Anybody
with rudimentary knowledge knows that the Provisional
movement is or was, being wholly realistic, run
by the army council. However it is with growing
horror that I think we have been remiss in this
presumption. I now think that it is quite possible
that the movement was and still is run by the British
security services. Let me explain.
We
as Republicans take as given that the British establishment,
its armed forces and security services have one
agenda. That is to defeat the Republican armed forces
and to maintain British sovereignty over the six
counties. It is with this precept that with some
of the recent stunning revelations pertaining to
the high level MI5 penetration of both the military
and political structures of the Provisional movement,
we are left with many questions. Chief among these
have to be,
I
am afraid that the answer to these questions is
quite probably a resounding yes. My reasons for
this argument are these. Firstly it is now not only
common knowledge but documented fact that the Provisionals
Intelligence and Internal Security department, The
Executive, Southern Command, GHQ and Northern Command
were penetrated at the highest level. With information
flowing from the agents in place in these departments
it is truly a wonder that any true Provisional Volunteer
managed to accomplish any operational objective.
With
the agents in place the British were aware of practically
every major operation that took place, if they did
not know the details before the operation it is
with practical certainty we can assume they knew
all the details afterwards. Sufficient enough for
them to make arrests and conviction of Volunteers
a forgone conclusion. Yet the Provisional army was
successful in many more instances than seem credible
with the knowledge we now have.
The
world of intelligence is a particularly dark and
murky place worldwide; however in Ireland it reached
new lows. The problem with good high level intelligence
is not usually the gathering but the utilization
of same. A high level source can provide amazing
tactical and strategic information, but sometimes
to act on that information is to inevitably lead
to the unmasking of the source. We know that in
the past the British security services have rarely
burned a source without an equally or better placed
agent being in place.
This
reluctance on their part lead, without doubt, to
successful operations being undertaken with their
complicity. Please contemplate that fact and all
its ramifications momentarily. It would appear to
be the case also that British agents were actively
encouraged to involve themselves with operations
to build their reputations with not only senior
men but also the rank and file. Several high level
agents without doubt affected strategic and tactical
targeting decisions and had real input into the
day to day conduct of the struggle. It is obvious
that what we have discovered shows British security
services complicity in the management of the struggle,
however, it is with the next ruminations that I
hope to show active participation.
None
of us can not but be aware of the fact that , at
the very least, since the mid eighties it has been
Adam's and probably McGuinness's wish to lead the
Provisional movement to a purely political and constitutional
path. We are all mostly aware that Adams & McGuinness
are surrounded and ascribe to a so called think
tank of trusted comrades. It is a fact that we now
know that at least one with at least another two
suspected members of this close bunch of intellectual
chums was a paid British agent. These people are
the very people that were the loudest supporters
of the peace strategy. The very people that argued
mostly successfully that with the set backs of the
late eighties and early nineties that the armed
struggle was an unsustainable and non viable strategy.
Let
us consider these set backs, the hardline and anti
Belfast East Tyrone Brigade were decimated. Most
of its most experienced and prolific Volunteers
executed. The South Armagh Brigade for the first
time was practically haemorrhaging Volunteers. Experienced
and hardline Volunteers country wide were imprisoned.
Increasingly the direction of the struggle seemed
unproductive and ineffective. All of these set backs
can be attributed to the information that was passed
by British agents. With these facts known the seductive
double speak of peace strategy that we all must
have heard seemed undoubtedly the most productive
way forward. Dissenting voices were drowned out
early on and any that were a real threat were dealt
with quickly.
The
Leadership over the next years replaced practically
every post within the structure with people loyal
to Belfast. Thus with complete control of the existing
structure came a reduced risk of a coup. Every person
who may have been a threat to the process was dealt
with in a myriad of ways. Be it sudden imprisonment,
exile to Spain or just good old fashioned slander
and physical force.
All
of these actions came to be at the behest or manipulations
of men we now know to be paid British agents. With
the dual approach of the decimation of hardline
Republicans and the elevation of their agents to
respected and exalted positions British security
services assisted Adams & McGuinness in steering
the Provisional movement to its present position.
I have already stated that the British security
services agenda is to maintain Sovereignty and defeat
the Republican armed forces, Adam's & McGuinness's
peace strategy has lead to the Provisional movements
recognition and affirmation of British sovereignty
of the six counties and the provisional army’s
destruction and reduction to an unarmed and irrelevant
paper tiger. I would just like to add in a paraphrase
of the words of the infamous Eminem, would the
real army council please stand up.
