Pat Finucane and why we need to inquire

David Cameron's decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane will prove to be a further divisive issue in the conflict about the conflict in and about Northern Ireland.

Similar to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, a lot of attention is being paid to what the family want and how acceptable any measures proposed are. While this attention is not entirely misplaced, it ignores or at least distracts from the societal issues that are at stake. The impact on the family was extreme, but what the circumstances and subsequent considerations (Cory, Stalker/Sampson etc) indicate is of concern to everyone in the UK and perhaps even beyond.

The reasons for finding out what happened do not only include identifying any wrong doing and bringing those responsible to justice, but also identifying why the institutions failed to recognize that wrong doing took place and failed to establish necessary processes for reform that would minimize the possibility of something similar happening again.

The Patten Commission recommended far reaching institutional reform of the PSNI without acknowledging that such reform was necessary. The problems were assumed, rather than identified and agreed. Without this understanding, how can we state with confidence that the current institutions have addressed them satisfactorily. Staff members whose alleged transgressions have gone unrecorded are then free to progress in these institutions, perhaps continuing in the belief that abuse of powers will go unpunished.

For both individuals and institutions a culture of untouchability can then develop, as the independent judicial process and other accountability checks become irrelevant. This culture might well be identified in the recent furore surrounding the former Defence Secretary Liam Fox.

It is essential that all understand that rules are enforced, especially those that believe that they are on the side of righteousness. The law is the law regardless of what side you are on and individuals and institutions breaking it should be brought to justice, and reformed or removed. UK government could then be an example for others who would also benefit from internal scrutiny.

The 'Killer'

'Add a killer slide' 

Confusing words indeed to receive in a work email, that had no bearing on an invitation to go tubing in Laos. Nor did it have any bearing on the work that I do. Working for a humanitarian agency, words like 'killer' are not uncommon. they can refer to fistula, postpartum hemorrhage and a variety of other reproductive complications that produce the high maternal and infant mortality rates we see across the developing world.

Growing up in a conflict prone zone, where people did kill each other on a regular basis also makes you a bit wary of using the word too easily, especially in formal contexts. But this context was asking me to 'kill' by powerpoint (as opposed to causing death by powerpoint) by producing a slide of such high impact that it would render the audience dead; presumably. Or rather that they would support my ideas without reservation.

Corporate language is able to adapt and thrive in offices, hotels and conference centres far from those that might be suffering from the literal meaning of the words used. Examples of this I am sure are many, though of course they are never meant to be taken seriously.


The purpose of raising it here is to rail against myself as well as others. I should get out more and see how the world really is without the benefit of my invisible knapsack. And for the commercially corporate there is by and large no incentive to look at things outside of your job description and this gap produces the sheltered life and the insular language that allows the pretence that the horrors of the world aren't happening.


They are.

a Day of Reflection for the conflict in and about Northern Ireland

I grew up in a place where people killed each other. This happened regularly. Beyond the deaths there was violence, intimidation, threats and no end of personal unpleasantness that perpetuated the situation. The situation improved after the Good Friday Agreement, but it did not change everything and many things are yet to be sorted out to everyone's liking.
It might be easy to say that we should all forget about it and move on, but forgetting is impossible and even if we all wanted to do it we couldn't. So in its place we try peace initiatives, cross-community work and power sharing. These aren't great but no-one expected the problems to be solved overnight.
In all of this, too little has been done to remember the suffering of so many that the conflict produced. The Day of Reflection offered by Healing Through Remembering is an opportunity to do this. (FYI I have worked for them in the past and continue to support what they do.) 

The Day of Private Reflection on 21 June is a day to acknowledge the deep hurt and pain caused by the conflict, to reflect on our own attitudes, on what more we might have done or might still do, and to make a personal commitment that such loss should never be allowed to happen again. 

It is not the only one. And having an inclusive day will not receive the support of all. But it is something and I hope more can come from it. I hope you do too.


Click here to mark the Day on facebook and here to follow on twitter.

on the skin conditions of ostriches

Holidaying is strange thing, that often leads to strange things. So when the opportunity to ride an ostrich presented itself and a friend gleefully offered to pay for it, animal rights and environmental concerns were overridden and I duly stepped on-board the exploitation train.
If you look carefully at the picture you will see two thing. 'As skin conditions' written on the sign and a rather poor skin condition on the poor bird's rear end. The two things are connected and presumably the ostriches are a risk when they are not feeling the best.. This is my interpretation only, the possibility of being wrong doesn't lessen the burden of guilt. The poor thing seemed incredibly unhappy, and would only run when pushed, and I am guessing something was done to it to stop it biting.
A bit like that camel I met on the Great Wall of China, ostriches are brought to tourist attractions in Vietnam for the sake of making a quick buck off the eejit that will do it for the craic. I am not alone in having done it, but with any luck a bit more thought will be paid next time to the plight of the animal. The fact that this experience was pretty lame (you couldn't even steer the thing) will no doubt help this.


Click here for video on facebook, apologies if you need to be logged in etc.

sings Finnegan's wake

while driving a motorbike across the Red River on the airport bridge in Hanoi, Vietnam.