Republican News · Thursday 1 November 2001

Demilitarise now

A Chairde,

After the IRA's dramatic, ground-breaking move on decommissioning (in spite of continuing daily attacks on nationalists), I am very disappointed at the minimalist response of the British government.

Only one base in Magherafelt and three watchtowers in South Armagh are to be removed, but the three South Armagh bases adjacent to these watchtowers remaining as well as the rest of the 20+ watchtowers, listening posts, camera towers, helicopter pads, forts and bases in this small area.

Why do the British refuse to get rid of more of this ugly, oppressive military hardware in an area which has not seen an attack for years, when there are no similar watchtowers in North Belfast, Lower Shankill, Larne, Coleraine, Portadown, etc, where pipe bomb and blast bomb attacks are a daily threat and where several people have been killed by loyalists in recent years.

Similarly, there seems to be very little progress towards the "new beginning in policing" promised in the Good Friday Agreement. Even the Patten compromise has been severely diluted. In this regard, reports that the SDLP were lobbying against further improvements in policing (in case it would undermine their premature acceptance of the watered-down Patten proposals), is extremely worrying.

Seán Marlow,
Dublin.

Where to now?

A Chairde,

The past week has been one of bewilderment and agony for republicans. It happened and we didn't know how to handle it. Trimble laughed, Durkan smirked, Blair, Ahern and Bush all applauded. What were we to make if it all? Gerry Adams told us to stay united and push on. Okay, but why did the army move?

I waited patiently for An Phoblacht on Friday to get the republican analysis that has been missing from the media all week. But it wasn't there either. Jim Gibney, who usually has a very clear insight and understanding of the issues and influences on the struggle, wrote an article that was full of sentiment but no analysis.

Republicans are shocked and confused at present and need a clear sense of why this move happened and more importantly where will it lead. Over the past 30 years, republicanism has been the driving force for change through debate and discussion. This facet of our struggle now seems to be missing and in turn is leading to confusion and mistrust.

What is needed is a clear critique of the current strategy and a roadmap of how we will reach a united Ireland.

C Lamberton,
Derry.

Break the law and get away with it

A Chairde,

Could it be, that the RUC is waiting until Nov 4th, (when they become the NIPS) before they act, and arrest those people who continue to break the law while assaulting the Holy Cross children and their parents. The RUC should be ashamed of itself, allowing this to continue for so long. They'd have done more to foster peace, had they enforced the law.

This situation, would not be tolerated anywhere else in the United Kingdom; why is it allowed to continue in Belfast?

Malcolm G. Ratcliffe,
Winnipeg,
Canada.

Criticism

A Chairde,

I am writing this letter to object to the direction An Phoblacht has taken over the past three to four years. The paper has lost all sense of objectivity and seems each week to be increasingly filled with politically correct, self-righteous articles, written by writers that are slowly waking up to certain things like: 1) Hmmm, maybe trusting the British government wasn't such a smart thing! 2) Y'know, I don't think the unionists were ever sincere about this power sharing deal! 3) The media in the unoccupied counties are anti-Sinn Féin! Yeah, thanks for catching up lads.

Also, your 5th Column section is totally at odds with the rest of the publication. It is petty and at times outright bigoted. I do not care about the goings on of the Queen of England, no more than I do of the Queen of Holland or the King of Spain. Phrases such as 'Queen Elizabrit' send out the message that An Phoblacht is narrow-minded and anti-English. This struggle has never been about the English people, but their government's continued occupation of our country.

Although I voted against the Belfast Agreement (a bad deal for republicans), I do support the efforts of Sinn Féin and the IRA.

Eamonn Walsh,
Carrick-on-Suir,
Co Tipperary.

Gibney strikes a chord

A Chairde,

I just wanted to thank you for publishing the article/commentary on the Forgotten Ten by Jim Gibney. He described some details I would not have known about otherwise, and he certainly writes in a profoundly moving way, which was most appropriate. Must admit he brought a lump to my throat. But I also appreciated his comments about "revisionist" history at the end. Mr Gibney strikes me as being a real gentleman.

Again, thanks for publishing his article, and hopefully he will write more in the future.

Susan Smith,
St Louis,
Missouri,
USA

That man Gibney again

A Chairde,

This letter is to congratulate An Phoblacht on your wisdom in bringing in Jim Gibney as a columnist for the paper. His articles on the US bombings, the funerals of the Forgotten Ten and the IRA's move on arms have been some of the most enjoyable and insightful I have read in the paper in a long time.

In particular, his perspective on the decommissioning event perfectly captured the emotions felt by many republicans and rightly illustrated the commitment, unity and sheer strength of the current leadership and activists involved in our struggle.

So, comhghairdeas arís, and keep up the good work, Jim.

Seán O
Béal Feirste

Holy Cross and human rights

A Chairde,

If the Human Rights Commissioner thinks the Holy Cross picket is a legitimate protest, then what will Mr. Brice Dickson have to say if the UDA decide to arbitrarily blockade Catholics wishing to obtain kidney dialysis treatment or other services at the Mater Hospital in North Belfast? At what point will somebody say enough is enough?

Do the UDA run Northern Ireland?

Have the Catholics any human rights?

Susan Talbott,
Redmond,
Washington,
USA.