> >>>>>> Transforming Ireland > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > Full text of the address by Martin McGuinness MP at Dublin's > Easter Rising Commemoration > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > > I am proud and honoured to be here in Dublin with you, the > Republicans of our Capital City, on this the 84th Anniversary of > the Easter Rising. We are here to honour all those who died in > the fight for our right to be a free and independent nation and > to re-commit ourselves to the ideals for which they died. > > Republicans in this city have a long and noble history in our > journey towards self-determination and freedom. From men and > women like Padraig Pearse and Joe Clarke to Sile Humphries, Maire > Comerford, Sean Russell and Martin Doherty the vision of the > people of 1916 has continued generation after generation. I want > to pay tribute to the Volunteers of the Dublin Brigade of Oglaigh > na hEireann who lie in these graves. They fought for justice, > freedom and peace and we are rightly proud of each and every one > of them. > > I would also like to take this opportunity to call on the Dublin > government to act without further delay to exhume the remains of > the "Forgotten Ten" who were executed by the British government > during the War of Independence and whose bodies remain in the > grounds of Mountjoy Jail to this present day. > > At this time too we pay a special tribute to the republican POWs > and to their families. The integrity of the prisoners and their > families through many difficult years is a testimony of the > determination of a people to be free. > > As we stand here today it is not just about commemorating all > those who have given their lives in the struggle for Irish > freedom. It is not enough to salute their courage, inspiration > and determination. It is not enough to quote the proclamation > Easter after Easter. We have the responsibility to translate the > vision of the 1916 proclamation on equal rights, equal > opportunities and the imperative to treat all the children of the > nation equally into a reality for today. This is the language of > freedom and justice still relevant, still vibrant and still after > 84 years inspiring this generation of Irish Republicans in our > continuing struggle for Liberty, Fraternity, Equality and Peace. > This is the memorial we wish to build for those heroes we > commemorate today. > > That memorial is to build a new inclusive Ireland united and > free. An Ireland free, not just from British government > interference but free also from corrupt and selfish politicians - > enemies of the democratic process - who abuse their elected > positions to further their own interests rather than the > interests of the people. > > It is both sad and unjust that all of the people of Ireland have > been denied the right to live in an Ireland united and at peace > with itself. Partition, injustice, conflict and war dominated our > political landscape throughout the last century. > > A dark century which against all odds came to an end on a ray of > hope and optimism created by the leaders of republican and > nationalist Ireland. The courage and imagination of an IRA > leadership in calling a cessation gave space to those politicians > whose responsibility it is to find a peaceful resolution to the > conflict. > > I want to commend the commitment and discipline of the leadership > and volunteers of Oglaigh na hEireann in maintaining its > cessation in the face of provocation. British Aggression has > continued, from the refusal of British securocrats to > demilitarise to the ongoing threats and attacks by Loyalist death > squads and the unilateral collapse of an international treaty. > The British Army continues to pour millions of pounds into the > refortification of its paraphernalia of war in the North while > its government talks about the need to normalise society. > > Against that background the IRA has maintained its cessation and > the silence of its guns in a disciplined and honourable manner. > It is the task of politicians to demonstrate that politics work. > Republicans showed that we are prepared to make politics work and > be seen to work when in a leap of faith and in pursuit of such a > goal we signed up to the Good Friday Agreement. And we have kept > every commitment we made in that agreement. > > We dared to hope, we dared to chance, that at long last a British > government - a new British Labour government - might honour its > commitments and that the unionist veto might be put behind us, > once and for all. However on February 11th the British > government dealt a devastating blow to the Agreement when it > endorsed the unionist view that the issue of decommissioning was > a precondition to the continuation of the institutions. > > The British government's suspension of the institutions - > established by the votes of the Irish people is illegal and > unilateral and totally contrary to the Good Friday Agreement. > Nothing in the Good Friday Agreement gave Peter Mandelson - who > no one in Ireland voted for - the authority to undemocratically > veto the express wishes of the Irish people. > > Mr. Mandelson and the British government must explain to the > people of this island who voted for the Agreement, where does the > peace process go now? Is everything that we have worked so hard > for to be squandered? > > By his decision, Peter Mandelson has left us with a dangerous > political vacuum and we now face the possibility that all of the > good work of recent years could be undone. And worse still, the > vacuum created through the absence of politics has now emboldened > the rejectionists who are only too willing to risk a slide back > into conflict. > > We in Sinn Fein are determined to prevent this. It is still not > too late to save the Good Friday Agreement. > > However they choose to dress it up, the British Government bowed > to a Unionist veto. The Peace Process and the Agreement mark a > break with the past of Unionist domination and Unionist vetoes > over the rights of others. But if Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson > continue to subject the working of the Agreement to the demands > of Unionism, it simply cannot progress. > > Equality, a keystone of the Agreement, has to mean equality in > political terms too. Sinn Fein has the right to represent our > mandate. We accept no precondition on that right and we will not > barter with our electorate. > > Decommissioning was