Another
historic event has come to pass in the land where
historic events come to pass with more frequency
than other areas of the globe are privileged to.
The seismic Sinn Fein ard fheis, as predicted,
courageously and imaginatively passed a motion
effectively endorsing the British Police Service
of Northern Ireland. Guided through by two former
and consecutive Provisional IRA chiefs of staff,
it is estimated that 95% of the delegates voted
in favour. This is about a percentage point of
a difference from the ard fheis that decided to
endorse the Good Friday Agreement back in 1998.
In that sense it is consistent. Nine years ago
the ard fheis endorsed a partitionist arrangement
which was tantamount to a British declaration
of intent to stay, and today it gave its seal
of approval to a partitionist police force which
also happens to be British.
If
I were to confess surprise it would be only because
the vote was as low as 95%. I would not have been
in the least astonished had it been passed by
105% of the delegates. It is the type of vote
that occurs only in societies like North Korea.
It belies the Sinn Fein claims of a thoroughgoing
democratic debate having taken place within the
party. Genuine democratic debates within parties
around issues that are said to be deeply contentious
simply do not produce that type of result. What
discussion occurred was tutored and neutered.
I
watched people at today's conference who I had
first met in the prisons over 30 years ago. They
were waving enthusiastically as they gave their
backing to the PSNI. To say that I am angry or
disappointed with them would be untrue. I know
them to be decent people who tried republicanism,
found it deficient and like many before them tried
a less ambitious and more reformist approach.
They would never isolate or shun those republicans
who do not see it their way. When we next meet,
it will the same as it was on the last occasion
we met, free from animosity. To me it is just
like bumping into friends who are in the Workers
Party or the Official Republican Movement. With
the exception of decommissioning they all believe
in the same thing. Why be friendly with one and
not another?
Others
were there speaking on behalf of the motion. I
recalled how they, a number of years ago, had
spoken of their abhorrence at 'the army' being
called into disrepute over the strategic direction
the Adams leadership was taking the movement in.
They promised to bring it to a halt. That was
even before support for the British PSNI came
on the agenda. The disbandment of the Assets Recovery
Agency seems to have swayed it for them. They
now have interests and empires to protect. Republicanism
must not be allowed to get in the way of that.
Consequently, 'the army' has been sent off to
the knackers' yard and the only thing in disrepute
is the character of those proclaiming that with
a peeler in one hand and a bank balance in the
other, they will take us to a united Ireland,
socialist of course.
Sinn
Fein embracing the British PSNI is not a sign
of republican success but is a mark of its failure.
Provisional republicanism has proved itself wrong
and shown that it rather than the 6 county state
has been the failed entity of Northern politics.
To claim that there are more republicans in Ireland
today than ever before because of the electoral
strength behind Sinn Fein is on a ludicrous par
with the claim that there are more socialists
in Britain because of the Labour Party vote. Labour
is as socialist as Sinn Fein is republican.
Ken
Reid of UTV spoke of the sheer tedium of the debate
as delegate after delegate swooned in front of
the great leader, all saying the same thing, which
amounted to 'we know it is the right thing to
do because you told us so.' Watching, I thought
it would prove to be like Friday prayer at the
Mosque with the delegates lying prostrate in front
of A, proclaiming 'there is no A but one A.' Last
week A had publicly stated his opposition to idols
when he berated Gerry McGeough with the words,
'I am the leader thou Gerry, there shall be no
false Gerrys before me.' And there is only one
IRA too, the one that A is so ashamed of he denies
ever having being a member, never mind its chief
of staff.
How
many of those voting in favour of the motion,
I further wondered, are currently agents of the
PSNI and M15? And we all know that at least some
of them are. Are we expected to believe that their
handlers really told them to go in and vote against
the motion to stop the advance of the republican
struggle?
Anyway,
it is all done and dusted. When those who voted
for it are eventually hauled off to the station
for doing the double or something, shouting 'up
the PSNI' as they go, the penny might drop. It
certainly won't be the pound; that is safely secured
in the bank account of another. For, now there
is nothing to mourn or grieve. Republicanism died
a long time ago. Today was merely another trip
back to its tomb.
Strangely
I had an input into today's ard fheis. A relative
who was going to the conference came over last
night. She had bought a coat for the occasion
but found the button had come undone. It fell
to me to sew it back on. I was hardly going to
stand on some principle and refuse to recognise
the legitimacy of the button and sew it on the
wrong side of the coat. She and her friend poked
some fun at me over it and told me to watch the
TV, as they would be giving me the one finger
salute from the floor. It is nice to be able to
laugh at these things and not get hot under the
collar about it. I am relieved for them. As young
people they will not be sent out by failed chiefs
of staff to shoot police officers to further the
political careers of others not used to going
out themselves.
