Issue 101, Saoirse : Irish Freedom (September, 1995)

              the voice of irish republicanism uimh 101 mean fomhair — september 1995 50p usa 75c o hume/adams document — the full text provisional leadership has abandoned the basis for war see page 5 inside »: 2 s decommission means surrend the british demand for decommissioning by the military wing of the provisionals is being insisted on because the british political and military establishment craves a surrender by its irish enemies any surrender of arms would be seized upon by the higher echelons of the british army and the intelligence services as meaning we won the war in true imperial fashion akin to the ending of the malvinas falklands war the surrender of arms was part of the washington tests put forward by patrick mayhew in the us earlier this year the london/dublin package being discussed up to the postponement of the september 6 summit basically amounted to talksaboutall-partytalks plusthe surrender of arms commission in the hope that this will simultaneously satisfy both the provisionals and theunionists and present a united front to the six-county parties it will also indefinitely extend the talks about talks period perhaps even into december when bill clinton visits belfast and dublin and beyond meanwhile former leader of the dublin administration albert reynolds has threatened to name those british officials who had promised the military wing of the provisionals all-party talks and prisoner releases and transfers if they calleda ceasefire reneging these assurances were never made in public and reynolds is now accusing the british of reneging on their promises . the episode calls into question the judgement not only of albert reynolds but also of the provisionals for accepting british promises the events in belfast and deny on august 12 were a defeat for nationalists and gave a foretaste of the sectarian nature of rule under a new stormont which is the logical outcome of the current process in a statement marking the first anniversary of the provisionals ceasefire eamon larkin republican sinn fein ard chomhairle member from south armagh said on august 28 dismantling one year on in our view there has been a dismantling of the republican position with the provisionals1 leadership sdlp the british and free state establishments all conniving to put the nail in the coffin of the irish republic republican sinn feinknew in 1 986 that this would be the inevitable conclusion of acceptance of the free state and leinster house it naturally led to the watering down of the true republican demands at bodenstown and at elections nationalists in a revamped stormont a rehabilitated ruc and cross-border boards — in other words a water-down sunningdale the solution that republicans have for so long rejected republican sinn fein still demands a british declaration of intent to withdraw from ireland the release of all political prisoners and free and fair elections to an all-ireland constitutional convention which would ultimately decide the future structures for government inthenewireland — eire nu a he concluded it is clearer than ever that the current process is not about looking for an alternative to the armed campaign but involves ditching republican principles and objectives and becoming another constitutional nationalist party this constitutes political surrender by the provisionals similarly any decommissioning of weapons by the provisionals1 military wing also means surrender • a protester lies injured after being batoned to the ground by ruc thugs on belfast's ormeau road on august 12 eve of all-ireland rally for a public british declaration of intent to leave ireland gpo dublin 3pm saturday september 16 speakers from the all-ireland counties john mcelhinney tyrone peter cunningham dublin seosamh 6 maoileoin westmeath fionnbarra 6 dochartaigh derry the sam maguire cup