Irish Political Review, December 2007
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Dulanty's Duplicity . Ah The English Labour Hijacked Manus O'Riordan Joe Keenan Labour Comment page 16 page 9 back page IRISH POLITICAL REVIEW December 2007 Vol.22, No.12 ISSN 0790-7672 and Northern Star incorporating Workers' Weekly Vol.21 No.12 ISSN 954-5891 News From Limbo Evidence Excluded What is at issue now between the SDLP and Sinn Fein? Why is Dennis Bradley From Pearsons advising the SDLP about doing down Sinn Fein? If the SDLP recovered the ground which it lost through being gulled by David Trimble, what would it do different from Programme what Sinn Fein is doing? And if the SDLP remains an anti-Partition party, why is it so The Pearson brothers sided vehemently. opposed to increasing the presence of all-Ireland politics in the North through the expansion of Fianna Fail? with the British and A case has been made that Fianna Fail organisation in the North would upset the class- forfeited their civilian based politics that now exists there. In this argument, the SDLP is the party of the status, argues Pat Muldowney. Catholic middle class. It is not an argument that has been made by the SDLP. And in any case it is hard to see its relevance. Fianna Fail is hardly the class party of the The principal problem with RTÉ's proletariat. controversial Hidden History document- A difference between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael in the Republic in this regard is that ary broadcast on October 23rd was its the pretentious stratum of the middle class feels more at ease with Fine Gael, while the failure to mention the British Military vigorous, competent and thrusting element of the middle class,which takes a substantial Court of Enquiry in Lieu of Inquest into element of the working class under its wing, is at the heart of Fianna Fail. the deaths of the Pearson brothers, Richard Sinn Fein is becoming, socially, in the Catholic community in the North what Fianna and Abraham. Fail became in the South in the early 1930s. Is the SDLP intent on becoming what Fine This inquiry is the best single source of Gael became? hard evidence about what actually happen- ed and why it happened. But nobody who It does seem that the SDLP has become the pretentious party, though it is not clear watched the programme was given the what it is pretending to. When SDLP founder, Austin Currie, went South he joined fine slightest inkling of such an inquiry. Gael. But we cannot see that there is the same ground for pretentiousness as a party The British inquiry was held in Crinkle ideology in the North as there was in the South. The North is not a state, and not even Military Barracks, Birr, Co Offaly, on the best efforts of the SDLP and Sinn Fein combined could make it one. And the July 2nd, 1921, the second day after the electorate, within which the SDLP and SF compete, is less than half of the whole men's deaths. electorate. It took sworn evidence from doctors and eye-witnesses and the papers include It has been suggested that the SDLP should join forces with the UUP on the basis of a high-level police report stating the result middle classness, and thus constitute an Opposition within Stormont through which of the RIC investigation of the episode: "It normal politics might develop. But this would involve the disruption of the 'Constitution' is said by the C I [county inspector] Queen's which was in great part the work of the SDLP, and which was carefully designed to County that the two Pearson boys a few continued on page 2 continued on page 3 Carnival Of Reaction? war incidentally that led to a growth of To paraphrase Ms Byrne, can you imagine 40% in the area of Britain's empire. In the public outcry which would legitamtely Wearing a poppy today is not a sign that addition, many wars in which British follow were the French to start celebrating "we have grown up and finally opted to let soldiers fought and died since 1914 have their Algerian war or the Belgians their bygones be bygones". Quite the contrary been far from glamourous wars for Congo massacres? A sign sign of maturity in fact. The poppy is worn in member freedom. The poppy celebrates the Black and of letting bygones be bygones would countries of the British Commonwealth and Tan war in Ireland (1921), the be rather the abandonment by Britain of only, in remembrance of all who fought in murderous colonial campaigns in Iraq, this—yes—annual triumphalist carnival. all of Britain's wars since 1914. In recent Malaya and Kenya in the 1920s, 1950s Philip O'Connor statements by Mr Paisley and others, these and 1960s every bit as much as the poor wars have been characterised variously as