities of the conflict, with
 bodies piled up inside the tiny bar in a scene of utter carnage.

 The victims came from Loughinisland, Ballynahinch, Drumaness, and
 Downpatrick. They were Adrian Rogan, 39-year-old Eamon Byrne, who was
 married with four children, his brother-in-law Patsy O'Hare, who was 35
 and a single man, 59-year-old Dan McCreanor, a single farmer, his uncle
 Barney Green, an 87-year-old retired pig farmer who was married, and
 54-year-old Malcolm Jenkinson, a building contractor who was married
 with three children.


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>>>>>> Gun attack in south Armagh


 Crossmaglen PSNI base in south Armagh was last night targeted in a
 gun attack for the second time in less than a month.  At about 9.30pm a
 car pulled up at the gates, two people fired shots at the station and
 fled. There were no injuries.

 The earlier attack happened on December 30, when there were also no
 injuries.

 The SDLP representative for the area, Dominic Bradley, said the people
 who carried out the attack were taking advantage of current political
 instability.

 "The longer there is a vacuum the more the opportunity they believe they
 have to exert their influence," said Mr Bradley.

 "I believe the only answer to that is to show that the political
 institutions are working, that isn't the case at the moment and that
 vacuum is priding these people with an opportunity."

 "We need results from the present talks; we need the powers of policing
 and justice to be transferred to Northern Ireland."


 CIRA PROTEST

 Republican Sinn Fein is to hold a picket outside Portlaoise prison in
 the Irish midlands on Saturday in protest against the conditions in the
 jail and in support of the demand of the Continuity IRA prisoners in the
 jail to be housed on a landing on their own.

 The party has described the denial of a separate landing for the CIRA
 POWs in Portlaoise prison as part of a policy to "criminalise the
 continued Irish Republican resistance" to British rule in Ireland.

 "Since 1917, 22 Irish Republicans have died in defence of their right to
 political status," a party spokesperson said.

 "In the 1940s the Republican Prisoners in Portlaoise were among the
 first Blanketmen in opposition to criminalisation. In the 1970s
 Republican prisoners endured a 47-day hunger strike.

 "The Republican prisoners in Portlaoise today are defending the same
 right to political status because they are part of the same struggle.

 "The CIRA prisoners demand their right to a separate landing. The CIRA
 PoWs' demand is simple  they want to continue to be treated as
 political prisoners - as other groups in the jail are."


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>>>>>> SF calls on PSNI to end informer pressure


 Sinn Fein has backed the case of a Derry republican who complained that
 British intelligence agencies had been "relentless" in their efforts to
 recruit him as an informer.

 The man, who does not wish to be named, said he believes that MI5 agents
 are interested in him because of his friendship with a leading dissident
 republican.

 The Derry man, a former prisoner, said a greeting card was posted to his
 house this week containing a handwritten message asking for his help and
 instructions to contact a mobile phone number, which was also included.

 in December, the same man received a similar card, which also contained
 a mobile phone number, and a gift voucher for a local toy shop. The
 voucher was given to charity.

 The man said that he had to collect the card from the Post Office and
 pay for it because whoever posted it originally did not attach the
 correct stamp.

 "I received a notice through my door telling me there was an item of
 post for me to collect at the Post Office. When I picked it up I had to
 pay 1.08 because not enough postage had been attached. My name and
 address on the envelope was written in the same handwriting as the one I
 got before Christmas.

 "Inside was a phone number of what I believe to be an MI5 agent. They
 have been relentless in trying to get me to work for them," he said.

 The man brought the card to a lawyer who contacted the telephone number
 and said it went to an answer-phone message left by someone with an
 English accent calling himself 'Ken.' The number in the previous card
 also went to an similar message.

 Local Sinn Fein representative Martina Anderson said she has raised the
 man's case with the head of the PSNI.

 "I have met the man concerned and there are obvious issues of concern. I
 will be raising this issue directly with Matt Baggott to express my
 concern," she said.


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>>>>>> Anger at Cameron's 'Orange Card'


 The British Conservative Party has been accused of engaging in
 sectarianism over its secret talks with the UUP and the DUP.

 Representatives of the parties met most recently on a possible unity
 move at an English stately home outside of London on the 16th and 17th
 of January.

 Dr McDonnell has sought an urgent meeting with Conservative leader David
 Cameron to express his concerns.

 The South Belfast MP said the meeting showed contempt for nationalists
 and adds further mistrust to the political process.

 "It's saying to me that the Conservatives at this stage are not fit for
 government," said Dr McDonnell.

 "This is playing the orange card, it's being sectarian, it's being
 divisive and I will be putting it to David Cameron that it was naive at
 best and malevolent at worst."

