anIssue 5 Jul-Sept 2019 £2.50/€3.00 spréachIndependent non-profit Socialist Republican magazine THE HUNGERSTRIKES PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN OUR HISTORY Where’s the Pleasure? Examining Sexual Morality Under Capitalism An EU Immigrant The Craigavon 2 More Than A I’m Irish and Pro- A Miscarriage of Beautiful Game Leave Justice Soccer and Politics DIGITAL BACK ISSUES of anspréach Magazine are available for download via our website. Just visit www.anspreach.org ____ Dear reader, An Spréach is an independent Socialist Republican magazine formed by a collective of political activists across Ireland. It aims to bring you, the read- er, a broad swathe of opinion from within the Irish Socialist Republican political sphere, including, but not exclusive to, the fight for national liberation and socialism in Ireland and internationally. The views expressed herein, do not necesserily represent the publication and are purely those of the author. We welcome contributions from all political activists, including opinion pieces, letters, historical analyses and other relevant material. The editor reserves the right to exclude or omit any articles that may be deemed defamatory or abusive. Full and real names must be provided, even in instances where a pseudonym is used, including contact details. Please bear in mind that you may be asked to shorten material if necessary, and where we may be required to edit a piece to fit within these pages, all efforts will be made to retain its balance and opinion, without bias. An Spréach is a not-for-profit magazine which only aims to fund its running costs, including print and associated platforms. ____ Is iris poblachtach sóisialta í An Spréach curtha le chéile ag roinnt gníomhaithe polaitiúla. An aidhm atá leis ná tuilleadh léargais agus dearcthaí ón phobal poblachtach sóisialta a chur i do láthair mar léitheoir, ábhar nach mbaineann amháin leis an troid shaortha shóisialta náisiúnta in Éirinn agus idirnáisiúnta. Ní hionann na dearcaidh luaite anseo agus dearcadh an fhoilseacháin ach is iad dearcaidh de chuid an údair iad. Cuirfear fáilte roimh gach gníomhaí polaitiúil ábhar a chur ar fáil, ailt tuairimíochta, litreacha, anailís stairiúil agus gach aon ábhar cuí san áireamh. Tá sé de cheart ag an eagarthóir alt clúmhillteach nó ionsaitheach a fhágáil ar lár. Caithfear ainmneacha iomlána agus fíor ainmneacha a bheith ar fáil, go fiú nuair a úsáidtear ainm cleite, sonraí teagmhála ábhartha san áireamh. Ná déantar dearmad, tá seans ann go n-iarrfar ort eagar a chur ar do shaothar sa dóigh is go bhféadaimis an spás leathanaigh a líonadh mar is ceart. Tá seans ann ar a bharr sin go ndéanfar coiriú ar phíosa le seo a eascú ach déanfar achan iarrachta an cothromas agus dearcaidh an phíosa sin a thabhairt, gan claonadh. Is iris neamhbhrabúis í An Spréach a sholáthraíonn airgead maidir le costais reatha amháin, costais clódóireachta agus tairsí atá bainteach léi. TEAGMHÁIL CONTACT ____ Ríomhpoist / Email: [email protected] ____ Suíomh gréasáin / Web anspreach.org ____ Facebook /anspreach ____ Twitter @anspreachmedia CLÁR CONTENTS p2 Brighton The Bomb that Shook an Empire p3 More Than a Beautiful Game Are Soccer and Politics SCRÍBHNEOIRÍ CONTRIBUTORS Inseparable? ____ p4 Where’s the Pleasure? Examining Sexual Morality Under Aindriú Mac Ruaidhrí ____ Capitalism Mariah Donnelly p6 I’m an EU Immigrant I’m Irish and Pro-Leave ____ p7 Before the War Drawing Comparisons with Post-Conflict Ireland Seán Shirley-Smith p8 Irish Republican Abstentionism A Very Short History ____ p10 Combating Climate Change A Truly Green Movement is the Éamonn Ó Cleirigh Deepest Shade of Red ____ Dieter Reinisch p15 The Craigavon 2 A Modern Day Miscarriage of Justice ____ p16 50 The fifth in our series chronicling 5 decades of history David Swanson p17 Notes for Revolutionaries ____ p18 The Hungerstrikes Pivotal Moments in Irish History John-Paul Wootton p19 A Letter to the 22 You Have Not Gone Away, You Never Will ____ p20 Abstentionism The Lifeblood of Irish Republicanism Pádraic Mac Coitir ____ p22 Electoralism Its Growth and Limitations Colum Mac Giolla Bhéin p24 No Hope on Hope Street Immigration Detention in Larne ____ p25 In the Belly of the Beast The St Patricks Battalion & Anti- Peter A. Rogers Imperialism ____ Breandán Ó Conchubhair ____ FEATURE Aylisha Hogan ____ REPUBLICANISM WAS AT ITS STRONGEST IN Christian Noakes GENERATIONS“ AND IN MY OPINION IT WAS THE CLOSEST WE GOT TO ACHIEVING A SOCIALIST EAGARTHÓIR EDITOR REPUBLIC. ____ p18 The Hungerstrikes Ciarán Ó Briain Pivotal Moments in History 1 984 was a year that saw Berry, Deputy Chief Whip for the the British Conservative Conservative Party. Amongst the injured were several notable figures government, led by “WE ONLY 1 including Conservative politician Sir Margaret Thatcher, step up Walter Clegg who’s bedroom was its war in