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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTIoE0ddsno
YouTube: Hugh O’Connell
TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has defended Ireland’s tax regime in the wake of recent and high-profile criticism of it by US polticians as he insisted the matter had not been raised with him in discussions with G8 leaders yesterday.
Kenny admitted he could not say whether the leaders will speak about Ireland’s tax structures in discussions today but said that Ireland had “absolutely nothing to hide”.
Kenny met with the G8 leaders in Lough Erne yesterday where discussions on a proposed EU-US trade deal topped the agenda. Asked afterwards if Ireland’s tax structures were raised he said they had not been.
G8 leaders are set to focus more closely on taxation in discussions today with the aim being to reach a consensus on greater sharing of information between countries.
Kenny added that Ireland had been at the forefront of a number of measures aimed at sharing taxation information with other countries. Watch what the Taoiseach had to say in the video above.
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How about forcing the Orange Order to make contributions towards the cost of policing their parades. Same way a football club has to pay when they host a football match.
Hi Kevin – just to clarify, this was a nationalist parade, not an Orange Order parade.
Aoife
This is a sad and terrible state of affairs that puts us all at risk of escalating violence.
You have clearly missed the point Kevin.
I do not stand alone in fervently wishing for true and lasting peace in Northern Ireland where savages that attack the peace keepers that are only doing their job are no more.
I personally think that antagonistic marches by either side should be stopped completely if there is a risk to anyone at all.
It was indeed a Nationalist parade, but the first of the trouble was started by Loyalists (Orange men) as the Nationalists marched peacefully on their own island!
Thanks for clarifying Aoife.
Kitty – clearly we all want an end to the violence. That seems like a no-brainer!
Unfotunately banning marches outright is not an option. I’m mearly suggesting a more constructive solution to the problem. Let anyone who wants to have their pathetic parades have them, but they can pay for the policing and clean up.
That should at least slow them down – on both sides!
Spot of Kevin , making them pay would soften their indolent coughs . Wasters from both side out on the street for the sole purpose of antagonisinging the other under the guise of “tradition” . Let them have their childish marches but let them pay !
‘Ireland unfree will never be at peace’ (Padraig Pearse)
You see that’s your problem right there. You British keep claiming people that don’t belong to you. We had that problem here in America too, it was called slavery. Samuel L Jackson on Colin Farrell being Irish
I don’t understand your comment Rob, what do you mean by “you British”. Please tell me you are not calling Irish people living in the North British. They are still Irish.
Free of what exactly?
My favourite speech.
It was a lawful parade that was attacked by Loyalists, even though it was not sectarian in nature, or going to pass any of the many troublespot loyalist areas. Comparing this parade to the Orange Orders ‘burn all Tagues’ sectarian outpourings every year is a bit of a stretch, and hardly paints a fair picture of the hostile parade environment that surround the minority in Northern Ireland.
In a democracy people should be allowed express their beliefs, free from the threat of sectarianism or racial prejudice. Why shouldn’t nationalists parade, provided they are respectful and dignified? Why must the Orange Orders bile be reasoned out, explained and even tolerated, but a peaceful nationalist parade, which was approved by the authorities, be silenced, while the people that attacked it are sympathised with? Its ridiculous. Its a step into the silly zone of political agenda thinking, where vile sectarianism can be departmentalised and then ignored. Some remarks on this thread highlight that in our new politically correct Ireland, where we are cowering before the alter of PC revisionist history, we are losing sight of the realities that confront people, particularly in the north, where the inclusiveness promised has failed to materialise and they are increasingly being set upon by hate filled loyalist gangs, who are determined to lash out at their neighbours, in the hope of reigniting the Troubles.
Many will point out the subdued resurgence of republicans as a counter argument, but they are targeting police and military personal(or drug dealers in and around Derry) so that comparison is a bit weak, as they are not lashing out at the neighbouring community. Maybe we need a bit more perspective in these articles?
My point is that we should not condone the actions of those that lashed out at the PSNI(why would we? the war is over), but try and understand the frustrations of the nationalists involved, whose parade was scuppered by loyalist thugs. They were, initially, the victims of a racial attack by a sectarian group, and I believe this point should be better highlighted in this article.
I agree with almost everything there , but i do wonder what these parades from both sides really set out to achieve.
The organisers obviously know there is going to be flash points somewhere along the routes. That said it always annoys me the way people in the south think everyones a knuckle dragger if they stand up for their rights in the north. If drug dealers and thugs in Dublin were marching down a street all summer , past law abiding citizens , the very same people would be up in arms.
