Jude Collins

Thursday 2 June 2011

How can we use this grief?



I’m sitting at this minute listening to BBC’s The Nolan Show (again) and if there was ever any doubt in  my mind that the death of Mary Travers is being used as a weapon to beat Sinn Féin with, it's gone now. Gregory Campbell – who else? – is on and he’s been asked if  Mary McArdle should resign. Welllll, she could, Gregory says. But that would be the easy way out for Sinn Féin. What should happen is that Sinn Féin should admit that they were wrong to appoint her in the first place and withdraw the offer of the appointment. So now we know. It's not really about the pain that Ann Travers is feeling. It’s about damaging Sinn Féin as much as possible. If there’s concern for the tragedy of the Travers family it comes second to this political objective – thump the Shinners. And now there’s a man on the line whose brother was murdered by the UVF (after being tortured) who’s saying the same thing essentially  - get the politicians off the programme – at the moment it's Gregory and that other man of peace, Jim Allister – and let the ordinary people speak. No, sorry, caller, that wouldn’t work. Because it wouldn’t then be assured that the death of Mary Travers could be used as a political weapon. You want an image? It’s of politicians standing on the coffin of Mary Travers so their voices will carry further. Enough, already.  

17 comments:

  1. Jude, very true and we have had the same experience in this part of the island. Jerry McCabe and all his family, friends and workmates were known to all by their first names as radio show, tv documentry and newspaper articles relived the tradegy of his death.

    Yet very few could recall the names of any of the three Quinn children.

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  2. Exactly. Mary Travers is the 'wrong kind' of victim, and should therefore be ignored.

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  3. Well said, Jude.

    As if SF would ever exploit the grief of 'victims' for propaganda purposes!

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  4. Is it just the DUP and TUV though? Was it not a journalist from the BBC called Martina Purdy who phoned up Mary's sister and told her about Mary McArdle's new job? What did Ms Purdy hope to gain by her actions?

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  5. Yes, Martina Purdy is the issue here.
    Christ, what kind of moral cesspitt to you apologists live in?

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  6. No need to be rude (Anon:13:45). The issue is media bias as a conduit to hawkish, hypocritcal politicians.

    Let's have the families of ALL victims whose killers work in powerful public offices across the world on the BBC news. No wait, time doesn't allow. How many people have been murdered in Iraq and Afghanistan?

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  7. Time doesn't allow that, obviously - so apart from denying any one person a voice, what does your argument amount to apart from "two wrongs make a right"?

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  8. No my argument amounts to a comment on media bias and the voiceless majority. Fair play to Martina Purdy. Good journalist within a biased context.

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  9. Oh and a reaffirmation of Jude's spotlight on DUP/TUV hypocrisy.

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  10. Anon 14.24
    Gratuitous rudeness...bred in the bone...a case of: 'He only employs his passion who can make no use of his reason'...

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  11. Anon (15:47)

    A case of hot air and a gratuitous quote.

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  12. Don't you have any marching practice to do...?must be nearly that time of year again...
    Hilarious programme about The Mad (bowler) Hatters on Beeb last night...the 'Men that won't stop marching'..lolololwheezelololol
    More Protozoic than Paleozoic

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  13. Strange isn't it when old queens quote the Classics it's charming engaging witty hahaha and legitimises their political pretensions ... when mere mortals do so it is gratuitous...
    But can the Ancients ever be gratuitous...?
    That is the question..!

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  14. guys - I love slinging out insults as much and more than anybody, but do try to make sure that at worst you include along with a lucid, worthwhile point. There are enough clowns (see what I mean?) going around in splenetic circles without our joining their number.

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  15. There will be no phone calls from the BBC about hypocritcal BBC jurno who utilise superinjunctions .

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  16. Mrs Travers is entitled to express her emotions, to cry, to ask questions and to seek perspicacity.

    Not being too well for the last few weeks I haven't been conscious of any meaningful analysis/debate regarding the Rosemary Nelson report.

    Has it been expressed how the family feel about serving members of the RUC/PSNI?

    RE: Anon 18:38.

    Has Nolan discussed the Super-injunction issue in detail?

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  17. Yes it`s all Gregory Campbells fault that IRA members shot a Catholic School teacher in the back as she left mass. :(

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