Repeating History 2
Last week I asked whether anyone really believes shooting off duty police officers could play a part in creating a better future. In Dungannon last night there was more evidence that a few unreconstructed republicans think it does.
Martin McGuinness describes the Real IRA as a "totally unrepresentative micro group". Gerry Adams says they have spurned his offer of talks to explain the political alternative to violence. The Sinn Fein President didn't give much detail about his overtures to the dissidents other than to say that he wouldn't make such a public offer without accompanying it with other work behind the scenes. At his speech to the Edentubber commemoration in County Louth this weekend, Mr Adams claimed the dissident groups "have no strategy, no programmes, no popular support and no real capacity – militarily or otherwise."
A visit to the 32 County Sovereignty Movement's website shows that their supporters don't think much of what the Sinn Fein politicians have to say. One commenter on the 32CSM forum responds to the Deputy First Minister telling dissidents to "grow up" by insisting that "he and his brand of British politics are totally disconnected from the section of the people of Derry who have not bought into the provisional lies." Another commenter cheers on those who tried to murder the police officer dropping off his children at a school in the city.
Whilst Sinn Fein call on anyone with information to assist the police the Real IRA says people should not be "taken in by self-serving politicians who are calling for collaboration with the Crown forces and acting as recruiting sergeants for these organisations". It goes on to say those who supply information will be treated as informers - a clear death threat.
It seems hard to imagine that we are going to be plunged into widespread violence again, but as both republican and loyalist splinter groups have demonstrated in the past you don't need any great level of popular support to be able to mount a few potentially lethal attacks. Gerry Adams says that unionist talk about "crushing" the dissidents isn't constructive, but it looks like his politicial initiative isn't, at this stage, showing much sign of promise either.
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If we want to face facts, then everyone has accept was and is certain had Unionist politicians got what they have been demanding (the total disbandment of the IRA and the Army Council) and that is the capacity of the dissidents will have increased.
Sinn Fein and the IRA were always going to lose members during this delicate phase of change.
What is crucially important, is that those people are given the time, space and encouragement from within their own structures or community, to come to terms with or to 'get their heads around' the process of change that is happening/happened.
And it doesnt have to be as much time and space the Unionist politicians have always afforded drug dea...sorry loyalist 'paramilitaries'..
Had the Unionist politicians got their way and the IRA was dispanded in its entirety, then that process of change, rightly or wrongly would have been too ferocious for more than has been the case, and more people would have become disaffected.
If that hapopened, the Dissidents would have been on recruitment overdrive, and where not, at least to gain their support.
Thankfully their numbers, capacity and support is minimal. Everything Gerry Adams has said about dissidents is accurate. If anyone disagrees with that, then could they please offer an explaination as to how shooting 2 PSNI officers would bring Irish Unity any closer????
Thankfully that didnt and hasnt happened in the numbers you can only presume Unionist politicians knew would have happened had they got their wish(!?) They are all educated people and it doesnt take a genious to come to the conclusion that the above would/could have been reality.
Or does that open up too big a can of worms.....
Danny P,
Your post is well presented and I agree with the main point, but can I just point out that the killing of 303 police officers and the wounding of 9000 didn't bring a united Ireland any closer than the wounding of 2.