Issue 212, Saoirse : Irish Freedom (December, 2004)

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%*   IRISH FREEDOM
DAITHI
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COMMEMORATION
January 1, 2005
New Year's Day
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THE REPUBLICAN MOV Eh
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UIMH212   NOLLAIG—   DECEMBER 2004     http://saoirse.rr.nu    €1 (70p stg, USA $30 p.a.)
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Assemble:
Gates of Glasnevin
Cemetery, Dublin
12.45pm
Feilire Poblachtach
Republican Resistance
Calendar 2005
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Sinrt Fein 100th Anniversary
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Sean Sabhat
Commemoration
Sunday, January 2,
2005
Mount St Lawrence
Cemetery
Assemble Bedford
Row
1.45pm
Unionists
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AS this paper went to press at the beginning of
December there was still no outcome to the
prolonged 'deal-making' between the London and
Dublin administrations and the Six-County parties
who are willing to operate British rule in Ireland.
Regardless ofthe outcome     Agreement. It proposes a new
of these talks some basic
things remain and will not
change. Firstly, British rule in
the Six Counties remains and
has not been questioned or
placed on the table for
discussion in these
negotiations. On the contrary,
this vital question has been
ignored and hidden from
people as an attempt is made
to remove Britain's
responsibility for the ongoing
conflict. Instead a great game
of 'let's pretend' is
continuing.
Secondly, we are told that
Dr Ian Paisley and the DUP
leadership represent the
aspirations, hopes, desires and
fears of unionists in the Six
Counties. And most of all the
fears of unionists.
From a true Irish
Republican standpoint there is
nothing for them to fear. For
over 200 years the leadership
of Irish revolutionary
movements has been
comprised to a significant
extent of people of a
Protestant background. In the
last 30 years the political
programme of the true and
faithful Republican
Movement has provided for
this situation.
This updated programme,
EIRE NUA, still stands as
Republican Sinn Fein's
alternative to the Stormont
federal, four-province Ireland
including a nine-county
Ulster, with separation of
church and state and a
pluralist society.
In a nine-county Ulster
with strong regional and local
government those who are
now Unionists could control
their lives. If current voting
patterns continued after the
withdrawal of England
Unionists would be in a
majority with the nationalists
not far behind them. At local
level district councils would
be elected according to local
majority, making for natural
and voluntary horizontal
power-sharing rather than the
artificial forced power-
sharing being mooted at
present at Stormont.
Republican Sinn Fein
would hope and work to see
normal politics along
economic lines emerge as
time passed.
EIRE NUA recognizes
that Ulster was partitioned
when Ireland was partitioned
and three Ulster counties were
cut off from their neighbours,
their natural hinterlands and
cities of Deny and Belfast.
Under EIRE NUA each
province's position in the new
federal Ireland would be
entrenched in a written
constitution.
The way forward to this is
i
,
EIRE NUA
A New Democracy
Ni neart go
cur ie cheile
through the election of a 32-
County Constituent Assembly
which would have the sole
task of drafting a new
constitution for All Ireland.
After this is adopted by a
majority in an All-Ireland
referendum the British must
leave within twelve months.
The acceptance of a
British withdrawal and a
totally new Ireland would
liberate nationalists. It would
also liberate Unionists who
have been caught in a trap of
history, acting like colonists.
It would be to their benefit as
well.
What is on offer at present
is the artificial binding up of
the wound while the foreign
body is still contained within.
This cannot work for anyone
and contains the seeds within
it of future strife as the causes
of the conflict are being
ignored. That is simply
ignoring reality.