The Sinn Féin peace process is in crisis. BERNADETTE DEVLIN McALISKEY has been, for the last quarter century, a leading spokesperon of the various mass movements against the British dominacion over Northern Ireland.
GERRY FOLEY spoke to her. "THE CEASE-FIRE was called .... finable period of time it would involve Sinn Féin in direct negotiations with the British govemment. And 18 months later that had not happened.
There was also an internal reason for the breakdown of the cease-fire. The ceived with great enthusiasm by the Republican rank and file despite the fact that at no stage had the rank and file, or indeed anybody in the organisaton oclow the icaocisnip, nao any knowledge of the long-term negotiations that led to the cease-fire.
There was a belief in the initial stages that a breakthrough had been made through a secret agreement. But that was not true. Yet the thing did not make sensé to the people unless there from one theory and expectation to another, with people hanging in and hanging in, and the disillusion starting to set in. lated risk in the Canary Wharf bombing in order to reassert its own authority heading toward a real possibility that some element of their own organisation or people who had drifted away from it would, out of frustration, make some military move on their UWIl The bomb was a spectacular warning shot over the bow of the British. Canary Wharf is a prestigious area. It had a lot of glass. And on a Friday evening, with due care and attention, they would have hoped not to have killed anybody. But you end up with a major bomb and two people dead. And, of course, politically it is impossible to tell where breaking The Canary Wharf bombing might have resolved an immediate tension within their own military organisation. But the Republicans remain caught up in inc logic of the process Iney stance As far as the public is concerned. they shifted the aim of the Republican movement from a 32-county reland (socialist or otherwise) to all-party peace talks for an united reland. And the IRA cease-fire was called on that OASIS So. people are confused about what the Republicans are doing, since thes must have known that a return to miliLary actions wourd not get them back io the tabic casily without their being confronted again with the whole issue that was brought up at the beginning - that is. non-violence and arms decommissioning. Now. of course. tnc kepuolcans have got their date for their all-party peace talks [on condition that the IRA renew. the cease-fire). But they haven't come up with a new ceaseTc so coc are contusco aso waal their goal at this point is, as to what their strategy is.
There is a very real discontent within the broad Republican Movement. Following the H-Block hunger strikes of 1980-81, you had the IRA as the military representation of the struggle, and Sinn Fein as its electoral representation. But at the community There was a bellef that a breakthrough had level. you had all kinds of people working on an economic agenda, a social agenda, a political agenda, and a human rights agenda.
The lines weren't clearly drawn beTWen no w wn scon onal movement, and so some Sinn Féiners were involved in the mass organisation work: some people in the mass organisations may have been in the IRA.
Once the Republican movement got into secret negotiations and was putting that forward as the Sinn Féin party postuon, incre dian t scem to oe a stras cry for continuing that broad grassroots movement. Everything revolved around decommissioning or not de commissioning, a date for all-party peace talks, the shape of the table, and So. people started to worry that the issue of basic human rights, the issue of discrimination in employment, and all sorts of broader issues, such as minimum ware legislation. the extension of the Eyropean 48-hour limit on the working week, women's issues, all the issues that had been a vibrant part of the life of the community, were being sideCROSSMAGLEN &- DISTRICT SUPPORT THE simply do not discuss their differences. oe wa econ ostauioncu,or begin to see that the thing's not working. just walk away. It denies the leadership the collective wisdom that comes out of debate.
In my opinion, the Republicans are making a serious misjudgement of their importance to the "peace process."
The whole momentum has reached a point where if the IRA does not produce a cease-fire. Sinn Féin will not be allowed into the all-party talks. But if Sinn Fein is left out of the all-party talks. tat wall nos oe a org oostacio because the irish government and the SDLP will go on ahead and negotiate Alternatively, if there is a cease-fire, Sinn Fein will go into the talks, but at some point they have to walk out of them or buy into the agenda [i.e., a revamped version of the status quo] and take responsibility for it.
I think we should hang onto the islation is still on the books, but we can initiate mass action and continue campaigning against that.
If we don't go back to war, there's less chance of everybody being slaughtered. And therefore. there will be people to take the campaign forward. I think Sinn Fein should get out of the "peace process." Our presence in this process can do nothing to affect it.
Our campaign should be based upon insuring that whatever mechanics they put on this country. equality of citizenship, as long as we are citizens here, we will demand equal opportunity, we will demand our national identity, we will demand our funbuild a political campaign around that."