Tommies of the Western Front of 1914- This reply to Andrea Byrne ("Louis's poppy fighting for freedom, the rights of small 18. No other country in Europe 'celebrates' love points to our blooming maturity", Sunday nations, democracy etc. The First World its military history in this way let alone Independent 18th November) was submitted War was not about any of these things, a glorifying their militarist colonial past. on 18th November, but did not find publication: At Sunningdale a power-sharing system C O N T E N T S was worked out between the SDLP and News From Limbo. Editorial 1 the Unionist Party under the pressure of Evidence Excluded From Pearsons Programme. Pat Muldowney 1 the London and Dublin Governments. The Carnival Of Reaction. Philip O'Connor 1 power-sharing Government was set up in Hidden History And The Pearsons. Paddy Heaney (letter) 3 January 1974 and ran until May. It fell because of the rigid Anti-Partition stance Editorial Digest (DeV In Schools; British Legion; IN & Prods; McGuinness; of the SDLP and the Dublin Government Selling Mementoes; Irish News; State Immunity?; Louise Arbour) 4 (C.C. O'Brien and G. FitzGerald in Index To Irish Political Review, 2007 5 particular). The Unionists had agreed to a Imperialism In The Soul Of The Englishman. Conor Lynch 6 Council of Ireland on the understanding Tony Blair's Resignation Speech. Report 6 that the Dublin assertion of sovereignty Ireland And The Last Crusade. Pat Walsh 9 over the North would be withdrawn. When Rudyard Kipling And The English, Ah The English. Joe Keenan (Part 1) 9 the duplicity of the Dublin Coalition on Palestine Solidarity. ICTU Motion (Report) 14 the matter was made clear in the Dublin Irish Labour And Northern Ireland. (Report) 14 Courts, a strong grass-roots Unionist Shorts from the Long Fellow (All Balls; More Balls; And Even More . .; opposition emerged. It demanded that, The Oval Ball; High Society) 15 either the setting up of the Council of Ireland should be deferred, or a Northern John Dulanty—High Commissioner For Whom? Some Realities Of election should be held. The SDLP, Betjeman, Bowen And Anglo-Irish Relations. Manus O'Riordan (Part 1) 16 supported by the Dublin Coalition, would An Irish Examiner Debate On Elizabeth Bowen. Report 21 not agree to either, and the Sunningdale Biteback (Unpublished letters: Hidden History Or Hidden Agenda? Brian system as a whole was abolished in the Murphy osb; Pearsons, The Medical Evidence, Malachi Lawless; Political face of a Unionist General Strike in May Legitimacy?, Daithi O hAilbhe; War Crime?, Jack Lane; AHS And Irish 1974. And that is essentially how matters Times, Jack Lane; Coolacrease & Irish Political Rev, E. Courtney 22,28 stood for 24 years, until the Republicans Land Grabbers? Brendan Clifford (Part 1) 24 and John Hume (rather than the SDLP) Chipping Away At Ireland's Sovereignty. Tom Cooper (report) 28 negotiated the 1998 Agreement. Labour Comment, edited by Pat Maloney: The SDLP might have taken credit for Labour Hijacked back page Hume's achievement and flourished under Unity On The Left by John Ryan page 30 the GFA system, if it had not lost its bearings and fallen into illusion during prevent the emergence of that kind of "men of violence". those 24 years. But, without Hume to politics by providing that every party of In 1971 Brian Faulkner's Unionist make it do things in accordance with its any consequence should have a place in Government offered the SDLP a position real mandate, it no longer knew what to Government. of some influence in the old constitutional do. It was given the run-around by Trimble system. Agreeing to it would have set the for two years, and then, when he allowed There was within the Unionist SDLP on an independent course. Taken government to begin, it acted as if it was community a social basis for the rise of a by surprise in the remoteness of Stormont, taking part in an authentic democracy. popular party against the hegemony within Gerry Fitt agreed to take up the offer, and Now that it has been pushed to the the Unionist community of "the fur coat spoke of "Faulkner's finest hour". Then margins by Sinn Fein—with its better brigade". It kept trying to happen right he made the long journey back from the understanding of constitutional affairs— from the start, and eventually it did happen. Parliament building to the busy civilisation it is trying to subvert the system negotiated There was not the same social basis in the of West Belfast, and realised that it was in 1998 by undertaking the role of an Nationalist community for the rise of a No Go for an independent course of action Opposition jointly with the marginalised working class party against the SDLP.