Republican News · Thursday 24 October 2002

Blueshirts yield to the new yellow Reich

BY ROBBIE MacGABHANN

Do you remember the outrage of the nice people who hold democracy dear and last May objected to the election tactics of Sinn Féin, particularly those nasty republicans wearing their election T-shirts, cheering raucously and waving tricolours provocatively.

They were intimidating the real democrats who had to watch as respected parliamentarians fell to earth, shot down by the fickle rabble whose votes surged to Sinn Féin, the Greens and a record number of independents.

So cold, wet and in the luxurious setting of Patrick's Hall in Dublin Castle, you wonder why are we here and then as yet another yellow t-shirt passes you remember. Those nice outraged people also felt hard done by over another exercise of democracy that didn't go their way and so we are here, rerunning the Nice Treaty.

As if to mark the hollowest of victories, the result centre was a strangely muted site. The yellow t-shirts belonged to the Irish Alliance for Nice group which, judging by the adoration afforded to former Fine Gael Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald, we can only assume are the new activist wing of not just Fine Gael, but all of the conservative right. The Blueshirt tradition has finally been laid to rest and a new yellow Reich springs forth.

Sunday was a rite of passage for Fine Gael as they sought to forget May's election drubbing. We had at one stage one leader and two former leaders in attendance.

Ahern and three ministers represented the Dublin government. They, with Pat Cox current president of the EU parliament, David Byrne, EU Commissioner, and Fine Gael MEP Mary Banotti mixed with supporters seeking out camera crews to have those meaningful handshakes and hugs again and again.

Did it irk them that Gerry Adams sparked the most media interest of the afternoon? But then there was still the result to look forward to and the Yellowshirts, having ignored the polite request on their tickets not to have flags or banners at the castle, waved not just their EU flags but a tricolour commandeered by Yellowshirt chairperson Brigid Laffan.

Afterwards Laffan told the media that "we must learn from this and not forget it". You are right there Brigid.