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Responding to Yesterday’s events where, a device exploded inside a ceremonial cannon near the cenotaph in Newry during a Remembrance Day service, Kenny Donaldson, Ulster Unionist Party Officer has branded those responsible, ‘fascists.’

In a statement, Kenny said: “Remembrance Day is about acknowledging the supreme sacrifice made by our Armed Forces in Wars and Conflicts, Past and present. There is irony in the fact that those who we remember gave their lives in the Great War and the Second World War so that we might be spared from Fascist rule.

“Yet, Yesterday’s actions in Newry are a chilling reminder that there remains within our midst, people who have absolutely no respect for the dead, they remain consumed with hatred and intolerance and practice actions, which are akin to those espoused by fascist dictators and their cohorts from the Past.

“The purpose of Yesterday’s attack was undoubtedly to disrupt the Remembrance Service, those responsible sought to instil fear within those attending.

“A history lesson or a trip down memory lane would probably reveal that the attackers’ Ancestors had family members, friends or acquaintances who fought in the very same Wars and Conflicts which people had gathered to commemorate.”

Concluding, Kenny said: “I would call on those with information as to the identity of the attackers to come forward with it to the Police. In our new political and societal dispensation, walls of silence must no longer be practiced, the community have a duty to root out the evil within their midst,” concluded Kenny.

Kenny Donaldson, Ulster Unionist Party Officer has expressed his deep sadness at learning of the death of John Fee.

In a statement, Kenny said: “I would like to pass on my sincerest sympathies to the Fee family circle at this traumatic time.

“Growing up in Crossmaglen, I always held the highest regard for John Fee, he was a man of courage, he told it as it was and often that meant political and personal sacrifices for him.

“John was a strong Nationalist, of that there has never been any doubt but his Nationalism was not of a type, which sought to dominate or eradicate Unionism. His politics were about ‘partnership and compromise.’

“John Fee accomplished alot in his 43 years on this earth and his passing is a loss to the community,” concluded Kenny.

Kenny Donaldson, Ulster Unionist Party Officer responsible for Youth Development has called upon the Northern Ireland public to join with fellow United Kingdom partners in remembering Guy Fawkes Day, the 5th of November.
Guy Fawkes Night (traditionally known as Bonfire Night) is an annual celebration (but not a public holiday) on the evening of the 5th of November primarily in the United Kingdom, but also in former British colonies New Zealand, the island of Newfoundland (Canada), Vancouver Island, Canada, parts of the British Caribbean including the Bahamas, and to some extent by their nationals abroad.

It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot in which a group of Catholic conspirators, led by one Robert Catesby, and including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on the evening of 5 November 1605, when the Protestant James I of England (James VI of Scotland), his eldest sons, and the majority of the English Parliament were within its walls. The conspirators were later tortured and executed.

The celebrations, which in the United Kingdom take place in towns and villages across the country, involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires, on which “guys”, or dummies, representing Guy Fawkes, the most infamous of the conspirators, are traditionally burnt. Before the fifth, children traditionally use the “guys” to beg for money with the chant “Penny for the guy”. In recent years the night is becoming increasingly known as “Guy Fawkes Night”.

In a statement Kenny said: “Protestants, Roman Catholics and those of a secular disposition will have a different interpretation of the events and circumstances, which led to Guy Fawkes (an English Catholic) and others being burnt at the stake.

“However it is undisputed that this particular period in history has commonality and importance across all these strands.

“In other areas of the United Kingdom, the event has transcended religious and cultural affiliations and is recognized as a ‘major cultural festival.’ I would like to see that festival extended across the whole of the United Kingdom.

“Whilst Halloween night (31st October 2007) is widely celebrated within Northern Ireland, I believe there is a market for the celebrating of Guy Fawkes Night. History is history and in the new cultural, religious and political dispensation Northern Ireland and the wider UK finds itself, there is in my view, a need to acknowledge events which divided our peoples in the past. Only by learning from the Past can we hope to build a brighter future,” concluded Kenny.

Kenny Donaldson, Ulster Unionist Party Officer responsible for Youth Development has today invited our new migrants from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe to take part in Remembrance Sunday services at cenotaphs and memorials around the country.

In a statement Mr Donaldson said that many migrants had a shared bond of sacrifice during the world wars and other conflicts with the people of Northern Ireland and it would be lovely to see them take part.

“The new migrants from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe suffered huge casualties during the two world wars and other related conflicts. They, like us in the United Kingdom sacrificed lives and fought for what they believed in.

