Republican News · Thursday 24 January 2002

Bringing Irish unity demand to Westminster

Adams tackles Blair on loyalist attacks

BY FERN LANE

Sinn Féin MPs Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness, Michelle Gildernew and Pat Doherty arrived at Westminster on Monday afternoon to take possession of their new office space within the House of Commons buildings. In doing so, however, they made it clear that they would never take their seats in the Commons, even if the oath of allegiance to the British crown, which all members are obliged to swear before they can sit as MPs in the debating chamber, is abolished.

Last month, the British government finally overturned the ruling imposed the former speaker of the house Betty Boothroyd which banned Sinn Féin from making use of the facilities extended to all other elected members of the British parliament. While the party will receive an allowance for each of the four MPs, none of them will be paid the salary which goes with the post.

The move was greeted with indignation by much of the British media, particularly ther Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, but also including borderline racist sneering by the political sketch writers of both the Times and the Guardian. Many Unionist and Conservative MPs, including Ian Paisley, also resorted to complaining about the size and position of the Sinn Féin temporary offices, which they insisted were better than their own.

Inside the House of Commons, Gerry Adams told reporters that they would "never, ever" see Sinn Féin members sitting in the British parliament. He said: "The transfer of power by London and Dublin to the Assembly in the north is all the proof we need of where we see the political centre of gravity on the island of Ireland - in the island of Ireland. We are here, elected, with our mandate renewed and increased."

He added that Sinn Féin was keen to engage public opinion within Britain but observed that "if this parliament did not declare itself to have an involvement in our country we would not be here at all".

Michelle Gildernew, MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone, said it was "nonsense" for anyone to think they would ever take up their seats at Westminster, despite David Trimble's assertions to the contrary.

"What we are doing is taking up what we are entitled to. This is about providing a better service for our constituents" she said. "It's also about talking to people of influence and decision makers in London and putting forward our case for a united Ireland."

Earlier on Monday, the four had been to 10 Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss the ongoing and increasingly dangerous loyalist campaign against nationalists.

"The British Prime Minister has to face up to the reality that the threat to the peace process within the North of Ireland comes from within loyalism," Gerry Adams said. "The last time we were here, myself and Martin McGuinness talked to the British Prime Minister about policing and about demilitarisation, but particularly about the loyalist campaign. There have been 300 bombs over the last nine or ten months."