Fortnight Publications Ltd.

Eternally VigilantAuthor(s): Paul DonnellySource: Fortnight, No. 288 (Oct., 1990), p. 7Published by: Fortnight Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25552547 .

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shoo-in 17 years ago but now it

is not so clear-cut.

Ms Robinson, a lawyer and

former Labour senator?she re

signed in protest at the exclu

sion of unionist views in the

creation of the Anglo-Irish

Agreement?is a long-time

campaigner on such issues as

family planning and divorce and

was an active opponent of the

constitutional ban on abortion

in the referendum of 1983.

Details of her work in these areas have been excised from

her official biography but will doubtless be raised?if only in

a whispering campaign?when the contest hots up.

Mr Curries prospects are

the most difficult to forecast.

Supporters speak of a brave

civil rights activist and coura

geous politician, detractors of a

northern carpetbagger. He

hasn't been helped by his party's selection cock-up. The

former Fine Gael leader, Garret

FitzGerald, turned down a

nomination, as did the former

deputy leader, Peter Barry, as

reported ly?did at least half a dozen others. And Mr Currie's

Mary Robinson?first on the

campaign trail

arm had to be twisted to get him to agree to run.

He fully intends (and can hardly avoid) bringing the northern issue into the cam

paign, if only to flush out the "partitionist mentality" of those

who would rather he stayed in

the north. He's been forced to

soft-pedal on articles two and

three, however, refusing to

outline a personal view.

First opinion polls, imminent

as we went to press, will make

interesting reading. * Mary Robinson will be speaking in

Queen's University Belfast on October 11th (social science building, 5pm), on

'Why Change the Irish Constitution?'

Emily O'Reilly

Eternally vigilant

FOR 18 months the students' union

at Queen's University in Belfast

has been in dispute with the univer

sity authorities over the introduc

tion of two full-time posts for

permanent staff in the union. The

two posts, a permanent entertain

ments officer and a union adminis

trator as a deputy to the existing

permanent secretary, have caused

bitter politicking between the un

ion and the university, with the

union arguing that both encroach

upon its constitution and hence its

autonomy. Most union anger has been tar

geted on the plan to impose the

permanent entertainments officer.

The union constitution provides for

a sabbatical officer to deal with the

union entertainments business, yet without adequate consultation

through the accepted channels the

university has tried to impose such

a post?so far unsuccessfully. Inter

views were arranged last March

but the union executive picketed all

the possible venues, causing disar

ray and cancellation.

The union also recorded a heavy

majority in opposition to the post in

a campus referendum?a fact the

university would like to ignore. In

principle the union has no objec tion to a permanent post: there are

many in colleges in Britain and

Ireland, but all have been posts created by the union concerned,

with the union controlling appoint ment and dismissal. The attempt by

the university to force the introduc

tion of the post is unprecedented and raises fundamental questions about its intentions towards the

future of the union.

The issue of a union administra

tor has been more difficult for the

union. At one time it had five per manent staff but, due to govern ment cutbacks, since 1986 this has

been reduced to one. The union

recognises the need for an adminis

trator, to deal with fire, health and

safety and so on. But the university has again overstepped the bounds, areas of the post's job description

infringing upon the duties of

democratically elected sabbatical

officers.

Interviews for the administra

tor post, although again picketed, went ahead last month. As term

looms, the campus looks ahead

nervously to what developments will shape the deteriorating rela

tionship between the union and the

university.

Paul Donnelly

Is binn beal ina thost??

paisti de naiscoil ur Ghaeilge

Gaeil Bheal Feirste

glorach ar

CUIREADH IDIR fhearg agus iontas arGhaeil Bheal Feirste nuair

a fuair siad amach go raibh na

deontais ACE bainte de Ghlor na

nGael ag Oifig Thuaisceart Eire

ann. Cuireadh lena n-iontas nuair a

fuarthas amach go rabhthas ag cur

i leith na heagrafochta seo gur de

thairbhe gaol bheith acu le forsaf midlffiula a cuireadh deireadh leis

an airgead. Ta an mafomh seo

dochreidte. Is doiligh a chreidbheail

go gcoscfadh OTE airgead ar ea

grafocht a raibh se de

phrfomhchuram uirthi an bhunsco

lafocht Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn

as a leitheid de chumadoireacht

bhreige. Ta se seacht n-uaire nfos

deacra an socru seo a thuigbheail

agus an t-eolas againn gur bhronn

an RUC ceadunas bailiuchain air

gid ar an ghrupa cheanna agus gur

thug siad cead do phriosunach

poblachtanach dul a dh'obair le

Glor.

