Formal bid for fresh Summerland fire inquest not yet received
A formal application for a fresh inquest into the 50 people killed in the Summerland fire disaster in 1973 has not been made, the chief minister has confirmed. The Justice for Summerland Group, made up of survivors and relatives of victims, said last May that it would make a formal bid to overturn the original misadventure verdicts.Alfred Cannan said the Attorney General had not received a formal application.But campaign group, which appointed Belfast-based human rights law firm Phoenix Law to act for the families last year, said taking legal action over the issues was still its intention.
Darragh Mackin from the legal firm last year represented many families of 48 young people killed in the Stardust fire in Dublin in 1981, who successfully fought for their own fresh inquest.
'Long overdue justice'
Cannan told the House of Keys the Attorney General (AG) had received a letter on 20 May from the firm that said it intended to make an application for a fresh inquest in the coming weeks.However the AG had confirmed he had not received an application, but would "give his full consideration to such a request at the time should one be received", Cannan said.Joney Faragher MHK questioned whether Cannan acknowledged that a fresh inquest could provide "long overdue justice and closure for the families affected". He said government had paid "full respects" to those who lost their lives along with those who dealt with the tragedy and had apologised.But he said it was "not for me to make judgement on what happened at Summerland" and it would be for the AG to consider whether an inquest was reopened.About 3,000 people were at the Summerland entertainment complex on the evening 2 August 1973, which at the time was one of the biggest indoor leisure complexes in Europe, when a blaze thought to have been started by three boys from Liverpool smoking broke out.A public inquiry held in the aftermath of the tragedy found there were "no villains", only human beings who made mistakes.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
Winston Irvine 'unduly lenient' sentence to be appealed
The sentence given to Winston Irvine was unduly lenient and should be extended, according to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).Irvine, 49, from Ballysillan Road in north Belfast, was given a two-and-a-half year sentence last month after admitting to firearm and ammunition sentence was half the minimum recommended term, with the judge citing "exceptional circumstances".The PPS said it will now appeal the sentence. Irvine's sentence – half of which is to be served on licence – was below the minimum sentence of five years and attracted criticism from some politicians.A spokesperson for the PPS told the BBC's The Nolan Show: "After careful consideration of the sentence handed down in the case of Winston Irvine, including with the benefit of advices from independent Senior Counsel, we have determined that there is a sufficient legal basis to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal."The PPS referral has now been lodged with the Court of Appeal. Irvine is currently serving his sentence on the segregated UVF wing at Maghaberry high security sentencing Judge Gordon Kerr KC said despite Irvine's guilty plea, he had declined to give any explanation to the police or the court for having the guns and bullets in the boot of his the judge said he did not consider the crimes to be connected to judge cited Irvine's "character and long-term commitment to peace building in Northern Ireland" among exceptional circumstances relating to the court was told he had worked at the highest levels of government and had "devoted most of his adult life to peace".Court documents released to The Nolan Show revealed the extent of the character references provided to the include letters from Loyalist Communities Council chair David Campbell, former Policing Board member and director of Northern Ireland Alternatives Deborah Watters, Gary Mason a Methodist Minister, as well as Dr Harold Good .The PPS said it would not be appealing the five year jail term handed to co-accused Robin Workman.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump's wild demand for 'no fat soldiers' at rambling US Army speech
The US leader turned what was intended to be a 250th birthday celebration for the US Army into a full-blown political rally, and demanded "no fat soldiers" be shown behind him at Fort Bragg Donald Trump has sparked a fresh military backlash after ordering 'no fat soldiers ' be shown behind him during a rambling speech at Fort Bragg. The US leader turned what was intended to be a 250th birthday celebration for the US Army into a full-blown political rally. The president, speaking to troops in North Carolina, launched into a tirade of abuse, mocking foes, slamming the media, and goading soldiers into cheering and booing his political enemies live on national television. But behind the scenes, the entire event had been carefully stage-managed. Internal army messages revealed that troops were handpicked for their loyalty to Trump as well as their looks. One blunt instruction read: 'No fat soldiers.' Another ordered that any troops who didn't back the president should be quietly replaced. 'If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don't want to be in the audience, then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out,' the message said. His appearance came after Trump ordered the National Guard and US Marines to Los Angeles, after demonstrations about his immigration purge erupted. The move to pit the US military against civilians has been met with widespread condemnation, with the state of California successfully suing to take the military off its streets. During his speech, Trump, however, whipped up the hand-picked audience, taking aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, whom he branded 'incompetent' and accused of helping 'insurrectionists.' 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean and safe again,' Trump roared. The shameless spectacle has sparked fury from senior military figures who say the event trampled over long-standing rules that bar political activity while in uniform. 'This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution,' one commander at Fort Bragg said anonymously. 'This was shameful.' To make matters worse, a pop-up shop flogging Trump campaign gear was allowed to set up on base. Soldiers were seen buying MAGA necklaces and mock 'White Privilege Cards' from Oklahoma-based vendor 365 Campaign. Selling political merchandise on a military base is a breach of Pentagon rules. The Army has long tried to avoid even the appearance of backing one party or candidate. Colonel Mary Ricks, a Fort Bragg spokesperson, admitted the stall's presence was under investigation. 'The vendor's presence is under review to determine how it was permitted and to prevent similar occurrences in the future,' she said. US defence experts said the event was a disaster for military credibility. The silence from top military leadership, they said, only made it worse. Trump is throwing himself a jaw-dropping £24 million military parade in Washington today/tomorrow (Sat) to mark his 78th birthday, complete with tanks, jets, marching bands and thousands of troops. Dubbed 'Salute to America,' the extravagant bash is being billed as a tribute to the Army's 250th anniversary, but critics say it's nothing more than a shameless campaign stunt wrapped in camouflage. 'This isn't about the Army, it's about Trump playing general on his big day,' one ex-military officer fumed. The former president will give a primetime speech flanked by uniformed soldiers, many of whom were reportedly ordered to attend. Taxpayers are footing the bill for the whole spectacle, with cash being diverted from military training budgets to cover the cost of flyovers, fuel, transport and security. 'The most expensive birthday party in American history,' one Pentagon insider said.
