There’s no doubt about it that the whole RHI fiasco has made many people disillusioned with politics. All over the Western World politicians are distrusted like never before. Some have said we live in a “post-truth era” to be precise. That trend isn’t lost to here, where the Unionists have stalled any real progress towards a coherent and inclusive society built around a future that makes a true break with the past.
After all, democracy isn’t perfect, and I deride those leaders who claim they would drop an atom bomb to apparently defend it. In some ways, it’s questionable whether we even live in a real democratic society to be frank. But the right to sack or hire the people who govern you is the most sacred of all rights, as it preserves and advances those other rights which are most cherished by human beings – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
One thing I have always been conscious about is the need for young people to get more heavily involved in politics. We often hear talk of “getting youth off the streets”, but contrastingly I want to see them on the streets and canvassing for the sort of future which we badly need. But the real threat deriving from a political system made dysfunctional by Unionism is the absence of any political system at all – for therein creates a vacuum. And vacuums are often filled by the worst kinds of groups, with the worst kinds of gut instincts.
Without naming them, as I don’t want to make this about individuals, but what do many of the leaders within the Dissident splinter cells (Saoradh, Eirgi, RNU, RSF and the IRSP) all have in common with the far-right of Ulster Unionism (namely, the TUV)? They’re all vociferously opposed to any political model in place here which involves mandatory power-sharing. In a nutshell, they are opposed to the democratic will of the majority of the Irish people (North & South) – who voted, in overwhelming numbers, for the peace agreements (by popular referenda and by electing parties who endorse them.
There is no democratic debate within these splinter groups, there is no clash of ideas, for they are built around the bruised egos of so-called community “hard men”, who have yet to find a role in a post-conflict transition. Again, I don’t want to make this about individuals because I don’t believe anyone is a bad person, I think good people harbour bad ideas and bad faith at times. But there is a sinister side to it all which I want to address with you as candidly as I can.
American President Dwight Eisenhower once warned the American electorate of the dangers of what he termed the “military-industrial complex” – that is, shady vested interests who have an expressed stake in the business of war and chaos being perpetuated. Now history has demonstrated Ireland to be the Guinea-Pig of the British war-machine, with various methods and techniques utilised here to establish subversion of normality among Irish people.
Frank Kitson, the former British Army Brigadier who helped start the UDA, has written books bragging of his establishing counter-insurgency movements and parties to advance the ambitions of Empire, both in Kenya and in Ireland. Any realist knows that Britain’s colonial days are a bygone period but for geo-political purposes the UK state has always wished to prevent the emergence of any kind of Ireland which would give the British working-class ideas to emulate.
Any occupying power needs a collaborator group to help divide the democratic and expressed wishes of the indigenous population. They recruit them via all kinds of dirty, shady practices – blackmail, money, immunity and vice. Because let’s be clear about something, the peace process made a lot of securocrats and security force personnel redundant – people who owed their living to a continuation of conflict in Ireland. Likewise, it put some informants out of business.
Everyone knows that the dissident groups are up to their necks in drugs, that’s a key fundamental difference between them and the Provisionals. For how else could drug dealers now walk so freely about communities if armed vigilantes were after them? Except of course when the two interests become integrated together. So given this, is it really hard to imagine that these dissidents are not vulnerable to blackmail and subversion on the part of British Intelligence? Is it really hard to gather that their petty crimes are granted immunity in return for them advancing Britain’s anti-republican and divisive agenda in Ireland? These are stark questions which touch on dark aspects of our society here.
But one thing’s for sure, that the division of the Irish people has always aided the expediency of the British to rule over them. I want to make it clear that I’m not stating that everyone and anyone connected with one of these groups is a paid informant, but what I am asking you to ponder is whether people are being unconsciously led by some into supporting an agenda that is to the detriment of their best interests – namely, peace in Ireland and change through political debate/changing demographics, coupled with more economic opportunities.
A standard knee-jerk reaction of dissident supporters is to heap abuse onto people who raise these questions, peddling some of the vilest insults possible. I’ve been called a lot by them before but I think one thing they’ve gathered is that I’m not intimidated by them or sensitive to criticism. It touches a nerve that even their most ardent supporters recognise harbours some grains of truth to it. But I am conscious of the reality in which many of them live – they don’t think the peace process has delivered enough for them and efficiently enough. There are good people therein who feel brutalised, left out and disillusioned. However, any right thinking man or woman will want to avoid ever going back to the days and nights where you feared your family members may never return home alive. The era of Lenny Murphy and Brian Nelson is a horrific chapter we must never seek to revisit.
