interviewed BRENDAN HUGHES, former IRA leader in Belfast and OC of republican prisoners throughout much of the Blanket Protest in Long Kesh, for the first issue of Fourthwrite. •. Alter such long term involvement in the republican struggle do you feel a sense of satisfaction at the way out?
A: No. I do not feel any satisfaction whatsoever. All the questions raised in the course of this struggle have not been answered and the repub. lican struggle has not been concluded. We were naive ever to have expected the Brits to get on the boat and go. But the things that we cherished such as a thirty. two county democratic socialist republic are no longer mentonca. Q: The former republican prisoner Tommy Gorman in the bewails the absence of and has questioned if It was all worth it.
A: Let me answer it this way, When came out from jail in 1986 having spent more than twelve years there 1 found work on a building site on the Falls Road. Some of the poople I thought I was fighting for were now seeking to exploit me. I recalled my father telling me stopaigns when republicans came out from jail and Eastwoods for peanuts. And there I was decades later digging boles for the same peanuts. Q: But there are many who feel it was worth A: True. But amongst their number are those who have big houses and guaranteed incomes, Of course it was worth it for them. I recall going to the Republican morement and asking that it highlight the exploitative cowboy builders on the Falls Road who were squeezing the republican poor for profit. The movement censored me to speak. Once they pub. lished a piece that 1 wrote - or should I say did not write, as the thing was so heavily cenunrecognisable from the Some of the cowboy builders had influence with movement members. Whether true or 1975 not, there were many whispers doing the rounds that these members were taking backhanders and so on. In any event this led to a vicious circle in which money created power which in turn created corruption and then greed for more money. Dozens of ex-prisoners are exploited by these firms. They run the Belfast simply to make sense of helping others. Q: Is the future bleak?
A: People are demorMany are tired but it pull enough together to happened and then to try to change things. Q: But has Sinn Fein not been sucked so far look at South Africa and into the system that I look at here and I see any salvaging of the republican project been in appearances. No must now look a very real change has occurred A few republicans have A: While I am not slotted themselves into pustink for any maicary comfortable positions response, our past has and left the rest of us behind. lost. In 1972 we had to O: Has the nationalist to avoid being sucked in. middle class been the armed struggle? at us again. And from A: Well, it has not been republicans - apart from Brownie articles written by Gerry Adams we those republicans carer warned the IRA that it to join that class. was being sucked in. Q: It seems that the We broke the British social dimension is on that but it took hard vour real concern work. And now they are regarding republican at it again. And it will be direction? even harder this time. A: No. There is much Think of all the lives more than that. It has that could have been been the futility of it all. saved had we accepted From a nationalist perthe 1975 truce. That spective alone what we alone would have justi- have now we could have fied acceptance. We had at any time in the fought on and for what? last twenty-five years. - what we rejected in demands don't seem to Q: What do you feel matter any more. And in the process we have lost when you read that Michael Oatley (for- muca or our nonesty;
sincerity and comrademerty of MIG) expresses support for ship. the Sinn Fein leader- Q: But could it not be ship, and that David Hoped because people negotiate the Anglo are war weary? Irish Agreement in A: In 1969 we had a 1985 said recently naive enthusiasm about that it is all going almost exactly accord- 1999 we have no enthusiIng to plan?
A: These are the combecause people are war ments of men supremely confident that they have weary. The same old lies it all sewn up. What we hammered into each week out. With the war other time after time in jail was that a central stance. Now it has none. part of Brit counter insurgency strategy was has created a class of to moula icacismups professional liars and whom they could deal unfortunately it contains many republicans. But I So I get so demoralised when I read about this. I exists to bring doout Holesy are corrup tion of the regime against which republi. cans fought for so long. Q: What are your views on the Good Friday Agreement?
A: What is it? Have we agreed to the British staying in the six coun ties? If we listen to Francie Molloy that is what republicans have signed up to. The only advantage is that unionism has changed. The landed gentry has been smashed but only because of the war, not Agreement. Overall, the facade has been cleaned up but the bone structure remains the same. The state we set out to smash still exists. Look at the RUC for example. Q: Do you sense that Sinn Fein is going to settle for something Ilke disband Ronnie A: Would it really surprise vou! Q: Do you sense that the republican leadership fears or despises Ism?
A: he response to democratic republican. ism has always been pleas to stay within the army line. Even doing this interview with you generates a reluctance within mic. ine repubncan leadership has always exploited our loy. alty. Q: What do you say to those people who are unhappy but are pulled the other way by feel. ints of lovalty?
A: Examine their consciences, lake a good look at what is going on. If they agree - OK. If not, then speak out.
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