In a statement on February 2 a spokesperson for Cumann Tomás Ó hAirt, Sinn Féin Poblachtach, Ard Mhacha Thuaidh, said, referring to the imminent return of the Stormont Executive, two years after the DUP shut it down (the sixth time since 2000):

“According to Jude Collins, an Irish writer and broadcaster, we are a grand, wee country again. While cynically adding, we’re waiting for its next failure? He also makes it clear, if truth be told, it is already within touching distance. How can we fault this man for giving an honest account?

“Right from the start, let us avoid any form of celebration, this can only be seen as a political patchwork.

“The idea of a first minister for all, who happens to be a nationalist, should not be peddled as a victory in the struggle against British occupation nor should it be used to poke the eye of loyalist/unionists.

“The leader of the Provisionals, Mary Lou McDonald, says that the re-establishment of Stormont means that a united Ireland “is within touching distance”. This notion is just an exercise to steady activists and bring them in line.

“It is further evidence of their ideological vagaries, and it is fair to say that the truth has been lost in the fog of disinformation.

“Stormont is an exercise in safeguarding the union by an organisation which identifies as Republican. We certainly get no comfort from those who have capitulated to the British administration in the Occupied Six Counties.

“Let us be clear, the Provisionals are not Machiavellian masterminds with a clear long-term vision. As far back as Adams and his cohorts they emerged as perpetual improvisers and opportunists who plundered other people’s ideas whilst lurching their way towards an accommodation with the British and 26-County states.

“We were told that the Downing Street Declaration of 1993 contained a guarantee that Britain had no selfish strategic or economic interest in the Occupied Six Counties. This played a crucial role in shaping the Stormont Agreement and the setting up of the Stormont Executive which has proved to be a total failure.

“This time round, the British government came to an agreement with the DUP which excluded all other parties, proving that it holds all the cards and showing how unimportant the role of the First Minister is, be she/he nationalist or unionist. It has withheld subsidies from the British Exchequer to the Six-County statelet leading to the rundown of services as nurses and others are forced to strike for adequate pay.

“Once again, the statelet set up by Britain in the six north-eastern counties of Ulster has proved to be an abject failure. There is a longing for the complete overthrow of British rule in Ireland. This can be achieved by supporting Sinn Féin Poblachtach. We pledge to establish a Federal Democratic Socialist Republic based on the Proclamation of 1916.

“Be under no illusion, Republicanism is under threat. This can also be reversed by supporting Sinn Féin Poblachtach. We have the only viable solution; Éire Nua is not just our vision, it’s yours.”

CRÍOCH/ENDS

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