IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... in order to confuse the issue , the Brits decided that the 15th January 1920 local elections would be held under a 'Proportional Representation' (PR) system of voting - but only in Ireland . It 'backfired' on Westminster .......
The results of those local elections shocked the Brits - between them , Sinn Fein and the 'United Irish League' (UIL) won control of Derry City , Fermanagh and Tyrone County Councils , ten urban councils ( including Armagh , Omagh , Enniskillen , Newry and Strabane) and a further 13 rural councils - but it was the 'loss' of Derry which all minds concentrated on .
Derry was built by the 'Planters' in 1614 , and had been controlled by pro-British elements since the siege in 1688 and had been 'gerrymandered' since then to ensure it remained so . The " high and proud " City of Derry looked out (and down) on the surrounding slums of the nationalist Bogside ; now those same " slum-dwellers " were about to have their say . That was in January 1920 - the Brits could see 'the writing on the wall' , and decided to 'tighten ship' -
- in February 1920 , a Bill entitled ' The Government of Ireland Bill ' was introduced at Westminster .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(11 of 18).
" When defeated by their own rules at the polls the British government's concept of democracy altered and the rules were changed to suit them ; when they are defeated even by their new rules , they ignore the democratically expressed voice of the electorate and thus undermine the entire principle and purpose of using their " democratic " processes to effect social or political change . ('1169...' Comment - Provos please note ; it is not 'a new path' you are on - it's been tried before , and failed before .)
The logical conclusion of this analysis is that nationalist pacifism in the North of Ireland context dooms the nationalist population to subserviency , perpetuates partition , and thwarts the quest for a just and lasting peace in Ireland .
Another facet of this hunger-strike was to expertly expose the true face of the present Irish establishment , consisting of the Catholic Church , the Dublin government , and the SDLP ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(1 of 6).
On August 14 , 1976 , the body of ten-year-old Majella O'Hare lay in front of a Catholic church in British-occupied Ireland ; she was riddled with bullets from the rifle of a British soldier as she was on her way to Confession . Her father , who was working in the grounds of the church , heard the shots and came out to find his little daughter dying in a pool of blood .
Charles Haughey , Brian Lenihan and members of the Dublin government at that time , were strangely silent . The hierarchy of the Catholic Church were strangely silent . Only the mothers , fathers , and children of the Nationalist community mourned for the loss of this beautiful Irish girl .
When (British) Lord Justice Gibson acquitted the British soldier who murdered little Majella O'Hare there was a cry of anguish and anger all around the world : but the anguish was confined to the exiles who were concerned with the suffering people of British-occupied Ireland .
The members of Dail Eireann (sic) - including Charlie Haughey , Brian Lenihan and others , were strangely silent . And , again , so were the members of the church hierarchy .......
(MORE LATER).
