|
If
ever an example was needed of how far along the road
to the custom and practice of bourgeois politics SF
has crept, them one could not look for a better source
than two articles recently published in the Irish
News. The first under the headline, 'Republican
stalwart in rage against machine,' reported on
John Kelly making public the doubts he has in the
practice of the current leadership of Sinn Fein. This
article came about because after he announced last
year that he would no longer be defending the positions
he held as an SF Councillor, he also at that time
withdrew from the SF Party. This led to speculation
that there was more to his withdrawal from active
politics than just his health and age. The Irish
News article answers some of that speculation
The
points he makes will be familiar to readers of the
Blanket. He says his doubts began after visiting
dissident republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail,
two of whom were his constituents; later he attended
two rallies to call for the segregation of republican
and loyalist prisoners in Maghaberry jail, after which
he publicly, via the media, congratulated Marian Price
for the work she does on these issues on behalf of
Republican prisoners. After these events, which prior
to the last few years would have been activities par
for the course for the average Republican, the more
so an elected representative, he says he felt himself
to be under censorious and critical pressure from
the central leadership of SF.
In
the Irish News article Kelly highlights other
issues that made him feel uncomfortable with the course
on which SF is bound. Basically these boil down to
his belief that the central SF leadership wished to
maintain what he describes as, "an almost obsessive
control". He then goes on to categorise examples
of this, as I have said all of which will be familiar
to readers of the Blanket on which there has
been many article which have covered similar ground.
He also stated firmly that whilst he had differences
with the SF leadership's behaviour and practice, he
continues to support the GFA.
To
sum up John Kelly did not say anything that has not
been said before by many ex PRM members and by people
from the communities from which they came. Kelly is
not a youngster anymore, he is 68 years old; thus
one would have thought this would have been his swan
song and as far as SF was concerned, that would have
been that due to Mr Kelly having left the Party.
Sadly
it seems today's leadership of SF cannot even let
an old veteran, who has decided to have a grumble,
as older men often do, go without a parting shot across
their bows to show all and sundries who is in charge.
Conor
Murphy MLA, a senior and influential SF member was
wheeled out to answer Mr Kelly's criticism (if only,
some might think). It becomes clear on reading, Mr
Murphy's quotes in the Irish News article,
'Sinn Féin hits out at veteran's 'elite,'
that his intention was to explain that the matter
had very little political content, but was all about
thwarted ambition. Mr Kelly, he implied, is only making
the points he does because he was deselected for his
assembly seat. Of course Mr Murphy tells us that Kelly
is welcomed to make whatever points he wishes, but
we the public should be aware that due to not being
selected to continue as MLA, perhaps we should conclude
that he is a bitter old man full of envy and spite
for SF.
Conor
Murphy being such an able bourgeois politician never
said as much, although he came pretty close and in
anywise I'm certain that is the conclusion he wished
us to draw from his comments about John Kelly.
Nevermind
that he never once attempted to answer Mr Kelly's
criticism and complaints about the practice of the
SF leadership.
Nevermind
John Kelly never once mentioned being deselected,
nor criticised the manner in which it came about.
Nevermind
that some of Mr Kelly's criticism were far more important
to the average SF supporter than the fate of this
or that member of the Assembly.
No,
the whole wretched basis of such politics is: destroy
the man's reputation. Once done, their ideas, or even
as in this case, the questions they asked and the
criticism they made will be ignored, destined for
the dustbin of history.
When
looking at this affair, which in the scale of current
international events is pretty small beer, it is important
to see beyond the individuals involved. John Kelly
could have been any older elected representative of
the PRM who had supported the leadership, but who
had reached the end of their political tether as far
as their allegiance to the current leadership is concerned.
Conor Murphy could have been any one of the current
PRM leadership who is prepared to do almost anything
to maintain the momentum of SF and thus their own
ever onward roll.
What
is so pathetic and sad is that a movement whose members,
thus leadership, came through a period of argument,
analysis, and democratic debate due to circumstances
beyond its control, a leadership which is overwhelmingly
working class or from the less well off in the countryside
now has so little confidence in its own members and
supporters that it is prepared to go to almost any
lengths, including politically smearing an older man
once loyal to it, simply to discredit what he says
-- which, incidentally, could have at one time come
out of their own mouths, there's the rub of this whole
matter.
What
this tells me is that many of these people, i.e. the
SF leadership, have so little confidence in their
own current political views and thus the political
strategy they demand for their Party that they fear
any open debate beyond the narrow confines of those
whose allegiance they can directly guarantee. Clearly
what the Kelly affair has demonstrated is this group
is getting smaller by the day.
The
full articles can be found on the Nuzhound
web site.
Republican
stalwart in rage against machine (Kelly)
Sinn
Féin hits out at veteran's 'elite' claims
(Murphy)
Index: Current Articles + Latest News and Views + Book Reviews +
Letters + Archives
|
