One
does not have to be a genius to see that the north
of Ireland has not been blessed with political leaders
since the Statelet's inception. Firebrands and god
botherers have been a plenty, but the real curse
of the current period both at a local and, if I
can call it this, at ‘national’ level
has been longevity. Many of the same bunch who were
to the fore of northern politics at the start of
the nightmare years remain at the helm today. It
was bad enough having to watch Trimble metamorphosis
from a Vanguard bigot into a Noble Peace Prize winner
(by the way, old Alfred Noble, that prize's founder,
must down the years have laughed himself beyond
the grave to god knows where, over the absurdity
of many of those, who have whilst dripping with
innocent blood been awarded his peace gong), but
to see Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley dividing up the
spoils in the form of an European Union and British
taxpayers' Peace Bounty said to be of the value
of one billion pounds takes the biscuit. Down the
years, they have found themselves more often than
not fanning the flames whenever the opportunity
arose and in the process divided the two communities
to their own advantage. It is enough to make even
the strongest stomach wrench. The fact that these
men have survived the trials and tribulations of
the last thirty odd years, whilst many better men
and women did not, bears witness to the fact that
the God so many of the north’s people believe
in has a very nasty sense of humour.
In almost any other society, politicians that have
presided over the nightmare the north of Ireland
has experienced during the past thirty-four years
would have been long ago consigned to the dustbin
of history, as have all the British Prime Ministers
who contributed their own fair share of misery to
enhance the north’s problems. Yet far from
familiarity breeding contempt, the electorate of
the north seems to believe the reverse. No matter
how inadequate or embittered a northern politician
may be — and there are few who can match Paisley
on this — they are guaranteed re-election.
Take Adams. By most people's standards he has failed
those he has led to a startling degree. We are told
he concluded way back in the late 1980s that the
armed struggle could not be won; indeed he felt
it was worse than this, PIRA for a host of differing
reasons was all but defeated. As the uncontested
head of what he to this day still describes as the
Republican family, he failed to bluntly tell them
what he really believed.
Did
he recommend the PIRA was stood down and its weaponry
dumped, did he hell as like! He carried on as before,
carrying the coffins of the republican dead, condemning
operations that had caused civilian deaths, not
by speaking the truth that they must stop as they
cannot play any part in achieving Republican goals.
No, he said that PIRA should be more careful where
it placed its bombs or carried out its assassinations
so as to make sure no further civilian deaths occur.
He continued to speak in praise of PIRA at republican
rallies, calling it the movement’s cutting
edge, when in his own head he knew it was a very
blunt instrument that could not be re-sharpened.
After such rallies, another generation of young
people lined up to join the ranks of the Provos.
Did our great leader dissuade them, tell them of
his doubts? What type of political leader sends
his supporters into battle certain they are doomed
to failure? Is it any wonder he denies ever being
a member of the IRA? For if he did so [admit his
position] he would have some very awkward questions
to answer, not only from the British State, but
those he had responsibility for, the rank and file
volunteers. If Mr Adams had shown a tenth of the
courage of those two young volunteers Thomas Begley
and Sean Kelly, who walked into the heart of Loyalist
Shankill in the belief that they were about to destroy
the UFF leadership cadre, and planted the bomb in
Frizell’s Fish shop which had such devastating
consequences for themselves and both communities,
then he might have deserved his place at the top
table, but even back then all he could do was utter
pious platitudes. If Adams had publicly made known
his own position before this event, i.e. the war
was lost, may not volunteers like Begley and Kelly
never have left home on that and many other fateful
days?
Mr
Adams will claim he kept his thoughts to himself
until he could be assured of taking the movement
with him. Perhaps, but many may feel that ensuring
his position within an Ireland shorn of the PIRA
is a more likely reason. A great or even half decent
politician leads and if he cannot take his party/movement
in the direction he wishes to go, he resigns from
it and leaves politics or forms another political
party. Ireland's political landscape is littered
with such parties, not least the party founded by
Eamon De Valera when he broke from armed Republicanism.
If Adams had done so in the 1990s, it is almost
certain the vast majority of the political leadership
of SF, along with the volunteers of PIRA would have
followed him and thus in all probability the rump
of PIRA would have gone the same way as RIRA. That
he failed to do this speaks volumes about the man.
He would rather play with peoples lives than risk
his career.
To conclude this depressing tale, what of the future?
Well, all is not gloom for the simple reason that
we have a new generation of politicians waiting
in the wings. Few of them will see violence as a
viable option to be used to achieve their political
ambitions and one can only be heartened by this
fact. For most young Unionists, a democratic level
playing field for all the people of the north is
an accepted fact. For their Republican equivalents,
most understand their communities are far too weary
and heartsick of the armed struggle for it to be
re-invigorated within a generation and in the main
are thankful for it. They realise if Ireland is
to be reunited it must be done in an evolutionary,
not revolutionary, manner. Honest open politics,
enhanced cross community and cross border initiatives,
plus a far less adversarial style of politics, all
have a part to play. They also realise that they
can no longer look upon the ‘Republic of Ireland’
as some foreign bastard State and need to get in
there along with their southern comrades and maybe
it can become a beacon of light that eventually
may one day draw their unionist neighbours to become
their fellow citizens within it. Thus for me, the
day when this new generation takes the helm from
my own generation of failed politicians cannot come
soon enough.
