In
a
recent article in the Irish News columnist
Brian Feeney referred to the apparent organizers
of a so called 'dissident republican' meeting as
belonging to the flat earth mentality. The Irish
News sometime earlier in a report made reference
to the proposed expected meeting using quotes from
known and unknown sources as to the raison detre
of the meeting. Some quotes I must say put me in
part agreement with the columnist although perhaps
he had gone too far when he referred to the flat
earth mentality.
Allegedly
there have been some meetings held by individuals
and groups to discuss the fall out from the Machiavellian
contrived anti republican successes of the Adams
strategy but their fruit so far is non existing
and as a result the republican cause, according
to some, is next to deaths door. Partly the reason
for this is that some of the individuals involved
are still tainted with the political disease of
Provisionalism. So much so that after the length
of time of the provo betrayal there are still those
who naively believe that by removing Adams and McGuinness
from the helm that the republican movement canbe
saved. Thus implying that the Provisional Movement
is the authentic Republican Movement. Here I must
agree with Feeney for if that is the mentality of
those concerned with the organization of the referred
to meetings then if not flat earthers definitely
dwellers in cloud cuckoo land.
If
there are those really and truly concerned about
the pathetic nature, according to some commentators,
of the republican cause at present then they should
refocus on the British presence as the main obstacle
and not foolishly try and out vote the provos in
elections. For the latter would only keep the provo
bubble in existence instead of bursting it. And
if they want to hold a meeting to discuss the regeneration
of republicanism it should be well prepared over
a reasonable period of time and open to those who
may not have been caught with the provisional disease.
For as at present and for sometime previous selection
of attendance was the case and the latter cut off
the source of much positive contributions from others.
Of course paranoia lies in the minds of some would
be organizers and as such is partly the cause for
such negativity. Although one cannot rule out the
ego factor as a contributor also.
Of
course there is another alternative to such meetings
which apparently have failed so miserably and that
is membership and support of Republican Sinn Fein.
The latter would, I assume, see themselves as the
heart of the traditional revolutionary republican
movement and based upon the mandate of the 1st Dail
Eireann rightly so. I opine this inspite of the
fact that I am not a member of Republican Sinn Fein
although as an oath bearer my allegiance is to the
32 County Republic which is still awaiting resurrection
and in fact is still a reality via the existence
of Oglaith na hEireann. Thus that which the 1st
Dail bestowed is still sacrosanct but it is not
an obstacle to creating unity across the spectrum
of those who desire national unity and therefore
self determination.Interestingly the national headquarters
of Republican Sinn Fein
issued a press release that they had not received
an invitation to the meeting and if they had they
had no intention of attending.So does this mean
that those who released the announcement about the
meeting (at Toomebridge, Co.Antrim,) originally
were not being truthful with the public and if so
why? I, like so many who are concerned with the
republican cause, require an explanation from the
alleged organisers.
