The Responsibility of Provisional Sinn Fein Leadership To Their IRA Cannon Fodder

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Friday November 18, 2011 18:37

by BrianClarkeNUJ - AllVoices

Internment

Marian Price is a Republican who had been free on licence, from a life sentence for her part in Provisional IRA actions in London almost 40 years ago in the early 1970’s. Like Gerry McGeough and Martin Corey she has been politically interned without trial by the Queen's un-elected Englishman in Occupied Ireland, overturning a court ruling the same day, that there was no evidence to suggest, that she should not be free.

British Political Internment 2011 40 years later in Occupied Ireland Again !

Marian Price is a Republican who had been free on licence, from a life sentence for her part in Provisional IRA actions in London almost 40 years ago in the early 1970’s. Like Gerry McGeough and Martin Corey she has been politically interned without trial by the Queen's un-elected Englishman in Occupied Ireland, overturning a court ruling the same day, that there was no evidence to suggest, that she should not be free.

Earlier she was active in the civil rights movement marching with the PD in January 1969, prior to British introducing political internment in 1971 in Ireland. On her release from prison prior to the so called Peace Process, like a lot of other Provisional political prisoners she opposed in principle the political direction taken by the Provisional Sinn Fein leadership. Nevertheless like Gerry McGeough and Martin Corey, under the GFA agreement whether they like it or not, they were all Provisional prisoners and are all currently still the responsibility of Provisional Sinn Fein who negotiated the GFA agreement along with the disbandment of the Provisional IRA.

Proper leadership is about taking responsibility and Provisional Sinn Fein, as the largest political party in power in British Occupied Ireland, certainly have the political clout to order that the three prisoners which are their responsibility, be released immediately under the terms of the GFA. These political internees, interned without trial for activities while Provisionals 40 years ago, have instead been damned with faint protest by an extremely junior Sinn Fein spokesperson issuing bland, token protests, instead of their leadership flexing their political muscle to have their former comrades andactivists released immediately.

There is little doubt that this is a form of selective internment and that of Marian and her interned comrades is simply because she and her fellow former Provisional activists are political opponents in principled, self-sacrificing conscience of British occupation in Ireland. Instead of choosing the rather lucrative and financially rewarding route of British compliant Stormont a sectarian parliament for a sectarian neo-colonial scum state.

Almost all socialists and republicans have in the past vehemently opposed political internment without trail and Provisional Sinn Fein most certainly did in in 1971, in fact it was the bedrock of their political activity and indeed all remotely principled Irish republicans. How then, can political internment suddenly be a minor issue or even worse affirmed by silent assent 40 years later today ! Is it not in itself 40 years later an obvious indictment of British colonial rule in Ireland ?. How can senior Provisional Sinn Fein leadership such as Gerry Kelly active in the precise same action as Marian Price, avoid their responsibilities as supposed leadership and damn Marian Price and her comrades by throwing away the political key of their former activist's freedom ?

Part of the bais of Marian Price and her comrade's opposition has been on the basis that the GFA, institutionalized, religious sectarianism in the political, judicial and policing process of the GFA. There is ample evidence in the re-introduction of political internment without trial alone, in the validity of their political argument. Worse still there is no evidence of other socialist groups or several other republican groups opposing the political fascist monster of internment without trial or its obvious class conscience consequence. At a recent well attended large, march in Dublin, there was no formal IRSP/Eirigi, RSF, PSF or RNU presence, with the exception of women from the Strabane area in solidarity with Marian and her comrades

The victimisation of Marian Price, Gerry McGeough and Martin Corey by the lack of leadership in the Provisionals is wrong, very wrong. The failure to take responsibility for their committed, heroic, political activists who helped put them in power, is a direct indictment of their lack of real republican leadership qualities, aside from clear evidence of a lack of political integrity and principle. How can political internment without trial be so wrong in 1971 for the Provisionals, yet be administered by their colleagues with token, damning faint protest today and even silent assent by their senior leadership

This is not meant to be a personal attack on any obvious particular individuals within their party and their irresponsible leadership. They know themselves who they are and deep down I believe they also know the course of action to correct this obvious wrong. It may require some pressure from what some would term, the naive belief that some principled Provisionals haven't entirely gone away you know. Either way immediate action and responsibility is required in the matter otherwise Marian and her former provisional comrades will be having another Long Kesh type Xmas with many more to follow.

There is nothing progressive in divisive cat calls or never ending finger pointing. The British thrive on Irish republican division.and built their Colonial Empire on it. We can all make mistakes including the most serious political ones but another mark of leadership is the willingness to acknowledge them and take immediate corrective action. In the instance of Political Internment without trial, any student of Irish political history knows that it is ultimately another injustice, guaranteed to deliver a future of even more bloodshed in Ireland. Senior Provisionals know that. It is within their power and responsibility to bring it to an end, immediately!

FREE INTERNED INNOCENT IRISH ANGEL IN BRITISH OCCUPIED IRELAND - LINK