In 1981, Bobby Sands and the other nine hunger-strikers exposed the sycophantic journalists and commentators in the south of Ireland for what they were – pro-imperialist propagandists. The men who died on hunger-strike in 1981 exposed the lies being propagated by the pro-British propagandists. By their amazing sacrifice they showed the world how corrupt this little artificial state was and how it needed to be dismantled if there was every going to be any chance of lasting peace. They showed why the rights of the nationalist people in the 6 county statelet needed to be guaranteed in international law. The deaths of the ten republicans on hunger-strike was the beginning of the end for the Unionist/Orange state of ‘Northern Ireland’. There began a revival in support for republicanism and an increasing success at the polls for Sinn Fein in the north and in the south of Ireland. That support continues to grow steadily.
The Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was a compromise agreement by the leaders of Republicanism and Nationalism to avoid further bloodshed and to create a framework for resolving the conflict by peaceful political means. The Unionists were persuaded by their British overlords and public opinion to accept this arrangement. The British had concluded that they were involved in a war they could not win. Compromise had to be reached and a settlement acceptable to the vast majority of Irish republicans had to be achieved.
If you grew up in any of the six north-eastern counties( as I did) you would abhor the intransigence of hard-line Unionists and their ‘not an inch’ mentality during the 50 years of one party rule from Stormont. There are still many Unionists who still hold the ‘not an inch’ attitude but their power has been greatly reduced. In 2009 the majority of Unionists were persuaded by the then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Reverend Ian Paisley, to share power with republicans and nationalists. When Ian Paisley joined Martin McGuinness in government in the six counties the writing was on the wall for the old kind of ‘not an inch’ unionism – still represented by the likes of Jim Allister and his Traditional Unionist Voice(TUV). The majority, some grudgingly, accepted that only if and when they agreed to share power with republicans and nationalists could there be any hope of a peaceful future and economic stability in this part of Ireland which is still being subsidised by the UK government in Westminster.
For progressive republicans and nationalists it is the way to secure the reunification of Ireland. In the meantime we will need the people and politicians in the south to become a bit more enlightened and a lot more generous. The London and Dublin governments must become persuaders of the unionists that peaceful reunification is the best option for all the people of this island. If the unionists could be persuaded to join Sinn Fein in a power-sharing government, surely they can be persuaded that their best interests lie in a reunited Ireland of equals.
Jo, I went to the Thomas McElwee commemoration in Bellaghy on Sunday last where I heard one of the best speeches ever concerning the hunger strike.It was delivered by Danny Morrison and gave a brilliant insight into the H block struggle and the heroism of Thomas and his colleagues.
“Jo, I went to the Thomas McElwee commemoration in Bellaghy on Sunday last where I heard one of the best speeches ever concerning the hunger strike.It was delivered by Danny Morrison and gave a brilliant insight into the H block struggle and the heroism of Thomas and his colleagues.”
Shame on you. There’s nothing heroic about being a sectarian killer.
Michael C
What’s your view of the picture of the Hunger Strike as written about by Richard O’Rawe?
You are absolutely right Joe.
I personally did not agree with it at the time, I still think the change to articles 2 and 3 was a grave mistake, but as you say, compromise was needed to stop the violence. But Unionism did not compromise for the good friday agreement, it was imposed upon them and a good few of them even voted against it which was basically voting for conflict.
The majority of unionism still hangs on to this not an inch mentality today. I promised to acknowledge some unionists have indeed moved on but it is still blatantly clear the majority have not and without the motivation to do so, which can only come from London, I fear they never will.
Both London and Dublin have a shared responsibility for the people in the north. It is time they started acting like it.
Most politicians and media in the 26 Counties exhibit the mercenary cynical nihilism captured
by James Joyce in his story “Ivy Day in the Committee Room” written about 1905.
“The men who died on hunger-strike in 1981 exposed the lies being propagated by the pro-British propagandists.”
What lies?
“By their amazing sacrifice they showed the world how corrupt this little artificial state was and how it needed to be dismantled if there was every going to be any chance of lasting peace.”
They did? Have you any evidence to support this view?
“They showed why the rights of the nationalist people in the 6 county statelet needed to be guaranteed in international law.”
No they didn’t.
“The deaths of the ten republicans on hunger-strike was the beginning of the end for the Unionist/Orange state of ‘Northern Ireland’.”
Nonsense. NI Is still here and if it ever ceases to exist it will be because the people.vote for a ‘united Ireland’. It won’t be anything to do with hunger strikes.