“We have a shared bond, a shared experience of mourning and of remembrance and I think it would be very appropriate to see new members of our community in Northern Ireland taking part in remembrance Sunday events at memorials and cenotaphs across Northern Ireland.”

Kenny went on to re-issue an invitation to the nationalist community within Northern Ireland and further afield to come forward and join with others in commemorating the supreme sacrifice paid by those who have gone before us.

Kenny highlighted that the wearing of a Poppy was one universal way in which people could show their recognition for those who laid down their lives for the causes of democracy, freedom and liberty.

Kenny added: “Irrespective of perceived or real political or religious affiliation, men and women from both of our main religious and political traditions from Northern Ireland and throughout Ireland fought side by side in many Wars and Conflicts, combating fascism.

“These men and women fought for the causes of democracy, freedom and liberty,” he concluded.

Kenny Donaldson, an Ulster Unionist Party Officer and resident of Crossmaglen, South Armagh has given his reaction to recent events where, 21-year-old Paul Quinn of Cullyhanna was brutally beaten and consequently murdered by a gang of masked men at a disused farm-house in Oram, County Monaghan.

As well as the Oram incident, on Tuesday night last, news reports confirmed that an 18-year-old lad was battered by a gang of up to seven men at Carnegat, Newry.

In a statement, Kenny said: “I would firstly express my sincere condolences to the family circle of Paul Quinn and to the other families whose loved ones were left hospitalised following the brutal attacks they suffered at the hands of gangs of masked men.

“The shock-waves of what has happened in recent days is reverberating, people thought that the days of Kangaroo-style courts were over and that Northern Ireland and indeed the South Armagh area had finally, entered a new political and societal era.

“As a proud Crossmaglen and South Armaghman, I am angered that the area to which I love has once again been placed in the limelight for the wrong reasons. South Armagh has been described as ‘Bandit Country’ and was seen as such by large numbers of people, from both sides of our historic divide and from beyond these Shores. Many terrible atrocities occurred in this community over the ‘Troubled Years.’ But in recent times the area has made the news for the right reasons, the local economy is growing, tourism numbers are increasing and there appeared to be, a new resolve amongst the local community to move this area of Northern Ireland forward.

“Wakening up to the news on Sunday and then Wednesday morning last, that once again; self-appointed dictators had reaped their own brand of Kangaroo Justice upon young men was deeply distressing for me and yet I have no comprehension of how much worse it would have felt for the family and friends of the deceased and the injured.
Kenny added: “There is much loose talk that the deceased and the injured were guilty of crimes, irrespective of whether or not that is true; no-one has the right to take life through their own brand of ‘barbaric Justice.’

“I am calling on the broad, law-abiding South Armagh community to speak with one voice in declaring that we do not want Kangaroo Courts where self-appointed dictators perform the role of, Judge, Jury and Executioner. While belatedly, the Republican Movement have given their political representatives in Sinn Fein the ‘green light’ to endorse and support the fundamental rule of law and order, covering support for the Police (PSNI) the Courts and all other aspects of the Criminal Justice System.

“Refusal to adhere to law and order systems can no longer be appeased. I believe that the vast majority of South Armagh people are committed to the future and of building a fair, just, safe and stable community. I appeal with these people to send a message to the criminals and mafia-style dictators within their midst - get off the community’s back, end your smuggling, (whether fuel or otherwise) cease your extortion rackets, end your barbarism and violence and remove your stranglehold from the community and earn your living, instead of stealing from others.

“The community must come forward and support the PSNI and Garda’s efforts at bringing those responsible for the death of Paul Quinn to justice.

“I would also appeal for calm in the South Armagh area. Now is a time for reflection, South Armagh is at a cross-roads and good must prevail, people must consign from within their midst, the evil that has plagued this area and its’ people.
“In the early – mid nineties and thereafter, terrorism has been all but banished from our Country, now is the time to give the boot to criminality and any lingering trappings of paramilitarism also.”

Responding to increasing speculation that a new Unionist Party is to be formed to oppose the DUP and Sinn Fein’s Power-Sharing arrangement, Kenny Donaldson, an Ulster Unionist Party Officer has stated:

“Many Unionists of my parent’s generation will feel a deep sense of deja-vu. The reality is that Unionism started internally dividing itself when the present First Minister, Dr Paisley and others decided they neither had the stomach, nor the political or civic responsibility to face up to the challenges of accommodating nationalism within an internal political settlement. 30 years later and the penny still hasn’t dropped for some people.

