Originally posted by
[email protected] 21 2004, 01:19 PM
how do people feel about the summary justice which INLA seems to be associated with. Personally i dont know ag great deal. It may be an understandable improvised response to the neglect by the police of impoverished catholic estates yet from what i know it can be quite brutal and seems to contravene the principle of innocent until proven guilty
I agree with what you're saying. Even the IRSP oppose punishment beatings, but the problem is that the situation exists where working class people are coming to the door of an activist in their community, asking for them to do something about the scourge of anti-social behaviour in these areas. We'd all prefer a more positive approach, trying to get these young people to get active so that they have something to do, but the fact that many young people are destroying their own communities through drug dealing and joyriding and whatever else can't be overlooked.
This statement is from The Plough #30 (dated 12 March)...
The Blanket, Eamonn McCann, and the Use of Language
On the 7th of March, The Blanket
<http://lark.phoblacht.net/ardoynesem.html> carried an article
entitled "Ardoyne Suicides" by the journalist Eamonn McCann. At no
stage since the whole issue of suicides in Ardoyne blew up did Eamon
McCann approach the Republican Socialist Movement to hear its side of
the story in relation to what was happening in the area. That does
not surprise us. Regularly the Sunday World prints a whole series of
lies about our movement and rarely tries to get our side of the
story. The journalist Eamonn McCann used to work for the Sunday
World, so maybe he learnt bad journalist habits there.
In his article in the Blanket, McCann refers to the "Irish National
Liberation Army" and he uses speech marks around the name. However
when we checked his writings about other armed groups we found that
he referred to both the Provisional IRA and the Real IRA without
speech marks (Socialist Worker, Issue 208). Of course the purpose of
the speech marks was to question the validity of the INLA and later
on in his article he refers to "INLA gangs" and "to guttersnipes with
guns."
He also peddles the lie that one of the young suicide victims was
subjected to "prolonged vicious beating by an INLA gang". He also
finds it hard to believe that the local community had pressurised the
INLA to take action against those engaged in anti-social behaviour.
For the record, the INLA is approached in a lot of areas, including
Derry, to take action against "hoods." I wonder what Eamonn would do
with the hoods in Derry who tried to set a young fellow on fire
recently. Give them a copy of Tony Cliff's book, "State Capitalism"?
Eamonn talks about "self worth". Fine. Does he think that his
negative references to the INLA will persuade anyone in that
organisation to listen to his voice? Denigrating and belittling
people and organisations on the basis of false media reporting, half
truths, and a concerted campaign by pro-Agreement people to discredit
the INLA will not cut any ice with those living in working class
areas suffering from a reign of terror from hoods.
We know that the volunteers in the INLA acted from the best of
motives in doing what they did. But the IRSP has said both publicly
and privately to them that a number of their actions were wrong. We
have exerted our influence to change their way of dealing with
problems. In fact we have been working on this from long before
Eamonn McCann and his media cronies discovered Ardoyne and suicide.
(Those who wish to know the details can contact
[email protected])
McCann is also being simplistic about the issue of funding. A large
slice of peace funding has been going into Ardoyne creating jobs for
pro-Agreement elements. There is also a Community Restorative Justice
scheme in the area perceived to be too closely associated with one
pro-Agreement party. Some people believe that the end result of such
funding is only to cement the electoral machine of some politicians
and tie them in more firmly to the whole process of pacification.
Perhaps some enterprising journalist will actually conduct proper
investigative journalism into this whole area.
We have been trying to encourage people to take responsibility for
their own community and we see that as part of the process of
empowering the working class to begin to take control of the state
and begin the task of building a socialist society. Members of our
movement have made mistakes and our organisation has made mistakes in
the past. No doubt we will make mistakes in the future.
But we will not equivocate about imperialism. Recently at the so-
called "Left Convention" in Derry, I was accused of personally
attacking Eamonn McCann after I said that the programme he was
standing on amounted to gas and water socialism. Below is his answer
in Socialist Worker to the following question: But is this not
all "gas and water socialism"? What about imperialism?
"We are unashamedly anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist. We are
actively against the occupation of Iraq and the corporate agenda,
which enforces cutbacks and privatisation across the globe. The
threat to water service jobs here and introduction of water charges
is an example. Those who see themselves as anti-imperialists should
see that this is the front to fight on for the future. The fight
against imperialism in 2003 is a fight against US-led imperialism
across the globe, or it is nothing. Those who welcome Bush as "a
friend of Ireland" position Ireland on the side of imperialism. We
reject the idea that the issues which are convulsing the world have
nothing to do with politics here. We make common cause with all
across the world struggling for the same aims. We wouldn't have taken
George Bush's hand at Hillsborough except to twist it up his back and
run him out the door."
All very fine and noble sentiments but notice what is missing? There
is no mention of British imperialism nor is there a clear call for
the defeat of USA/British troops in Iraq. Perhaps that might alienate
some of the more pacifist members of the SEA. Well, we believe that
there is an imperialist presence in Ireland and as republicans our
comrades fought and died opposing that imperialism. They did not die
for a nationalist Ireland. They died for the liberation of all the
working class from reactionary ideologies and for the establishment
of a Workers Republic here.
Words are important and Eamonn McCann has a fine way with them. He is
also a fine writer and writes exactly what he means. His words in The
Blanket effectively put him on the other side of the barricades to
ourselves. He is on the side of the guttersnipes with word-processors.
(Gerry Ruddy)