Keep Rule 21
On Saturday the GAA becomes involved in the peace process. They
have a very clear choice. Their Rule 21 which bars members of the
Crown Forces from membership of the Association is up for debate.
There are some GAA members who believe that scrapping the rule at
this time will add to the peace process. They believe we are in a
period of reconciliation and that this would be the GAA's
contribution to peace.
They are seriously misguided. We are into a period in which the
terms of the Good Friday document will be severely tested. In
particular, the issue of demilitarisation looms large. No-one
knows better than rank and file members of the GAA in the Six
Counties just what is the attitude of the Crown Forces to gaelic
games. Players are regularly stopped and harassed. A number of
GAA members have also been killed by members of the Crown Forces,
most notably Aidan McAnespie who was shot dead ten years ago on
his way to a gaelic football match.
Scrapping Rule 21 now would do nothing to hasten British
demilitarisation. Instead, retaining the rule would send a
message to the British Army and the RUC. It would say to them:
move now towards peace and justice and towards a proper policing
service. It would send a signal that nationalists demand change.
Decommissioning dead-end
The media hype surrounding decommissioning - as if it was the
only outstanding issue from the Good Friday document - is a
replay of the obstructive tactics of John Major, supported by
John Bruton. It was used to hold up progress towards negotiations
and now it is used to hold up progress in implementing the terms
of the Good Friday document. Those who are raising it as the
paramount issue are the very people who do not want to see
progress.
Decommissioning must not be used to block Sinn Féin, nor to put
all the many important issues which remain to be tackled onto the
back burner. It is time to make progress and to spurn the
nay-sayers. There is work to be done.
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