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Date Posted: Thu, Feb 15 2007, 20:56:05 PST
Author: Helen McClafferty - The Blanket
Subject: Compromise, Compromise, Compromise!
In reply to: iEasiest via www.ia-pl.org 's message, "[The Blanket]-Update" on Wed, Feb 14 2007, 12:34:31 PST


Compromise, Compromise, Compromise

Helen McClafferty • 7 February 2007

What doesn't Sinn Fein get? Is Gerry Adams and his party so starved for political acceptance among the Unionist and British government that they can't see that since the signing of the Stormont Agreement, Protestant Unionist parties have used everything in their power to block the formation of a multiparty government and the end of direct British rule? Sinn Fein has capitulated to every demand the Unionists and British government have set forth as a condition to allow them to take part in the Assembly over the past eight years and yet, at present, it is still not operational?

We have witnessed the Stormont Assembly suspended over and over and over due to unionist unhappiness on the nature of

Provisional IRA disarmament, (while the only Loyalist paramilitary organization to give up their arms is the LVF)
The bogus premise of "Stormontgate," the name given to the controversy surrounding an alleged Provisional IRA spy-ring based in Stormont
Policing
Now that all of these issues have been addressed the DUP are now back-peddling once again about engaging in power-sharing, even after the fact that Sinn Féin has now agreed to fully accept the Police Service of Northern Ireland. What Irish republicans thought was going to be the final compromise, in order to be able to kick-start the Assembly, has turned out to be nothing more than just another futile attempt by Sinn Fein to placate the Unionists and British government, thus leaving Irish republicans to eat crow once more as they took yet another step on the road to compromise — accepting a British police force.

There may be peace in the north of Ireland over the last five years, but what justice and dignity has been gained for nationalists and republicans in the north since the inception of the Stormont Agreement? From 1998 until 2007 the only compromises being made are those by Sinn Fein. While the Unionist parties continue to stand their ground and put obstacle after obstacle in the path of progress, the British government continues to support them regardless of how much Sinn Fein gives in to their every demands. How much more kowtowing can Sinn Fein do at the expense of the nationalist/republican community?

Ian Paisley is a bigot and his hatred of Roman Catholics is no secret. The DUP have repeatedly pledged to destroy the Agreement from day one. At present, Paisley and the DUP are still not satisfied with all the concessions Sinn Fein has made to date over the last eight years. He and the rest of the Unionist parties are out to destroy any vestige of Irish nationalism and republicanism left in the north of Ireland and sadly Sinn Fein is playing right into their hands. How many more concessions can Sinn Fein make without gaining any positive results from these compromises and still be able to maintain their pride, integrity and keep their republicanism in tact?

It is now time for nationalists and republicans to say "NO MORE." Tell Sinn Fein they need to stand up to the DUP and all other Unionist parties and tell them "enough is enough — no more compromises." "Power-sharing must go ahead immediately."

If Adams and party are not willing to stand up to these bigots, then it's time to elect republicans who will. If an executive is not formed on March 26, London and Dublin will immediately switch to an alternative plan in which both the British and Irish governments will together run Northern Ireland. In 1985 Great Britain signed an agreement with the Irish Republic giving the latter a consulting role. While the Catholic party (SDLP) favored the agreement, the Protestant Unionist parties used their majority in the regional Assembly to block it, resulting in the resumption of direct rule in 1985. Could this be what the DUP has in mind for March 2007 — direct rule once again?



Helen McClafferty is an Irish-American Activist in New Jersey.

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