New Statesman
3 hours ago
- New Statesman
Greta Thunberg knows what she's doing
Photo by Anders Wiklund/AFP There's something about Greta Thunberg that provokes hot-blooded fury among a certain demographic. The rage the 22-year-old activist from Stockholm regularly incurs is on a similar level to that often incited by the Montecito-based Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. The latest act which the founder of Skolstrejk för Kilmatet ('Fridays for Future') has undertaken was boarding a vessel chartered by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which attempted to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza through the current partial Israeli blockade. On Monday, the boat carrying Thunberg and other activists was intercepted by Israeli forces who boarded the vessel before accompanying it back to shore. The Israeli government has since deported Thunberg. Various predictable charges have been hurled at Thunberg (who guest-edited this magazine in 2022). Enraged critics have said that her participation was just a publicity-stunt or that she put herself in needless danger just to make a point. The Israeli foreign ministry nicknamed the British-flagged Madleen Yacht, which carried Thunberg and 12 others across the sea from Sicily, the 'selfie-yacht' when announcing that it had been seized. One article in the New York Post accused Thunberg of pretending to be in handcuffs after arriving in France following her deportation. Countless posts on X have mocked Thunberg, or have called her 'self-righteous', with one post going so far as to call her a 'useful idiot'. Google searches for 'Greta Thunberg' peaked at 6am on 9 June, reaching the top of Google Trends maximum searches. What all of the vitriol fails to acknowledge is that this attention is the result Thunberg's actions were intended to attract. She is, after all, an activist. One wonders how those spitting with fury over what they deem to be Thunberg's 'irresponsible' publicity stunt would have said about the resistance — armed and otherwise — used by anti-apartheid campaigners in South Africa under the leadership of the now-beloved Nelson Mandela. One imagines many of the same people who are probably furiously rage-posting about Thunberg on X are doing so from a home bedecked with kitschy posters bearing slogans such as 'It Always Seems Impossible Until It Is Done' (a phrase made popular by Mandela) or 'Be the Change you Want to See in the World', often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi certainly didn't make his name by keeping quiet – he devoted his life to peaceful civil disobedience in order to secure India's independence. In other words, he spent much of his life pissing people off. That is what activism is. And what to make of the charge against Thunberg that by boarding the flotilla, she was irresponsibly and needlessly putting her life in danger? Has everyone forgotten the Suffragettes? Emily Davidson stepped out in front of the King's horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby, killing herself and seriously injuring a jockey, with the aim of securing universal suffrage (Votes for Women!). This scene is now celebrated and Davidson is honoured; children are taught about it in school. Davidson's activism was dangerous and daring (and could have caused more injuries besides) but it achieved its desired result. Thunberg's journey on the Madleen, though perhaps personally reckless, has succeeded in keeping the desperate need for aid in Gaza at the top of the news agenda. An eleven-week blockade in the region, which was partially lifted by the Israeli government at the end of May, has left vulnerable Palestinian children and families starving. As of 4 June, 57,000 people have died in this war. That more outrage has been expressed online over a 22-year-old Swedish woman attempting to help those who are suffering is a damning indictment of where we are. The world's best-known campaigner has never hidden who she is or what she believes in. Yet she will always be a clueless teenager in the eyes of her detractors; someone to be seen, not heard. But Greta Thunberg has other ideas, and she won't go quietly. She is, after all, an activist. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