“Let’s be clear; we have the sectarian carve up that we have because people refused to share responsibility for the governing of Northern Ireland decades ago. Furthermore, the terrorist campaign of the PIRA and so-called ‘loyalist’ terrorists were major factors in instilling deep hatred and mistrust between our respective communities. This cocktail of factors meant that no political settlement was deliverable here for a generation.”

Kenny added: “In the run up to 1998 and for the 7/8 years thereafter, the DUP and Sinn Fein set about destroying the centre-ground, fuelled by their own selfish agendas they sought to bring about the conditions, which ensured our Country was carved up between the ‘prods’ and the ‘taigs.’ Despite the fact that this reality has come to pass I am confident that in the medium-long term, the public do not want their children to grow up in a society where there is mutual loathing between the principle protagonists charged with delivering Government. Forget about the amicable photographs, the mutual nods of agreement, the stomach-churning camaraderie on show between the ‘chuckle brothers’ and their respective merry men and women. This is but self-serving spin and mutually constructed choreography.”

Kenny continued: “Unionism collectively needs to realise that fracturing does nothing to assist the aims of promoting the Union. Yes that’s right, I use the word ‘promoting’ because the Union is already ‘protected’ by the enshrined principle of consent which Ulster Unionists negotiated and won in the run up to the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

“My core objective is to see the Ulster Unionist Party rebuild itself so that it can go forth and deliver for the people of Northern Ireland. I do not see the introduction of a new Unionist Party as advantageous. Do people really believe that Sinn Fein can be removed from Stormont at this stage? The parameters of our political settlement have been set, principally by the UK Government and supported by the Government of the Irish Republic, people need to get real; they need to deliver positive change for the people of Northern Ireland within the realms of possibility. For too long politicians in Northern Ireland sought power, now they have it but they need to realise that with power, comes responsibility,” concluded Kenny.

Kenny Donaldson, an Ulster Unionist Party Officer has called for all sides involved in the ‘classroom assistants’ dispute to get around the table immediately to negotiate a resolution so that strike action might be averted.

Classroom assistants across Northern Ireland are planning a one-day strike next Wednesday unless agreement is reached over pay.

In a statement, Kenny said: “Foremost, my thoughts are with the children who neither caused nor deserve to be adversely affected because of others’ inability to act responsibly.

“The Department of Education have said that they regret the move by Classroom Assistants, which they say could “disrupt the education of some children”. If that position was to be followed through to its’ logical conclusion then they would step up their efforts at brokering a deal with classroom assistants. Inaction is neither an appropriate nor responsible position to adopt.
“The reality is that if the present situation isn’t sorted out the children’s education will suffer more. Experienced and qualified staff will be forced to leave the job and many others will be deterred from seeking employment in this field.

“The Education Assembly Committee has indicated their resolve that this debacle should be resolved equitably. Common-sense and fairness must prevail. Classroom Assistants are a key component in the developmental experience, a child receives at School; they are an essential complimentary support for Teachers. They must receive their just desserts, they must be fairly rewarded for the priceless job they do. Classroom Assistants for too long have been looked upon with disdain by elements within Government. Let’s get real - without them, Teachers could not deliver the Curriculum to the standard and efficiency which they do,” concluded Kenny.

Responding to comments made by the Lord Chief Justice, Brian Kerr in which he defended the Judiciary from accusations of lenient sentencing, Kenny Donaldson, an Ulster Unionist Party Officer has stated:

“The Lord Chief Justice has apportioned responsibility squarely at the door of Parliament claiming that ‘judges do not make the law, they perform the task of sentencing within it.’

“Such comments mean little to the public; the fact of the matter is that there is an inherent anger within the public towards our Criminal Justice system and the sentences which are being handed out. The public perception is that, a message is being sent out to criminals and ‘would be criminals’ that, crime pays.

“The public frankly do not care whether its’ Parliament, the Judiciary or both who are responsible for sentencing. What they desire is to be protected, they crave to have confidence in the Criminal Justice system, and they want to see the perpetrators of crime held to account for their actions. The rights of victims should always be paramount, perpetrators of crime through their actions deprive themselves of certain rights extended to those who are law abiding.”

Kenny added: “I 100% respect the independence of the Judiciary, it should not be comprised by political interference however I equally believe that the Judiciary must be held accountable for its’ interpretation of law and its’ refusal to hand out the stiffest possible sentence within the parameters available through law.