“There began a revival in support for republicanism and an increasing success at the polls for Sinn Fein in the north and in the south of Ireland. That support continues to grow steadily.”
It is actually declining now.
“The London and Dublin governments must become persuaders of the unionists that peaceful reunification is the best option for all the people of this island.”
Nonsense. There’s no.obligation on either government to do so.
“If the unionists could be persuaded to join Sinn Fein in a power-sharing government, surely they can be persuaded that their best interests lie in a reunited Ireland of equals.”
If the nationalists could be persuaded to join the DUP in a power-sharing government, ,surely they can be persuaded that their best interests lie in a UK of equals.
power sharing government.its hardly a government,better sticking to the facts.
whats changed bar the reduction in the killings that benefits the ordinary person on the street.
Thomas McElwee,who I knew was no sectarian killer.
“Thomas McElwee,who I knew was no sectarian killer.:
He burned alive a young Protestant girl with a bomb he was transporting, targeting a Protestant town.
He was a vile, hate-filled person. Shame on you for calling such a despicable sectarian killer a ‘hero’.
I am sure Yvonne Dunlops family would disagree with you.
michael
Is it the ‘sectarian’ or the ‘killer’ part you disagree with?
Yvonne Dunlop, who he was responsible for burning to death in her shop (did she get a mention at the commemoration?), was a protestant but possibly he didn’t care about her religion.
“Is it the ‘sectarian’ or the ‘killer’ part you disagree with?
Yvonne Dunlop, who he was responsible for burning to death in her shop (did she get a mention at the commemoration?), was a protestant but possibly he didn’t care about her religion.”
The bomb was targeted at civilian shoppers in a Protestant town.
In reference to Jim Allister calling his party “Traditional Unionist Voice”(TUV)…you can see very clearly that Mr Allister thinks that the other unionist parties have lost their way in what he thinks it should mean to be a “real unionist”…a “traditional unionist”…a” proper unionist”, in other words.What Mr Allister sees is that his particular take on it , is how unionism always was traditionally perceived as “traditionally unionist” down through the years of its existence.
That word “traditionally” speaks huge volumes too, because the TUV comes across as the most dyed-in-the -wool “properly” labelled unionism, the kind of unionism whom he expects to “never give an inch” and have never given an inch to anyone or anything by dint of tradition and who never wish to “surrender”. He knows by naming it thus that this kind of “real” unionism should be the kind that had it’s very own police -force and its very own army …just like it had in the past” traditionally” with the likes of the B -Specials and the UDR which were used specifically for the benefit of unionism and nobody else.That’s how unionism really ruled.That is what “traditional unionism” means to many.
The very thought of unionism being anything other than the ruling party, in control of its own little state, does not sit well with a man like him who harks back to a mythical glory-day. He wants a unionism just like the unionism of old ..a unionism his traditional forefathers;the kind of unionism that came a cropper in 1972 when it’s own little government was suspended by Edward Heath , Conservative Prime Minisister who was left with no other choice considering the haims that “traditional unionism ” had mad of things. If Mr Allister or come to that any politician from the DUP to the UUP, thought for just one moment how traditional unionism had ended up in the dock of global abhorrence, after fifty years of chicanery and mismanagement , he or any one of them has yet to mention it.It makes me wonder how he thinks a traditional unionist story could ever reach any other conclusion.
I know it has already been remarked upon but I think it is a little naive to think Unionists willingly conceded to share power in 2007, not 2009. They were threatened by the British Government with a “Plan B”, which would encompass Joint Sovereignty. And I don’t believe that there is much left to do about the struggle in the North – the focus has to be on Sinn Fein winning election in the South to form a sovereign Government, for then a border poll can be called there and the majority of Irish people on the island can be persuaded that a reunification project is within their interest, which would put pressure on the British for a border poll in the North. But the real debate and clash of ideas surrounds the economy, not legacy issues, as most people don’t care about the constitutional question, they worry about the money in their pocket. We need to make the North more affluent and enterprising via the private sector so it is not as dependent on Westminster subvention and so the people in the South won’t feel as though reunification hits them financially in having to pay for living standards up North.
For the record ,Thomas McElwee was convicted of manslaughter,even a diplock court realised there was no intention to kill anybody and even a cursory examination of his letters during his hunger strike show he held no brief for sectarian hatred.
A why did he join a sectarian death squad, then?
Has Willie Frazer strayed on here?