WHERE SINN FEIN STANDS.......
The following statement was issued subsequent to a meeting of the Caretaker Executive of Sinn Fein on January 17th 1970 .
Ex-members of the Irish Workers' Party who joined Sinn Fein and who were in a position to do so , made sure that the historical background to the Movement and the fundamental Republican position* were , needless to say , not part of the education courses which they were in charge of , so that for four or five years many young people came into the Republican Movement without knowing many of the basic tenets of Irish Republicanism ; by 1969 the process of infiltration and take-over was nearing completion , as will be seen . ('1169....' Comment - * Today , Provisional Sinn Fein refer's to its "30 year campaign" against the British , deliberately choosing to ignore its own history . It prefers its new members to be politically ignorant of that part of its past .)
There is no doubt that an extreme form of socialism was being pushed on the Movement by the 'policy makers' referred to and their aides ; this was a further reason for the 'walk-out' . While we ,who went to Parnell Square , believe in a Democratic Socialist Republic for all Ireland , it seems certain that the ultimate objective of the leadership which remained at the Intercontinental Hotel is nothing but a totalitarian dictatorship of the Left . It was admitted that the 'National Liberation Front' would eventually involve a merger and amalgamation with the 'radical groups' mentioned , since all would be working for "...the same ultimate objective.." .
Meanwhile , it was stated , joint educational classes involving members of the Communist Party of 'Northern Ireland' and the Irish Workers' Party could be held : " While we were strong on practice and weak in theory , the reverse was true of them and they could educate us on theory .. " , was how this was put . Furthermore , in the opinion of the 'master-minds' , there was no need for establishing a Republican youth organisation when the Connolly Youth Movement existed , nor was there any need for the Republican 'Clann na hEireann' organisation in Britain since the Connolly Association was there . The 'master-minds' also turned their attention to the Cumann na mBan organisation .......
(MORE LATER).
FR. DENIS FAUL : A CONNIVING AND TREACHEROUS MAN .......
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
On Friday 4th September 1981 , Matt Devlin's family sought medical intervetion to prevent him from dying on hunger-strike ; he had gone fifty-two days on his fast . Two days later , on Sunday 6th September 1981 , Laurence McKeown's family did likewise - he had fasted for seventy days .
On Friday 25th September 1981 , Bernard Fox dropped out of the hunger-strike after thirty-two days because of a serious , premature deterioration which would have caused death within days . On Saturday 26th September 1981 , Liam McCloskey came off the hunger-strike after fifty-two days when his mother , accompanied by a Fr. McIldowney , convinced him that she would intervene in the event of him lapsing into a coma .
On that same day the prisoners issued a statement calling on Fr. Denis Faul to cease his hunger-strike breaking activities and to mind his own business by staying out of their affairs . That statement verbally lashed Faul , describing him as , amongst other things , "...the best friend the British government has.. " .......
(MORE LATER).
THE 1985 ANGLO-IRISH AGREEMENT - THE SHADOW OF THE GUNMEN .......
As the Anglo-Irish talks reach their conclusion , FINTAN O'TOOLE talks to activists of Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party and hears that they would prefer civil war to an accommodation with Dublin .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , November 1985 .
Where Charles Haughey is wrong is to link this demand for the disbandment of the UDR with a rhetorical repetition of the demand for a United Ireland ; such a stance not only fuels the paranoia which it is in the interests of those who would manipulate Loyalist reaction to build up , it also ignores the fundamental problem of unity by 'consent' - the 'winning' of the consent of both communities in the Six Counties . That 'consent' can only be built on the basis of certain basic agreed structures of law and justice * and those structures need to be given time to work in the absence of the kind of strife and violence which the 'threat' of a United Ireland will provoke (ie - to the Loyalists). ('1169...' Comment - * 'Consent' can also be 'obtained' [and indeed, was so obtained] by , in this case , the enemy [Westminster] securing control of the leadership of what once was the
opposition . Doing a 'Scap/Donaldson/?/' , some might call it ... ).
The 26-County administration either believes that the basic security structures of the North can be 'reformed' in the absence of a united Ireland or it does not - if it does , then the emphasis in any deal it can do with the British government needs to be on the radical overhaul of the 'security' machinery , and not on a 'consultative role' which involves responsibility without power....... ('1169....' Comment - The Dublin administration will do all in its power to assist Westminster to 'run' the occupied Six Counties : Leinster House may occasionally make noises to the contrary , especially around election time , but it long ago 'washed its hands' of any desire to re-unite this island . And that is one of the 'trump cards' which Westminster knows it holds .)
(MORE LATER).