When you understand how authority and officialdom operates, it makes for a restless mind trying to highlight and counter such efforts. Indeed, the truth shall set you free, unfolding or highlighting any unholy alliance where you see it. But I say to you now in language made plain, dark forces are working in ways against your interests and the number one priority for any political leader right now has to be to protect our young people from getting involved with these groups and throwing away their futures. Whatever the outcome of any potential talks, we need to let all and anyone know that we are never going back to the dark days of the past. Our future, the future of your children and grandchildren, isn’t going to be sacrificed on the altar of the dissident ego.
Reasonable enough post, a Dhómhnaill, but an important bit is missing. What is your definition of dissident?
Alas on the face of it this post had a lot of good logic to it. However, and I can only speak from what I know and see in my town, the proliferation of drugs for example, may have various groups fingerprints all over it but the provisional movement is certainly not without sin.
I have attended republican funerals in my town and have observed so called SF members/supporters, with their local cumann issued bomber jackets, waltz around and form guard of honours etc, eyes red from the night before due to a party,session or whatever, where they were blatantly consuming cocaine,LSD etc. So in conclusion, is it any surprise the so called smaller republican groups decide to participate in the drugs trade when they observe the ‘main republican’ members doing it?
Leading by example? Not in my town that’s for sure.
I have strong dissenting views from Sinn Fein, does that make me a dissident in the context of your article?
It could be argued that your article was entirely about Sinn Fein. The British have and continue to exploit various groups from both Republican & loyalist communities and organisations. Are you suggesting that Sinn Fein or the Provisional movement were and are exempt from exploitation and manipulation.
An sdlp Cllr ( in the Council Chamber) once suggested that I and my Sinn Fein colleagues were potential informers. He made this suggestion following the death of Denis Donaldson and as you can imagine I was more than a touch angry. I responded by saying that I was no informer and confident that my colleagues were also not informers. I went on to say that, we are all to aware that during the conflict and indeed throughout history, many people had been blackmailed, bribed, bullied and coerced in to becoming informers by a ruthless British Establishment. Many of them died because of it but none of them, not one was worse than the Cllr speaking because he was a willing collaborator, he worked for the British, he praised them when they captured or killed IRA or encase you forget INLA volunteers.
So that question can now equally apply to Sinn Fein if they are going down that same road of condemning any dissenting voice or action as either criminal, traitorous or simply misguided. The British don’t need to divide republicans any more, they have Sinn Fein to do that for them. Are all Republicans who challenge Sinn Fein policies, failures to implement policies dissidents. I am not a member of any party or group, I make criticisms of Sinn Fein that I believe are constructive, not as some would have you believe out of revenge or spite ( I chose to resign, I was by no means pushed). Ironically it would seem the party leadership faced that same constructive criticism last week from their own members, and for the first time in a very long time they listened.
Demonising various republican groups who share at least one common goal with Sinn Fein exposes you to the same criticisms directed at Arlene and her crew, namely arrogance.
I and others continually tried to get the leadership to engage with all republican groups to no avail. I also asked that they cease referring to them collectively as criminals, of course there are criminal elements within some of the groups you mentioned, the same elements exist in Sinn Fein and in the PIRA, there always were. There were always informers in any republican organisation, it has plagued us through history so demonising groups now is just doing what you accuse the British of doing.
I would never want to see a return to armed conflict. I would like to see a peaceful transition to Irish Unity and while Sinn Fein are and have been quick to ask others, what is your strategy, the same question can be asked of them. They acknowledged last week that their strategy had failed so before condemning “dissidents ” they might need to tell us what is their strategy. Not sound bites of we won’t negotiate ( ridiculous) what exactly is the way forward.
My politics by the way is more influenced by socialism and social justice than waving flags or religion. I have no desire to kill or have my children live in conflict.
A quote I always liked was ” our revenge will be the laughter of our children” unfortunately they aren’t laughing yet.
Would you exclude the DUP from the far-right of unionism?
Wolfe Tone,
I never read as much crap in my life.
Not for one minute would the Republican movement entertain anyone involved in the drugs trade but I suspect you know this already and what you are involved in is blatant trolling and it should be removed.
Well with all due respect Alex I know for a fact it is true. And if you read my comment again, there’s a good chap, I said I can only speak from what I know what goes on in my area. So I will walk you through it slowly, that means I don’t know and thus don’t label or accuse republicans in any other area, be it town,city or whatever, of involvement in drugs. Simply because I don’t know. But I do know my own town, so wind your neck in. Put it down as constructive criticism rather than trolling(grow up), sin é.
I’m inclined to agree that the provisional movement and Sinn Fein would never tolerate drugs. I knew of a few incidents of family members of both organisations who were involved and those members were expelled, sidelined etc. Some of them were good activists but such unfortunately for them, the organisation couldn’t risk any public perception that they would turn a blind eye to their own. In a way it was brutally unfair on the innocent member but there was no other way round it.