The Simple Truth About The Irish Sugar Industry . In the past week or so , the remains of the sugar industry in this State has again come under attack from outside interests : with this in mind , we re-print a document which was first published 17 years ago (1989) .
The Simple Truth About The Irish Sugar Industry .
Address by Ruairi O Bradaigh , Uachtaran , at a meeting of Comhairle na Mumhan (Munster Executive) ,Sinn Fein Poblachtach , in Killaloe , County Clare , on Sunday 19 February 1989 .......
The current crisis in Thurles only brings to a head in a particularly acute and sad way the inevitable logic of EEC policies and the stark reality that Leinster House is no longer in charge of even the main Irish public sector companies - apart of course from being 'allowed' to pour huge sums of tax-payers' money into 'rationalisation' in order to bring them to a point where they can be sold off to international capitalists who invite elected representatives on to their boards in order to maintain an 'inside track' on vital commercial decisions leading to the most strategic (ie cheap) take-over bids .
Some time-serving politicians have even attempted to parade this situation as a virture , seeking a mandate for "further integration" under the 'Single European Act' in next June's elections and offering nothing more consoling to endangered Irish workers and the quarter-of-a-million unemployed than some 'main-road' developments brazenly described as "integrated regional plans" .
Even in this area the full implications of shut-downs like the Thurles sugar plant are not being discussed - other industries will also suffer.......
(MORE LATER).
FIANNA FAIL - THE MASK OF DE VALERA ....... From 'AP/RN' , August 10th , 1989 .
(No 'By-Line')
De Valera seen to it that IRA Volunteers were executed by firing squad or by hanging , were shot dead on the streets or died from ill-treatment or hunger-strikes in prison during the war : Fianna Fail came near to the aim , as expressed by Free State Justice Minister Gerry Boland , of completely annihilating the IRA . Much of this was kept from the public by the heavy war-time censorship of the press .
While the 26-County government was ' neutral in favour of Britain' de Valera's stature was nonetheless increased by his handling of 'the Emergency' as the War was called .
Fianna Fail lost its overall majority in 1943 but returned to government as the largest party ; it won a decisive victory in 1944 . This was , however , the last government of Fianna Fail's first 16-year reign . The conservatism of the Fianna Fail party was losing its support . The revelations in 1946 of the horrendous treatment of Belfast IRA leader Sean McCaughey who died on hunger and thirst strike in Portlaoise Prison damaged Fianna Fail .
(MORE LATER).
BILLY WRIGHT , LOYALIST VOLUNTEER FORCE . " I have been prepared to die for long many a year . I don't wish to die , but at the end of the day no one will force their opinion down my throat . No one . "
On August 29 , 1996 , shortly before the 'Combined Loyalist Military Command's' death threat against him expired , EMER WOODFUL interviewed LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT in his Portadown home .......
From 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 .
Emer Woodful : " Do you support loyalist violence ? "
Billy Wright : " I have always supported the right of the unionist people to defend themselves . You know , when you have looked into the coffins of loved ones , like I have , and you've heard the feeble excuses coming from nationalists , when the gunmen were coming out of the Irish Republic (sic) and murdering people along the border , words were'nt good enough . But I say it again - both sides in this conflict have recognised that the only way forward is through dialogue , so that the IRA must call a permanent cease-fire . "
Emer Woodful : " You're saying you want talks , but you also say you understand how people support violence . Is'nt that you basically supporting violence ? "
Billy Wright : " I have looked into the coffins of protestant people who were shot because of their faith ('1169...' Comment : if so , it was by their 'own side' - Republicans are not sectarian) , shot because of their work , shot where they prayed , and I stood as the security forces (sic) stood and said - 'We can't do anything about this' . And I watched sincere Roman Catholic people break their heart , they could'nt stop it . Now really what is it that you are asking of unionists ? Are you asking them to sit back and be murdered , to have their country (sic) took off them , and for the security forces (sic) to say - 'We can't do nothing about it , and don't you do anything about it' ? "
Emer Woodful : " Have you ever killed anyone yourself ? "
Billy Wright : " No , not at all . "
(MORE LATER).
LIAM MELLOWS AND THE IRISH CIVIL WAR .......This is the bulk of a public lecture given at University College , Galway , by Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member and Deputy General Secretary of the 'Local Government and Public Services Union' , Phil Flynn , on December 8th 1982 , the 60th Anniversary of the Free State's execution of Liam Mellows .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , March 1983 .
When the Citizen Army was marching to the GPO on Easter Monday , James Connolly told his men to hold on to their rifles after the British had been driven out , because they would need them in the war against Irish capitalism . But , when the time came for the Irish workers to fight a war against the Irish capitalists , class-conscious workers with rifles were few and far between .
James Connolly was dead ; the party he had organised to lead the workers in the fight for the workers' republic had degenerated and fallen into the hands of a mild English reformist called Thomas Johnson who supported the Treaty of Surrender , boasted that the Labour Party "stood aloof" from the violence that was going on in the country , and joined the Free State parliament four years before de Valera did !
The Irish Transport And General Workers' Union , which , under Larkin and Connolly , had put guns in the hands of the workers , now supported de Valera , and tried to disarm the workers . Jim Larkin was in jail in the United States and had been in jail there during de Valera's triumphant tour , accused of plotting to overthrow the government because he had taken part in the founding of the Communist Party of the USA .......
(MORE LATER).
