Subtle Alchemies III: The Trenches Dug Within Our Hearts

In this episode I look at the construction of victimology in the context of Bloody Sunday as well as that of 'Soldier F'. Also, I consider Organisational Memory, Myth-Making, Blamelessness and Out Group / In Group dynamics. Cohen, S., States of Denial: Knowing About Atrocities and Suffering, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2001Eveleigh, R., Peace-Keeping in a Democratic Society. The Lessons of Northern Ireland, C. Hurst and Company, London, 1978Halbwachs, M., On Collective Memory, University of Chicago Press, 1992Lundy, P. and McGovern M., The Politics of Memory in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland, Peace Review 13, 2001Morrissey, M. and Smyth, M., Northern Ireland after the Good Friday Agreement: Victims, Grievance and Blame, Pluto Press, London, 2002Sykes, G. M. and Matza, D., Techniques of Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency, American Sociological Review 22, 1957  Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

In this episode I move on to discuss the terms 'victim' and 'perpetrator' and that in post-conflict societies these terms are seldom mutually exclusive of one another. Are we much too early, in terms of reconciliation, to even begin to think about determining ideal constructs of both 'victim' and 'perpetrator' in Northern Ireland?Never mind 'Hierarchies of Victims', were there 'Hierarchies of Righteous Violence'?Lots to discuss...       Works cited:Borer, T. A., A Taxonomy of Victims and Perpetrators: Human Rights and Reconciliation in South Africa. Human Rights Quarterly 25, 2003  Brewer, J., Peace Processes: A Sociological Approach, Polity Press, Cambridge, 2010Huyse, L., Victims. In Reconciliation After Violent Conflict: A Handbook, Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, Stockholm, 2003Moon C., Narrating Political Reconciliation: South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Lexington Books, Plymouth, 2008 The Four of Us: Mary (The Four of Us were part of the soundtrack to my Border career.) Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

An brief interlude before I get to Part Two of Subtle Alchemies. Also, please check out the very talented, very brilliant, Emer Maguire who appeared at the Stand Up for Integrated Education Comedy Night at the Ulster Hall.Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

This is the first episode of a series in which I discuss not only the definition of a 'victim' in the context of the Troubles, but also perceptions of victimhood, either justified or unjustified, as well as 'complex victims'. Works cited:Bar-Tal, Daniel, Lily Chernyak-Hai, Noa Schori, and Ayelet Gundar, A Sense of Self-Perceived Collective Victimhood in Intractable Conflicts, International Review of the Red Cross 91, 2009Bouris, Erica, Complex Political Victims, Kumarian Press Inc., Bloomfield CT, 2007Christie, Nils, The Ideal Victim, in From Crime Policy to Victim Policy: Reorienting the Justice System, Macmillan Press, London, 1986  Lawther, Cheryl, The Construction and Politicisation of Victimhood, in Victims of Terrorism: A Comparative and Interdisciplinary Study, Taylor and Francis, London, 2014Ní Chuinn, Liadan, Every One Still Here, The Stinging Fly Press, Dublin, 2025       Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

Some points in response to a number of queries / comments about police management of sexual offenders. I've spoke about this subject over a number of proceeding episodes, so I'll keep it as succinct as I can and try not to repeat anything (not easy, but …).Also in this episode I'm only touching very, very, briefly upon a very current issue which has yet again brought the PSNI (and British Intelligence) under the spotlight, that of the illegal surveillance of Barry McCaffrey's and Trevor Birney's communications, amongst others. Thankfully a PSNI CC, namely John Boucher, has once again shown integrity and professionalism (sadly lacking in a number of previous CC's (both PSNI and RUC) under whose watch such systems of incompetence and autonomy were allowed to take root and infect procedural mechanisms. I've a feeling there's more to come from 4QE!        Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

The concluding (for now) episode in which I discuss the experience of catholic officers in the RIC, RUC and PSNI. BibliographyBreen, R, Beliefs about the treatment of Catholics and Protestants by the Security Forces, in R. Breen, P. Devine and G. Robinson (eds), Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland: The Fourth Report, Appletree Press, Belfast, 1995Bourdieu, P. Language and Symbolic Power, Polity Press, Cambridge, 1991Cullen, F. Visual Politics: The Representation of Ireland 1750 - 1930, Cork University Press, Cork, 1997 Ellison, G. Professionalism in the Royal Ulster Constabulary: an examination of the institutional discourse, (unpublished D.Phil. thesis), University of Ulster, 1997 McGarry, J. and O'Leary, B. Policing Northern Ireland: Proposals for a New Start, Blackstaff Press, Belfast, 1999.Mulcahy, A. The Dynamics of the Police Legitimation Process in Northern Ireland, (unpublished PhD thesis, Arizona State University, 1998Ruane, J. and Todd, J. The Dynamics of Conflict in Northern Ireland, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996One of PSNI’s first Catholic recruits quits in dismay: ‘I regret joining… I just feel scarred by it’ Northern Ireland’s police service faces anti-Catholic discrimination casesEx-PSNI officer who now says he lied about sectarianism restated his views after bizarre exchangeClick here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

Just a few more RUC memories stirred by recent news.Food delivery driver allegedly threatened and racially abused before footage appeared on TikTok, court hears  Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

Continuing my look at the experience of catholic officers within policing in Northern Ireland. In this episode I begin to look at issues which may affect recruitment from the Nationalist / Republican community.In the following episode I will continue this topic (and most likely conclude same), but with a more in-depth look at some of the selection processes involved when applying to become a PSNI recruit, as well as  a few more anecdotes about the job.          Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef

The recent 'Hoover-Gate' news report brought back some old memories, as well as a look at the ongoing strategy used to delay and (sometimes) derail being disciplined or summoned to court as a defendant.I should mention also, though, that it's a strategy found in other police service's too.Top police officer facing possible sack retires before misconduct hearing Click here if you’d like to send me a comment or question. Thank you.Support the showMédecins Sans Frontières Unicef