|
Being
someone who was born into the seventies like many
other such persons watching the Stakeknife revelations
unfold brings closer to one's understanding the reality
of the ‘Dirty War’. I have long been intrigued
while reading many books over the years on republicanism,
loyalism and of the state's role within the North,
and of Ireland as a whole. At times though the historical
content of some recent books seemed to place our situation
solely within that historical context thus perhaps
unknowingly for some lending a perception of the ‘Dirty
War’ being abstract from today’s developing
peace process.
In
reality the ‘dirty War is far from over within
the mindset of many within both the states ‘hidden’
agencies and indeed large elements of the visual side
of the State. The state and its agencies have long
worked outside their own definitions of their own
laws and both inside and also outside its own jurisdictions
(within other states and against International laws)
in its war against the IRA. Albeit with the usage
of loyalist paramilitaries and other such playthings
of those agencies, directed against not only republicans
but in many cases the broader Nationalist community.
Looking at the direction of the British strategy over
the years has seen it develop various policies in
relation to the ‘containment’ of the situation
in the North. There has been much evidence produced
as to the illegal, brutal and indeed murderous activities
of the state and its agencies directed and implemented
towards its citizens. For many years calls have went
out from various quarters regarding the treatment
from the state to its citizens, taken even to the
European Court of Human Rights, yet it mattered little
(to the state) as they continued their activities
outside the definition of their own state defined
as well as international laws.
And
their activities continue today. The recent allegations
in relation to the IRA about Castlereagh, Colombia,
gun running etc and thus its possible ramifications
within the wider political picture, was a tactical
move by the state, timed well and provided with the
opportunity had a strategic reasoning behind it. Similarly,
one needs to look at the bigger picture here. The
revelations of the informer codenamed ‘Stakeknife’
seen differing aspects of the British state both ‘hidden’
and visual have a different take as to the best recent
usage of this person, who does in real terms seem
to exist or existed. Would it be better to attempt
to fight harder to keep his/her/their identity hidden
or would it be better at this period to bring the/an
identity out into the open? Whatever the case an identity
is now out in the open and we can clearly see various
agencies at their works to further attempt direction
and to sow the seeds of confusion albeit at times
with the usage of large sections of the media.
Although
there was aspects within the British state who believed
that the IRA could be defeated militarily the case
was that the IRA were not defeated militarily, as
were not the British. So for those who still wished
to secure the defeat of the IRA they use both the
politics of revisionism coupled with that of an agenda
of again increased IRA attempted internal dissent
and division, while helped externally with an agenda
of fracturing the ‘movement’ as a whole,
with a view of achieving eventually widely acknowledged
defeat and humiliation, in relation to the outcome
of the war. Although some believe that the Republican
Movement was defeated when it signed up and compromised
on many of its core traditional principles by signing
the Good Friday Agreement, the activities by various
agencies amongst others are attempting to hammer the
nail right through for that initial backroom call
of victory. Yet the state is ‘wise’ enough
to ensure that such dissent does not move to huge
splits as it would not be in their interest for a
larger layer returning to war, yet they of course
will use their usual methods to monitor this situation.
So
now we can almost see here a two tier approach by
the various aspects of the state attempting to move
increasingly both against the IRA and Sinn Fein, (the
Republican Movement) as a whole during this phase
of the peace process. Although it was obvious that
David Trimble was not going to agree on elections,
republicans nevertheless gave several clarifications
of statements in the space of days. With that even
more was asked for. So with those clarifications pocketed
then followed the denying of democratic rights of
all peoples including the right to the electoral process,
(this at the whim of the Ulster Unionist) a call back
then to the ‘old days’. So with the democratic
process closed down and change held back until demands
were met, called by the Ulster Unionist and the British
Government, with that we then quickly had Stakeknife
on the scene (And there will no doubt be other such
situations coming to the fore in times ahead.) So
while then attempting to increasingly limit Sinn Fein’s
room to manoeuvre the attempts also of then sowing
those seeds of confusion and division within IRA ranks
are intensified and indeed one may say ‘progressively
developed ’ through various tactics from various
quarters.
