A Journal of Protest and Dissent VOL.I • No. I • 50p Winter 2002. IN THIS ISSUE • Republicanism in Crisis . 1 IRISH REPUBLICANISM • The Cracks in the “PNF”. 1 New Phase of the Struggle or Strategic Failure? • A Journal of Dissent . 2 by Liam O’Ruairc • At the Foot of the Mountain enters into coalition government dissent and resistance are now Brendan Hughes . 2 rish Republicanism is in crisis. in the South. Far from subverting being part of the problem and the The British presence is still those institutions, the participa- status quo against which they pro- • Author’s Choice: Rogelio Alonso I there, the Unionists are still tion of the Provisional Movement tested is traumatic and difficult to A Just War? . 3 ruling the place, all this for the makes them effectively administer get over for many. Contemporary foreseeable future. The fact that British rule and implement neo- Irish Republicanism is at present • Interview: Marian Price . 4 Irish Republicanism has not been liberal policies such as closing deeply divided; there are no fewer able to realise its aims and has hospitals, promoting PFI in the than four IRAs and two Sinn • Books: Soul Wars . 6 suffered a massive defeat is at field of education, etc. Had the Feins. Those divisions show a • Books: Anthologies Package the root of this present crisis. Provisional Movement retained clear crisis as to what the way What has greatly aggravated it any sense of Republican prin- ahead is. There is a crisis of lead- our Literary Past . 8 is the fact that Provisional Irish ciples, it would have gone into ership and a strategic uncertainty. • Unionism and Republicanism has effectively opposition instead of taking up A current able to regenerate Irish integrated the institutions that ministerial posts. Rhetoric of the Republicanism is not yet hege- Decommissioning . 9 it once tried to destroy. In the Provisional movement set aside, monic and is not presently capa- • Turkish Hunger Strike North, Sinn Féin ministers are Republicanism has de facto trans- ble of transforming itself into a Report . 11 sitting in Stormont, and it is a formed itself into its opposite. significant political force. matter of time before the party The fact that people that once led The relevance and future of • Taking Sides in the Irish Republicanism is also threat- War on Modernity . 12 ened by objective factors. The THE REAL REPUBLICAN PARTY 26-County state is the legitimate • Authors . 12 Pan–Nationalist Cohesion is Weakened Irish Republic in the eyes of the vast majority of its citizens, and in by Tommy Gorman the North an agreement far short he cracks already evident in the “Pan Nationalist Front” should, of a United Ireland free of British by the time the next Dáil elections come around, be of Grand control has the support of the T Canyon dimensions. The existing, relatively minor, differences greater number of the Nationalist revolve around the timing of the total surrender of IRA weaponry. The real population. Both the “Free State” crunch will arrive when two of the elements of the “front” hit the hustings and British Rule have relatively vying for the republican vote. succeeded in making themselves acceptable. The worst effects of Since their metamorphosis from physical force nationalism to constitu- the national question have been tional conservatism Fianna Fail have insisted, despite mountains of evi- deflected. Combined with the dence to the contrary, that they are “The Republican Party.” They have and ability of the British and Southern will continue to use this addendum on all of their election material. states to address people’s dis- Having come in from the political fringes, jettisoning all revolution- content through economic and c social reforms, this has severely ary republican principles on the way, Sinn Féin too will be proclaim- ing themselves to be “The Republican Party” or even the “Real undercut Irish Republicanism’s Republican Party.” potential to develop. However, this presupposes that it is always War has already been declared and we can already see a curious symmetry possible for reforms to succeed, You cannot put a in the respective battle-lines and tactics of these former bedfellows. which is highly unlikely. Also, the rope around the Some weeks ago there was a “National Day” of commemoration in level of integration of the people Dublin for the 10 men who died in the H Blocks in 1981. We were led by the State is never absolute, neck of an idea. to believe that this parade was the result of a spontaneous demand but relative and situations are amongst the masses to give due recognition to these ten brave men. But not static but dynamic. Those —Bobby Sands spontaneity needs a bit of a nudge here and there and the usual Sinn Féin two factors indicate that this situ- heads were at hand to make sure it all went Continued on page 8 ation might Continued on page 11 TheBlanket 1.7 1 12/14/01, 3:22 AM Under the Foot of the Mountain EDITOR’S BOX into Cape Town on a merchant by Brendan Hughes ship. The imposing table top had a walk down the Gros- mountain towering above – venor Road yesterday to see beautiful sight. A sight that cried I my sister, to the place I was out for you to come up and see. born, to the place my father That is, until you step off the This is a journal of protest and dissent coming brought up six children on his ship and witness the ugly feet from the Irish Republican tradition. This might seem problem- own, to a place I spent almost of this mountain. The poor, the atic. Protest and dissent existed long before people called four years on the run, a place hungry, the poverty this great themselves Irish Republicans, and many people around the where we fought the B Spe- beauty hides. world can dissent without being at the same time Irish cials, RUC, , British Army, Before leaving the ship we are Republicans. History has also shown that on a number of British Intelligence, and under- told to stay away from the shan- occasions Irish Republicans have crushed dissent and protest cover killers. A place where poor tytowns, and especially stay away inside and outside their ranks, and that the ideology has people left their front and back from ‘District 6’ as I’m sure been used to legitimise conservative and oppressive struc- doors open. A place where you many visitors to our Europa tures of power. To the first objection, it can be replied that had to get to know every yard are told when they arrive in in the Irish context, it is very difficult to think and develop wall in the event of a Brit army Belfast. Of course many things protest and dissent if one ignores the Republican tradition. raid. A place where we had great have changed in South Africa, The second argument passes over the issue of whether, in hopes of our Republic. many things have changed in spite of the occasions where Republicans have crushed pro- But it had all changed. I saw the North. But have they? test and dissent, does the tradition still have any progressive nice new houses. No more yard Yes, for some! But for the major- potential left. The baby shouldn’t be thrown out with the walls; one way ity of people, bath water. The ideas of Irish Republicanism have been able in and one way poor people, not just to survive, but to develop over the last two centuries THE BIGGEST out. Most of the “ here and in in Ireland, precisely because they could critically address old people who South Africa, the major problems faced by the Irish people at different ROGUE EM- had fed and nothing much periods in time. It is within Irish Republicanism that the forces looked after us, has changed. of dissent and protest have found the necessary intellectual PLOYERS ARE gone, dead and We still have resources to criticise the practices and discourses of powers buried. The old the rogue em- responsible for the problems they faced. This journal believes THE PEOPLE people’s home ployer, maybe that those ideas contained within Irish Republicanism will knocked down, a different continue to grow and are still relevant for 21st century Ireland, TASKED WITH leaving a wide colour, maybe because the problems they address haven’t yet been resolved; open space, a different reli- and as the ideals of Irish Republicanism are still waiting to GOVERNING being prepared gion. We are be realised. Until that day, Republicanism remains the unsur- for the next allowed to passable horizon of our time. However, this journal is also US. rogue builder ” c l i m b t h e very conscious that Irish Republicanism is at present facing to come in and mountain but a serious crisis. To attempt to solve this crisis, this journal build some cheap houses for the few can afford to do so. Few intends to regenerate what is best in the Irish Republican poor people of this area. But people living under the shadow tradition. We believe that what is most valid in it could be what struck me was the view the of the Europa can afford to summarised as the “three Ds:” defiance, defence and dissent. place had left for us to see and spend one night in its belly. Any society needs dissent from the structures of power, wonder at. Towering above the defence against the structures of power, and to defy the We spend billions of pounds small and neat houses, like two structures of power.