Blair backs exclusion
The legislation being rushed through the British Parliament as we go to
print is an attempt to legislate for failure, based on the failed politics
of exclusion.
The amendments being put forward are intended as a sop to unionism, but
even so may have no effect. In his rush to offer a lifeline to David
Trimble, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has threatened the entire Good
Friday Agreement.
Two central tenets have maintained the often arduous momentum of the Peace
Process. The principle of inclusivity, combined with the provisions of the
Good Friday Agreement, are the essential elements for progress. The British
government, by seeking to unilaterally legislate beyond the terms of that
Agreement, has put the entire process in jeopardy.
The unnecessary appeasement of unionism that inspired this bill is a
departure from the terms of the Agreement. He has taken power away from the
parties and reinserted a unionist veto into the peace process.
Blair's legislation also impedes the remit and function of the de
Chastelain Commission and compromises its objectivity in what republicans
will see as a transparent cover for Sinn Féin's exclusion.
That process is not about guns. Two weeks ago the de Chastelain Commission
stated: ``The role of the Commission is to facilitate the voluntary
decommissioning of firearms.'' It is clear that decommissioning can only be
a voluntary act by those in possession of arms. It is also clear that
unionism, supported by Tony Blair, is far more concerned with silent guns
than with the rights of nationalists.
These negative developments at Westminster cast severe doubt on the
sincerity of the British government with regard to the entire process.
Regardless of the strategic approach being adopted by the British
government, the rights and entitlements of the republican constituency will
remain foremost in the considerations of the party they have mandated.
The rights of over two million people to see the Agreement they voted for
implemented should be the collective interest of all parties to the talks.
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