Issue 116, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (December, 1996)

              | hollajg stiom dar leith-eoiri cabhair christmas cards now available from 223 parnell street dublin 1 20p each plus p+p all jjj proceeds to republican prisoners dependants fund • ruairi 6 bradaigh president republican sinn fein addressing the republican sinn fein ard-fheis — stormont talks cannot deliver a lasting peace because british withdrawal is not on the agenda british rule here has bought only time the words of republican sinn fein president ruairi 6 bradaigh at the 92nd ard-fheis in dublin on december 1 struck a hopeful note speaking in front of several hundred delegates ruairi 6 bradaigh said that with every day that passes it is more widely accepted among republican-minded people that our analysis is correct that we are right at this time - and have been since 1986 for ard-fheis reports see pages 7-10 inside no amount of talking at stormont will deliver a lasting peace because the discussions there are based on a british agenda and do not provide for british government disengagement from ireland referring directly to the provisional price for another ceasefire ruairi 6 bradaigh said that the stormont talks can be inclusive without preconditions within an agreed timeframe and with confidence building measures but at the end of the day they are subject to john major's triple lock any outcome to the talks may obtain a majority at the talks a majority in a six-county referendum and finally obtain the support of a majority in the british parliament the current process cannot therefore produce a british withdrawal from ireland and therefore will not give the people of ireland a permanent peace so dearly desired it has staggered along for months while the provisionals gradually move over into a constitutional political party this means the provisionals will vacate revolutionary situations which must be filled by republican sinn fein for if we do not those empty spaces will be filled by others the republican sinn fein president said the lesson is clear the british have bought time by enticing the provisionals into a no man's land where they have cut themselves off from their republican roots yet are still not accepted by their would-be constitutional allies republicans know that as long as the british government remains in ireland there will always be those who oppose that british presence it is up to republicans to give leadership and mobilise support in the coming months as the situation develops on the ground history did not stop evolving in august 1994 ruairi 6 bradaigh told delegates the british government has also failed the unionist population and used their representatives the british will abandon them in time when it suits them just as they have deserted those who supported them all over the world - just as they will withdraw from hong kong next july without holding any referendum or similar procedure he said before their strength dwindles further the unionist population should come to terms with the rest of the people of ireland in the absence of the british establishment in that context serious attention could be given to the eire nua proposals for a new four-province federal ireland the only practical and realistic proposal that has so far excited any interest at all among the unionist population that vision of ireland is a far cry from that of the sdlp leader john hume who on november 2 1 sought to brand those who continue to struggle for british withdrawal and irish freedom as enemies of ireland the republican sinn fein president noted that hume did not call the british army enemies of ireland when they fired over 1 000 plastic bullets on one night in deny last july and crushed local man dermot mcshane to death under an armoured vehicle but john hume's version of an ireland remaining under british rule is the ireland of john redmond and not that of padraic pearse of james connolly or those who made sacrifices down the centuries it seems however that hume is prepared to sacrifice the sdlp s chances of gaining more seats in the westminster election in the interests of getting the provisionals to permanently end their military campaign and gain the maximum constitutional advantage at the polls this would be in the overall interest of reforming british rule and is clearly acceptable to the sdlp at this time the words of pearse spring to mind when he spoke at o donovan rossa's funeral of the british government of the day thinking they had worked well in secret and in the open they think they have pacified ireland they think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half . . they have left us our fenian dead and while ireland holds these graves ireland unfree shall never be at peace daithi o conaiil 6th anniversary commemoration new years day january 1 , 1997 glasnevin cemetery dublin assemble lpm at main gates speaker sean o bradaigh mmemoration limerick sunday january 5 assemble 12.45 bedford row