Issue 084, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (April, 1994)

              uimh 84 aibhean - april 393 465 unemployed at the end of last month 293,500 were officially jobless in the six counties and another 99,965 were out of work in the six counties the recent esri study confirmed that unemployment remains the single greatest cause of poverty and has increased more than three-fold in the 26 counties since 1993 the month of march closed with almost desperate attempts by some of those trying to accommodate themselves to the london declaration culminating in the announcement of a limited unilateral and unconditional cease-fire by the provisionals on march 30 after four months as one rte political correspondent put it the same day the declaration is bogged down in the mire the list of those on the republican side who oppose the document grows see inside pages two and five and other factors have come into play which have generated unprecedented manoeuvrings between dublin london and washington ireland he may fall much sooner than in june after the eu election or in september in this situation major is without any co operation from the unionists at the very time when he is becoming most dependant on them john hume meanwhile is telling him to give clarification as the provisionals are having to confront their situation even at the risk of a split the latest reports following the cease-fire announcement is that support for the move is not unanimous and it is clear that the provisional s own members are not prepared to accept anything easter 1 994 meanwhile has seen no change in the nationalist nightmare in the six counties as pointed out in the easter statement from the leadership ofrepublican sinn fein see page 1 6 british crown forces involved in shoot-to-kill operations have been cleared by british courts in occupied ireland while death squad attacks have been stepped up the renewal of the pta and the setting up of a selectcommitteeinwestminstertooverseethe six counties will ensure the continuation and intensification of repression the principles of the london declaration remain in place with the promised coercion for the foreseeable future of the nationalist people of the six counties by the con-trick of separate partitionist referenda in the divided parts of ireland this means a continuation of the first of all unionist leader jim molyneaux has effectively withdrawn his conditional acceptance of the london declaration it had run its course he said on march 19 and continued by saying you can't hang much on ajdead christmas tree he repeated his claim that the ulster unionist party had removed any trace of north/south mechanisms from the london declaration before december thus making it a british-unionist document at the same time the british-backed loyalist death squad the uda/uff announced on march 29 that they would continue to attack the so called pan-nationalist front whether the london declaration is accepted by the provisionals or not this rubbishes albert reynolds off stated remark that a cessation by the provisionals would mean a cease-fire also by the loyalist death squads secondly the upcoming eu elections on june 9 has created uncertainty in britain and ireland , for the tory government in london as much as for the uup and the provisionals with nine weeks to go before the poll a flurry of movement along the dublin-hume-adams axis is designed to pressurise john major into direct contact with the provisionals and the provision of the clarification that could secure an extension to the cease-fire weakening the third factor however is crucial that is the weakening position of john major himself in the wake ofhis humiliation over the voting procedures in an enlarged european union having dragged many tory backbenchers along with him in accepting the london declaration major knows that he will not get them to accept public talks with the provisionals he runs the risk of losing their support and with it his position as british prime minister if he wrongfoots himself on discrimination and repression that has been part and parcel of the six-county state since its creation at this time everyone and especially republicans must not lose sight of essentials regardless of the political manoeuvring by the provisionals british withdrawal from ireland together with a general amnesty and a new ireland negotiated by the irish people themselves acting as a unit remain the essentials for a just and permanent peace in this country nationalists sold out once again anti-london declaration message in a recent wall-mural on the falls road at dunville park belfast regardless of political manoeuvring . . . british withdraws essentia annual testimonial dinner and c&u friday april 15 1994,8pm west county hotel chapelizocl co dublin taille:£12 1994honorees kevin and msire mckearney - ulster frank o'grady - cpnnacht gearoid 6 maolmhichii - leinster mtck maccarthy - munster seamas 0 dubhda usa special honoree - elsie kerins o'connor tickets available from 41 arran quay dublin 7 the forgotten child victims of british occupation - see inside centre pages