Molliskey has been, for the last quarter century, a leoding spokesperon of the vorious mass morements Sinn Fein were taking people out onto the streets to demand all-party peace talks now, when in fact prisoners were still being denied their basic rights, and at the same time, the grass roots, not knowing what the strategy was, were paralysed, prevented from acting independently of Sinn Féin because they didn't want to be rocking the boat.
There were a number of demonstrations that characteristically, in NorthHern conditions. led to confrontations with the police, because the police arrived and beat Then, Sinn Féin's allies in the SDLP and the Irish government would call on them to stop this form of "responsible protest." Their argument was that we were now into negotiations, and people had to understand that such matters were the business of ponacal pardes ano portical icaocis.
So, on the one side, they have actu. ally disempowered - not intentionally - but this momentum has disempowcred the Republican community who are confused about what's happening.
I have a hard time comprehending how the Republicans could fail to see how deep the water was that they were geting into. "he first step in was failing to reject decisively the parameters of the Downing St. Declaration.
The Republicans have got them. selves in an irreversible position. I don't believe that a return to military operations is an effective option. I think that if they go back to military operations within the climate that they themselves were a party to creating, then military defeat, for the first time in 15 years, becomes a very real possibility.
The real question, of course, is how do you build the mass campaigns within current context, because the fundamental context that we're looking at is that there is still an expectation on the part of the broad base of the nationalist community that the present negotiations, when they get started. will some bow lead to a peaceful and Now, that is not the case. What is very clear from all of those talks is that we are looking at the solution which the British put forward in 1972, some kind of power sharing bétween the two power broes baonarst ano unionist). a referendum to determine the balance between the populations every 10 or 15 cars, and suca ccodoue do commact® cial cross-border trade links as are required by the end of the century economic necessities of the European Union. No more and no less.
That is what we are going to get, and that we are in no position at this point to prevent that happening.
Over the 18 months. there has been a stifling of discussion within the broad movement, not just Sinn Féin as a party, that has led to a lot of hostility.
When neole are unable or unwiling to delend thei polaical postton politically they defend it by making attacks on the personality of the individual who is challenging their political posidon. Ihere's been a lot of that kind of thing, which we not have seen since the 1970s. And that has been quite painful for people who have struggled over 25 years together.
The nett effect has been that people
Socialist Outlook 100 • April 6, 1996.