Little
more than ten weeks remain, until the British
imposed November 24th, Stormont deadline. The
question of Sinn Fein ratification of the British
constabulary tops the agenda. Such a concession,
long recognized by the British as the jewel in
the crown of their Stormont Deal strategy, is
now being proffered as one more bargaining chip
to be pocketed by Ian Paisley, if he would but
deign to preside over Stormont.
Respected Republican, and hopefully still friend,
Danny
Morrison, in the since defunct Daily Ireland,
chose this moment to ridicule the motives, patriotism,
acumen and verbal skills of any and all Republicans
who because of loyalty to the struggle felt duty
bound to walk away from the strategy. After calling
names, he called upon these Republicans to put
aside all name-calling and debate an alternative.
Merely as one who sat with Danny Morrison in the
Andytown PDF and banged the table during the song
"Provie Lullaby" this writer would join
in his call for a serious debate. Such a debate
would indeed be timely, welcomed and needed.
EMBLAZONED
For the British, more prized than even the suitably
witnessed destruction of IRA arms, would be the
import of a Sinn Fein endorsement of the crown
constabulary. Regardless of whether a crown will
be physically emblazoned on the cap or sleeve,
the British constabulary will be imposing British
laws, hauling Republican political suspects before
British courts and jailing Republican opponents
of British rule in Her Majesty's prisons.
The constabulary may be called by a new name,
but is officered, trained, vetted and commanded
by long-serving veterans of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
It is simply a re-named and re-uniformed RUC.
CATALOGUE
No Republican requires any lecture or catalogue
about the injustices inflicted by the British
crown constabulary. Indeed there is a litany of
chapters. Shoot-to-kill, confessions under torture,
perjury, plastic bullets fired at children, are
but a start. Collusion and cover-ups in murders
like those of Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson and
hundreds more, stain the force. The triumphal
glee with which the constabulary charged a peaceful
crowd sitting in the streets of Belfast on August
12, 1984 and murdered John Downes will not be
forgotten. This is a body whose members today
hide their role in murders like that of Robert
Hamill. This is a constabulary which was proven
to have planted DNA evidence to frame Martin Brogan
and Mark Carroll, and is suspected of fabricating
evidence against Sean Hoey and others yet to face
the docks of Diplock courts.
PLEDGED
Britain requires an affirmation of their constabulary
from a party pledged to remove crown forces and
end British rule. Britain requires a Sinn Fein
call for recruits from residents of once no-go
or at best very slow-go areas like Ballymurphy
or Carrickmore, or South Armagh or the Bogside,
to enter these areas and enforce British law on
Republican opponents of that rule and law, at
the behest of a Paisley headed Stormont administration.
Would this not be the culmination of long-term
British objectives of Ulsterization, normalization,
and criminalization? Is this the way to end British
rule, or is a British Stormont Deal strategy succeeding
in prolonging that rule? Is Sinn Fein considering
a step which will inevitably make them party to
and apologist for injustices meted out upon Republicans
in the name of the British crown by the emboldened
British constabulary?
PARODY
OF ESTEEM
Other topics might be incorporated into such a
debate. Were pious platitudes disclaiming any
selfish, political, strategic, or economic interests
in holding onto the six counties true, or were
such claims as patently false as so many other
British pretexts put forth repeatedly to excuse
and justify their rule in Ireland? Is not the
Stormont Deal one more strategy to prolong British
rule in Ireland by co-opting former opponents
into their administration and bottling Irish opposition
within a Stormont regime subject to a loyalist
veto wielded by Paisley? Can there be a parity
of esteem under British rule, which upholds a
loyalist veto, denies Irish sovereign rights as
mere aspirations and ultimately rests on preserving
and cementing unionist majority support? Is what
is on offer really a parody of esteem in which
money, patronage and positions are doled out by
the British, only in such measure as will keep
former opponents on board? Has the Stormont Deal
been repeatedly sabotaged by securocrats, and
their informer agents, who are able to frustrate
and thwart stated policies, or is there a "myth
of securocrats", wherein the paid servants
of the crown retain their posts only because they
are implementing actual British policy, not defying
these policies?
Is British rule still irreformable because of
the injustices and repression needed to sustain
the denial of Ireland's historic and indefeasible
right to national sovereignty? Will those who
administer this rule become party to these injustices?
Is there really a new political dispensation,
or have Republicans been lured into dispensing
with core principles for a path that may be paved
with a modern equivalent of what Pearse described
as "land, and good living and the friendship
of one's foe," but will end at continued
British rule?
POLITICAL
ALTERNATIVE
Is there an alternative Republican political strategy?
One of the political strategies most often articulated
is the very same political strategy developed
and espoused by Sinn Fein, before its diversion
into the Stormont cul de sac. That strategy aimed
to render British rule unworkable by denying support
and showing that there was no alternative to a
re-united Ireland. Injustices of that rule such
as collusion, repression, sectarianism, etc were
exposed and highlighted. Campaigns were built
around such injustices, which were shown to be
inherently tied to the nature of British rule.
Those like the SDLP who were part of the structure
of British administration were publicly shown
to be party to these injustices and eventually
apologists for the British state.
HOSTAGE
Any Irish political party which endorses and becomes
identified with the re-named RUC will become hostage
to all injustices and repression inevitably committed
by the crown constabulary. Such an Irish political
party risks being tied to criminalization, and
any measures an emboldened crown employs in order
to impose criminalization on Republican prisoners.
Stormont cannot stand without Sinn Fein participation,
and the party could not remain in Stormont should
the Republican grassroots one day come to demand
withdrawal because of crown injustices heralded
by the DUP headed regime.
Clearly there are other political strategies being
cogently and coherently articulated by Republicans
in Ireland. Certainly such strategies can and
should be the subject of the called- for debate.
Once being an Irish Republican included the freedom
to challenge, debate, argue, and even scoff policies
and strategies.
The ranks of Stormont Deal opponents include Republicans,
who have fought, suffered imprisonment, dedicated
their lives and risked their lives for Ireland
no less than those like Danny, who have come to
back the Stormont Deal. One may sincerely and
honestly disagree with their political analysis
and conclusions However to dismiss their motives,
patriotism, or sincerity or to deny that any such
credible Republican alternative strategy exists,
would either be dishonest or delusional.
