Nothing Has Changed   Anthony McIntyre • Daily Mirror, 29 July 2005 This morning's headlines should read 'excitable hacks go orgasmic over IRA statement.' But such headlines are 'not helpful to the peace process' and therefore long suffering readerships will have to endure the guff about seismic shifts, historic developments and whatever else takes the fancy of the scribbling class. Yesterday's statement by the IRA on its future merely formalised what we have known for quite some time - that the organisation's armed campaign against Britain ended in failure. The British are still here, the consent principle is safely enshrined and partition entrenched. Commentators can openly speculate on current IRA volunteers eventually becoming British bobbies. Hardly the heady stuff of revolutionary success. The IRA's war has ended and the organisation shall not disband. This is exactly the same position we were at this time last week, last month, last year. Given that the statement tells us what we already know and therefore contains only rhetoric about future IRA intent, journalists and government officials have set themselves the task of wild spinning and hyping the statement. The strategic purpose of the statement is to flush out idiots in both the London and Dublin governments who will wave the IRA's A4 paper, Chamberlain-like, and declare 'peace in our time.' There would be some justification for this if the IRA were to follow through on its statement with facts on the ground. But the organisation has consistently lied about its involvement in numerous activities and there is no reason for believing it will not do so in the future. A promise to quit lying might have greater potential than yesterday's verbiage. Like the Official IRA before it, and in whose shoes it now so comfortably strides, the current IRA, by the mere fact of its existence, will continue to function; not militarily against the British state, but as a militia to give muscle to Sinn Fein and as an organ of intimidation.                                                     Index: Current Articles + Latest News and Views + Book Reviews + Letters + Archives

All censorships exist to prevent any one from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships. - George Bernard Shaw Index: Current Articles 17 August 2005 Other Articles From This Issue: Changes Needed All Over Eamonn McCann Get Tough Now Dr John Coulter What for the Future? Mick Hall Why has Gerry Adams never finished Ulysses? Seaghán Ó Murchú Bombing London is No Longer Good News for the IRA Anthony McIntyre The Conflict Encapsulated David Adams No More Second Class Citizens Paul Little Nothing Has Changed Anthony McIntyre Venezuela: Lessons of Struggle Tomas Gorman • 10 August 2005 • Failed Entity Anthony McIntyre Towards Justice: Damien Walsh Lecture Fr Sean Mc Manus Where Terror Reigns Fred A Wilcox Lack of Trust — Or Courage? Mick Hall Process of Consulting Loses Sway David Adams Unionism Can't Run on Empey Anthony McIntyre Another Side to the Surrender Brian Mór Provisional Surrender A Sell-Out Joe Dillon The Greatest Betrayal of All Proinsias O'Loinsaigh Censorship at the Irish Echo John McDonagh & Brian Mór Take Ireland Out of the War: Irish Anti War Movement News Michael Youlton Venezuela: Factories Without Bosses Tomas Gorman

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