December 1997/January 1998 Connolly Association: campaigning for a united and independent Ireland Communities Women and the Berpesford Ellis search for peace fight for political challenges process input equality (part 2) TV propaganda Page 6 Connolly Column: Page 6 Page 12 ...but there's no room for complacency, Connolly Association conference agrees elegates at this year's Annual PEACE PROCESS Conference of the Connolly Association unanimously Democrat Reporter endorsed the organisation's However, in recognition that the support for a sovereign and most likely outcome of the current united Ireland and gave their phase of the peace process was some fulOl backing to the Irish peace process. form of interim settlement short of a However it was also agreed that united Ireland, it was agreed, in the while massive improvements had been event of such a development, to stress witnessed in the commitment of the the need for the maximum devolution British government to the peace of powers on a strict power-sharing process since Labour's election in basis, the inclusion of a significant all- May, further confidence-building Ireland dimension - including all- measures were urgently needed if the Ireland institutions with executive process was not to run into difficulties. powers, and for any such settlement to Speaking at the meeting, Connolly include the capacity to develop, over Association general secretary Enda time, in the direction of a united Finlay said that there could be no Ireland. room for complacency as there were Speaking on behalf of the execu- no guarantees, and, as yet little con- tive, Connolly Association vice-presi- crete evidence, that the current talks dent Willie Wallis described the strat- would result in an agreed settlement egy outlined by the organisation's by next year's May deadline. executive as "comprehensive, princi- While accepting that the issue of pled and pragmatic". It also demon- 'consent' was likely to remain a key strated that the Association was capa- factor, delegates endorsed opposition ble of strategic thinking in the quest to any interpretation of this which for its overall objective of a sovereign incorporated a unionist veto, blocked and united Ireland, he told delegates. progress towards Irish unity or, in the Armed resistance for 30 out of the interim, prevented the attainment of last 40 years had failed to achieve this full political, economic and cultural objective, he said. It was now clear that equality for all the people of the North. only political strategy currently avail- Delegates agreed that issues which able was one based on the campaign the government needed to address as a for 'democratic rights' - a modernisa- matter of urgency included: the tion of the Connolly Association's civil release of politically motivated prison- rights approach in the 1960s, which ers; the repeal of emergency legisla- was premised on an understanding tion; the rapid demilitarisation of the that Northern Ireland was a gerry- North; root and branch reform of mandered statelet, built on the basis of policing; measures to tackle employ- a sectarian head count. ment discrimination; ensuring full "Discrimination and repression is equality of language and cultural inbuilt in the North and if we can H0lS!n rights; and the announcement of a devise a strategy which destroys this, new enquiry into the events of Bloody we eliminate the raison d'etre of that Sunday. statelet's existence," he said, stressing McAliske On the subject of prisoners, dele- the renewed possibilities for building gates unanimously agreed that the a progressive coalition in the North release of politically motivated prison- which would bring about structural ers, both republican and loyalist, was reform. essential to any attempts to resolve the "Here in Britain, we in the CA, in Anglo-Irish conflict. They were also association with others, can also build TnrYTPf] told that the Association would con- a progressive coalition to support tinue to press the British government these demands and in doing so create on all these areas and argue for it to a situation where the process of Rofsfa McAliskey: there is no case to answer adopt a position of persuading north- national reconciliation can seriously Human-rights activists (pictured above) outside the Home Office on the first anniversary of Roisfn McAliskey's ern unionists of the political and begin in Ireland for the first time in arrest. An independent investigation into the case by a group of international legal experts has concluded that economic benefits of a united Ireland. many decades." "there is no factual basis for the arrest, detention or extradition of Roisin McAliskey". Irish Democrat December 1997/January 1998 Irish Democrat December 1997/January 1998 Page 3 News IRISH Oemociuc News/CA Conference Charter for SF MPs to meet NEWS IN BRIEF Founded 1939 Volume 53, No. change 15 3 with speaker Words of praise and warning over peace process Bloody Sunday apology'delayed1 It looks increasingly likely that a British government apology or an NATIONAL RIGHTS * WIT COMMONS BAN Conference decisions announcement about