SAOIRSE Irish Freedom December 2000

Ard-Fheis pledge to destabilise British/Stormont rule

OVER 200 delegates attending the 96th Ard-Fheis of Republican Sinn Féin in Dublin on November 18-19 pledged to intensify its campaign to destabilise British/Stormont rule in the coming year.

The Ard-Fheis decided that Republican Sinn Féin will be vociferous in promoting the alternatives to the current surrender process contained in the newly-updated ÉIRE NUA proposals for a four-province federation in the context of a British withdrawal.

There was an upbeat and positive atmosphere throughout the two-day Ard-Fheis with many delegates remarking on the businesslike attitude of the proceedings and the quality of contributions in both the workshop and plenary sessions.

Those gathered from the 32 Counties of Ireland, England and the United States were reaffirmed in their ‘Fenian faith’, not least by the heavy-handed attempts at intimidation by the large force of Special Branch political police outside the venue. “We must be doing something right,” as one delegate remarked.

In the debate on political policy Sarah Murphy, South Armagh, proposed a motion from Bearna Uladh “reaffirming support for the All-Ireland Republic proclaimed in 1916, established in 1919 and betrayed in 1922 and declares the resolve of Republican Sinn Féin to end British rule in Ireland regardless of the obstacles being placed in the path of Irish Republicanism”.

Sarah Murphy said: “We are the only organisation in the whole of Ireland whose guiding principle is and always has been the establishment of a free independent nation. All others have accepted British occupation in the Six Counties.

“We will shoulder the burden safe in the knowledge that we hold the moral high ground. We are a revolutionary political organisation committed to ending British occupation. We are entitled to the right to self-rule in our own country and we are also entitled to use all and any means at our disposal to gain our independence.”

Delegates also supported an Ard Chomhairle motion reasserting that “Sinn Féin Poblachtach is not aligned to any political group or groupings which do not share our allegiance to the All-Ireland Republic” and a Comhairle Laighean motion “rejecting media claims that Republican Sinn Féin has links with any other political organisations in our national objectives”.

COLONIAL POLICE

Several resolutions opposed the ‘new-look’ RUC British colonial police force and speakers appealed to young Irish people not to join or support it. A delegate from the O’Reilly/McGennity/Watters Cumann, South Armagh said “we will never accept these shoot-to-kill licensed sectarian Orange bigots. They are part of the British war machine and will always be so.

“They ran the torture camps in the Six Counties and were free to murder the nationalist people at will without ever being called to account for their actions.”

The SDLP, Provisionals and the Catholic Hierarchy were guilty of enticing young Irish people to become cannon-fodder for a few cosmetic changes. “Our task is clear. We are going to need leaflets, posters, statements, TV interviews to open the eyes of the sleeping nationalist community.

“To illustrate the danger involved we have seen the recent murder in Ballymurphy, Belfast of Joe O’Connor by the Provisionals. Wait till they get the RUC uniforms on!”

A successful Ard Chomhairle resolution stated bluntly that “any British police force in Ireland be recognised as such”. A related motion from Kildare Comhairle Ceantair called for the GAA to uphold Rule 21 and “reject all attempts to make it a ‘recruiting sergeant’ for British Crown Forces in Ireland”.

An emergency resolution proposed by Des Dalton, Ard Chomhairle was passed unanimously. It stated that “in view of the fact that Kevin Barry and his nine comrades gave their lives in defence of the All-Ireland Republic, their proposed reburial should not be placed in the hands of those who recognise, support or represent any of the Partitionist institutions in this island”.

The political, social and economic policies of Sinn Féin Poblachtach were promoted as a clear alternative to the present ‘culture’ of corruption. Several resolutions opposed the growth of racism in Ireland and called for tolerance to be shown to the Travelling Community, refugees and people of different colour and race.

ELECTIONS

In the electoral strategy debate Des Long, Leas-Uachtarán, Limerick, proposed a motion calling for a campaign to end the situation of having to sign political test oaths to contest local elections in the Occupied Six Counties. He pointed to the hypocrisy of the British government’s recent adverts in the daily papers about their Human Rights Act and the first point is about so-called “free elections” in the Six Counties.

“People are being denied their human rights by being denied the right to stand as Republican Sinn Féin candidates in the local elections by this political test oath. We must expose this undemocratic denial of the right to free elections and refuse to vote.”

A motion from Belfast’s McKelvey/Steele Cumann calling for a “spoil vote” campaign in the 2001 Six-County local elections was also agreed.

In the 26 Counties, a motion was passed calling for all areas to furnish lists of possible candidates for the next 26-County local elections to the Ard-Chomhairle before the end of July 2001. The importance of early preparation and planning was stressed by speakers.