“The public cry is for the Judiciary to mirror the general populace, it must cease to be aloof from wider society, if it continues to operate within a vacuum, public support and respect for the system will dwindle even further. Its’ crunch time for the law makers and the law implementers and the public are growing increasingly impatient,” concluded Kenny.

Kenny Donaldson, an Ulster Unionist Party Officer and resident of Crossmaglen, South Armagh has described Sinn Fein’s new “Good Riddance” t-shirt as; “irony in the extreme.”

The t-shirt, launched by the Republican Movement is in reference to the ending of ‘Operation Banner’ within Northern Ireland.

A graphic within the t-shirt depicts a member of the Republican Movement kicking a British Army soldier out of Northern Ireland.

The Sinn Fein website uses the selling pitch; ‘British Army Campaign in Ireland ends, All British military personnel in Ireland have been recalled to Barracks, To celebrate we have a great new t-shirt – Good Riddance t-shirt.’

In a statement, Kenny said: “This new t-shirt, launched by Sinn Fein really is ‘irony in the extreme.’ As painful or as embarrassing as it may be for them, the reality is that the British Army did not leave Northern Ireland as a result of the terrorist campaign waged by the PIRA and its’ sister organisations against the ‘guardians of the State’ and ‘civic society.’

“Operation Banner has been wound down because terrorism has been defeated; because of the contribution of our guardians of the State, the Republican Movement has had to surrender the gun and the semtex and join the democratic table along with the rest of us. Our peacetime British Army garrison of 5,000 soldiers remains as a valued part of the Northern Ireland community.

“Of course there remains those within republicanism who even yet haven’t come to terms with the reality that; ‘Republican campaigns of violence and intimidation have not and will not deliver Irish Unity.’ These individuals will have to face up to the political realities of Northern Ireland or they will end up in the only place fitting for their actions - Jail.”

Kenny concluded by saying: “Those who adorned a uniform and set about fulfilling the role of, ‘state and civic protector’ deserve our recognition and heartfelt gratitude. Because of their courage, Northern Ireland and its’ people have a better future to look forward to.”

Kenny Donaldson, an Ulster Unionist Party Officer has rounded on Republicans for their misrepresentation of the National Stadium debate, which has ensued over the inclusion of a ‘Conflict Transformation Centre’ at the Maze site.

In a statement, Kenny said: “Numerous Republican representatives have taken to the air and to the newspapers this week crying foul over the opposition many of us within political unionism and indeed, outside of that fold have expressed towards the preservation of a ‘shrine at the Maze Hospital Wing.’

“These ‘Republican’ representatives have claimed that unionism is seeking to ‘airbrush’ the happenings at the Maze out of history. If I was those same Republicans I’d be smart enough not to look this particular gift-horse right in the mouth.

“The facts of the past are these; the Maze housed some of the most gruesome, calculating murderers this Country has ever produced. Those incarcerated at the Maze (and I accept a number were wrongly imprisoned) were mainly members of illegal terrorist organisations who brought death, destruction and sheer mayhem to their fellow Countrymen under the guise of; furthering their own down-trodden community’s rights. They were not and will not ever be; legitimate armies and/or freedom fighters.

“Irrespective of wrongs the Government may or may not have been guilty of, there was never any justification for the Provisional IRA to mount an insurrection which not only targeted Government and its’ ‘State Protectors’ but also wider civic society.”

“Until there is recognition by the Republican Movement for the failings and the futility of the actions and tactics they employed over the Trouble’s past, Northern Ireland’s future will remain fragile. The burning of Orange Halls and the targeting of buses as they proceeded homewards on the Twelfth has demonstrated that there remain people who continue to ‘hate’ others because of their perceived religion, politics and culture.

“The Godfathers of the Republican Movement need to sit down their sons/daughters, grand-sons and grand-daughters and explain to them that irregardless of the past grievances they had against the ‘establishment’ that the use of bombs, bullets and hate filled sectarianism was never justified.

“If the Republican Movement are sincere in building a ‘shared future’ with their unionist neighbours, then they will address their past actions and its’ continued legacy and they will step away from demanding the preservation of a ‘terror shrine’ at the Maze, which would do nothing to heal the wounds of the past but instead, would glorify terrorism. They would allow the issue of a ‘National Stadium,’ (which is about building for the future) take centre stage so that an informed, transparent debate could follow which would conclude via a decision being made as to the best site available for the sting of, our new “Northern Ireland National Stadium,” concluded Kenny.