Missing N. I. Votes Raised at State Department

Posted By: March 29, 2013

Not that that could ever happen in the United States !

CAPITOL HILL. February 11, 2004 —-The issue of the 100, 000 missing votes in the last Northern Ireland election was given an airing at the United States State Department on Wednesday, February 11, 2004.
Mitchell B. Reiss — in his first briefing to Irish-Americans since he became President Bush’s Special Envoy to Northern Ireland — reported on his recent talks with all the Parties in Northern Ireland .
Father Sean Mc Manus, President of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus, asked if the issue of the missing votes had been raised in the talks,” not that that could ever happen in the United States”, he jokingly added. Dr. Reiss replied that the issue had not been raised. ” Well consider it now raised, please”, said Father Mc Manus. Dr. Reiss gave assurance that he would pursue it.

The other issue that was strongly raised at the Briefing is the fact that the Northern Ireland Police had not done enough to merit the trust of the Catholic community. Ned Mc Ginley, President of the AOH , Steve Mc Cabe of the Brehon Law Society and Father Mc Manus pressed Dr. Reiss on this issue:”The Catholics in Northern Ireland have the same problem in trusting the police that Blacks had in trusting the FBI”, Father Mc Manus told Dr. Reiss. ” Under J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI conspired and colluded to deny Blacks their rights and protections.And in Northern Ireland the police conspired and colluded against Catholics.The police were the armed wing of the Unionist Party, at least up to recently. This has been basic reality of Northern Ireland. It is not just a question of Sinn Fein discouraging Catholics from joining the police. It’s a question of Catholics not being able to trust the police, as of now. Sinn Fein simply reflects that distrust”.

After the Briefing , Father Mc Manus went on to praise Dr. Reiss : ” I was very impressed by Dr. Reiss. He seemed very well informed and very open, with no axe to grind. He is an ideal replacement for his distinguished predecessor, Richard Haass”, he concluded.