Ógra SF participate in Youth Debate

tyrone | miscellaneous | other press Thursday May 04, 2006 19:36 by Ógra B - Ógra Shinn Féin

Copied from Ulster Herald

In an unheard unity of opinion the UUP, SDLP and Sinn Féin sang from the same hymn sheet at a debate by their youth wings in Omagh. The only thing, however, they agreed upon was that the Socialist Youth – which had branded them as sectarian parties – was talking rubbish.

The debate took place at the training room of Omagh District Council on Tuesday Night and a panel of some 11 members drawn from the UUP, Ógra Shinn Féin, SDLP and Socialist Youth debated various issues. The DUP declined to send a team.

Omagh Youth Debate.

Panellists in their various ways protested that they were not sectarian, and Cathal Lynch of SDLP Youth stressed that one of the founding members of his party, Ivan Cooper, was a protestant.
Barry McNally of Ógra Shinn Féin referred to the protestant influence in Irish Republicanism’s history to refute the allegation.

A Young Socialist claimed that Sinn Féin and the DUP thrive on division and said that Socialist Youth emerged out of an organisation previously known as ‘Militant.’

He insisted however, that socialist Youth never said that the Socialist Party had to lead the red banner forward.
Cathal Lynch rejoined, “A lot of people are of the view that if you were depending on the Socialist Party, you’d be homeless and hungry.”

A young female member of Ógra Shinn Féin was asked by Chairman Frank Galligan if Sinn Féin was a Capitalist party.
“No” She replied, “We come from the working classes, we are a socialist party at heart.”

On the subject of the unionist and nationalist parties depending on flags and emblems to garner votes, a representative of the UUP team, defended the usage of unionist emblems on literature commenting, “You can’t ‘diss’ on other people who are standing up for what they believe in.”

Michael Rafferty of the SDLP team said that John Hume was on record as telling people “You can’t eat flags.” He said that his party had never used a tricolour as a means of Rallying support.

Members from all parties agreed that there should be liaisons with the other parties, in respect of such issues as the hospital and water charges.

The traditional views on policing were aired when the subject turned to the acceptability or otherwise of the PSNI.

Michael Rafferty said that the SDLP did not trust the PSNI and that is why there was a need for the policing board. He said that the PSNI was far from perfect but was better than what had preceded it.

Barry McNally said that three former SDLP councillors associated with policing in Omagh lost their seats at the last election and said that the PSNI were still not acceptable to the community. He added the PSNI had recently tried to recruit Ógra Shinn Féin activists as informers.

He suggested that it was a strategy of the British Government to change names when things went wrong and referred to Windscale to Sellafield, B Specials to UDR and RIC to RUC and now PSNI.

A UUP team member stressed that the PSNI was less corrupt than the Gardai and could not see why the Nationalist Community did not trust them.

Another UUP member added, “What was wrong with the RUC? They only killed 52 people in the Troubles.”

That comment brought jeers of “Only 52” from other panellists.

Another Unionist team member commented, “If people representing the republican community have trouble with policing, surely they should become involved with the Policing Board and make those concerns known.”

Socialist Youth took the view that all police are corrupt citing the behaviour of police towards protestors at the G8 meetings as proof.