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The
32 County Sovereignty Movement challenges Sinn Fein
MP Pat Doherty’s speech at the second International
conference on, “Self determination, the UN and
international civil society”, where he states
that agreeing measures within the Good Friday Agreement
(GFA) can bring all outstanding issues to definitive
and conclusive closure.
Having
addressed the 1st international conference on national
self-determination in Geneva I challenged the British
MP G Kauffman in attendance to submit to our challenge
via the UN as to the legitimacy of British interference
in Ireland and the continued denial of national self-determination
to the Irish people.
His
response was that the British government did not need
to submit to such a challenge because the Dublin government
have never challenged or opposed the British sovereign
claim in the north and went on to say the political
parties including Sinn Fein had signed into agreeing
this through the GFA and at that time were actively
administering British rule in Ireland.
I
don’t need to take a British ministers word for
it because it is clearly stated in the GFA. Indeed
Pat Doherty and other leaders of Sinn Fein openly
admit the GFA is a denial of the Irish people’s
right to national self determination, even though
they signed away that right and in doing so usurped
national sovereignty.
In
his speech Pat outlines our history and how partition
has failed and how the wish of the Irish people in
1918 was pushed aside with the threat of terrible
war.
Perhaps
Pat fails to understand the contradiction of accepting
the GFA and defining sovereignty, which is lodged
at the UN with the Declaration of Independence.
No
authority has changed since 1918.
By
implication he is stating that Sinn Fein have violated
national sovereignty along with all the other parties
who accepted and signed the GFA.
It
is clear the GFA negotiations were preconditional
on British sovereignty not being up for debate nor
was Irish national sovereignty debated and protected.
At
that time I opposed Sinn Fein’s entry into negotiations,
which did not protect national sovereignty. I was
subsequently suspended from the party because I chose
to stand by the Declaration of Independence of my
country.
I
appreciate Pat accepts in his speech this was the
last time the Irish people freely voted as a nation.
Therefore
it stands to reason that he should see the GFA and
referenda are violations of Irish national sovereignty
and now puts us in the position whereby the British
are saying to the world that the Irish people accepted
partition from day one.
The
referendum in the 26 Counties the parties including
Sinn Fein, actively canvassed for the proposal to
drop the territorial claim in preference to the imposed
British claim.
In
his speech Pat asserts the right of the Irish people
to national self- determination without external influence
is in accordance with international law.
Is
he now asserting that the referenda on the GFA with
external British influence were held contrary to international
law?
Surely
he must now accept the logic of his own position that
that is the reality.
I
challenge Pat Doherty to at least be honest with republicans
when he clarifies these contradictory messages coming
from the Sinn Fein leadership.
I
further challenge him on what authority does Sinn
Fein call for an alliance with the British government
and a section of the Irish people to work against
another section of the Irish people whilst he condemns
a similar alliance as the means by which partition
was and is maintained.
The
only position the British government have here is
to remove themselves from the internal affairs of
a sovereign nation and leave no conspiracy against
one section of our people or another.
In
conclusion I call on the leadership of Sinn Fein and
all the parties to the GFA to remove themselves from
it and revert to the defence of Irish national sovereignty
at the UN lodged by the 32 County Sovereignty Movement
in 1998.
The
road to peace is best described by Padraig Pearse
at the graveside of O’Donovan Rossa, “Ireland
unfree shall never be at peace”.
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