How can New Sinn Fein in Kilkeel justify to their supporters bringing in Willie Clarke to speak for them in welcoming yet more loyalist parades in Kilkeel and the further suppression of the nationalist people there? Is there no one in New Sinn Fein in Kilkeel, who is allowed to voice an opinion? Whatever happened to the Mourne Nationalists for Equality spokesperson, who now appears to also be the New Sinn Fein spokesperson? These people need so much guidance and supervision that they should be on the higher level of DLA.

Why bring a man to Kilkeel, who is New Sinn Fein’s spokesperson on environmental issues? Catriona Ruane is the spokesperson for Equality and Human Rights, but who has yet is to condemn or even refer to injustices done to nationalists in her own constituency - viz, the framing by Special Branch of Martin Brogan and Mark Carroll.

What will become apparent in the near future is that New Sinn Fein have done a deal with the DUP to allow unrestricted loyalist parades through nationalist areas and that they will ensure, that those parades will get through. Proof of this, is the loyalist march on the Springfield Road and in Newry Town centre and the sight of Willie Clarke welcoming loyalist marches in Castlewellan and his support for the sectarian Schomberg Society’s activities, which I have no doubt is designed to intimidate the nationalist population of Kilkeel.

Given that Mr. Clarke’s utterances have clearly angered nationalists in Kilkeel, it was perhaps predictable that Catriona Ruane was conspicuously absent from the coalface of local politics, in order to keep her hands clean for the forthcoming elections to the Imperial British Parliament. It is unacceptable for this William to lecture the people of Mourne and Castlewellan on the social benefits of loyalist triumphalistic buffoonery, when he has conveniently gone on holiday many miles south of the Boyne and will not be here to witness his predicted harmonising of the two traditions. Willie Clarke was only doing what he was told to do and Ms. Ruane’s hands are certainly not clean, as she is now at the top-table and is no doubt fully aware of New Sinn Fein’s policy in relation to loyalist parades. More fool Willie for being the fall-guy but he is typical of the calibre of candidate required by the leadership – an empty mug that they can fill.

Kilkeel is bedecked with unionist paramilitary flags and the graffiti clearly shows that nationalists are not welcome in their own hometown. None of which appears to bother New Sinn Fein as the have surrendered their republican principles for mere tactics. Strategies, which will help them to restore the partitionist Stormont Assembly and the British concocted Agreement, which maintains the Union with England, into whose hands we have been sold by New Sinn Fein for thirty pieces of silver. In the words of the Scottish poet and Republican, Robbie Burns, who ‘were bought and sold for English gold - what a parcel of rogues in a nation!’