This week Dublin Foreign Affairs Minister David Andrews
said: ``The Irish government is totally opposed to and
condemns utterly, all killings of any person, and for
any purpose. We equally repudiate the use or threat of
violence for political purposes.''
This makes them the only pacifist government in the
world and when the bombing of Iraq commences we can
expect to see the British government in the person of
Mo Mowlam being indicted at the talks over its
involvement in the inevitable killing of Iraqi
civilians.
In fact the British government could, under Andrews
criteria, be indicted right now for its repeated
threats to use violence against Iraq for political
purposes.
``Up the Continuity IRA'', was the rather pathetic
outburst from the sole heckler who attended the
jam-packed Sinn Féin public meeting in Dublin's Liberty
Hall on Monday.
The interruption came about half way through Gerry
Adams's address. ``Fair play to ye'', Adams replied
before adding the cutting remark ``ceasefire soldier''.
Adams may not have realised how apt that remark was, as
the heckler was none other than one Tom Ryan of
Ballymun, a former supporter of the Workers' Party and
arch opponent of republicans. Sticky Ryan's latest
manifestation as a purer than pure republican is a
relatively recent phenomenon, coinciding with the peace
process and the first IRA cessation. Ceasefire soldier
indeed.
Mixed metaphors are funny things and nowhere do they
make more regular appearances than on the Irish
political scene. A classic example was the remark by
Sinn Féin Vice President Pat Doherty at Monday's public
meeting in Dublin.
Talking about what Sinn Féin envisaged as transitional
arrangements towards national reunification Doherty
said that what was not acceptable was any ``slippery
stepping stones'' theory. Thank God for that. As well
as being entirely useless for getting from A to B,
`slippery stepping stones' would be positively
dangerous for those who would dare walk on them.
Apparently the absence of a tie around the neck of the
usually dapper Seán Crowe during the Sinn Féin Press
conference at Dublin castle on Tuesday was the subject
of discussion on RTE's 2FM on Wednesday morning. And no
wonder, because Crowe is the regular recipient of the
Best Dressed Republican Award, an unofficial yet highly
prestigious title bestowed annually by republicans in
Dublin.
Sean Crowe wore suits and ties when duffles and docs
were de rigeur for republican activists. So why did he
adopt the open neck, casual approach which was carried
so prominently and in full colour on the front page of
the following morning's Irish Times? Well cynics who
have observed closely Crowe's increasing electoral
ambitions in Dublin Southwest have referred to the
`Gregory factor'. Tony Gregory made history in the
early 1980s as the first TD not to wear a tie in
Leinster House. The issue of Gregory's lack of neckties
became something of a talking point in Dublin but
certainly did his electoral fortunes no harm. A
colleague of mine interviewed him several years ago for
a college magazine. His first question was ``Tony why
do you never wear a tie?'' And the Dublin Central TD's
reply? - ``If you don't have any better questions than
that, get out.'' Gerry Ryan and 2FM please take note.
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