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THE JUSTICE FOR Magdalenes Research (JFMR) group have said they “are not going to stop what [they're] doing” as they prepare to release a critique of the McAleese Report.
The government-appointed report was released in November 2013 and was heavily criticised by the JFMR survivors group.
How many survivors?
The JFMR are currently preparing a full critique of Martin McAleese’s report, and intends on issuing the first tranche on 19 February, the anniversary of the Government’s apology to Magdalene survivors.
The group said it has identified 1,663 people who died in Magdalene laundries, which is almost twice the McAleese report’s figure of 879, the Irish Examiner reports.
“I suppose we’ve first of all realised that pretty much everything that we submitted [to the committee putting together the McAleese report], certainly on deaths, was ignored,” claimed a spokesperson for JFMR.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, the spokesperson said that “adding to what we already submitted to McAleese, what we’ve been finding is our research results are completely different to what McAleese alleges in terms of length of stay and the lived experience of the women”.
When asked about the discrepancy, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that:
The Justice for Magdalene research seems to go back to the 19th century and continue after the Magdalene laundries closed, whereas the McAleese commission was only tasked with looking at figures from 1922 to the closure of Magdalene laundries.
JFMR have access to the late Mary Raftery’s archive, and have used information from that as part of their critique.
“I think the Government wants to put this issue to bed,” said the spokesperson. “I think it would be far easier if the issue would just go away.”
We’re certainly not going to stop what we’re doing. These women deserve to be honoured and remembered. It has always been about the dead as much as the living.
They have also called for the laundries to be included in the recently-announced commission for investigation into the mother-and-baby homes, and are hoping that the forthcoming report would encourage the Government to “reconsider its position on that”.
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A hard earned, fragile but sacred peace that must be preserved.
@League of shadows: Totally agree and fair play the people in the north have move on and left their politicians a long way behind them.
I have to say at the time I was very cynical but I can see now it’s transformed the North and must be preserved.
@Deborah Behan: Yes it took great men to sort this out
@Ger Burke: Don’t forget about Mo Ger.
The Good Friday Agreement has being consistently undermined as the North South bodies were deliberately undermined and ignored by Unionism, facilitated by the British and encouraged by the silence and acquiescence of the Irish Govt.
Waking up after 20 yrs is better late than never I guess, but the prize of peace is too precious to squander on meaningless petty party politics!
The Govts are co guarantors and need to move towards joint authority to create the conditions for change!
When will politics function in Northern Ireland? For how long will they need others to sort out their differences? I embarrassed for both sides.
@Michael Lang: politics in NI will only function when there is true power sharing.
With DUP propping up tories, there is an imbalance.
England has yet again prioritized its interests (Brexit) over the needs of the NI people, I.e. return to the troubles is better than change of government which would destabilize Brexit. NI lives are worth less that English economy.
Ulster could have a special deal (Scots & welsh want it) & enjoy benefits of EU and UK .. for the price of a border in the Irish Sea.
An ideology of hate prohibits logical rational thinking.
@Mairtin Cathbhar: that’s an insightful and informative comment. I find it helpful.
@Mairtin Cathbhar: Mairtin – good ideology. Bad assumptions :
The Labour leader and party are no better.
Populist politics dominate the UK as they do here, the “show” is staged to suit the biggest and most important potential voters. They tell us what we want to hear, when did you last witness promises bearing fruition.
Career politicians are self serving generally, they focus on the economy, sadly all else of concern to voters depends on that. Is the Irish leadership different ?
How would Ireland be treated by the rest of the EU if it was to pull the plug on a negotiated Brexit and forced a hard Brexit instead ?
One thing that should have united both sides was the common betrayal of the interests of the people of Northern Ireland by Brexit.
It’s a sorry state of affairs that politicians of today in NI are incapable and afraid of making a decision.
Every time Blair opens his mouth my ears stop working and my blood pressure goes up. He should be in the Hague. Now he’s telling Theresa May she should attack Syria. He’s a disgusting creature and the MSM are trying to launch him back on the international stage despite not being elected by anyone anywhere.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: Fully agree, every time I see his face or hear his voice I feel disgusted. Pity he didn’t take off his politicians smugness and revert to being a decent member of society before he comitted the UK to invade Iraq. Pity he didn’t pay attention to the huge public marches in every city of the UK protesting that decision.
He’s a constant embarrassment to UK citizens and should go back under his stone or feck off to a Bush cattle ranch in Texas.
@wattsed: Bas**rd blair is back on the rotten lying bbc pushing for war in syria….its laughable if it wasnt so serious….people in the west are screwed allowing this crap to go on.
The current bunch of politicians both unionist and nationalist are squandering 20 years of progress and letting the whole peace process slip away bit by bit – by their failure to see beyond their own tribal agenda.
@GO GREEN: What’s 20 years to a Dinosaur? I’ve spent a fair bit of time up North and you would nearly be thankful for the politicians we have down here when you listen to some of these lunatics up there. Embittered bigots, especially the Unionists.
Mo Mowlam did all the hard work, once it looked like it could be a success Blair and Co jumped aboard to catch the plaudits.
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