Coward's option
A Chairde,
The British government took the coward's option by allowing the
Orange Order to march down the Garvaghy Road. The decision to let
the Orange Order carry out its coat-trailing exercise had nothing
to do with upholding a Protestant tradition. The RUC quite
bluntly told the British government that police officers would be
burned out of their homes by Protestant mobs if the march was
re-routed or banned.
The first step the British government must take to address this
annual effrontery is to disband the RUC and set up an impartial
police force with members drawn from and living in both
communities. No doubt in a few weeks the new Secretary of State
will further insult the nationalist community by asking them to
support and place their trust in the RUC.
The onus is now on the British government to prove to the
nationalist community that they are sincere about finding a
lasting peace. If history is a guide, nationalists will find past
Labour government policies on Ireland none too palatable.
Tim Jones,
London.
Troop Out
A Chairde,
This time last year I wrote a piece for An Phoblacht on the
Drumcree situation. I was asked to express my views as an English
person politically active in England. Twelve months on I have
identical feelings of anger and frustration. My heart goes out to
the residents of Garvaghy Road. If I feel like this, watching the
news, I cannot imagine what you must be going through.
Last year I vented much of my anger against the British media for
acting as the mouthpiece of the British establishment. I said
then and I repeat; Why do the media presenters and writers not
say to the Orangemen, ``What does the Orange Order stand for?'' I
have followed the media very closely and I am not aware of one
journalist making this challenge. The Orange Order stands for
Protestant supremacy, ``a Protestant state for a Protestant
people'', a culture of domination and oppression of Catholics - in
other words, apartheid.
Would the BBC presenters talk of culture and heritage if they
were talking to the National Front parading through Brixton? I
spent the whole of Sunday morning making this point to various
people at the BBC. One ``news organiser'' said I had a valid point
and would take this into account during the day, but there was no
change.
How dare Mo Mowlam talk of both sides being equally intransigent!
She claims she wants to be fair. How can she equate the
Orangemen's belief that they have every right to trample over the
nationalist community, with the nationalist community's wishes
not to be continually insulted by their despotism. What would Mo
have said if the white supremacist Afrikaner Party had wanted to
parade through Soweto? I guess she would have championed the
courageous stand of the ANC. But no doubt she is toeing the Blair
line that ``we are committed to the Union with Britain'' and ``there
will not be a united Ireland in the lifetime of anyone here
present'' (and maybe David Montgomery would not let her have
£22,000 for her ``researcher'' if she upset the Orangemen).
The happenings on the Garvaghy Road and the Mowlam/Blair
utterings make it clearer than ever that British policy in
Ireland has failed. The reality is that there can be no British
solution. After Drumcree, those of us politically active in
England, Scotland and Wales have an even greater responsibility
to try and get the truth home to people this side of the water.
Drumcree is the symptom of the disease not the root cause. The
British presence is the root cause. The Orange bigots will not
believe that they have to seek a way forward in a genuine peace
based on equality whilst the politicians, the media and the armed
paraphernalia of the British state prop them up. We need to
campaign even more vigorously for a total British withdrawal from
Ireland so that all Irish people together can determine their own
future. Why is Ireland so different from Hong King?
Mary Pearson,
Troops Out Movement,
PO Box 1032,
Birmingham
BT12 8BZ.
Reject partitionist talks
A Chairde,
Once more, an Orange march has been forced through a nationalist
estate. If this is the British government's response to the
democratic wishes of the Garvaghy Road community (they even
elected two councillors on this issue in May), then what hope for
the much vaunted peace talks?
Democracy British style, selective, gerrymandered and
partitioned, will not solve the conflict in Ireland. Only with a
dáil Eireann, a gathering of all elected representatives from the
island of Ireland, discussing the future of the whole island of
Ireland, without the interference of those unelected by Irish
people or the threat of their violence can we start the
rebuilding of the Irish nation.
Reject the partitionist talks process and return to the
republican agenda.
Aengus O'Snodaigh,
Baile Atha Cliath.
Recall Forum
A chairde,
Because I oppose the ``armed struggle'', I would be very grateful
if you would allow me to comment on the call for clarity made by
Gerry Adams MP in his statement of 3 July.
The sword-bearing Orangeman flanking the Union Jack striding down
the Garvaghy Road on Sunday, was a stark expression of the
unionist/loyalist veto to Irish national self determination. And
yet he is one of the nation's children, who, in the Proclamation
of Easter week on behalf of the Irish Republic (as ratified by
the first Dáil Eireann), is given the privilege of being
cherished equally.
That is a subject crying out for clarification. What is the
essential meaning behind the Tricolour, our national flag?
Perhaps a recalled Forum for Peace and Reconciliation should
bring us all, Orange and Green, to get to the heart of the
matter: why the Orangeman is so opposed to a united Ireland,
despite our noble sounding words.
James McGeever
Cavan
Evil messages
A chairde,
The RUC Chief Constable claims he had to ``balance two evils'' in
Portadown and, for the second year running, he gave in to that
which threatened the greater violence. What sort of message is
that to send to nationalists who we keep telling that violence
doesn't work?
Ms Mowlam's support of the RUC's actions means that those
refusing to talk were rewarded while those willing to talk were
penalised. What sort of message is that to send to unionists
regarding negotiations?
The Orange Order claims that the march is necessary for them to
observe a religious service but it was Catholics who were
forcibly prevented from attending their religious service AT ALL.
Perhaps the Catholics of Ballymena should insist on marching
through a loyalist area to be able to attend Mass in Harryville
church.
(Dr) Sean Marlow.
Dublin
Mars watching
A chairde,
On watching the news coverage of the horrific events which
occurred along the Garvaghy Road, one thing which I could not
fail to notice about the British coverage of events was that more
time was devoted to the space mission to Mars than was given to
the shameful beatings, bigoted insults and a general disregard
for human rights, or perhaps in the case of the RUC, a lack of
understanding of the concept of human rights.
Tears filled my eyes as I watched a supposedly neutral police
force beat, kick and punch the passive and innocent residents of
the Garvaghy Road off their own street.
This lack of coverage highlights the general British attitude to
the occupied Six Counties. It is this couldn't-care-less attitude
that allows such infringement of human rights to go unchecked
year in year out. The British have more interest in ``life on
Mars'' than what happens in their own backyard - and that's all
the Six Counties is to them, a backyard, a place to dump all
their rubbish and forget about it.
It is only when we become united with our northern Catholic
Brethren that they will be treated as equals. Let them take
solace in the knowledge that soon our day will come.
Rob O'Fiaich
Contae Cill Dara
Political tourism
A Chara,
Today (Tuesday 8 July) I called into the British Tourist Board
Office In Dame Street Dublin and then called into the Northern
Ireland Tourist Office on Nassau Street. I browsed through the
brochures and to my great surprise I failed to find any pictures
of armed British terrorists beating Irish people off their own
streets.
I asked to see the centre manager in both offices and was
informed that there were indeed no such pictures in the
brochures. I was also informed that there were no pictures of
children maimed and killed by plastic bullets. When asked,
however, they were unable to explain why such events so central
to the nature of the British state should be unrepresented.
I suggest to interested readers that they might simply call into
these offices and ask the managers and see if they find the
answer to this mystery.
P O Ghoill
BAC 15
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