Yet
the whole whataboutery of 'is it him, is it not?'
did the Republican movement have a good notion of
a possible identity or not? Is this to protect some
one else or not, would it be for them better even
if they knew not to let this come forth, etc etc,
while vitally important questions for many, but especially
to Republicans, I believe overshadows the fundamentals
of the bigger picture. While the massive media attention
was directed towards the Stakeknife saga I found it
interesting (putting aside the continuing activities
of the state agencies) that while many talked of the
way that Stakeknife in the past had worked outside
the bounds of our defined laws and democracy with
the knowledge and direction of the state, that we
presently are seeing the Ulster Unionist and again
the British Government working both outside the bounds
of defined laws and the now withholding of democracy.
Yet
if one tends to look at part similar situations in
a developing post-conflict situation, various state
mechanisms in some cases have been provided to air
aspects of the ‘truth’ about their specific
regional conflict. Situations where this is not available,
as I have stated before, 'elements of the truth’
will come increasingly from various quarters where
questions will first be mumbled, then increasingly
asked by growing numbers of people within their specific
conflict related organisations and louder still within
society as a whole
Yet
when I look at it all, the informers, the attempted
(and successful) mainstream media manipulation of
some, the state sanctioned murders of its own citizens,
agents etc, they are all but part characters in aspects
of state strategy in the continuing dirty war, some
pawns, others playthings, while others just manipulated.
In cases some can live others cannot, some are steered
others directed, innocents targeted, innocents murdered
- all have been done under the direction of various
wings of the state. Yet this matters little though
to the state, as all that simply matters to the state,
is the state itself. So if that means directing organisations
to kill its own citizens, if that means to go within
other nation states' jurisdictions and direct similar
then it will be done, if that is what is within the
perceived interest of the state at the time.
While
whatever wing of the state is doing this the state
will also give a veil of democracy and provide such
‘democratic process and the rule of law’
when forced to deal with such issues. Yet their agencies
and the state itself will work again in many cases
outside its own definition of the rule of law to attempt
to provide an acceptable outcome (acceptable to itself
being the priority). But if they can do it by holding
back, frustrating, tactically using laws, or finding
a few scapegoats (within that perceived ‘rule
of law’) then that would be their preferred option.
So
here we are today seeing the mindset of the dirty
war still continuing throughout many aspects of the
state and its agencies, so the ‘democracy and
rule of law’ long denied still being denied,
the right to vote once denied being denied, and an
old Unionist veto becoming a new Unionist veto. I
suppose it is with a sense of irony in which David
Trimble the Ulster Unionist leader who won the Noble
Peace Price is in effect taking away my and all other
citizen’s democratic right to vote albeit with
the aid of the British Government. For a new generation
therefore it is easy to see how hard it is to get
but equality, justice and democratic rights in this
small patch of earth. I personally have no illusions
in the state and how much they will afford or not
afford us various rights, yet when a state in effect
directs the murders of its citizens, when in a ‘democracy’
we are not being allowed the democratic right to vote,
when a Unionist veto is allowed to take precedence
over an agreed process, when the hidden agencies of
the state who long used murderous activities continue
their new agendas of old from their shadowy rooms,
many questions should and will be asked by many citizens
across society.
For
me though even though I was at my latter years in
school when the embryo of what is now called the peace
process was just developing I would have no doubt
that much of the British State's Dirty War was known
about at the top of the British establishment and
by successive governments. With that then I initially
have but one point to make in relation to the British
establishment their agencies and their allies against
change for equality and justice, which is quite simply:
is their war also, their dirty war, their filthy war,
over? And are they going to attempt to deny us still
our democratic rights? For a new generation watching
this situation unfold we know of a situation that
we are not going to go back to. There are those with
an ‘old dinosaur’ mentality whom are fighting
both tooth and nail against change and for the revisionism
of the recent conflict. Whatever their mindset, from
the sixties this recent conflict brought forward many
who stood firm against discrimination, injustice and
inequality, it is those people that a new generation
will stand with and will be inspired by, for our basic,
civil, democratic and fundamental human rights. Those
hiding in their dark rooms or those more obvious and
vocal against that change (those rights), should know
that we ain’t going back only forward, and that
change no matter how hard you dig in, no matter what
obstacles you attempt to put in the way, it’s
a coming and it’s a coming this way to our wee
patch of earth here in the North of Ireland.
Index: Current Articles + Latest News and Views + Book Reviews +
Letters + Archives
|
