Irish American Voice

April 2005

GFA "Peace Process", Irish Republic?
By Séan Mac an Ultaigh

Back in 1986 at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis Martin McGuinness asked Republicans to trust and that they the Provo elite "we will lead you to the Republic". Next we had the Republic by 2016 thing, Now we have the day will come. Having abandoned a core Republican principle of non partipation in partitionist institutions. PSF took seats in both the FreeState and And Stormont Assembly and what has been gained? Some will say that great electoral gains north and south of the artificial border has advanced the cause of a United Ireland. Neither the British nor Irish "governments" will ever allow PSF enough power to effect a United Ireland. Which is more than evident by the crossborder campain to stop the rise of PSF north and south. In order to gain these seats many Republican principles have been berried. Recognition of partition States of Ireland being the most blatant example. In the minds of many the Provo war ended effectively with their signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Politicos on all sides ask the Provo's if the war is over why do you need an private army? The PIRA has made many "acts" of decomissioning still this is not enough. The Provos even made an offer of total surrender In December of 2004 and still that was not enough for their partners the DUP. They wanted pictures. It was never planned for the Provos and the DUP to be partners. It was supposed to be the other "nationalist" and Unionist parties, the SDLP and UUP who were suppose to share power in a British ruled province of "northern Ireland"
When PSF became the dominate "nationalist" party in occupied Ireland this creates a real problem for this British solution to the "Irish problem". Having put all their eggs in the GFA basket, what can PSF do now? The British have the Provos right where they want them and goal is to get the Provos further and further into the constitutionalist quagmire where no real change can take place. What can be done about the problem of an "army" with out a war to fight? During a war an army has the right to provision itself, that is accepted by most people in Ireland. What does an army at "peace" have the right to do? Even more questions arise over "policing" . The PSNI, NIPS, are just candy coated RUC. Thier job remains the same protect the State "A Protestant State for a Protestant people" as Craig put it. Hardly a force which non Protestant people in Occupied Ireland can support. This has become glaringly obvious recently with the pub brawl that lead to the murder of Robert McCartney. While there may have been some merit to the claim by his family that initially intimidation and the wall of silence has prevented people from coming forward, the deeper reason it can not be resolved is that the PSNI is not and can not be an acceptable "police" force. Like the RUC it is still a British Police force. As many questions as the GFA is supposed to have answers for it raises many more questions than it answers. In fact it underlines the irreformability of the artificial state of "northern Ireland". Historically the Provos have never been able to Police nationalists areas, at beat it has been able to enforce a kind of wartime marshal. law. When the people of Ireland in a rigged referendum were asked to vote for the GFA they were wrongly told that they were voting for peace. The only solution yet to be tried is logical one of an Eire Nua , a new Ireland agreed by all the Irish people as a unit. Unionist people are no different from other Irish people in the sense that they look after what they perceive to be their best interest. If the false promise of eternal union with Britain is removed, then and only then can progress toward a just and lasting peace be made. After all Unionists are going to have their Britishness respected in an agreed New Ireland when the thorn of partition is removed. Anti British feelings in Ireland flow from the evils of partition. Remove the cause of the conflict and you will have peace. Many will say that Unionists will never agree to a United Ireland and they are right as long as they are being assured that they will never have to. Others will predict that Unionists and Loyalists will react violently. Yes they will if they feel they are being forced into an New Ireland they have not had a hand in creating. As was done to Irish people being forced against their will into "northern Ireland" Where we have lived as third class citizens under British rule since partition. It is long since time that we all are completely honest and start a real peace process.

Page 2 / Page 3 / Page 4 / Page 5 / Page 6 / Page 7 / Page 8 / Page 9

Exclusive special 1990 Arms Trial

Special EXTRA!!!