Armed Struggle: An Open Letter to PIRA
| Date: | June 1988 |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Communist Party of Ireland |
Contributor:
Info | James Stewart |
| View: | View Document |
| Discuss: | Comments on this document |
| Subjects: |
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Commentary From The Cedar Lounge Revolution
20th January 2008
A self-explanatory but very interesting document that runs to some 30 odd pages (the file size is 8mb - if this poses problems please comment and I’ll try to reduce it yet further). This black and white A4 pamphlet contains an open letter to PIRA and responses to that letter from various individuals and parties, finishing with a further response from the CPI. It is much as one might expect, and yet, I can’t help but admire the fact that such a discussion was taking place during a very dark period of the Troubles. I might - retrospectively - wish that the WP had been so wedded to persuasion as the CPI, but I guess that such a dialogue was close to impossible given the animosity and shared roots of the various organisations.
One point. When scanning this I neglected to include the front page. This was a donation, so I sent it back before realising the error. If anyone has a scan of the front page I’d be very grateful if you could forward it to the cedarlounge at cedarlounge@yahoo.ie so I can add it to the PDF. It doesn’t lose much without it, but to maintain the integrity of the document it’s better with it!
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By: WorldbyStorm Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:22:52
More to think about, but I’ll wait for your full thoughts before moving forward…
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By: Garibaldy Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:22:18
In terms of why mention Catholic on the idea that those in favour of a united Ireland will efventually outnumber those who aren’t, because that is the way the debate on demography in the north is had. I think I pointed it out before, but chechk out Mitchell MCLaughlin’s piece in Norman Porter (ed.), The Republican Ideal (Belfast, 1998) for a great example. Or look at the comments surrounding what the last census was expected to say. Let’s not forget that the census makes me a Catholic or Protestant REGARDLESS of whether I say I’m an atheist or not. Is there more eloquent proof of the way people perceive themselves, and are percevied?
On the point about the fundamental issue about who governs who from where. This is of course true. But that issue has been parked by the GFA. And we can see PSF recast their struggle as a struggle for better treatment for Catholics/nationalists within NI. Which goes to your point about the SDLP too and what it really sought to represent.
On Wedneday’s last.
I would say the principle of consent involves persuasion of unionism.
On who are the real movers within PSF. I have to say that I find your argument on the balance of power unconvincing. Especially given the number of complaints that emerged after the last election about the northerners running everything and messing it up. I think it’s fairly clear that people who come to prominence in the south do so only with the support of the leadership based in the north. That may change but we;ll have to wait and see.
On the rhetoric/reality thing. I tend to judge these things by actions. In the last government in NI and in this one, PSF controlled the ministry of education. There was approval from Mc Guinness of a few integrated schools which had effectively already received approval and nothing else. The same too on the Shared Future. Even the unionist outreach thing has been seriously downgraded. Martina Anderson was a prominent, if provocative and (perhaps deliberately) self-defeating person to have the job. Since then it has gone to someone hardly anyone has ever heard of, and from whom there has been barely a peep. So if people talk about wanting an end to division while practically embracing it (as all the main parties in NI and the British government do) then I remain sceptical of their bona fides.
I have read a lot of your blog. I realise you are sceptical about the whole thing. But I think it’s fair to say your party as a whole has been highly enthusiastic and has embraced the situation. And done a good job of sharing things out with the DUP and stitching up the other two parties when necessary. You are of course right to say London ultimately holds the purse strings, but Robinson is doing a fine job of ensuring the way the pie is distributed is in his hands.
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By: The Left Archive: “Teoiric” the Theoretical Journal of Sinn Féin the Workers’ Party, 1980 « The Cedar Lounge Revolution Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:06:49
[…] as the last Left Archive piece has inspired a lively and – I think – illuminating debate about the legacy and policies of OSF/WP […]
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By: Wednesday Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:57:54
I would say the principle of consent involves persuasion of unionism.
There’s nothing intrinsic to the principle of consent about persuading anyone. All it says is that the status quo is acceptable until there’s a majority in favour of changing it. Whether that majority comes about through persuasion or outbreeding or indeed whether it never comes about is an issue that the principle of consent, by itself, does not address.
I did acknowledge that the northerners frequently exert more influence than the southerners but they don’t have quite the iron grip you imagine. Frank Little has noted several times here the ideological differences between the party in the two jurisdictions – there have been issues on which there has been a clear north-south cleavage and the southerners have won the argument, although I’m not going to get into details on a public site! There are also some well-known southerners who are actually quite at odds with the nordies, though that may not be apparent to those outside the party. Anyway my point about the use of language still stands.
And there is still unionist outreach stuff going on. There’s a less public dimension to it, which could be the style of the person in charge of it now or it could be because all the publicity around what Martina was doing was viewed as not particularly helpful.
On the schools thing I think WBS has a good point. The ‘right’ of parents to send their kids to schools controlled by one particular faith is deeply ingrained on this island – north and south. Persuading people that multi- (or preferably non-) demoninational education is the way to go is a huge job, and one that is much more than a matter of a Minister approving new schools. It’s a cultural change that’s required.
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By: Joe Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:52:33
I’d go along pretty much with WBS’s two national identities on this island. I’m interested too in this idea that Southern parties think that the Unionists are unpersuadable. I’d pretty much agree that they are. Put the shoe on the other foot. Am I persuadable that I’m really Irish and British and that the Republic should rejoin the UK? The answer in my head and my heart and my gut is no, never, never, never. And I’m pretty sure that Joe Unionist is a mirror image of me in that regard.
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By: pj callan Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:53:28
The CPI archives were mentioned on the RTE news the other night – if you missed it, here is the link – See from 19th minute of link below to RTE News, 31st August.
http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2011/0831/9news.html#
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By: Gordie_Shore Thu, 10 Oct 2013 00:20:42
All you Paddies do is double – Dutching the fascist, imperialist regime over yourselves. Communism is exactly the same thing. They take away all of your money, so the services come for free. Isn’t it the same as giving up all of your goods/money to the king of another country. Therefore you are speeding up the imperialism and globalization in the lamest way possible.
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