As part of local election campaigns it was agreed that “no planning permission for the erection of houses will be granted unless the names of those housing estates and street names have cultural and/or historical significance to the area where they are to be situated”.

Delegates called for a sworn public inquiry into the shooting dead of John Carthy by the 26-County police in Abbeylara, Co Longford on April 20 last.

WAGE AGREEMENT

In the Social and Economic section the Ard-Fheis congratulated those trade unions and membership who opposed the most recent 26-County wage agreement (the ‘Programme for Prosperity and Fairness’) and affirmed that their stance had been vindicated.

Speaker Seán Ó Brádaigh, Cumann Anne Devlin, Dublin said he could not believe that the trade union leaders negotiating the PPF had not insisted on inserting a clause to cover rising inflation over the course of three years.

A motion making it mandatory for employers to negotiate with unions and opposing the “draconian” Industrial Relations Act of 1990 was passed.

There was support for campaigns against service charges and for the right to housing for all. The Ard-Fheis called for a comprehensive housing policy to be drawn up within the next five years.

Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Uachtarán, proposed a motion from Roscommon Comhairle Ceantair which criticised the unbalanced economic development in the 26-County “National” Development Plan.

“Nowhere in this plan is there any provision for a major North-South motorway in Connacht or the re-opening of the Sligo-Ennis railway line. Both of these projects would be essential to the development of the infrastructure of the west,” he said.

An amendment from the workshop added to this the necessity for a comprehensive rural bus service.

Similarly Comhairle Chúige Connacht successfully proposed that natural gas and any other resources of the Corrib gas field off Co Mayo be allocated justly and evenly with a first preference for the underdeveloped province of Connacht and Co Donegal.

Cumann an tAthar Ó Gríofa, Gaillimh successfully proposed a motion opposing plans to build municipal solid waste incinerators and superdumps in Ireland as a danger to health, the environment and agricultural produce.

The motion proposed instead a policy based on minimisation, reduction, re-use and recycling, with maximum use of composting of organic waste, with the ultimate aim of zero-waste over the next 10-15 years.

Despite the opposition of every county council that has voted on incinerators outside of Dublin, the Leinster House minister Noel Dempsey is still attempting to force them on the people, delegates heard.

Ghlac an Ard-Fheis le rún go méadófaí cumhachtaí Údarás na Gaeltachta chun deileáil le talmhaíocht, iascaireacht, bóithre, cumarsáid, uisce agus seirbhísí dramhaoile agus gach gné eacnamúil, infrastructúrtha, sóisialta agus cultúrtha de shaol na Gaeltachta.

Dúirt an toscaire ó Chumann an tAthar Ó Gríofa, Gaillimh go raibh iachall ar muintir na Gaeltachta dul isteach do dtí Comhairle Contae na Gaillimhe san lá inniu ann agus seirbhís rialtas áitiúil ar fail ann i mBéarla.

CRIMINALISATION

The Ard-Fheis called on the SDLP and the Provisionals to clarify their position on the British government’s criminalisation policy of Republican prisoners in Maghaberry jail as a hidden agenda of the Stormont Agreement.

There was a particular onus on Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, as ex-political prisoners themselves, to speak out publicly on the issue, delegates said.

The campaign for political status must be launched in all areas immediately to ensure that the prisoners are not forced to endanger themselves in their continuing struggle, a motion from Comhairle na Mumhan warned. A Belfast motion called for the campaign to be broadened from national to international level.

Tommy Crossan and his comrades in Maghaberry and the Republican prisoners in Portlaoise were sent solidarity greetings from the Ard-Fheis and Tommy’s continuing struggle for political status was saluted. Recently-released political prisoners Martin McGrath, Seán Moore, Robbie McGilloway and Josephine Hayden were welcomed home and their “unbroken stand for political status” applauded.

SOLIDARITY

The Ard-Fheis welcomed a delegation from Asturies who travelled to Dublin for the conference.

Llucia of the political organisation Andecha Astur addressed the delegates and explained their struggle for self-determination against the Spanish State. Messages of solidarity to the Ard-Fheis and the campaign for political status were read from George Harrison, New York, EMGANN in Brittany and the Swedish Ireland Solidarity Group.

John McDonagh addressed the Ard-Fheis on behalf of the National Irish Freedom Committee in the US and outlined their work. John explained how people in the States were so well-informed on Ireland now because of the internet. Micheál Ó Coistealla of the IFC was interviewed by Nuacht TG4 during the Ard-Fheis.

A large delegation from the Republican Sinn Féin Comhairle Ceantair in England, Scotland and Wales also travelled to the Ard-Fheis.

At the conclusion on Sunday afternoon Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, President, congratulated the delegates on their contributions and said the Clár showed the breadth of concerns of the organisation. What was needed for the coming year was delivery on the resolutions passed and the organisation would be stronger than ever in the coming 12 months, he said.


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