London republicans face the future
By Fern Lane
Several hundred London-based republican activists gathered on
Saturday 13 June for the Wolfe Tone Society's annual James
Connolly/Bobby Sands commemoration and to celebrate the
bi-centennial of the 1798 Rebellion.
Caoimhghín O Caoláin TD told the conference that, 200 years on,
Irish Republicanism still held to the same fundamental principles
which Wolfe Tone, inspired by the French Revolution, had
advanced; liberty, equality and fraternity.
But, he went on, ``the challenge for Irish Republicans today is to
recognise the needs of the time and adapt our strategy to maximum
effect. Keeping our eyes firmly on our ultimate aim of Irish
unity and independence, we must expand on to new political
ground, all the time increasing our strength.''
As always, however, there remains ``a combination of British
securocrats and hard-line unionists who abhor the idea of
fundamental change... There are many within unionism who wish to
rebuild the decommissioning issue as a barrier to the full and
equal participation of Sinn Fein in the new political structures.
These unionists have strong allies within the British civil
service in the north... They have allies also among the
securocrats in the British Army and RUC who have a strong vested
interest in maintaining the status quo.''
In a question-and-answer session Caoimhghín invited people to ask
any question they wished, no matter how difficult, because
``believe me, there is nothing you can ask us, no question at all
which we have not asked ourselves about this whole process''.
He commended the role of Martin McGuinness, particularly during
the early stages of negotiations with the Conservative
Government. ``I wish I could have swapped places with any of you
during those meetings,'' Caoimhghín said, ``so that you could have
seen just how well and how powerfully our case was argued by our
Chief Negotiator''.
Also attending the day's activities was former POW Tom Holland
who took part in a lively workshop on the role of prisoners in
the peace process and addressed the main rally on the release of
prisoners.
Quoting from the song `Joe McDonnell' he said, ``And you dare to
call me a terrorist while you look down your gun'', pointing out
that ``if there was any justice at all in the six counties, the
Police Federation would be at the forefront of a Saoirse
campaign.'' Real justice, he said, would have meant that RUC
officers routinely engaged in murder, torture and collusion with
Loyalist death squads would have been imprisoned. The reality is,
however, than not one of them has been required to answer for
their crimes.
Labour MP John McDonald told the audience that reform of the RUC
was not acceptable; the only viable option is to disband it
completely. He also condemned efforts by both unionists and the
Conservative Party to make the release of prisoners conditional
on the decommissioning of weapons.
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