Issue 025, Saoirse : Irish Freedom (May, 1989)

              25p(usa 18 per year uimh 25 bealtaine-may 1989 issn 0791 - 0002 bulk rate us postage paid hummel dist corp return address saoirse box 1053 south orange n.j 07079 left mick hegarty and bob murray belfast and below sean keenan and veronica taylor deny tear up their nomination papers •••••••••••* bodenstown sunday june 11 assemble 2.30pm sallins field oration paithi 6 conaill ******************** i the refusal by the british authorities to accept nomination i papers from sinn fein poblachtach local election candidates on j friday april 21 and monday april 24 last marks the re-imposition i of restricted elections in the six counties as a result 23 republican candidates will not have their names on the ballot papers and a large number of republican voters through jout the six counties have been disenfranchised sinn fein poblach itach have successfully forced all the other candidates and the so called nationalist/republicans in particular to confront the issue lof the political test oath and have made it the burning issue of the election already at the last meeting of newry and mourne district council on may 3 sinn fein poblachtach vice-president councillor eamon larkin slieve gullion had the following motion carried that this council condemns the british govern ment for the introduction of the divisive political test oath imposed to stifle true republican expression in the forthcoming local elections " both sdlp and free state sinn fein councillors who all signed the oath at nomination supported the motion while the unionists voted against it the re marks made during the debate reveal the hypocrisy dishonesty and dishonourable conduct of those who the previous week took the oath cromwell for the unionists councillor danny kennedy said that oliver cromwell had the right security policy while cllr george graham protestant candidate said that sinn feiners should be shot his more euphemistic unionist colleague cllr arthur coulter said that they should be removed from the scene sdlp councillor pat toner voted for the sinn fein poblachtach resolution be cause the oath would alienate people who supported eamon larkin this is undoubtedly true and the next councils in the north will not be fully represent ative of the whole people as a result the british government can no longer say locally nationally or internationally that there are free and fair elections in the six counties sinn fein poblachtach members and supporters will not be voting in this charade and none of the other candidates will be receiving any support from us at a press conference in the aftermath of the refusal of nomination in conway mill belfast on tuesday april 25 bob murray upper falls candidate in bel fast stated clearly that no republican could sign an oath that criminalises re publican prisoners the patriot dead and brands ireland's fight for freedom as 800 years of crime 1985 pledge outgoing moyle councillor frank mccarry told the assembled media per sonnel that in 1985 all sinn fein local election candidates had to sign a repub lican declaration giving unequivocal supp ort to the armed struggle it would be hypocritical to sign a pledge supporting the armed struggle while also signing a pledge against the armed struggle limavady councillor michael me gonigle who topped the poll in the last local government election said that the hunger strikers did not give in to the brit ish government by signing anything and neither would they compromise on the right of the irish people to self-determin ation no pacifists the aftermath of the exposure of the ulster resistance arms for missile parts deal with south africa and the links be tween them and the dup served to high light the point raised by sinn fein poblachtach how many parties hon estly disavow the use of force in the six counties the answer is none of them do so there are no pacifists contesting this election — all the parties support military action be it by the ruc british army udr or ulster resistance the authors of the oath are the most committed to military force — the british government and its armed wing are the greatest military force on this island and it is by the use of this force that they remain here their hypocrisy is equally greater in magnitude sinn fein poblachtach stands alone in supporting unreservedly the right of the irish people to use whatever means are necessary in a controlled and disciplined manner to secure british withdrawal from ireland this right we will never deny or compromise unlike others we will never be gagged from supporting that right — which our elected councillors stood for between 1985 and 1989 sinn fein poblachtach outgoing coun cillors candidates and local representa tives will continue to give service to the people as before and they will be examin ing the possibilities of an alternative structure of local representation to bypass the discredited british system we call on all interested parties in local areas in the six counties to join with us in this task in the meantime we will con tinue to expose at home and abroad the anti-democratic nature of this election as mrs thatcher once again moves the goal < posts to deny irish people their say .