INTERNATIONAL
The recent attempt on Sinn SINN FEIN Fein President Gerry Adams' life highlights the importance and effective ness of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland. Apart from successes in Belfast t would be fitting and appropriate murders, or show trial and hired for me to take this opportunity to perjurer strategies, or the victims of and Derry, Sinn Fein has / make a few personal observations shoot-to-kill policies, are the victims of polled well In local regarding my election as president of a decadent social and economic elections In 26 counties. Sinn Fein. system which is glared nol in Irish When I heard of Ruari's (Ruari interests but in the interests of foreign Here, ALR publishes O'Bradaigh) reluctance tostanr) for re and native capitalists or in the military extracts from Gerry election, and when my associates and strategic interests of a British Adams' address to the commenced lobbying me to stand for government and its super-power allies. Sinn Fein Annual Confer the leadership position, i( will come as I would like to take tms opportunity no surprise lo many of you to learn that to apoeal to those Protestant people in ence. I was extremely reluctant to let my the six counties who have justifiable if name go forward My reluctance does misguided, fears about their future in not stem from any false sense of an independent Ireland. modesty, bul from what I believe are I know the leaders of ioyalism will practical problems coupled with some dismiss my appeal, as will even the personal observations. I already have a leaders of the SDLP but nonetneless I heavy workload and 'eel that the leader direct a sincere appeal to working- of this party, at its present stage of class Protestant people who have been development, needs to be able to give Oadly served and misled by these same the many tasks facing us, his or her leaders over tne years. undivided attention. The emphasis We seek the unity of all our people in needs to be upon the 26 counties and an independent Irish democracy thus I would have a preference for a shaped by all its citizens to fulfil their leader who was based in this area. needs. We, as republicans, have a My election as president has. as is lo decided preference that this society be expected, led to media speculation should be a democratic socialist of a 'Northern taKeover’ or domination republic, but we accept that, in a post- of Sinn Fein, and to quiet little rumours British withdrawal situation with Irish that I am about to lead you into democracy restored, we will be bound Leinster House. My election means by the democratic wishes of the Irish neither of these things There is, of people. course, as is natural given the nature of Political Protestantism is based our struggle until now, a predomin partly on the fear that Irish Home Rule ance of Sinn Fein people from the six is Rome Rule . Protestants need to be counties in the ouDlic eye, but we are reminded that the Catholic Hierarchy not a Northern nor a Southern party. has seen fit to attack Sinn Fern more We are an Irish republican party often this past year than it has ever organised throughout Ireland, and we attacked rabid anti-Cath ol ic are the only party with a membership in demagogues such as Ian Paisley. all thirty-two counties. Republicans do not seek a sectarian We have broadened our struggle, state. On the contrary, we seek a and we must continue to broaden it so secular, or at least a pluralist, society. that our Darty can become the focal We in Sinn Fein remember with pride point for all those who suffer under that our republicanism grew from the British rule. That suffering is not separatist roots of the mainly restricted to the victims of direct Presbyterian United Irishmen. They Gerry Adams British military involvement. Linked are as much your heritage as ours, and with the victims of plastic bullet much more our common legacy than
10 ALR A utu m n 1984 / v
f the Siege of Derry, or the Battle of the ■ M M hat hope then have the people r . Boyne. We have aespite the imposed M ru g of the twenty-six counties divisions, tragedy and suffering of the " W who are faced with Tweedle last 60 years, more to unite us than to dum and Tweedledee parties as divide us alternative governments? Even as unemployment continues to he twenty-six county state, Lite In Northern Ireland Is a constant creep up, and even as public spending partitioned to suit British state of war. is throttled to the tune of 500 million T interest? for all its such chaos that it not only cannot feed pounds, the political preachers of constitutional declarations, failed to itself but hap potatoes as one of the financial oelt-tightening and establish an ability to act largest Irish food imports. monetarist rectitude cynically independently in the interests of its How far have we come in this so- awarded themselves salary increases people. called independent state? Not even a of 19 percent to cushion their already- The centrality of partition to the potato republic! cushioned and luxuriously pampered maintenance of that evil social and The social system which exists lives. econom ic system Is not a>one amidst all of this is one which has as its At the same time, worxers at highlighted by constant republ.can values the alien values of capitalism. Clondalkin Paper Mills are thrown out rhetoric. Figures recently released by So the 196,309 official jobless, up of jobs cheated by false promises and the Dublin Forum estimate the cost to again this montn by 3,070, are not forced to take the terrible and ultimate the Free State of maintaining partition allowed to get to worK building homes form of protesl — the hunger strike. over the last 14 years to be £2,30u or hospitals or providing education or Workers such as those at Ranks million. How much in the same period supplying health services but must doggedly attempt to stem the tide of was spent in attempting to end stand idle in the dolp queues whilst one redundancy, and vital centres of work partition? third of the population lives below the around the twenty-six counties, like In the economic area the Free State poverty level in need of all these basic Dunlop's in Cork or the Snia factory in also lacKS the will to pursue an social rights and plagued by such Sligo, close with immeasurable independent course. Having thrown symptoms of that poverty as drug aamage to local communities, but with itself open to the multinationals with abuse and vandalism. hardly a shrug from those responsible. the most abject pleas and attractions of Also in the social context, useless Furthermore, I believe we should fiscal allurements, the Free State Victorian notions imported and also be mindful of Connolly's clear entered the EEC on the coat-tails of accepted a century ago as economic understanding of the need for Britain. The people of the Free State and social controls of the sueject republicans, socialists and progressive are now reaping the whirlwind. The nation remain enshrined in nationalists to find unity on democratic multinationals have followed a conservative confessional brain republican demands. We must be predictable pattern, using up their washing which inhibits the natural mindfui ol the aangers of ultra-leftism benefits, pillaging natural resources, spirit of the Irish people. and remember ai all times that while and then culling out for pastures new, The disenslavement of women, the our struggle has a major social and leaving jobless and demoralised right to family planning and economic content, the securing of communities behind them, contraception, the question of divorce Irish independence is a prerequisite for Agriculture, which was to be the and marital breakdown, the invidious the advance to a socialist republic golden miracle of EEC entry, has social distinctions which surround the society. foundered. Money may have gone in question of illegitimacy, one-parent large quantities into the pockets of the families and so on, are questions which few hundred big ranchers, but the we should be mature enough as a twenty-six couniies is not allowed the people to decide and settle for independence to process its own food ourselves without fear of croziers in a so-called agricultural state. It has waving in the background and without Gerry Adams is president of Sinn so little control over its own economic pretending that suchrproblems cannot Fein. destiny that its farming sector is in exist in Ireland.
Australian Left Review 87 11