North should set legally binding emissions targets - Kelly

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has added his voice to calls on the Environment Minister and the Executive to make Climate Change a priority by setting legally binding targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 per-cent on 1990 levels by 2050.
Gerry was speaking whilst on party business in the USA as the news broke from the Assembly's Environment Committee that it had completed its enquiry into Climate Change.
“This report is only a start for the Environment Committee at Stormont and its important to emphasise that. A lot more could and should be done by the Department of the Environment,” said Gerry.
“Unfortunately this leaves us lagging behind places like Scotland who are leading effectively by setting legally binding emissions targets.
“The DUP have changed their Environment Minister twice and have still not delivered anything substantial in regard to the important issue of tackling Climate Change. Unfortunately much of this is due to political divisions within their own ranks.
“I welcome the report and its recommendations relating to All-Ireland co-operation and the consideration of a plastic bag levy. However, there can no longer be any excuse for not setting legally binding emissions targets for this administration”

Gerry Kelly marks 25 years of McBride Principles in New York

Sinn Féin junior Minister, Gerry Kelly MLA has travelled to New York to take part in a major celebration of 25 years of the Mac Bride Principles of Fair Employment.
Gerry Kelly spoke at the event, organized by the Irish Echo, which is being hosted by the Speaker and President of New York City Council Christine Quinn.
Current and past Comptrollers from New York City and New York State will also be in attendance. The offices of both Comptrollers have consistently used powerful American pension funds to back MacBride. As well as strongly challenging patterns of structural inequality in the workplace, the Comptrollers are now supporting sustainable investments in areas of the North suffering decades of systematic discrimination.
MacBride signatory, Inez McCormack, will address the gathering alongside Irish Government representative Consul General Niall Burgess.
Speaking ahead of the event, Gerry Kelly told said:
“It is important that we recall twenty-five years of MacBride. MacBride was central to ensuring the development of new laws and policies that promote equality of opportunity – particularly within the Good Friday Agreement. It reinforced the argument that the North’s inequalities are structural and institutional.
“Political power and financial muscle from America – filtered through tough contract compliance measures – can continue to play a hugely positive role in the North.
“Americans understand that investments which embed inequality in the North are not cost-neutral. In fact, failure to positively promote equality carries huge long-term economic and social costs.
“Any investor who chooses to ignore the North’s structural inequalities is, by default, helping to reinforce them. Investment has to have at its core ending inequality – for people and for places in the North.”
“Citizens have an unconditional right to equality - in jobs, in housing, and in life opportunities.
"If the peace process is to mean anything it must deliver sustainable social change by integrating economic growth with tackling the deep-rooted inequalities and discrimination that still exist.”

Gerry Kelly condemns bomb threat at family home

Gerry Kelly has said that those responsible for a bomb threat at his family home this morning will in no way detract him from his work as a public representative.
Speaking from the United States, where he is marking 25 years of the McBride Principles, Kelly said:
“My constituency office was phoned this morning and a man claimed that a bomb would go off outside my family home within an hour.
“My home was subsequently checked and nothing was found. I condemn this cowardly threat against my family.
“As a public representative I have received threats before and this latest one will in no way detract me from carrying out my work on behalf of the people who elect me. Be assured that we will not be intimidated.
“It shows the calibre of the people responsible that they would threaten my family and neighbours in such a way.”

de Brún supports Stop Climate Chaos event

Speaking in support of tomorrow's (Saturday) Stop Climate Chaos events in Belfast and Dublin which are being billed as 'The Wave', Sinn Féin MEP, Bairbre de Brún called on world leaders to reach a legally binding deal at the UN Climate Change summit in Copenhagen.
She said such a deal must be 'strong enough to tackle the challenge of climate change while being just and fair to developing countries."
The Sinn Féin MEP who is travelling to Copenhagen as part of the European Parliament's official delegation continued:
"The EU must continue to set and implement binding effective targets for emission reductions. We must see the development of new cleaner technologies and far greater commitment to climate justice so that developing countries are not left to reap what the developed world has sown"
"I will take part in 'The Wave' action in Bank Square in Belfast and I urge people to support tomorrow's (Saturday) Stop Climate Chaos events in Belfast and Dublin.
"The costs of inaction on climate change will be far greater than the costs of taking action. Even in Europe we will not escape the effects of climate change including a rise in extreme weather events like those we have seen recently.
"On the other hand, ambitious climate measures would contribute to solving the current economic problems, securing new jobs and social cohesion in both developed and developing countries."
MEP de Brún said the message from the EU in Copenhagen should be "no more excuses from others and no excuses from us."

