Issue 105, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (January, 1996)

              the voice of irish republicanism euro report slams cork jail torture unit 3 si 3 uimh 105 eanair — january 1996 50p usa 75c a newly-published council of europe report has criticised d unit of cork jail where republican prisoner michael hegarty was beaten and abused three months ago the dublin administration which kept the euro report secret for 18 months is now being taken to court by another prisoner for being ill treated in d unit see page 3 32 52 i o jofe 1 as we enter 1996 the cracks are widening in the current process and republican sinn fein's analysis that it is flawed and doomed to failure is increasingly being borne out by unfolding events this newspaper said last month that it was john bruton who blinked and gave way to the british on the eve of the visit to ireland by us president bill clinton the international body on the surrender of arms was reduced to advisory status and could not considerbritain's precondition that the provisionals must surrender arms before all-party talks take place the bruton-major document also enshrined the unionists plan for anew stormontin paragraph 3 and therefore because of their artificial majority within the six counties the unionist veto where this is leading can be seen in the increasing hard line of the ulster unionists led by david trimble he confidently said on january 2 that all-party talks were unlikely to take place in 1996 the conservative party's weakness at westminster and the fact that the unionists could hold the balance of power during 1 996 is the key to this developing scenario their voting strength in the british house ofcommons meansthat unionist moves towards a new stormont are being encouraged by john major and tacitly accepted by john bruton the dublin administration's position on this is particularly spineless given that the unionists refuse even to meet him and david trimble has even ruled out the north-south strand in the much-vaunted three-strand approach obviously john bruton s administration in leinster house has learned nothing from 70 years of political turmoil in the six county statelet selling out six-county nationalists once again by seeking to restore stormont in modern guise is a definite case of those who refuse to learn the lessons of history being forced to repeat them the public stanceofthedublin administration fiannafailand theprovisionals that the international body on the surrender of arms should persuade the british to drop its demand that the provisionals surrender some arms before talks fools nobody the provisionals statement of december 7 can be interpreted as an attempt to placate their own followers while their political wing was co operating with the international body it also refused to reject the twin-track approach confirming the prediction in this newspaper last month that if they did not immediately reject the bruton-major communique ofnovember 2 8 then they are going along with it any surrender of arms would be tantamount to a military surrender and should be recognised as such the unionists are instead keeping their eyes fixed on the return of stormont preferably with the provisionals firmly harnessed within it as part of the new order which is really only the old order in disguise what the british and their 26-county collaborators have in store for 1996 can be seen in recent events • emergency powers in the six counties renewed for another two years • no reduction in british troop numbers which stand at 16,500 for the immediate future • prison regimes for political prisoners worsening in england where there are reports of renewed dirty protests and in the six counties • bruton and major drinking pints in a dublin pub as planned releases of political prisoners from portlaoise are dropped • bruton pushing the political extradition cases of nessan quinlivan and pearse mccauley to hand them over to britain in addition the five killings of small-time criminals in belfast and lurgan since early december is an unwelcome development new year message in its new year message for 1 996 republican sinn fein extended greetings to all irish people at home and in exile and to all who are in prison because they seek a free and independent ireland during the year just concluded our republican analysis has been vindicated in that all those who attempt a solution of the irish national question through the existing 26-county and latterly the six county statelets inevitably become absorbed into that british-imposed system irish democracy was overthrown through the division of the all-ireland unit of decision in the 1920s and only a return to 32-county democracy with power-sharing for minorities and majorities alike and a british withdrawal from ireland can provide justice peace stability and prosperity for all our people we look forward to the new year with confidence that in 1996 we shall through the correctness of our analysis and diligence of our work become established firmly in the minds of all irish people as the true inheritors of the republican struggle and the sure hope for the realisation of the vision of preceding generations cracks widen i current process • no british withdrawal — british defence minister michael portillo said in belfast before christmas that there would be no further reduction in the 16,500 british troops currently in the six occupied counties he is pictured above at girdwood british army barracks in north belfast