(Picture) Provisional poster of a few years ago pledging ‘No Return to Stormont’ — they are now British Crown ministers in Stormont.

THE leader of the Provisionals drew approving comments from unionists when he spoke at the World Economic Forum in New York at the beginning of February. He endorsed the Unionist Veto and spoke of the need of unionists to feel “sense of ownership” in a united Ireland.

Republican Sinn Féin pointed to the hypocrisy in the statement by Gerry Adams. Republican Sinn Féin President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, in a statement on February 4, said: “Twenty years ago, in 1981/82, Adams led a campaign in the Republican Movement, which succeeded in jettisoning the ÉIRE NUA proposals for a new four-province federal Ireland including a nine-county Ulster.

“This programme, which has since been updated and re-adopted by Republican Sinn Féin, had been policy for more than 10 years when Gerry Adams and his faction threw it overboard with the slogan that it was ‘a sop to unionists’.

(Picture) Despite the verbal Republicanism the British Crown Forces still protect British rule in Ireland.

“It was designed specifically to make unionists feel ‘comfortable’ in a New Ireland (post British disengagement), but was scuppered by Adams and his associates in a cynical bid to force from the leadership of Sinn Féin those closely identified with ÉIRE NUA.

“In view of his record can the unionists trust Gerry Adams when he goes much further than ÉIRE NUA and in+ effect says that he fully accepts a Unionist Veto on British disengagement?

“Republican Sinn Féin says they cannot,” he concluded.

The Provisional leadership cannot be trusted. Nationalist and Republican Ireland cannot trust them either, given the amount of principles which they reneged on:
• in 1983 they said ‘No’ to participating in the 26-County assembly in Leinster House – in 1986 they accepted it and Republican Sinn Féin stood firm;
• in 1986 they said ‘No end to the war’, short of freedom – in 1997 they ended their armed campaign;
• in 1986 the Provisionals said ‘No’ to Stormont and to the Unionist Veto – they accepted it in 1998.
• In 2000 they said no decommissioning – they accepted it in 2001;
• In 2002 they said ‘No’ to Westminster – yet they are installed in offices there with £107,000 sterling each.

Unionists cannot trust them either – when there was a basis for an agreement in ÉIRE NUA, the Provisional leadership was prepared to sell it out in the interests of grabbing power in the Republican Movement. The reality is none of the Stormont or Westminster parties can be trusted. Their whole raison d’etre is to get power at all costs. They are not interested in the national liberation struggle for Ireland.

What the Provisionals are now saying about making the unionists feel “comfortable” was done in the1970s with the ÉIRE NUA proposals which were “not definitive or exclusive of alternative proposals”. The ÉIRE NUA proposals were the second choice of unionists of many shades in the 1970s. But the fact is that Adams and his faction sabotaged it in the 1980s.

There will be a lot more verbal Republicanism to catch votes before the 26-County general election later this year. As well as the Provisionals, Fianna Fáil were the masters of this over the years, especially in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. There will be attempts to co-opt Republicans into this.
Remember that it was Fianna Fáil before the last general election who promised in their manifesto that the NATO-led Partnership for Peace would be put to a referendum if they were elected.

Eighteen months later the FF/PD coalition joined it anyhow without any referendum. Nothing is binding on these organizations. Fianna Fáil’s Mary O’Rourke justifies their U-turn by stating: “That was then, this is now!”

Meanwhile, in the context of the Unionist Veto there was no referendum allowed when Mrs Thatcher made a deal with China in 1984 which finally saw Hong Kong return to China in 1999.

In 2002 the British and Spanish governments are currently discussing joint sovereignty over Gibraltar without any consultation with the 27,000 Gibraltarians who live on the Rock.

Or
Make a donation to SAOIRSE for its internet service.

DO NOT SEND CASH IN THE POST.

Web layout by SAOIRSE -- Irish Freedom February 11, 2002  Send links, events notifications, articles, comments etc, to the editor at: saoirse@iol.ie.