SELL-OUT TO BRITS DEEPENS

At the beginning of December David Trimble kept the other Stormont part-icipants waiting while he travelled to the US and then to Oslo to collect the Nobel prize. On his return the unionists proceeded to face down all comers and the December 18 decisions at Stormont reflected that reality.

The unionists were secure in the knowledge that the Stormont Agreement means that they now have a veto from the Dublin administration as well as the British government. In addition they have the return of Stormont.

The decisions in principle of December 18 mean that the cross-Border bodies are to be weakened while Stormont itself is to be strengthened by the widening of its proposed Executive to ten to include more nationalists.

Vital areas such as agriculture, industry, tourism, strategic transport planning, education and the environment are not among the “north-south implementation bodies”. A private company is to be established to promote tourism on a 32-County basis.

The cross-Border bodies are to deal with the Irish language and Ulster Scots, inland waterways, aquaculture, food safety, trade and business development and EU funding programmes. No person in his or her right mind can ever imagine such bodies growing into “a transitional mode” to a free and independent Ireland.

Even control of inward investment – a crucial power – is to remain at Stormont which with its unionist majority is sure to direct it for political reasons to unionist areas.

As long ago as 1951 the Irish people were told that cross-Border bodies set up then, eg the Foyle Fisheries and CIE-GNR co-operation, animal diseases collaboration, etc would lead to a united Ireland. Their only result, 47 years later is to make the Partition of our country more acceptable and easier to live with. History is set to repeat itself in 1999.

The surrender of a few weapons by the LVF the morning after the deal of December 18 shows how amenable such groups are to British army direction. This is seen in the small quantity and the timing of the delivery. This media-saturated arms surrender was ludicrous, comprised as it was of one WWII sten sub-machine-gun capable of being manufactured in a garage and eight obsolete hand-guns. The Orange Volunteers and the Red Hand Defenders continue to assassinate and to bomb. A bogus ceasefire by the LVF is intended only to secure early release of its prisoners.

Stormont has now been reinforced by the inclusion of more nationalists on its Executive while the cross-Border bodies remain as powerless showpieces unable to grow or develop.

The Dublin media referred to “everwidening agendas” and “deeper and more dynamic co-operation” between Dublin and Stormont, ignoring the reality that the cross-Border bodies are accountable to Stormont.

The unionist majority there will decide on how much co-operation there is and will make sure it does not develop.

Meanwhile, the Provisionals’ military organisation engaged in an exercise in posturing on January 7, expressing frustration at the agreement and calling on the Dublin and London administrations to face down the unionists. The statement hinted at no surrender of arms while at the same time their political organisation is signed up to surrendering arms by May 2000 under the Stormont deal.

In a New Year message the Ulster Executive of Republican Sinn Féin called for nationalists to withdraw from the new Stormont assembly and reject the British puppet regime there. By remaining in the Stormont assembly native collaborators will ensure the continuation of British rule in Ireland and will find themselves increasingly carrying out the dirty work of the British in Ireland.

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