‘Saoradh: What Do They Want?’ by Donal Lavery

I was amused to discover recently that a leading member of Saoradh referred to me as “the worst know-it-all b*****d in Belfast”, after all the things I’ve written about their affiliates – GARC. Whenever I hear that my name is being brought into their discussions I really have to enjoy a good chuckle because I never thought I was doing so well.

There were posters erected by Saoradh in an attempt to get people not to use their vote and as a means of swaying the open-minded away from politics and into the dark corners which these dissidents operate in. The murky underworld of gang-lands and war-lords who seek blood sacrifice simply to fuel their own bruised egos – always ready to fight to the last drop of other people’s blood and never their own, of course. But let’s explore that further.

The people involved in Saoradh are directly linked to the amalgamation of various splinter groups which call themselves the “New IRA”. Nobody doubts that and there is an obvious link between them and the shooting of the PSNI Officer on the Crumlin Road, which they claimed. Saoradh is the political front for these war-lords to pretend they now have an interest in politics and discussion; acting under the guise that syntax and not Semtex is their underlying motivation. The question to ask is, what is their actual motivation in all of this? Who is pulling their strings?

Their posters are instrumental in addressing that question head on, for one thing’s for sure, they have no interest in power-sharing and thus peace, in Ireland. Just like some Loyalists, the people in Saoradh are so conditioned towards fanaticism that their ultimate objective is a straightforward return to war. War gives these people some meaning and heightened importance, regardless of what the majority of Irish people voted for in 1998 and at every election since. They explicitly want a return to direct-rule, so that they may escalate armed conflict and try to negotiate directly with the British government. They desire a regressive flooding into Belfast of many British soldiers, including British military occupation of our streets once again, and the repression of nationalist communities – Why? Because it serves their sick narrative and lust to be community “hard-men”, while fraternising with drug dealers to obtain cash.

As most of us are aware, GARC is not a residents group at all but really a quasi-paramilitary force for Saoradh affiliates to frustrate the peace within local communities. These are the people who deliberately go out of their way each summer to unleash mayhem by clashing with Loyalist marchers, costing the taxpayer a fortune and devaluing nearby houses therein. They don’t want an end to sectarianism because it would pull the plug on their agenda. I’ve said repeatedly that the best way of dealing with them would be to fine them for any damages caused, and you won’t find too many at their protests following such a move.

The peace process isn’t perfect and there are setbacks, but generally we take two steps forward and one step back at times. Progress can be slow, but it’s better to live in an environment which guarantees the nationalist people fundamental rights and a relationship with power/decision-making, than to return to the misery of the past. We have heard the quote that “jaw, jaw, is better than war, war”. And that’s really what I’m getting at – a reunified Irish Republic will have to be the creation of a new nation which respects and facilitates both traditions on this island. It will have to address not a religious problem, but a conflict of identity between Irish people. On the border poll issue, there is an opportunity to pursue a civil action against the British government if they facilitate a referendum in Scotland on independence and not here – given the parity discrepancy over EU membership. Indeed, the age old adage is now proving true that “Ireland was Ireland when Britain was just a pup; And Ireland will be Ireland when Britain is buggered up.”

However, the people in Saoradh point, each and every time, to whatever they can use to suggest that power-sharing and peace are failing us all. Ignorant of the fact that war should be the last option and not the first. But they would do well to remember the fundamental point, that if that were so and no meaningful change has happened, then they would be subject to SAS hit-squads and RUC shoot-to-kill tactics to this day. They would do well to remember that nationalist people are free to walk the streets and work where they want, without fear of being cut to pieces by the Lenny Murphys of this state. And they should bear in mind that the only reason we have a public body to regulate the Orange parades they clash with, is because of the peace accords they are so determined to wreck.