 In 2008, the Conservative party officially joined forces with the Ulster
 Unionist Party, forming a new electoral alliance known as the Ulster
 Conservative and Unionists - New Force (UCUNF).

 But at the weekend, UUP leader Reg Empey insisted the pact only covered
 European and Westminister elections and gave a strong indication that
 his party was exploring the possibility of a link-up with the Democratic
 Unionist Party at the Stormont Assembly in Belfast.

 He confirmed the UUP were involved in a serious engagement about
 cooperating politically with the DUP and said nothing had been ruled in
 or out.

 Ian Paisley Jnr od the DUP said nationalist concerns about a secret
 unionist strategy were "a smokescreen to cover the anger that certain
 nationalists will have when they realise their political careers are
 over because they were based on the false dawn of a split unionist
 vote."

 Mr McDonnell described the move as "cheap Tory stroke".

 "For Mr Cameron to orchestrate playing the orange card last weekend for
 an hour of self interest did our process serious damage," he said.

 "It disrupted the discussions of devolving policing and justice at a
 very delicate point just to let him gain some narrow political advantage
 in the event of a hung parliament."

 Dr McDonnell also accused Mr Cameron of exploiting the crisis at
 Stormont.

 "No-one is buying the Tory line that this secret, all-unionist meeting
 was an attempt to overcome political instabilities," he said.

 "If this was the genuine motivation then why haven't the Tories met with
 the nationalist parties which represent half of the population living
 here?"

 Leader of the moderate unionist Alliance Party leader David Ford told
 his annual conference that any talk of unionist non-sectarian politics
 will be "sunk without trace" if a pan-unionist front is agreed.

 That was demonstrated by the weekend resignation of three local
 Conservatives, two of whom are Catholics, who had been nominated to
 stand in the Westminster elections, he said.

 "Tories in Northern Ireland have claimed to be non-sectarian and
 progressive, saying that they are seeking to introduce what they
 describe as 'national politics' to our society," he told delegates.

 "However, if there is any truth whatsoever to the talk of unionist pacts
 and realignments with the DUP also included, the claims of non-sectarian
 progressive politics are sunk without trace," he said.

 "If there are members within the ranks of the local Conservatives who
 genuinely believe in a shared future as a priority, I fear they are now
 in an impossible position," added Mr Ford.


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>>>>>> Waterford plant closes for last time


 Hundreds of people came to pay their final respects to the Waterford
 Crystal visitors' centre at Kilbarry in Waterford yesterday as it
 closed its doors for the final time.

 Some came in the hope of gathering a piece for their collection, while
 others simply came to share memories that made up the centre-piece of
 their lives for so long.

 The centre had been due to close next month with the loss of about 15
 remaining jobs there.   Wile the jobs will still be lost on February
 5th, the centre closed ahead of schedule at 5pm yesterday.

 About 330,000 tourists came to the visitor centre annually for 25 years
 - from Britain, the US, Australia and Asia. Almost 3,000 people once
 worked for Waterford Crystal at their factories in Kilbarry and
 Dungarvan.

 Last year, a tense stand-off followed when the plant was occupied by
 workers and supporters following news it was to be shuttered.

 Waterford Crystal worker of some 10 years Eleanor Horan said of its
 final closure: "We are absolutely devastated but people have been
 fantastic; the support we got from all our locals has been absolutely
 incredible."

 Engraver Nicky Coady, with 44 years' service, added: "While I'm here
 I'd like to just thank all the people who came in and shook our hands
 this week.

 "If the politicians had come out a bit earlier maybe we wouldn't be
 closing here today." Mayor of Waterford John Halligan said it was "a
 sad day for Waterford".

 The company that now owns the Waterford Crystal rights has said it will
 open a new retail outlet and visitor centre in the city, and that glass
 pieces would continue to be manufactured.  However, the new facility
 will be a tiny fraction of the original plant.

 The outlet is scheduled to open in June and will be based in the former
 ESB regional office at the Mall in Waterford.


 NATIONAL WORKER UNREST

 Meanwhile, thousands of public servants in the 26 Counties are today
 taking action which will involve work to rule and refusals to carry out
 duties associated with vacant posts in protest at pay cuts.

 Health service and local government workers are involved, with more
 unions are expected to join the protest in the coming weeks.

 Further industrial action, including strikes in selective areas, are
 understood to be under consideration by public sector unions in a second
 phase of the campaign which could take effect in the weeks ahead.

 Mid-ranking civil servants are scheduled to join the initial industrial
 action by the middle of next week.

 Ireland's largest union, Siptu, said on Friday it would be serving
 notice of industrial action across the civil service, local authorities,
 and health and education sectors tomorrow. This proposed action would
 come into effect a week later, February 1st.

