I
have had a premonition. I know what is going to
happen in Leeds Castle. Usual suspects, gather to
dance around one and other, side step, forward,
back, swing that partner round. They won't be wearing
cowboy boots or jangling spurs, no, it is more than
a premonition. I know what is going to happen in
Leeds Castle.
For
ten years now the Provisional Sinn Fein party have
been standing with its hands up, but yet will not
speak the the words, "We surrender". Not
this time, not in the leafy ambience of Leeds Castle.
I
know that we are all bored up to our oxters with
the pretence, their dalliance, their constant refusal
to accept what they signed up to. They agreed Partition,
they agreed "Northern Ireland", a British
State; they agreed to settle for fair play within
that British State, they agreed equality, they have
been 'elected' to the Assembly in "Northern
Ireland", so what is their problem?
They
either participate or they don't. If they don't
then they insult the people they are supposed to
represent, the Nationalist people of that "Northern
Ireland" who only wanted a fair crack of the
whip. A house, a job, equal rights within that State.
A vague yearning for a United Ireland somewhere
towards the end of the list of necessities.
Now,
in the early 80s, I and many Republicans were told
that by standing for election we would 'shut up'
our opponents who said we had no mandate for the
"Armed Struggle". That meant that we had
to get a mandate. I went about in a car calling
on people to, "Vote Sinn Fein, vote Gerry Adams".
Well,
it was just to show our mandate for armed struggle,
to rid Ireland of the British presence and to move
forward to the United Ireland we were dedicated
to, fought for, died for, and we lucky others spent
some years in prison for.
I
ferried people from polling station to polling station:
'vote early vote often'. It was a slick operation
and the red haired guy in the wheel-chair had voted
three times in the same polling station before the
RUC arrested him for personation. We only wanted
a mandate, not democracy.
Gerry
Adams is recorded as saying, "Republicans need
to be prepared to remove the issue of the IRA and
of IRA arms as an excuse for Unionists to block
political progress in the 'Six Counties'."
(An Phoblacht/Republican News, 12 August
2004) Gerry, as you have recognised, there is no
such State as the 'Six Counties', there is only
"Northern Ireland", United Kingdom, Britain,
British Colony, Empire. Need I go on? Get honest,
get real Gerry.
My
translation of what Gerry Adams is saying, and saying
gently so as not to panic the grass-roots is, "They
will go away, you know." And they will. The
IRA will disband (as the Provisional military wing),
the guns will be sealed in concrete and that phase
will be over. A few will get the political jobs,
others will get satisfactory jobs (community work
and the like), some will get shops to run, taxis
to drive, a racket here, a scam there. It is the
way of the world.
But
not yet, not at Leeds Castle. There is still pretending
to be done. Pretending that you have any say in
the matter while Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern compose
the statement they want you to make.
Congratulations,
Dr. Paisley, Robinson and Co. You got what you
wanted, Stormont back, "Northern Ireland"
secure and the Fenians in their place.
Not
this Fenian and a good few besides. We don't recognise
the "Northern" state, never have, never
will.
It
will take time to recover from the mugging we got
in the dark alley the Provisional leadership led
us up. It has always been so. I remember in prison
painting on hankies, "it is always darkest
before the dawn". I can't see clearly before
myself. I will wait until the fog lifts. Others
will move on, settle into their new improved lives,
but nothing tumultuous will have changed on our
Island. Except for a few thousand dead, comrades
killed or dead after the torture of long starvation,
thousands of years in prison between us and all for
what? Another pit-stop at Leeds Castle?
Gerry,
Martin, Gerry, etc, etc, take a lesson from Gary
Gilmore, get on with it. Complete the sell-out now
and give our heads peace!
