| From Unity, 27 March 2010 |
Legal illegalby Lynda WalkerThe Gerry Kelly (Sinn Féin) show came to North Belfast last Sunday, but it was different from the UTV version.Gerry Kelly interviewed three guests. The was first a chef, Danny Millar, As a young lad from the working-class area of the New Lodge he never thought that he would become a chef. He recalled the days of the British army on the streets and getting stopped and searched, going to college with his “whites in his bag.” He said, “If you had told me twenty years ago that I would be sitting here today talking about food I would never have believed it.” Gerry Kelly’s retort was, “if you had told me twenty years ago that I would be sitting here talking about food . . .” laughter ensued. It was as a trainee chef that he met and “made friends with a Protestant from the Village” (a loyalist area). Both of them are still friends and are now restaurant owners. The second person to be interviewed was Frances Black, the singer and songwriter. Frances spoke about her life growing up in poverty in Dublin. Her father was from Rathlin Island and her mother was a Dubliner. She spoke about the tenements where ten families lived to one house. She thought it remarkable that in spite of the poverty her parents managed to take the family to Rathlin Island about once a year, even if she did have to hide under the seat in the train. At the end of the interview Frances sang the song written by Ewan McColl “Legal Illegal.” She sang it to a wonderful slow tempo, and every word and sentence could be heard, giving the audience a forceful political statement. (George Galloway later referred to the fact that Ewan McColl was a friend and that his daughter Kirsty accompanied George to Iraq.) The third guest, and the one that drew the crowds, was George Galloway. Just before his entrance onto the stage Gerry Kelly read out part of the statement that George made in the US Senate. On stage, George spoke in response to Gerry Kelly’s question about the experience in the US. He said that he did not have any notes, because his head was filled with rage at the gall of these people who had killed innocent people. The longer he spoke in the Senate, he said, you could see by their eyes that they no longer wanted to be there. One delight for him was when he lit up a Cuban cigar in “a place where smoking is not allowed and where Cuban cigars are illegal,” an action that was reported on the news. When he returned from London the Cuban ambassador gave him a letter from El Comandante, Fidel Castro. It said, “I ordered you to stop smoking thirty years ago. I noted on the CNN news that you have defied me.” George had the letter framed. Gerry Kelly asked a range of question that led to discussion about Palestine, Iraq and the forthcoming election. Of the latter he said that inequality is worse now than it was in the Dickens days of Oliver Twist, but in spite of the betrayal by Labour we know in our hearts that the Tories would be worse. He responded to a question about charity work by talking about the work he had done for Iraq and more recently the convoys that he has accompanied to Gaza, more political than charity; but, he said, “There has to be a complete change in the world economic system to end the poverty and wars.” He drew attention to the role that British imperialism had played and the Balfour Declaration, and that Balfour himself had said that in the granting of a Jewish homeland there would be a “loyal little Ulster in the Arab world.” He commented about the changes in South Africa and the satisfaction that he got when the South African policeman that beat him up there had to apologies at the Truth Commission. Gerry Kelly spoke about the irony of the black South Africans teaching white Europe how to make peace. The interview finished with Gerry Kelly inviting George to come and work for him against the DUP and Dodd in the forthcoming Westminster elections. It was a very enjoyable and political night. |
| Home page > Publications > Unity > Legal illegal |
| Baile > Foilseacháin > Unity > Legal illegal |