 Lower-paid civil servants who are members of the CPSU have already been
 involved in industrial action for the last several days.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------


>>>>>> Feature: Bloody Sunday - the struggle continues


 As many victims of miscarriages of justice will testify, admissions of
 guilt by Britain take a long time to come to pass.

 For 38 years, the people of Derry have been fighting for such an
 admission. Ever since 14 civilians were massacred by the British
 Paratroop Regiment in the city in 1972, the families of dead, the
 injured and the survivors have been fighting for the British government
 to acknowledge the truth. The truth being that the British government
 attempted to crush peaceful civil rights demonstrations by an act of
 terrorism and mass murder.

 Despite the pain and death inflicted by its army on January 31 1972, the
 British government failed on two counts. Not only did it abjectly failed
 to crush the struggle for civil rights, democracy and freedom in
 Ireland, it also failed to make its version of what happened on Bloody
 Sunday stick. The truth that Bloody Sunday was a massacre is known
 around the world, to the detriment of the British government's
 reputation.

 What remains to be achieved is the publication of the findings of the
 Saville Inquiry, which was set up by the British government in 1998. The
 families deserve at least the semblance of closure that an accurate
 finding by the Inquiry will bring.

 But the brutal truth that the British army taught the people of Ireland
 on January 31 1972 remains - without national rights there can be no
 civil rights. Until national independence and unity is achieved the
 British government will continued to abuse the civil and human rights of
 Irish citizens and it will attempt to crush any resistance to those
 abuses.

 These are the reasons that people should mobilise to Derry on January
 31; for 38 years, nationalist Ireland has been marching in defiance of
 the British government and its armed forces in that city and this year
 should be no different.

 This month, get to Derry and march in memory of Jackie Duddy, Patrick
 Doherty, Bernard McGuigan, Hugh Gilmour, Kevin McElhinney, Michael
 Kelly, John Young, William Nash, Michael McDaid, James Wray, Gerald
 Donaghy, Gerald McKinney, William McKinney and John Johnston.

 Get to Derry and march in support of their families and the survivors.

 Get to Derry and demand national independence.

 -------------------

 The programme of the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration will include
 film screenings, discussions, workshops and lectures and will culminate,
 as always, with the Bloody Sunday commemoration march to mark the 38th
 anniversary of the massacre.

 The week of events begins on Monday with a screening of the film, 'The
 US vs. John Lennon' in the Nerve Centre, Magazine Street, at 8pm. The
 documentary focuses on the Nixon administration's surveillance of the
 former Beatle due to his anti-war activities.

 Tuesday will see a screening of 'Five Minutes of Heaven,' a film
 starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, telling the story of a meeting
 between the son of a victim of the Troubles and the former UVF man who
 killed his brother.

 On Wednesday, the Nerve Centre will host a screening of 'Not in Our
 Name,' which tells the story of the 'Raytheon 9' and their subsequent
 trial. The film will begin at 8pm and admission is #2.

 The film will be followed by the Bloody Sunday memorial quiz which will
 be held in the Beechtree Bar, Beechwood Avenue, at 10pm. Admission is
 #10 per team of five.

 On Thursday The Pat Finucane Centre will hold a 'Raiders of the Lost
 Archives' event in Culturlann Ui Chanain, Great James' Street at 7.30pm
 which will take a look back through historical files, including state
 papers.

 Friday afternoon will see a screening of 'Justice Denied - Voices from
 Guantanamo' which will be followed by a discussion involving Moazzam
 Begg, who was held in the infamous detention camp for five years. The
 event will begin at 1pm and admission is free.

 The annual Bloody Sunday lecture will take place on Friday night and
 this year will involve members of the Bloody Sunday families providing
 an update on when they expect Lord Saville's report into the 1972
 shootings to be published. The lecture will take place in Culturlann Ui
 Chanain at 7.30pm.

 Saturday's events will include the Irish premiere of a previously lost
 film on a massacre of up to 3200 Algerians in Paris in October 1961
 which will be screened in An Chulturlann at 10am. This will be followed
 by a training workshop on non-violent action for social justice in
 Pilot's Row. Afterwards a panel discussion will take place in An
 Chulturlann on how states attempt to cover up violent actions.

 A minute's silence will be held at the Bloody Sunday monument on
 Rossville Steet to mark the anniversary of the shootings at 4pm. A
 fundraising event involving a host of local musicians will held in the
 performance area of An Chulturlann at 7.30pm and admission is #5.

 Sunday morning will begin with a wreath laying and prayer service at the
 Rossville Street monument at 11am with the commemoration march starting
 at Creggan Shops at 2.30pm going to William Street.


