As discussed yesterday I am not a Sinn Féin supporter and to be honest I doubt if I ever will be. I complained yesterday about the political establishment here in our tiny republic and how they disingenuously used the media to discredit the reputations of Martin Mc Guinness and Gerry Adams. To make matters worse they used the tragic cases of Jean Mc Conville and David Kelly as sticks to beat the Sinn Féin leaders with, and I have a major problem in that I honestly believe that these political hacks don’t really care about the plight of these particular victims of the war in Northern Ireland.
Official Ireland sends out its message that Gerry Adams and Martin Mc Guinness will do for the electorate in the north but not for the privileged in the south, work that one out if you can? I have, and I don’t particularly like the answer I have come up with. I as much as anyone else am at the mercy of the spin doctors, these are the people that can convince us that America and Britain can wage justifiable war whilst our own citizens are not entitled to defend themselves from aggressors, which us brings us back to the state and the power entrusted in the few that actually run it. The real power in the modern world is with those who can control the media whether it be on television or in print.
Take Rte six one news for example or Prime Time, the presenters reverently refer to Government ministers as ‘Minister’ or as in the case of the leader of the opposition recently he was called ‘Mr Martin.’ This is a tiny example of state controlled television at work, and if anyone is convinced that the Frontline is anything more than a mouthpiece for government policy I wish to hear from them. You will notice that the interviewer never gets to the core of the issue, bland questions are asked and half answered with the hard questions left in reserve till the show times out and all are friends by the end.
However the Rte interviewers reserve their hardest questions for Sinn Féin, but only during elections the rest of the time they are invited to fall into the mediocrity that is state political discussion. Elections are different you see in that hearts and minds need only be swayed for a one day one event, and a prospective candidate can live or die on their current public perception ratings. It is in essence the quick and immediate kill and sure if the real truth emerges later so be it, they will think up something again to destroy the candidate at the next election.
This type of state media manipulation is bad for the citizen as not only does it steal the truth but it also robs us of any real political analysis of the candidates in question. Watching the recent Prime time presidential debate I felt that Miriam O’ Callaghan should have called the police such was the vigour with which she pursed Martin Mc Guinness. It was a good job that Martin has most likely endured worse in the hands of some special policemen up north, but hey wasn’t Miriam just asking the questions people wanted asked, and really needed answered. No in fact the questions she asked were not real or proper questions to ask a candidate for the presidency who is minister of education in the Northern Ireland Parliament, there was no fear that she might call him ‘Minister.’
Now I come to reasons why I don’t vote Sinn Féin and most likely never will, it is very simple I don’t trust them? I feel my readers shift in their seats exclaiming ’but isn’t that we were saying all along we don’t trust them.’ With respect I don’t trust them for a what I suspect is an entirely different reason to you not trusting them if you get my drift. I don’t trust Sinn Féin because they preach one message in the north of Ireland re- economic and social policy and another in our little republic. Martin Mc Guinness is playing political games when he boasts of how he and his friend Peter Robinson and his other pal Ian Paisley went to Wall Street and played their part in the further globalisation of Northern Ireland. In the north American multi-nationals are the solution even if in our experience it is at least worth a debate as to their real long term worth to our economy. Down here Sinn Fein project themselves as a party of the left well certainly more to the left than either of the Fianna’s and possibly most of labour.
Up north Sinn Féin are backers of austerity and support budgetary cutbacks like any good lazy government in power. Northern Ireland due to its history has no strong connections with the politicisation of the left, most of its politics historically has been drawn on religious or ethnic divisions usually both. Down south Sinn Féin are critics of austerity in my opinion rightly so but how do the two strands equalise? In the republic they speak of self development rather than the failed dependence on the might of the multi national, they make stirring speeches on how best to develop our natural resources, and how to re-claim our potentially enormous and lucrative fishing grounds.
As voter I don’t know where I am I have one crowd of conservatives preaching the merits of wall street, and another radical movement calling for immediate and significant change in the way we organise our society and economy. These surely are the questions that should have been asked of Gerry Adams during the general election rather than trying to ruin his reputation as a person. I know the presidency is not in itself a political role but Martin Mc Guinness could have been made answer about these inconsistencies, but he wasn’t and our state run television service presumed we didn’t need to know. Of course there is also a competition in place I would suspect as to which broadcaster will be the first to catch out the Sinn Féin hierarchy, as Vincent Browne did his best to claim the prize on Irelands independent channel if there is such a thing. I would ask Sinn Féin to come clean with us the voters as to which policies they are actually presenting to us before I for one could even consider giving them my vote.
In response to a comment left on my blog yesterday I found the following article in An Phoblacht, [Republican News] from Thursday June 3rd 1999, I thought it might be of interest.
The background to the current search for bodies at locations around the country can be traced back to the first IRA cessation in 1994, when several West Belfast families whose relatives had been killed by the IRA in the 1970s and buried in secret graves contacted Gerry Adams in relation to the return of their remains.
Gerry Adams met the families and promised to do all that he could to resolve the matter. For Sinn Féin, the issue of the missing bodies is a clear matter of human rights and justice for the families involved and the party has said from the outset that all of the bodies should be returned with utmost speed so that the anguish of the families can be eased.
The Sinn Féin President commented this week: ``I am sorry that the bereaved families have been subjected to the trauma and pain arising from these killings and from the long wait they have had until now to have the bodies returned
``There is no easy way around this issue. It is part of the process of reconciliation which has come about because of the peace process.
``People are very upset by the harrowing scenes. This is a very painful chapter in our history. The enormity of the tragedy is effecting everyone on the island, but most especially the families involved.''
Adams has also said that unlike those who have attacked republicans for years, Sinn Féin recognised the injustice of the situation and spoke out against it and worked to see the bodies returned.
Sinn Féin has said it believes the IRA is being genuine in its attempts to deal with the issue. The IRA has apologised to the families. The hope now must be that all the remains will be located and returned to their families as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, Gerry Adams urged individuals with more precise information about the location of the bodies to provide details to the commission appointed to aversee the returns of the remains.
``There is always a possibility that someone out there has some little piece of information or that someone's memory has been triggered by the television images that we have seen. If that is the case then I would certainly urge such individuals to give such information to the commission as soon as possible.
``I like everyone else believe the fact that this is going on for so long is a source of unimaginable pain for those that are witnessing it. I think the whole nation is watching and I hope that the remains will be retrieved as quickly as possible,'' he added.
Adams said that his understanding, having been in touch with the intermediaries over recent days, is that all information uncovered by the IRA is in the hands of the commission.''
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