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During
the so called Civil War in Ireland at the beginning
of the twenties of the last century those who opposed
the Anglo- Irish Treaty were called 'irregulars'.The
equivalent today - 'dissenting republicans'. So as
a response to what appears to be a darling phrase
of Martin McGuinness I present the raison detre of
our position. Which includes our reason for opposing
the Belfast Agreement. Please bear with me.
What
Patrick Pearse and his fellow republicans accomplished
in Easter Week, 1916, was momentus and truly revolutionary
because they did not say that it was their desire
to have a republic, or that they sought a republic,
they in fact proclaimed a Republic!
A
Republic proclaimed and endorsed two years later (1918)
by the overwhelming majority of the people of Ireland.For
in that general election Sinn Fein asked the Irish
people to copperfasten the Republic proclaimed in
1916 by supporting their candidates with the pledge
that with the return of a majority they would ensure
that the Republic proclaimed in Easter Week (Poblacht
na hEireann) would manifest itself to the nations
of the world.
Thus
what the result of the 1918 election in Ireland mandated
was the establishment of a National Parliament and
arising from this assembly was the expressed national
will of the Irish people i.e. the 'Declaration of
Independence' from the centuries long military and
administrative occupation by a foreign entity, namely
Britain.
The
people had spoken! In fact the nearest number of candidates
to Sinn Fein (with approximately 73 elected) were
the Irish Unionists with approximately 26 candidates
elected. But inspite of the overwhelming support by
our nation for the implementation of the principles
of the 1916 Proclamation the so-called 'mother of
democracies' rejected the will of the people of Ireland
and attacked the new 32 county Republic.
The
Republic was defended by representatives of the people
who had mandated it into existence and during this
period known as 'The War of Independence' the Irish
people suffered immensely from the forces of perhaps
the most vile and destructive colonial empire that
the world has ever seen.In fact the 'Black and Tans'
are forever etched on the national consciousness.
Now
when we look at the nineteenth century infamous Act
of Union imposed on this country by Britain and consider
the consent freely given by the Irish nation to the
Republican Parliament (Dail Eireann) established in
1919 surely that Republic warrants our allegiance.
Inspite of the fact that superior forces drove it
underground and refused to let it function. The Act
of Union, however undemocratic, had an existence in
time as had the Proclamation of The Republic and the
Declaration of Independence: the former the expression
of political skulduggery and the latter the expression
of national sovereignty.
And
it is this National Sovereignty that we as a people
today must defend against the Belfast Agreement; as
the people of an earlier generation defended the Republic
during the so called Civil War. The latter war was
a tragedy and should never have taken place. Its birth
however illustrates what can happen when a people
break ranks and abandons principle under the threat
of force of arms and the snake- like cunning of the
British establishment. The result was the so-called
Anglo Irish Treaty of the last century.
As
history records the republican delegates who attended
the Treaty negotiations were not a united body for
British threats and propaganda had ensured division
within their ranks. Thus in due course Collins and
others signed the Treaty: a treaty which was illegal
because of the aforementioned British threats and
duress but primarily from the fact that Michael Collins
and company had not the power to sign on behalf of
the Republic. For how can one person or group sign
away a Republic democratically endorsed by the great
majority of the people?
Now
it is this great expression of national sovereignty,
a reality fed by the blood of our people, that pseudo
nationalists wish to be replaced by the Belfast Agreement
As in the last century they tried to replace it with
the so called Anglo Irish Treaty. It is absurd for
anyone to try and equate the momentous happening of
the establishment of an Irish Republic with the expedient
concoction of the Treaty and the Belfast Agreement.
Of
course The Republic at present is buried beneath the
continuing British militarily and administratively
occupation. That is the presence of British military
forces in the 6 counties and the two political statelets
which they imposed to govern the island.That reality
does not invalidate however the reality of Poblacht
na hEireann which is the expressed will of the Irish
people exercised by national ballot.
No
partitionist elections or referendums invalidates
it. It still lives and in due course it will function.That
is the raison detre of Irish revolutionary republicanism.
We are revolutionary because our task is to resurrect
the Republic... what nobler or revolutionary act could
one imagine.And it does does not necessarily imply
the use of violence in pursuit of its ressurection.
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