The fall of Stormont by the stroke of a British pen illustrates once more that the ‘new’ Stormont is an artificial means to govern an artificial area. The latest crisis has shown the world that the English government is in charge in Ireland and what the Irish people want is ignored and the Dublin administration snubbed.

The British propaganda management of this crisis was deft. As reported in SAOIRSE last month the UUC meeting on September 21 last saw David Trimble’s leadership survive by joining the anti-Agreement side and imposing a January deadline for the disbandment of the Provisionals’ military wing.

This was the real cause of the collapse of Stormont but the British pulled a rabbit out of their hat in the shape of the ‘intelligence’ raid on the Stormont offices of the Provisionals by 200 British colonial police.

Nothing was found there but material was seized elsewhere and the Provisionals blamed for the subsequent collapse. Then Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern announced they were seeking the disbandment of the Provisionals, something that is not contained in the Stormont Agreement and goes beyond it.

In true British colonial fashion it has since been mooted that a simple majority of nationalists in the Six Counties will not now be sufficient for an end to British rule in the Six Counties. There must now be ‘dual consent’, a dual veto in fact, where a majority of unionists and a majority of nationalists must exist for a change in sovereignty over the Six Counties. It appears the British are about to change the goalposts once more.

Since the collapse further evidence of British colonialism has emerged with the postponement until the spring of 2003 of the already-delayed Stevens Report into the assassination of nationalist solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989. The latest census report results have also been put back until December at the earliest.

And then British supremo John Reid was withdrawn by Tony Blair. The needs of the British Labour Party took precedence over the Six Counties.

The dishonest arrangement of the Stormont Agreement has raised contradictory and conflicting expectations and has resulted in constant uncertainty, unrest and violence on the streets. Sectarianism is worse than at any time since 1968. The nationalist nightmare continues and the unionists are apprehensive and insecure and their support for the 1998 Agreement is falling away.

Continued English rule here can only mean more of the same. Republican Sinn Féin does not seek a return of Stormont but an end to English colonisation and imperialism in Ireland. This is facing the basic issue.

A nine-county Ulster in a new four-province federation would safeguard the interests of all the communities in Ireland.

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Web layout by SAOIRSE -- Irish Freedom November 9, 2002  Send links, events notifications, articles, comments etc, to the editor at: saoirse@iol.ie.