Showing posts with label Assembly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Assembly. Show all posts
Note to my northern comrades
When the Assembly is having a debate on abortion, it would be a good idea to have at least one woman MLA speak.
Now for the hard part
Believe it or not, I'm not disappointed that my scepticism about Paisley's intentions currently looks as though it was misplaced. I like being able to say "I told you so" as much as anyone - but the prospect of yet another delay, yet another extension of the Single Transferable Deadline, and above all yet another concession was just too grim to gloat over. So I'm happy if I've been proven wrong ... on this count. It remains to be seen, of course, whether the DUP are going to genuinely share power, or are merely going to use theirs to hold us back.
The media are all agog with reports of this "historic day". Some of you will probably say I'm just being cynical again, but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. After all, haven't we already been here? Granted it's Paisley and McGuinness, rather than Trimble and Mallon/Durkan, at the helm and I accept all the blah-blah about Dr No finally saying "yes" but at the end of the day how much further along are we, really? I mean if you see the peace process as a vehicle to achieve a united Ireland - as the leadership and party faithful have always insisted it was - rather than merely as a conflict resolution device.
I remain of the view that we made a serious tactical error when the Assembly collapsed. Instead of telling the UUP "fair enough boys, it was your idea to begin with" we allowed ourselves to be sucked into the notion that the peace process depended on its restoration. In doing so, we handed rejectionist unionism the leverage to extract whatever it wanted from us. Now, after concession upon concession, the SF leadership has done well to convince most of the grassroots that getting the process back to where it was several years ago is "progress". We've really just come full circle, and it's still very much an open question whether the revived institutions will provide us the means to actually move forward.
The media are all agog with reports of this "historic day". Some of you will probably say I'm just being cynical again, but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. After all, haven't we already been here? Granted it's Paisley and McGuinness, rather than Trimble and Mallon/Durkan, at the helm and I accept all the blah-blah about Dr No finally saying "yes" but at the end of the day how much further along are we, really? I mean if you see the peace process as a vehicle to achieve a united Ireland - as the leadership and party faithful have always insisted it was - rather than merely as a conflict resolution device.
I remain of the view that we made a serious tactical error when the Assembly collapsed. Instead of telling the UUP "fair enough boys, it was your idea to begin with" we allowed ourselves to be sucked into the notion that the peace process depended on its restoration. In doing so, we handed rejectionist unionism the leverage to extract whatever it wanted from us. Now, after concession upon concession, the SF leadership has done well to convince most of the grassroots that getting the process back to where it was several years ago is "progress". We've really just come full circle, and it's still very much an open question whether the revived institutions will provide us the means to actually move forward.
Well, colour me surprised
Paisley has moved the goalposts again, now insisting that there will be no Executive until Sinn Féin accepts the PSNI.
No doubt the SDLP will soon be agreeing with him, followed by the Irish Government (it suits both of them better if we, rather than the DUP, are the obstructionists) and before you know it it'll be those bloody Shinners holding things up again, just as it was when the words of the GFA were mysteriously rearranged to reveal a "prerequisite" of total IRA decommissioning.
None of this is surprising. What I find disappointing, however, is how Sinn Féin are playing right into our opponents' hands by accepting the premise that Stormont actually matters.
Let's cast our memories back to 1998 and the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement. Who was pushing for a devolved government in the North? Not us. We accepted it because we had to - it was created as a sop to unionism. Now we're going around saying that the Assembly has to be restored, that it must have real powers, that the formation of an Executive is crucial. What, precisely, has changed?
A couple months ago either Adams or McGuinness, can't remember which, said something along the lines of: If we can't get a proper Assembly up and running, we may as well scrap the whole thing and focus on the implementation of the rest of the Agreement. I would agree 100% with that, but I haven't heard any of our party leadership repeat it since. Instead we're giving out about the absence of an institution which we never wanted to begin with.
Now I'm not saying that devolved government is a bad thing, in and of itself. I accept that there were and would be some benefits to it. But I completely disagree with the extent to which we have allowed its restoration to be equated with "progress". First, because I think it's largely irrelevant to our long-term goals and second, because it's the one area where the DUP actually can block progress and of course, as long as they can, they will.
How many more concessions from us is it going to take before we realise this?
No doubt the SDLP will soon be agreeing with him, followed by the Irish Government (it suits both of them better if we, rather than the DUP, are the obstructionists) and before you know it it'll be those bloody Shinners holding things up again, just as it was when the words of the GFA were mysteriously rearranged to reveal a "prerequisite" of total IRA decommissioning.