Is rochuthail ar fad ata an focal

"buille" le cur sios ar an fheall seo.

Maeirfonn leis na hudarais an socru

seo a choinneail i gcrich brisfear

tuairim is fiche duine as obair,

deanfar an-dochar do na nafscoil

eanna Gaeilge agus do Ghaelscoil

nabhFal. Bfonnnnascoileannaag brath go mor ar oibrithe ACE 6

Ghlor na nGael agus gan na

hoibrithe seo cuirfear cos i bpoll lecuid mhor imeachtaf, mura

gcuirfear deireadh ar fad le roinnt

de na scoileanna.

Tuigtear go bhfuil fiosruithe ar

siul ar an bhomaite le fail amach an

fath go direach ar baineadh an t

airgead de Ghlor. Le linn do na

fiosruithe seo bheith ar bun is leir don uile dhuine go bhfuil meancog

mhor deanta ag Oifig Thuaisceart

Eireann ma shfl siad go nglacfaf go reidh leis an socru seo acu. Ta ta

cafocht leitheadach faighte ag an

ghnipa 6 pholaiteoirf as gach aon

chearn, on cheardchumann NUPE,

6 Aontas na Mac Leinn in Eirinn

agus, mar is gnath, 6 chosmhuintir

na cathrach. Ta feachtas laidir

leathan a chur ar bun le cinntiu

nach n-eireoidh le beart Oifig Thuaisceart Eireann. Beidh

todhchaf Ghlor na nGael i mBeal

Feirste ag brath ar rath an fheachtais

seo. Nf Glor na nGael amhain ata

thios leis an socru seo, afach.

Cuirfear leis an tarraingt ata ar

fhoinse airgid an Iontaobhais,

dream neamhspleach a cuireadh ar

bun ar na mallaibh, agus a bhfuil

roinnt ionsaithe deanta air ag Gaeil

sheanbunaithe agus ag polaiteoiri airithe. Is doiligh an naimhdeas seo

a mheas. Chuir cathaoirleach an

Iontaobhais, Seamus de Napier, litir

chuig Peter Brooke ag cur a

mhishastachta in iul agus ag iar

raidh go dtabharfaf an deontas ar

ais do Ghlor. Beart stairiuil e seo

nuair a smaointeitear go bhfuil beirt

Aontachtoir arbhord an Iontaobhais

agus go bhfuil siad ag seasamh

cheart na Gaeilge in eadan OTE.

Arsa Aodan Mac Poilfn,

stiurthoir an Iontaobhais, le Fort

night: "Nf thuigeann an tlontaobhas

cad chuige ar baineadh siar an

deontas. Goillean socru mar seo go mor orainn mar gheall ar an dochar

mor a dheanfas se don Ghaeilge." Lean an tUasal Mac Poilfn leis ag deimhniu nach raibh baint ar bith

ag an Iontaobhas leis an socru. Is

leir go bhfuil roinnt daoine ann a

fheiceann uisce faoi thalamh i

ngnfomhartha an rialtais. Ta se

soileir go bhfeiceann na Gaeil

sheanbhunaithe contuirt san Ion

taobhas, go speisialta, san sparan mhor ata acu on Central Commu

nity Relations Unit (dream ata ag maoiniu an nuachtain laethula, LA).

Tchftear don dream seo go mbeidh

deireadh lena"dtionchar" archursaf

Gaeilge agus da thairbhe seo

feiceann siad taibhsf san ait nach

bhfuil siad.

Pol O Muiri

FORTNIGHT OCTOBER 7

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