Sinn Fein
The Week in Review
20-26 February 2014

Sinn Fein MP Conor Murphy urges British government to `re-engage positively with the peace process’
On 25-26 February Sinn Fein MP Conor Murphy was in London for a series of meetings with MPs in Westmister, including Labour Shadow Secretary of State Ivan Lewis, and to continue to press the case for the implementation of the Haass’ proposals and for the British Government to positively engage with the peace process.
Speaking from London Mr Murphy said: `It is now nearly two months since Richard Haass and Meghan O’Sullivan put their recommendations at the end of the talks. That period has seen a continued lack of leadership by political unionism, continuing to stall for time rather than back the compromise proposals.
He said there had been `an abject failure on the part of the British government to live up to its responsibility as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement.’ He added: `The fact is this Tory/Lib Dem coalition government is failing to positively assist the peace process. By its continuing refusal to come out and back Haass’ proposals, and inaction over seeing their implementation, the British government is actively allowing unionist intransigence. He said `Whilst disengaging on the peace process, the British government is allowing important elements of the Good Friday Agreement to be blocked, such as a Bill of Rights, and an Irish Language Act, and attempting to unpick other key cornerstones, such as on policing and justice issues.
`Maintaining the current impasse is not a benign position, but one which will give succour to the destructive minority who oppose the peace process. The government and political parties in Britain must face up to their own responsibilities. Moving forward now on Haass is the right, crucial next step’.

Gerry Adams comments on Downey case decision
On 25 February Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams TD welcomed the decision by a court in London to release John Downey. The court concluded that the prosecution of John Downey was an abuse of process.
Gerry Adams said: `Following the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 it was publicly accepted by the British and Irish governments that an anomaly existed in respect of those who are described as OTRs (On the Runs). Both governments gave firm commitments to deal with this matter. A process was put in place to deal with outstanding cases including that of John Downey’.
He added `The arrest of John Downey by the London police was in clear breach of this and of the commitments given by the British government in 2004 during the peace process negotiations at Weston Park and in subsequent negotiations.’
He concluded: `John Downey should never have been arrested and this has been vindicated by the court decision.’

GFA Implementation Committee meets to discuss agreements & cross-border working
On 25 February a meeting of the Good Friday Agreement Implementation Committee took place to discuss the Irish Government’s approach to the Agreement’s All-Ireland and cross-border working. It was attended by Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Joe Costello TD.
Speaking after the meeting Sinn Fein TD Sean Crowe, who had attended with party colleague Michelle Gildernew MP, commented on recent controversy surrounding Gardaí accountability and the powers and independence of the Garda Ombudsman. The Dublin TD said there was `much that we can learn for the experience of the north’. It was now recognised `that the North is an international leader with regard to change and accountability of the policing and justice system’, he said.
He added `I believe that the Policing and Justice should be an area of work for the North South Ministerial Council and believe that many of the safeguards that where negotiated by Sinn Féin could and should be put in place in this part of Ireland.’
Michelle Gildernew MP commented on issues for border communities who ` face barriers to public services, investment, jobs and barriers to trade’. These communities, she said, were `continuing to pay for the historic failure of partition.’
She said she was `heartened that the Minister said that the A5 cross border road linking Dublin, Derry and Donegal will now be a priority’, but argued `more needs to be done to promote jobs and investment and development a cross border approach to health care provision and education’. She urged the government and `to make the border region a priority and to realise the potential of greater cross border co-operation.’

London lobby for exemption over `damaging’ HGV tax
On 25 February Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy lobbied British politicians to support an Exemption for the North of Ireland from the impending imposition by the British government of a levy on heavy goods vehicles (HGV’s) which will be detrimental to our expanding cross border trade.
Speaking as he left for London, Conor Murphy said the new Westminster legislation meant from April HGVs crossing the border into the North would be liable to pay up £10 a day levy. As a representative from a border region this would `have a detrimental effect on the expanding cross border trade which currently generates £2.3bn for this island and could dissuade investment in northern operations by southern based parent companies’. He said it could have `a particularly negative impact on the agri-food sector – our fastest growing sector’.
I was, he added, another `unhelpful proposal from Westminster [and] another example of the need for the transfer of fiscal powers to the north. Sinn Féin had been `vocal in its opposition to this levy, and our representatives north and south have been to the forefront in highlighting the issue in every elected forum’.
He concluded, saying the British government needed to amend the legislation `to exempt the north from this regressive charge and the Irish government must ensure that they pressurise their British counterparts to stop this charge which has the potential to severely affect the future viability of small and medium businesses especially along the already struggling border region.’

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