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Galway Advertiser 1979/1979_03_29/GA_29031979_E1_004.pdf
OPPORTUNITY
ONLY ONCE
KNOCKS
^7
J^O
Sowing the seeds? Make sure they re McDonogh's
Everything in the garden can be just lovely . . . if you give plants, vegetables and lawns a bit of help from us. We stock all vegetable seeds including carrots, lettuce, cabbages, etc -- plain and pelleted. Also certified seed potatoes, Dutch worm-treated onion sets, Dutch shallots.
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We are offering the manufacturers to you--with plain Wilton and Shagpile Carpets direct from
FREE UNDERFELT AND FITTING
THIS OPPORTUNITY WILL LAST FOR ONLY ONE WEEK
Friday, 30th March--Saturday, 7th April
AT SAMMON'S CARPET AND CURTAIN CENTRE
FORSTER STREET, GALWAY Phone (091) 66505
NO JOB TOO SMALL--NO DISTANCE TOO FAR
Knock Shrine Vigil
B U S WILL LEAVE F R O M E Y R E S Q U A R E a t 9.30 p . m .
ALL T Y P E S O F G R O U P T R A V E L
Peat Moss--garden fertilizer, garden rakes, forks, etc. Call and see Sean Martyn in our Seeds Department.
FRIDAY, 30th MARCH For reservation phone Theresa 65221
Thomas
The Re-dedication Ceremony of St. Augustine's Church by Most Rev. Dr. E. Casey, Bishop of Galway will take place on Wednesday, 4th April at 7 p.m. All are welcome
onogh
A SONS LIMITED, Merchants Road, Galway.
Telephone: (091) 66HI. Telex No 8336 29--52 Seaters
SHOP ASSISTANTS REQUIRED Good conditions. Top wages paid. Phone 64323 PERSON FOR T A K E AWAY
No late hours. Good conditions. Top wages paid. Phone 64323
HEALY COACHES
65469/7786 for raising his voice on this occasion. The only sad thing is that he seems to be a voice in the wilderness. Even Teddy Kennedy 'and the other Irish-American poli ticians who seem to dance to the S.D.L.P. line (or John Hume's S.D.L.P. line at least) in these matters seem a little confused on this occasion. The core of the Bennett Report is that the Strasbourg verdict made no real change. Only a more sophisticated a p p r o a c h . That is what Garret Fitz Gerald suspects and that is what the Fine Gael leader is saying. The real question now is what is the next response? Mr. Mason says that relations between the British and Irish Govern ments were never better and he quotes in support of this view the fact that the Taoiseach Mr. Lynch failed to renew his party's call for a British withdrawal at the recent Fianna Fail Ardfheis. Poor old Jack! Even when he decides to say nothing, somebody comes along and blames (or praises) him for it. No wonder Teddy Kennedy is confused. HUMAN RIGHTS COURT The workings of the European Convention on Human Rights is a thing which few people really understand, which is a pity. It was one of the most progressive results of the horrors of the last war and Irish people are proud of the part which Sean Mac Bride, then leader of Clann na Poblachta and Minister for External Affairs in the first Coalition played in drawing it up. It is a vitally important convention be cause not only can member states who have signed it bring each other to court but individual citizens can also sue their own govern ment if they feel their basic human rights have been violated. The full extent of these "human rights" are still being explored by evolutionary legal process but the whole idea has had important implications in Ireland already where the Lawless case made intern ment without trial in the South virtually impossible a n d t h e r e f o r e of less practical use in the North. We have seen the out come of the pressure that has been brought on the Dublin government where Free Legal Aid is concern ed. And now Fr. F. X. Martin is off to Strasbourg to try and get out of the financial situation he and his Wood Quay friends have found themselves in as a result of a decision of the Irish Supreme Court. Fr. Martin's case, whatever the outcome, will be of very great importance because it will raise issues concerning that crucial area of the costs of legal redress--the great discrimination in practice against the poor in most legal battles.
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T o p marks to Dr. Garret FitzGerald, leader of Fine Gael for writing to the British press last week about the cool reception which the Bennett Report in the N o r t h seems to have received and the attempt by one and all concerned to sweep the matter under the carpet. While it is true that Mary Holland's ITV pro gramme (which RTE never got around to re-broadcast ing) started the latest controversy, the very im portant issues at stake were neatly side-tracked by the British publicity merchants with a wave of "contro versy" about an alleged rape of Dr. Irwin's wife by some members of our old friends
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SET SPEECHES We have heard it all before. Point taken, reforms will be promised and Mr. Mason says he will take some minor reforming steps "in a few months." By that time Mr. Mason knows full well that he will be facing a general election and even if his Labour Party wins it, there will probably be someone new in the North ern Ireland office. The new man can set up another commission to establish what has been established so often already. Meantime the Castlereagh mill can con tinue and politicians, clergy and others can make set speeches about the necessity in the S.A.S. Or was it the of having confidence in the R.U.C.? Never mind, it all R.U.C. made good copy! Nothing better to bide the reality that L E A D E R S C O N F U S E D Garret FitzGerald and nothing has really changed in the North. The torture his party may have their mill continues five years and own reasons for raising the more after Strasbourg and matter at this time. Garret is the solemn U.K. pledges facing a vital Ardfheis and before the European Court the first real test in the June of Human Rights. elections. But whatever the motives, he deserves credit
than exercise her right to * freedom to manifest her * belief and her right to * freedom of expression as * protected under the above * provisions of the Conven- * tion. + The U.K. Government * denied that there had been * any violation of the Con- + vention in the applicant's * case. They submitted that * her conviction in no way + constituted an interference * with her right under Art. 9 * to manifest the pacifist ^ beliefs which she held, as + there was no objective link * between those beliefs and ^ the action which gave rise to * conviction and sentence. * The Commission will + now deliberate and put itself * at the disposal of the parties * with a view to securing a * friendly settlement of the * matter on the basis of + respect for human rights as + defined in the Convention * On the other hand, if a ^ solution is not reached, the * Commission will draw up a * report on the facts and state ^ its opinion as to whether the * facts found disclose a breach * by the State concerned of its + obligations under the Con- K vention. The report will be * transmitted to the Com- + mittee of Ministers of the * Council of Europe, which * will decide the matter unless ^ the case is referred to the -* European Court of Human * WHO IS RIGHT? Rights by the Commission ^ She maintains that she is or the High Contracting * * a devoted pacifist and that, Party concerned. by distributing the leaflets We do not yet have the + in question she did no more final outcome to hand. *
ARROWSMITH CASE Take the case of Pat Arrowsmith, the British pacifist for example. Pat believes that war is wrong and that not only should she be able to discourage it but that there is nothing wrong in trying to get members of the army in her own country to pack it in. When she decided to tell the troops in Britain that they bad no business in Northern Ire land she got into trouble with the law in the U.K. and took her case to Europe. The applicant is a citizen of the U.K., born in 1930, who was, on 20 May, 1974, convicted under Sections 1 and 2 of the Incitement to Disaffection Act 1934 on the ground that she had distributed leaflets to troops stationed at an army camp "endeavouring to seduce them from their duty or allegiance" in relation to service in Northern Ireland. She was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. The conviction was confirmed by the Court of Appeal on 4 December, 1974. However, the Court of Appeal granted leave to appeal against sentence and reduced the terms of imprisonment so as to allow for the applicant's immediate release. By then, she had been under deten tion since 14 March, 1974.