Cathal- I suppose it’s a matter of proclaiming that they exist, regardless of who wishes they didn’t. The loyalist marching season is filled with bonfires, sectarian banners, attacks on homes and general mayhem. It’s triumphalism, and it is who they are. Many Unionists have moved beyond such thinking, but they still go to the parades, sing the drunken songs and keep it alive.
The nationalists see this and want to express their right to organise, albeit in a less extreme way. They don’t have many parades to be fair, and this one was not sectarian, so it frustrates me to see both communities painted as perpetrators, when that is not the truth, in this case.
Very good comment Kenneth. You clarified a lot. Sad to see Loyalists want to drag us back to the past.
Just to clarify, it was indeed a nationalist parade, but it was a Republican parade too celebrating the life of a Protestant; Henry Joy McCracken.
Show’s which community is progressive and which is reactionary and backward in the north. On the one hand we have nationalists celebrating an individual from the other “side” who attempted to realise Tone’s vision of uniting ‘Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter’ and who displayed a true class consciousness when after the 1798 rebellion he remarked that “the rich always betray the poor”.
On the other hand we have those who are loyal to a foreign monarch who does nothing and cares nothing for them, who hold a veto over the entirety of the country that holds down a military apparatus of occupation and who attack this parade with its progressive ideal seeking only to stir up community antagonisms.
Vinegar hill. The United Irishmen. Between 1798 & 1803, More Protestants joined the Fenians in order to break the might of The British empire!
Theobald Wolfe Tone was one, followed by Henry Joy McCracken & the catholic Robert Emmett.
Robert Emmet was also a Protestant.
Is right @peter. Slip of the tongue/mind.
One can only speculate as to the intelligence levels of such knuckle-draggers, but one suspects it is not close to the already low average there.
why were nationalists parading ?
Because they parade too.
It was a commemoration for Belfast Protestant United Irishman leader Henry Joy McCracken.
United Ireland? No thanks.
Yes please
They have all right to^
they are a different breed of animal up north
and we call this peace
More bored youth with nothing to do during the summer. Taking a break from video games of violence and killing and then off into the street to put it all into practice. There will always be an element of yobs who like violence. It gives meaning to their lives.
Point taken JJ. Wouldn’t be one bit surprised if the paramilitaries did organise it. Just sad to hear this is still going on. I thought Northern Ireland was on the way to healing and integration but there is obviously still are hardened fringe who refuse peace. Just evil people if you ask me.
Seems my comment was deleted because I suggested that certain groups organised the trouble?? Do you think those groups are going to sue the journal because I said that? They would also have to sue local political leaders who have said the same thing.
What I find curious, disingenuous and downright misleading about this article is that the author, deliberately or not, does not clearly identify who the perpetrators of rioting are. While she does mention that the parade is Nationalist, she shys away from labelling the rioters. The Irish Times report on this clearly identifies the rioters in their first paragraph.
It is the author’s role to inform and report. There is no background on the reason for the parade and if you didn’t know the geography of Belfast it’s nearly up to yourself to decide who was rioting.
The rioters where people from both sides of the “community”, according to police.
The solution to this is Macnas! Get them up there. Remember all the misery surrounding the Patrick’s day parade. Along came Macnas and now it’s a veritable Mardi Gras!
shameful behaviour.
Really fantastic comment, “it was. Nationalist parade” then “why we’re they parading” then “they are allowed to” all that was missing was AT THE MOMENT
what??
Not sure if I’m the only one, in 1798 there was more inclusive thinking than there is in 2012, 1798!!! I don’t condone marching by either side up there at this stage because it simply leads to riots. The majority of people of both persuasions want to move on. The sad thing is the minority getting the headlines. Civil liberties seem to get trampled on wholesale. It’s disgusting
They should build two marching stadia and let each side fill it with statues of their heroes. Have Police search marchers and supporters coming in. Let them trot all over the track to their hearts content and let everyone else get on with their lives.
please stop perpetuating the myth that the conflict in the north was/is tribalist and all about “sides”
maybe they could do a x factor style show,you could have paisley,Adams,with bill Clinton sitting between judging each band- northern Ireland has talent – for bigotry,the winner gets to march wherever they like for a month a year
Well there were many inclusive thinkers in Ireland in 1798, but at the same time there were ten of thousands of people killed in battles, executed, tortured etc ( many slain at the hands of our dear friends across the Irish Sea) so in a sense I see a lot of progress since the 18th century.
As long as the triomphalist Orange order will march through Nationalist areas there will be trouble.These bullies should not be allowed in those areas in the first place.
How is your comment relevant when the march preceding the trouble was a republican one? Seems to me, orange men march and nationalist riot, Orange order get the blame, … republicans march, loyalists (as well as nationalists) cause trouble, orange order get blamed.
have your say