a new enquiry Democrat reporter Democrat reporter •k Conference agreed the need into the events of Bloody Sunday WHITE SMOKE FROM STORMONT for a mass solidarity movement new campaign aimed at inn Fein President and MP for 1972, which resulted in the killing of What is going on at the Stormont all-party talks? Someone has in Britain to mobilise public addressing the issue of the West Belfast Gerry Adams has 14 unarmed civil rights demonstrators support for the main demands of described them as reminiscent of a Papal conclave, with lots of national rights of people living written to the Speaker of the in Derry, is still several month away the Irish national democratic people standing around outside not knowing what is happening, in the north of Ireland as pan House of Commons asking her The latest unwelcome develop- movement. The creation, on a of the peace process was for a meeting to discuss the ment, which appears to be due to pres- waiting hopefully to see a puff of white smoke from the chimney. gradual basis, of local 'Friends of launched recently in Belfast. withholding of facilities from he Connolly Association's annu- sure from within the Ministry of Ireland' groups could assist in Trimble's official unionists are simply prevaricating. The political Drawn up by representatives from hiSs party. Both Mr. Adams and fellow al conference opened with a suc- Befence over the implications for A the process, conference agreed. aim of the Ulster Unionists is to drive a wedge between Sinn Fein a wide range of political, community Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness cessful public meeting compensation claims in relation to have been asked to swear an oath of addressed by John McDonnell, this and other incidents, has been on the one hand and the SDLP and the Irish government on the and campaigning organisations in the ^Conference called on the Labour MP for Hayes and greeted with exasperation and anger North, Cearta (Charter for Change) allegiance to the British Crown as a British government to draw up a other. They are longing, avidly, for republican split and a return by Harlington and chair of the by campaigners and relatives of the hopes to secure around 100,000 signa- requirement for receiving the facilities programme for the phased early the IRA, or part of it, to violence. That would let them off the hook Britain Ireland Human Rights Centre, victims. tories in the six counties and secure accorded to other parties at the British I release of all politically and Kevin McCorry from the Belfast- This has been denied by the of having to engage meaningfully with Irish nationalism. support from key Irish community parliament in Westminster. motivated prisoners (see also figures in both the twenty six counties In his letter to Betty Boothroyd Mr based Campaign for Democracy. Northern Ireland Office and some The more official unionism can spin out the talks without get- Kevin McCorry, one of those behind page 1 & prisoners list below). and Britain. Adams described the decision to with- Praise for Labour's efforts since campaigners believe that information ting down to the brass tacks, the more pressure they hope the Charter For Change initiative "Irish people living in the North hold facilities at the House of May combined with warnings over * Conference reaffirmed its view about resitance with the MoD was Adams/McGuinness and the republicans will be under. Trimble are entitled to the same national and January 28. Speaking at the annual Commons as a radical departure from recent developments in the Irish peace of the legitimacy, in national and being leaked as part of a deliberate attempt to make it difficult for the inside and Paisley and McCartney outside them seem to have democratic rights of Irish citizenship conference of the Connolly Assoc- the previous position. He told Miss process were twin themes of the con- international law, pf Articles 2 as Irish people living elsewhere in iation, the Belfast solicitor Kevin Boothroyd: "The additional restric- tributions made by the two guest Despite Labour's partial retreat What was needed was to "re-edu- British government to issue an apolo- exactly the same political objectives - to avoid coming to any and 3 of the Irish constitution Ireland", while "all the people of the McCorry, one of those involved in tions announced by you only after our speakers at the Connolly Association's from a position in support of'unity by cate" the new Labour leadership on and warned that any unilateral gy. Others, such as the author of the accommodation with nationalist Ireland. North are entitled to full parity of drawing up the charter said: "It's an election impinge directly on our annual conference held in London on consent', at least the sentiments the question of Irish unity while attempts to change them would recent book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday, Don Mullan, believe that it is not so One response by northern nationalism might be to bring the esteem and equality of treatment", the attempt to spell out the national rights capacity to represent and work for our November 15.