Victims of miscarriages of justice should come forward - Coiste na n-Iarchimí

Coiste na n-Iarchimí has appealed for former political prisoners who feel they have been the victims of miscarriages of justice to come forward.
The call comes after three Derry men appeared in Belfast’s Court of Appeal last Friday where they were due to see their convictions overturned.
Although the case was adjourned, senior Counsel for the Crown has already told the Court of Appeal that they “do not seek to stand over the convictions” of Peter McDonald, Eric Wright and James Brown, who were 16 years old when they were arrested and jailed in the mid 1970s.
“That in effect concedes that these men have been victims of a miscarriage of justice,” Coiste’s Jim McVeigh said at a press conference last Friday.
“Very soon these men will be found innocent after many years of persistent campaigning but this is only the most recent in a line of similar cases that have been sent back to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC).
“All of them have made allegations of torture, some including waterboarding and electric shock treatment, and ill-treatment at the hands of their RUC interrogators. Others have maintained that statements were fabricated by the RUC or indeed that other vital evidence that would have proven their innocence was suppressed by detectives in order to secure convictions.”
Jim estimates that there could be hundreds of cases that will eventually see convictions quashed, but that, he says, is only “the tip of the iceberg”.
“Coiste na n-Iarchimí has been contacted by dozens of former political prisoners who have sought assistance in preparing applications for the CCRC. Dozens of others have gone to their solicitors who are currently preparing applications on their behalf. These cases are, in our view, clearly only the tip of the iceberg.”
Peter McDonald and three other people who have initiated proceedings in a bid to see their convictions quashed detailed their stories at the press conference.
Peter McDonald, Charlie McMenamin, Breige-Anne McCaughley and Liam Coogan all told of being tortured until they signed statements that saw them locked up when they were teenagers.
Coiste Chairman Raymond McCartney said the accounts reflect the inadequacy of the Diplock courts which were established in the North in 1972.
“These are very emotional circumstances7 and I want to thank the speakers for opening up on such personal terms,” he said.
“What we have heard here is a damning indictment of the Diplock system.”
While all of the speakers came from nationalist backgrounds, Jim was keen to point out that the issue is not one that is exclusive to nationalist communities.
“While many of these people have been individuals from the nationalist community, this is not an issue restricted to one community. A number of individuals from the unionist community have also been successful in having their convictions overturned.
“This is not an issue simply for republicans or loyalists, this is an issue of human rights and justice.”
Coiste na n-Iarchimí can be contacted on 90 200770.

Kelly calls for respect for residents wishes over Apprentice Boys march

Sinn Féin assembly member Gerry Kelly said the Apprentice Boys could make a last minute decision to use a different band out of respect to the McKenna family and people of the area.
Kelly was speaking as the Apprentice Boys are due to march past Ardoyne on Saturday morning with a band commemorating a UVF killer.
UVF man Brian Robinson was shot dead by undercover British soldiers after he had murdered Ardoyne man Paddy McKenna in 1989.
"This decision to use this Brian Robinson tribute band is extremely insensitive. It is bad enough they want to parade through the area without using a band that commemorates Brian Robinson,” said Gerry.
"Of all the bands they could have used they chose this one but it is not too late to withdraw the band and use another that isn't so disrespectful."
He also added he is supporting residents’ group CARA in their opposition to any protest against the parade.
"I met with CARA and told them I would support them. They said they didn't want a protest and had another way of dealing with it. We will help and support them any way we can. These are the residents of the area and we respect their wishes.”

Welcome for removal of MLA pay increase motion – Ní Chuilín

Sinn Féin Chief Whip and north Belfast MLA Carál Ní Chuilín has welcomed the removal of a motion on pay increase for MLA’s from today’s Order Paper at the Assembly.
“This is a welcome move and one which Sinn Féin fully endorses; our party was the only party who continually highlighted our objections to the proposed pay-increase,” said Ní Chuilín.
“We submitted an amendment to the original motion calling for the removal of those recommendations contained in the report which proposed that increase.
“Any pay rise for MLA’s must be left to an independent body, MLA’s should not be voting for their own pay-increase, this goes against the very fundamentals of accountability and transparency.
“I am sure that the broad public will agree with the Sinn Féin position, particularly in this time of economic hardship and in the run up to Christmas it is unacceptable that any pay-increase for MLA’s would be considered.
“I welcome the fact that the other parties seem to have bowed to public pressure on this issue, it is unfortunate however that it took that much to bring them to this position,” said the republican representative.