deliberately injected into the Peace Process > as a stalling mechanism. And not by Unionists but by a former > British Government. This farce of demanding IRA surrender must > stop. If all the guns are to be taken out of Irish politics, and > that is an honourable objective, then the only way to do it is to > prove that politics work, and that politics are allowed to work. > The biggest problem facing the Agreement arises, not from the > determination of unionist leaders to destroy it but from the > British government's failure to defend it. > > If the Good Friday Agreement is to be saved then it is up to Tony > Blair and his government. Never mind the hand of history on his > shoulder - the key to the future is in his hand. > > Ireland voted overwhelmingly for the Good Friday Agreement - the > government here in Dublin therefore, has a huge responsibility to > ensure it is implemented as negotiated. The two governments must > urgently co-operate in implementing all the outstanding aspects > of the Good Friday Agreement. > > The reality is that we are still awaiting delivery of :- > > * The Equality Agenda > * A New Policing Service > * Justice Matters > * Human Rights > * Cultural Rights > * Demilitarisation > > AND the crucial aspects of the Agreement for nationalists, the > all-Ireland dimensions represented by the all-Ireland Ministerial > Council and the Implementation Bodies. > > Sinn Fein will continue to insist that these aspects of the > Agreement be honoured. We will continue to engage to achieve > those objectives. > > Let there be no doubt - the days of second class citizenship are > over. Those opposed to change will learn that although change can > be delayed it cannot be prevented. Sinn Fein is the engine > driving that change forward. For us there is no going back. > Important political ground has been gained never to be lost. > > Unionist political leaders doggedly oppose change because for > them equality for nationalists means the end of unionist > domination. To put it another way - it's the end of the Union. > > The British government too has difficulty countenancing change. > Present British government policy remains a more significant > obstacle to progress. Change must be made happen, it must be > worked for, must be struggled for. The republican struggle is the > dynamic for change. Increasing our political strength will > increase that dynamic. With your help and your increased > participation in the republican struggle we can counter British > policy, neutralise opposition to change and create an > irreversible dynamic for change. Change is coming and the > dynamic for change is the republican struggle. That is clear > from the number of people here today and our electoral success in > recent times. > > Republicanism is stronger now than ever before but we still have > a lot of work to do. > > We have seen an ongoing rise in our political strength with more > and more people supporting our analysis not just in relation to > the peace process but in relation to the republican and labour > policies that we espouse. > > We want a chance to implement our policies on social reform and > economic democracy, as well as women's rights, cultural > development, children's rights, environmental protection, civil > liberties, administrative reform, sovereignty and unity. But > none of this will happen unless we increase our political > strength. > > The recent electoral successes that we have enjoyed throughout > the island must be built upon. > > Sinn Fein is a 32-County party. The only all-Ireland Party and > now the fastest growing political party in Ireland! What you > achieve here in Dublin - and elsewhere in the 26 Counties - > contributes to the overall struggle for freedom and justice. > > Our success in the North is your success - your success in the > South is our success. In the last local elections, you made > tremendous gains in Dublin - Sean Crowe and Mark Daly in > Tallaght, Larry O'Toole in Artane, Christy Burke in the North > Inner City, Nicky Kehoe in Cabra and Dessie Ellis in Finglas. > > They have recently been joined in the ever growing number of Sinn > Fein elected representatives by Pauline Kennedy-Davey in > South-West Antrim and Barry Mc Elduff in West Tyrone - both of > whom doubled the Sinn Fein vote in their respective areas. And > don't under-estimate the contribution of other candidates and > areas - in coming close to taking seats they succeeded in > building the republican base. > > You have every reason to be proud. Well done to you, all your > campaign workers, and everyone who came out and voted for you. > > You shook the system. You made the Establishment parties and the > media sit up and take notice. > > Sinn Fein has arrived. The Irish people now have a real choice. > The electorate now recognises the principled progressive policies > of Sinn Fein as the alternative to the sleaze and brown envelope > culture that has passed for politics here for too long. > > The tired and worn-out parties of the Establishment are now > looking over their shoulder at Sinn Fein. > > They are talking about Sinn Fein making major gains at the next > general election. Well that is a matter for the electorate. The > one thing we can be sure of now is that Caoimghin O Caolain won't > be the only Sinn Fein TD walking through the gates of Leinster > House after the next election. > > How many Sinn Fein TDs will join him is up to you. > > I am relying on you and all your friends and family who are not > here today to get out and vote, to get out and work in support of > your Sinn Fein candidates. > > This new millennium brings with it many opportunities and hopes > for the future but it also brings many great challenges. We must > be ready for those challenges. We can celebrate how far we have > come and build on years of hard work. > > We have moved forward to a new phase of this struggle, united and > confident in our ability to achieve our republican objectives. > All of us working together have the ability to transform Ireland > into a country that is truly independent, just, united and free. > > > > > > > > > c. RM Distribution and others. Articles may be reprinted with credit. > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > RM Distribution > Irish Republican News and Information > http://irlnet.com/rmlist/ > > PO Box 160, Galway, Ireland Phone/Fax: (353)1-6335113 > PO Box 8630, Austin TX 78713, USA mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > > > RMD1000425075751p1 >