Ireland. Britains directly above the blast, and Baron counter-gangs, the paramil- Norman Tebbitt, then a member HAVE TO BE of the Conservative governments itary organisations of the Cabinet, and who, when asked by Ulster Defence Association hospital staff in the immediate and the Ulster Volunteer aftermath of the incident if he LUCKY ONCE” had any allergies, is said to have Force, continued their cam- Brighton - the bomb that paign of sectarian murder replied, “yes, bombs.” and blood-letting, whilst paid Thatcher went on the say that the perjurers were used to round attack was “an attempt to cripple shook an Empire. up Irish citizens in what Her Majesty’s democratically can only be described as elected Government”. internment. The IRA’s response was forthright: It was also a year in which the IRA “Mrs. Thatcher will now realise that were to respond in kind. Britain cannot occupy our country and torture our prisoners and shoot At approximately 2:54 am on 12 our people in their own streets and October, as the top tier of the British get away with it. Today we were government settled into their unlucky, but remember we only beds in Brightons ‘Grand Hotel’, have to be lucky once. You will have a long-delay timer attached to a to be lucky always. 20lb gelignite bomb developed by the IRA’s engineering department, Give Ireland peace and there will be initiated. no more war.” Understood to be hidden inside Republican ex-Prisoner Patrick Ma- the frame of a bath within room gee, who served a sentence for his 629 in the weeks previous to the role in the IRA Active Service Unit Conservative party conference, who conducted the operation, and the device was positioned just oftentimes referred to by the media five floors above where the British as ‘The Brighton Bomber’, said that Prime Minister would be settling the British Government’s strategy down and preparing for her next at the time was to depict the IRA as days work. As Thatcher rehearsed a mere criminals, and to contain the speech she had planned, the blast war to the Six Counties. took hold. “As long as the war was kept in Tearing through the framework of that context”, he said, “ they could the old Victorian building, five tons sustain the years of attrition. But of brickwork in the form of an old in the early 1980s we succeeded chimney stack, fell from the height in destroying both strategies. The of the structure, down through hunger strike destroyed the notion each floor and into the basement. of criminalisation and the Brighton Amidst the smoke, dust and debris, bombing destroyed the notion a massive gaping hole gave view of containment. After Brighton, to the internals of the Grand Hotel, anything was possible and the which were now exposed to the British for the first time began to dark Brighton sky. look very differently at us; even the IRA itself, I believe, began to fully ‘They Missed Her By Two Minutes’, accept the priority of the campaign cried the headlines as it became in England.” • clear that the IRA had almost wiped out many members of the British Cabinet, including Thatcher herself. The blast severely damaged part of Thatchers hotel suite which she was in at the time, though she and her husband escaped and were led out through the wreckage to safety. Five people died in the blast, including Tory MP Sir Anthony 2 ince the formation fascist cop units onto the streets, group quickly fell apart and a of football there has they arrested several high-rank- splinter group was formed, The ing Catalan officials, they seized Democratic Football Lads Alliance been a raging, con- S millions of voting slips and they (DFLA). In 2018 around 6,000 peo- MORE tinuous argument: Should beat Catalan supporters. ple marched through London at a politics be kept separate DFLA march, outnumbering Antifa from football? Barcelona responded with a by around twenty to one. Spotted statement that not only con- in the crowd were members of THAN A Some would argue that the demned the acts of the fascist the Ulster Defence Association political reality can involve government but more importantly (UDA), the Racial Volunteer Force, it thrust its weight behind the Combat 18, EDL and Generation offence, division and some- BEAUTIFUL Catalan movement: Identity. times even violence, it’s important that politics must “FC Barcelona, in remaining The event was billed as a day of be distinguished from the faithful to its historic commitment free speech however this was not the case. The group incited racial GAME game. However football, and to the defence of the nation, to democracy, to freedom of speech, hatred, Islamophobia and facsist sport in general, has helped and to self-determination, con- slogans. In response to these By Aindriú to change the political demns any act that may impede events the Football Lads & Lasses landscape of their day by the free exercise of these rights.