None of this is surprising. What I find disappointing, however, is how Sinn Féin are playing right into our opponents' hands by accepting the premise that Stormont actually matters.
Let's cast our memories back to 1998 and the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement. Who was pushing for a devolved government in the North? Not us. We accepted it because we had to - it was created as a sop to unionism. Now we're going around saying that the Assembly has to be restored, that it must have real powers, that the formation of an Executive is crucial. What, precisely, has changed?
A couple months ago either Adams or McGuinness, can't remember which, said something along the lines of: If we can't get a proper Assembly up and running, we may as well scrap the whole thing and focus on the implementation of the rest of the Agreement. I would agree 100% with that, but I haven't heard any of our party leadership repeat it since. Instead we're giving out about the absence of an institution which we never wanted to begin with.
Now I'm not saying that devolved government is a bad thing, in and of itself. I accept that there were and would be some benefits to it. But I completely disagree with the extent to which we have allowed its restoration to be equated with "progress". First, because I think it's largely irrelevant to our long-term goals and second, because it's the one area where the DUP actually can block progress and of course, as long as they can, they will.
How many more concessions from us is it going to take before we realise this?
Regarding Suzanne Breen's claims today about a "Stormont Spyring":
First of all it needs to be said that Breen has an agenda and a long history of peddling anti-SF propaganda. She has no credibility among republicans - and that's doubly significant in view of the fact that she's claiming one of us as her source for this article. Why would a Shinner speak to her? If I had a grievance with the party that I wanted to go public with, I wouldn't go to someone like her - not just because I can't stand her, but also because I would know most republicans don't believe anything she writes anyway.
But I'll play along. If these claims are true, they are so much further from the original allegations that they're almost laughable - and the fact that a democratically elected government could be brought down on the basis of them is appalling. There might be legitimate questions about the ethics of such activities, but for jaysus sake does anyone believe the likes of Fianna Fáil aren't up to the same thing?
Well, have a look at the following from Katie Hannon's book The Naked Politician (published in 2004):
There is one such person who is a familiar face around Leinster House. He eats in the self-service restaurant most days and can often be seen enjoying a sociable drink with his colleagues in the Visitors' Bar. And yet most people are vague about what it is he actually does. In fact he works in the Taoiseach's Department in Government Buildings where his post is officially described as that of 'researcher'. But that doesn't come close to describing the highly unusual role this young man plays in the Fianna Fáil political machine. His job involves keeping files on political rivals and media figures, for use when in election mode or in times of crisis. He reports directly to one of the Taoiseach's aides.
I am shocked. Shocked! Isn't it time that Fianna Fáil's Leinster House spyring was investigated, the government collapsed and the culprits brought to justice?
First of all it needs to be said that Breen has an agenda and a long history of peddling anti-SF propaganda. She has no credibility among republicans - and that's doubly significant in view of the fact that she's claiming one of us as her source for this article. Why would a Shinner speak to her? If I had a grievance with the party that I wanted to go public with, I wouldn't go to someone like her - not just because I can't stand her, but also because I would know most republicans don't believe anything she writes anyway.
But I'll play along. If these claims are true, they are so much further from the original allegations that they're almost laughable - and the fact that a democratically elected government could be brought down on the basis of them is appalling. There might be legitimate questions about the ethics of such activities, but for jaysus sake does anyone believe the likes of Fianna Fáil aren't up to the same thing?
Well, have a look at the following from Katie Hannon's book The Naked Politician (published in 2004):
There is one such person who is a familiar face around Leinster House. He eats in the self-service restaurant most days and can often be seen enjoying a sociable drink with his colleagues in the Visitors' Bar. And yet most people are vague about what it is he actually does. In fact he works in the Taoiseach's Department in Government Buildings where his post is officially described as that of 'researcher'. But that doesn't come close to describing the highly unusual role this young man plays in the Fianna Fáil political machine. His job involves keeping files on political rivals and media figures, for use when in election mode or in times of crisis. He reports directly to one of the Taoiseach's aides.
I am shocked. Shocked! Isn't it time that Fianna Fáil's Leinster House spyring was investigated, the government collapsed and the culprits brought to justice?
