Issue 122, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (June, 1997)

              uimh 122 meitheamh — june 1997 reported belfast abduction questions for gerry adams see page 3 5 s i s i the british prime minister tony blair made his first major speech on the six counties in belfast on may 16 ruling out british withdrawal and burying the british labour party's previous policy of a united ireland by consent on his first visit to the six counties as british prime minister he made it absolutely clear that british rule was going to continue he offered a meeting of british negotiate cease-fire terms but would discuss government officials with the provisional political organisation without a ceasefire but delighted the unionists by stating i believe in the united kingdom i value the union . . . my agenda is not a united ireland . . . none of us in this hall today even the youngest is likely to see northern ireland asanything but a part of the united kingdom that is the reality because the consent principle is now almost universally accepted david trimble suggested on the bbc that one passage could have been lifted directly from the ulster unionist party manifesto blair continued a political settlement is not a slippery slope to a united ireland the government will not be persuaders for unity the wagons do not need to be drawn up in a circle tony blair's principle of consent is the unionist veto by which 18 of the people of ireland the unionists are given the say by the british government over the wishes of the other 82 it is therefore anathema to irish republicans and democrats blair's offer for his officials to meet the provisional is conditional on their military organisation continuing their de facto ceasefire for the westminster and 26-county general elections according to the british prime minister the meeting would not whether the provisional were ready to give up violence a reference to cross-border arrangements was even qualified by tony blair by saying that if such arrangements were real ly threatening to unionists we would not negotiate them he also called on the dublin administration to change articles 2 and 3 of the 1 93 7 constitution which contain a paper claim to jurisdiction over the 32 counties this would be a sign of their support for the principle of consent he said thus the only constitutional change referred to in his speech was the demand that the 26 counties drop articles 2 and 3 before any settlement this would mean that nationalists in the six counties could be disowned by the dublin government in so far as they could and would become british citizens in every sense the message from tony blair is clear and has been predicted by republican sinn fein since the start of this process a partitionist settlement is the only conceivable outcome of the so-called all-party talks the alternative peace process based on a british withdrawal must now be promoted by all irish people and friends of ireland abroad as the real path to a lasting and just solution to ireland's english problem wolfe tone commemoration bodenstown june 15 1997 assemble 2.30pm sallins co kildare oration mick mcmanus fermanagh buses leave dublin virgin megastore 1 30pm 3 gakvay eyre square 9.30am 5 in advance tel 09 1 525977 limerick contact joe lynch tel 061-31 1457 clare contact martin calligan tel 065-53105 wexford crescent quay wexford town 1 0.30am other areas contact your saoirse paper sellers or tel dublin 872 9747 note those attending bodenstown from the west on june 15 should take the exit marked kilcock/naas drive through kilcock village and turn right over the motorway to sallins theobald wolfe tone • like his tory predecessor john major the new british prime minister tony blair is a unionist committed to securing british rule in ireland think before you vote provo in view of the second kidnapping and interrogation of a faithful republican in belfast by the provos republican sinn fein called on may 28 for all republican-minded people in the constituencies concerned in the 26 counties to consider long and deeply before they vote for provisional candidates on june 6 the most recent abduction lasting 24 hours occurred on may 20-2 1 seepage 3 inside even as voting took place in the six-county local elections and provo representatives were talking to british ofticials a republican rejecting any internal settlement under british-rule was being held and interrogated by the new broy harriers the statement added in view of these developments republican sinn fein urges would-be provo voters to think long and hard about where the current process is leading will it mean former republicans using force against their own community in the interests of a reformed british rule in ireland surely this is not what sincere republican-minded people want speaking on radio ulster's talkback programme on may 28 provisional councillor in belfast alex maskey said that their councillors would not rule out performing the royalist duties of lord mayor of that city if they were elected to the post these duties were listed as toasting the british queen at official dinners attending remembrance day ceremonies and greeting members ol the british royal family visiting belfast in reaction ruairi 6 bradaigh president republican sinn fein said that this statement by alex maskey shows a further deterioration by the provisional as they depart further from their roots as the pace of their absorption into the british systems quickens republicans are entitled to ask how long will it be before they are indistinguishable - not from the sdlp - but from the alliance party