Gnawing through the twines
By Laurence McKeown
I was speaking to an acquaintance at the weekend who aired the
view that everyone should have the opportunity to be a columnist
at least once in their lives. I totally agree and if the editor
was in favour and volunteers stepped forward then I would gladly
stand down.
other comment he made was that neither Deirdre nor myself was
spotted at the Ard Fheis this year. As he said this he looked at
me inquisitively and raised an eyebrow. The conspiracy theorists
are out in full these days. I had to tell him that his informant
was wrong and that I had indeed been present.
I mention these two topics of conversation because they are
related in a way. I will not be able to attend the upcoming
special Ard Fheis and therefore am going to exploit my privileged
position as a columnist to air my views in this arena. That may
not be fair as the readership of this paper far exceeds the
number who will attend and air their views at the Ard Fheis but
then being a reader doesn't entitle you to vote on motions so
maybe it isn't such a great advantage that I have over the
delegates. For the record though I just want to express a few
opinions on the Good Friday Agreement and the current situation
in general.
Firstly, like most others, I don't think it a great Agreement.
When compared with republican objectives it falls short by a
long, long way. But who has ever claimed otherwise? Certainly not
those who were involved in negotiating it.
So were they wrong to be involved in negotiations that led to
such an ``outcome''? I don't think so. If we had been absent from
the talks - a situation which would have suited a lot of people -
then the final package would have been an awful lot weaker then
what it turned out to be. And if we voluntarily exclude ourselves
from any future participation then we accomplish the task for
those whose aim has always been to exclude us anyway.
Republicans must be in there putting forward a republican agenda
on all issues at all times. To recognise that the Six-County
state exists, or that some form of Assembly is probably going to
be cobbled together, does not mean that we must bestow any
legitimacy upon that state or institution. It just means that we
don't attempt to bury our heads in the sand and pretend it
doesn't exist or try to wish it away. Which is why I am glad to
hear phrases now common in republican-speak such as ``objective
reality''. When we first came out with language like that in the
Blocks we were instantly tagged as being Marxists and ``out of
touch''.
It is often difficult though to be objective. It is much easier
to go with the flow of emotions and the most militant or radical
sounding statements. It is also difficult to shake off the very
real desire to achieve victory in an instant and the belief in
``just one final blow''. But history, as we have discovered in our
struggle, is rarely made in such a manner. It is much less
dramatic and heroic. Usually gains are made in a painstakingly
slow manner. The thick twines that bind the state together are
gnawed through over time rather than snapped instantaneously. And
all of that requires tenacity and perserverance.
It also requires a strategy that is long-term in its application
and tactics that are flexible, often momentary, and sometimes
apparently contradictory.
Ultimately it requires activists who are steadfast and
level-headed and who understand that what they are involved in is
a process. There's never a beginning or an end. It's ongoing.
Because if we stop moving forward, stop making gains, then the
status quo remains intact and in such a situaton those pushing
for change are obviously the losers.
The status quo in the north is currently not only not static, it
is in crisis. For unionists, all the old certainties have
dissappeared and that is traumatic for them. Republicans have
taken bold and decisive steps that have confounded our opponents
who would have predicted otherwise.
My view is that we must continue to confound them, to baffle
them, puzzle, confuse and divide them while all the time
advancing towards our objectives. In the struggle to achieve
those goals there will be enough barriers and obstacles placed in
our path. We shouldn't add to them by self-imposed constraints.
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