Whose agenda?
IRA dismisses media reports
By Stephen Mallon
Banner headlines, in-depth coverage, emotive language.
Moira was ``a village in shock'' after ``a night of
terror''. ``I thought I was going to die...'' reported the
Belfast Telegraph, eyewitnesses were ``terrified'', RUC
officers frantic.
``Portadown blitzed,'' ran the Newsletter, ``Children fled
for their lives....parents waited in agony''. In ten
pages of coverage, the LVF mass murder bid in the
County Louth village of Dromad was consigned to the
bottom corner of page eight.
Unlike the Moira and the later Portadown bomb no
warnings were given by the loyalist bombers who also
sent parcel bombs containing commercial explosives to
nationalist families in Ardoyne and Toomebridge.
Significantly, the distinction between attacks on
Unionist property as opposed to targeting Catholic
lives was lost in the media furore which followed the
bombing of Portadown and Moira.
Compare the saturation coverage to that given to the
deaths of seven nationalists after Christmas. Even this
week questions about Dromad, Ardoyne and Toomebridge
were pushed aside. No Unionist was asked to comment, no
loyalist cross examined, there were no editorials
questioning the impact of loyalist violence on the
peace process. The spotlight was on Republicans.
``Trimble blames Provos for both bomb attacks,'' reported
the Newsletter. The bombings were ``the IRA's response
for not getting its own way'', said Trimble. Meanwhile,
Billy Hutchinson was issuing a ``stark warning''. Sinn
Fein must ``get their militarists back under control,''
said Hutchinson. David Ervine was talking of IRA
splits.
The media was up and running, and the agenda was
Unionist. Ulster Unionists insisted, Sinn Fein could
not be readmitted into the talks.
It was time to put the record straight. An IRA
statement released to the media on Monday night had
already reiterated their complete cessation remained
intact.
IRA source has since discounted suggestions that the
recent bombings are evidence of a split in the
organisation. The source has told An Phoblacht that
whilst suggestions of a split are ridiculous there are
clear indications that people outside the organisation
are attempting to dictate the IRA agenda by the use of
old IRA code words and technology. The source also
ridiculed reports that the IRA has satellitte
organisations or assisted other groups.
Affirming that the IRA operated as a single
organisation the source asserted that no one outside
the IRA would be allowed to determine its agenda. He
indicated that whilst the IRA remain open-minded as to
who was involved in the recent bombings the more
important question is to ask to whose agenda are they
working.
What is clear is that since the inception of the peace
process republicans have been determining their own
agenda - and will continue to do so. As Gerry Kelly
said at Sinn Fein's rally at Belfast City Hall on
Sunday, ``there is no exit strategy''. There is a peace
strategy and republicans are now saying to the
unionists, the loyalists and the British Government
that the time has come for them to engage and that the
British must take responsibility, lead from the front
and get real negotiations underway.
The interesting dimension to recent events is that we
have the media and unionists picking up the gauntlet
for those loyalists who are threatening the collapse of
the peace process and warning us to beware of
``retaliation and revenge''.
Billy Hutchinson has become the more vocal of these
cheerleaders. He ``fears'' the loyalist ceasefire is
``going quickly down the tubes'', that Sinn Fein must
``control their militarists'' or they could be
``unleashing a war that hasn't been seen before''.
Billy's logic is clear: it is Croppies Lie Down... or
else. But once again Billy is missing the point. He
would do well to understand that at the centre of this
process must be equality. The process can't survive
without it.
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