The Green Ribbon

Adams and Paisley on Protestant republicanism

Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley had an unusual public confrontation last week. To the exasperation of some the subject wasn't the immediate difficulties of the peace process, but the Presbyterian roots of Irish republicanism.

it was the ghosts of Henry Joy McCracken and his sister, Mary Ann, Henry Munro, Samuel Neilson, the Rev James Porter and others, all United Irishmen - apart from Mary Ann - and all Presbyterians, according to Mr Adams - that prompted the interaction.

Dr Paisley said he had listened to a "very interesting extract from republican propaganda history" but he wanted to "inform the gentleman who has spoken" he was unaware of the difference between Presbyterians and Unitarians and that the Presbyterian synod around that historic period was totally opposed to the United Irish rebellion. (Irish Times)

Slugger points us to some interesting musings on this debate by Eamonn McCann:

Collusion report has lessons for the 'war on terror'

Online magazine The First Post carries some insightful comment on the latest Oireachtas report on collusion today:

In the midst of the Cold War retro coverage of Russian spies, poisoning and Kremlin conspiracies, a little-noticed report by the Irish parliament last week cast a grim light on the activities of Britain's own 'secret state' during the Troubles.  

The report was from the parliamentary committee which examined the 1975 Kay's Tavern bombing in Dundalk. According to the report, the Dundalk bombing was one of various atrocities and murders carried out during the 1970s by a South Armagh-based loyalist gang with the 'widespread' collusion of British security forces. (The First Post)

FSB not the only agency licensed to kill

[Oleg Gordievsky] was at one with Mr Litvinenko's other   associates in accusing the Kremlin of murdering him. "Since July Russia   has had a law permitting the FSB to kill people abroad that it doesn't like," he said. (Independent)

Several articles on the Litvinenko case mentioned this law, apparently passed by the Duma in June, but you'd have to turn to the coverage of the new James Bond film to find out Britain has has had similar legislation for over a decade:

If, apart from this section, a person would be liable in the United Kingdom for any act done outside the British Islands, he shall not be so liable if the act is one which is authorised to be done by virtue of an authorisation given by the Secretary of State under this section. (Section 7, Intelligence Services Act 1994)