At first, I thought it was a wind-up when I read, on a blog called El Blogador, which seems to be run by one of the SDLP's ever-dwindling true believers, that the Deputy Head Stoop Eddie Espie has called for Gerry Adams to resign over the Denis Donaldson affair. In fact, I had to Google "Eddie Espie" just to make sure he was a real person! He does appear to actually be the SDLP's Vice Chair, but I haven't seen independent confirmation of this statement; El Blogador doesn't provide a link and it doesn't appear on www.sdlp.ie (where clicking on "Latest News" takes you to a statement dated the 1st in which Alex Attwood hilariously demonstrates his flexible definition of "proof"). But I will take El Blog's word for it; it's certainly daft enough for a Stoop to say.
Here is the statement in full:
"This project of super collusion happened under Gerry Adams' watch. For twenty years, Denis Donaldson, one of Adams' closest allies, has been feeding information to the British intelligence services.
"Only a few days ago, Gerry Adams was happy to appear alongside Donaldson on the steps of Stormont, presenting him as a 'victim of securocrats' and trying to tell everyone to move on from the Stormontgate affair.
“Now it transpires that Adams was singing the praises of an arch-British agent. As party leader throughout the period of Donaldson's double agency, Gerry Adams was party leader. The buck stops with him. Then only option now open is for Gerry Adams to resign.
“That is the only way in which nationalists can start to put trust in Sinn Féin again.
“Over the past few weeks, we have seen Sinn Féin/ British collusion over OTRs and super-councils which have eradicated nationalists' belief that Sinn Féin is operating in the best interests of the people of the north.
“This whole debacle is the straw that has broken the camel's back. Nationalists no longer trust Sinn Féin, and as party leader, Gerry Adams must step up to the mark and take responsibility for this.
“The SDLP will be pushing for the full facts of this whole affair to be revealed. The people of the north deserve the truth.”
Eddie, a chara, Gerry Adams will step down when and if Sinn Féin members and supporters start to lose faith in him. That has not happened and will not happen as a result of this affair. In fact, judging by the comments of SDLP supporters over on Slugger O'Toole, you guys have a lot more to worry about on that front than we do.
Here is the statement in full:
"This project of super collusion happened under Gerry Adams' watch. For twenty years, Denis Donaldson, one of Adams' closest allies, has been feeding information to the British intelligence services.
"Only a few days ago, Gerry Adams was happy to appear alongside Donaldson on the steps of Stormont, presenting him as a 'victim of securocrats' and trying to tell everyone to move on from the Stormontgate affair.
“Now it transpires that Adams was singing the praises of an arch-British agent. As party leader throughout the period of Donaldson's double agency, Gerry Adams was party leader. The buck stops with him. Then only option now open is for Gerry Adams to resign.
“That is the only way in which nationalists can start to put trust in Sinn Féin again.
“Over the past few weeks, we have seen Sinn Féin/ British collusion over OTRs and super-councils which have eradicated nationalists' belief that Sinn Féin is operating in the best interests of the people of the north.
“This whole debacle is the straw that has broken the camel's back. Nationalists no longer trust Sinn Féin, and as party leader, Gerry Adams must step up to the mark and take responsibility for this.
“The SDLP will be pushing for the full facts of this whole affair to be revealed. The people of the north deserve the truth.”
Eddie, a chara, Gerry Adams will step down when and if Sinn Féin members and supporters start to lose faith in him. That has not happened and will not happen as a result of this affair. In fact, judging by the comments of SDLP supporters over on Slugger O'Toole, you guys have a lot more to worry about on that front than we do.
Like everyone else in Sinn Féin, I'm absolutely stunned at the news about Denis Donaldson, disgusted at the man personally, and heartbroken for his family, who don't deserve to be put through this. I simply cannot understand what would drive someone to do what he did - particularly someone who had previously done so much for the cause.
Questions need to be asked about how far up in the British Government his role was known. How many of those who publicly accused the republican movement of running a spy ring knew all along that the only spy was their own? How many knew that the Assembly was being collapsed on completely false pretences?
At the moment I'm just completely disillusioned with this whole peace process malarkey. Republicans have given and given and given, we've made compromises that were unimaginable just a few years ago and we are getting absolutely fucking nothing back because fundamentally the Brits and unionists just do not want the agreement to work. At some point we are going to have to question whether it is even worth our while anymore.
Questions need to be asked about how far up in the British Government his role was known. How many of those who publicly accused the republican movement of running a spy ring knew all along that the only spy was their own? How many knew that the Assembly was being collapsed on completely false pretences?
At the moment I'm just completely disillusioned with this whole peace process malarkey. Republicans have given and given and given, we've made compromises that were unimaginable just a few years ago and we are getting absolutely fucking nothing back because fundamentally the Brits and unionists just do not want the agreement to work. At some point we are going to have to question whether it is even worth our while anymore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