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>>>>>> Analysis: Ruling greeted by the sound of silence


 By eirigi


 On Tuesday [January 12th], the European Court of Human Rights
 delivered a landmark judgment relating to Section 44 stop and search
 powers of the British government's 'Terrorism Act' which have been used
 with increasing frequency by the PSNI.

 The Strasbourg case involved two people, one of whom was a journalist,
 who were stopped near an arms fair in London in 2003. The European Court
 adjudged that "it considers that the powers of authorisation and
 confirmation as well as those of stop and search under sections 44 and
 45 of the 2000 (Terrorism) Act are neither sufficiently circumscribed
 nor subject to adequate legal safeguards against abuse. They are not,
 therefore, 'in accordance with the law'."

 By asserting that such powers, which it described as "coercive",
 constituted a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human
 Rights, the court clearly determined that Section 44 is an invasion of
 people's right to liberty and privacy.

 Despite the Court's damning rebuttal of these powers which the British
 government has vested in the PSNI and other British police forces - or
 the fact that the PSNI's ability to use "arbitrary" stop and search
 powers should now lie in tatters - a virtual blanket of silence
 descended over the Six County media, politicians, and human rights
 bodies in response.

 Given the manner in which civil liberties in the Six Counties have been
 continually eroded, the question must be posed - Why such silence?

 After all, this European judgment is particularly pertinent to the Six
 Counties given the dramatic rise in the use of these draconian stop and
 search powers under Section 44.

 Only two months ago, it was revealed that there were more than 20,000
 stop and search incidents in the Six Counties under the British
 government's 'Terrorism Act' and 'Justice & Security Act' during the
 nine month period from January 1 to September 30 last year.

 Over 17,000 of those stop and searches were conducted under Section 44 -
 the same "coercive" power which the EU now deems illegal. Such figures
 indicate a force using repressive measures with relish. It is a picture
 far removed from that continually portrayed by the constitutional
 nationalist politicians who support the PSNI.

 Those figures and the European Court's ruling clearly demonstrate the
 illegal and arbitrary nature of policing in the Six Counties. It is
 somewhat astonishing that the only nationalist politician or Six County
 Policing Board member from whom public comment came either did not know
 the full extent of the PSNI's use of stop and search powers or
 deliberately sought to underplay its impact by referring to "hundreds"
 of people, rather than 20,000 plus, being affected.


 This is typical of a political establishment that spends so much time
 obsessing about power and personalities that it fails to read or monitor
 the laws being enacted and implemented on their watch.

 The political establishment cares little for civil liberties as its
 ambition entails the creation of a highly controlled and monitored
 society.

 The surveillance of individuals, of our streets and towns has increased
 without public scrutiny or debate. Privacy is under threat, as
 widespread interception of telephone and email communications increases.
 The PSNI has greater powers of arrest, to use stop and search powers
 without any suspicion of crime, to deploy covert British army units, to
 continue retaining DNA and fingerprint samples of innocent people
 [deemed unlawful by a European Court ruling in December 2008], to
 collaborate with MI5, and to take punitive action against political
 activists. To compound all this, the length of time that persons can be
 detained without charge has been increased to 28 days.

 All of the above has occurred under the watch of those who promised to
 deliver new beginnings and greater accountability.

 The European Court also stated there was a clear risk that such widely
 framed Section 44 stop and search powers could be misused against
 peaceful demonstrators and political activists in breach of Article 10
 and/or 11 of the Convention. That was the case in relation to the PSNI's
 use of those powers in response to a totally peaceful protest organised
 at the British army's telecommunications post in the Belfast hills in
 November last year and on many other occasions.

 Presently, much speculation surrounds the 'deal or no deal' saga of the
 devolution of limited policing and justice powers to Britain's Stormont
 administration. Such a move, should it occur, will actually do little to
 enhance civil liberties in the Six Counties as decisive power over
 "national security matters" - the interests of the British state in
 Ireland - will remain, as always, the sole prerogative of the British
 government.

 And, acting to reinforce that reality, the British government
 contemptuously announced after the Strasbourg judgment that the
 discredited and unlawful Section 44 powers will remain in use.

 Therein lay the reason behind the virtual blanket of silence which
 descended over the North in response of the European Court judgment.

 Those who have clamoured most for a policing and justice ministry at
 Stormont were simply incapable of explaining what little palpable
 difference such a minister could ever make while the British government
 and its forces in Ireland continue to ignore internationally recognised
 human rights' conventions, just as they do elsewhere.

 In condemning Britain, the European Court unwittingly removed a fig-leaf
 to expose the short-comings of those who run the Six Counties on behalf
 of Britain.



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