Glasgow -- Links between Scotland and Ireland stretch back many centuries
April 20, 2003
Speaking at Republican Sinn Fein Féin's annual 1916 Commemoration in Glasgow on Easter Sunday, April 20, RSF Ard Chomhairle member, Des Dalton said: Eighty Seven years ago, a small but gallant band of men and women, including a contingent from Scotland, unfurled in Ireland the banner of national independence, freedom and democracy, in defiance of what was then the most powerful empire on the globe. From their Head Quarters in Dublin's GPO, the 'Provisional Government of the Irish Republic' led by P.H.Pearse, Tom Clarke, and James Connolly, issued a document which has come to serve as the cornerstone of Irish Republicanism, a document which inspired not only the Irish people, but freedom loving peoples throughout the world, to throw off the shackles of empire and take up the struggle of national liberation. 'The Proclamation of the Irish Republic' is a document which in the words of Tomas MacDonagh, springs from "Ireland's vivid intellect", it lays out for us the democratic principles on which we base our struggle, "The right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indeafisible." Like Connolly our aim is the "Reconquest of Ireland" as Connolly pointed out "The conquest of Ireland had meant the social and political servitude of the Irish masses, and therefore the re - conquest of Ireland must mean the social as well as the political independence from servitude of every man, woman, and child in Ireland." The links between Scotland and Ireland stretch back many centuries of our shared Celtic heritage and history, but also we have a shared experience of brutal colonial coercion, occupation, famine and enforced emigration, but like Ireland, Scotland has long and proud history of resistance to English Rule, its democratic and radical tradition stretches back, like Ireland, to the 1790s, with organisations such as the 'Friends of the People' and the 'Society of United Scotsmen' producing leaders such as Thomas Muir, who was also an honoury member of the 'Society of United Irishmen', the 19th Century saw the Scottish Radicals who led the abortive insurrection of 1820. The 20th Century produced one of Scotland's foremost political thinkers and leaders, John MacLean, friend and comrade of James Connolly, who not only championed the cause of Scotland and her working class but also the cause of Irish Freedom. Indeed the Irish in Scotland have contributed much in Ireland's long struggle, they not only actively participated in the 1916 rising but played their part in the re - organisation of the Republican Movement in the years following the rising, the Scottish Brigade of the IRA was one of the most active in the Tan war, with actions such as the legendary "smashing of the van", the Irish community in Scotland also lost a number of its sons in the cause of a free and independent Ireland. During the brutal Counter - Revolution of 192223 the Irish in Scotland were again to the forefront in defence of the All - Ireland Republic. Today the cause of a free Ireland has never been more under threat, on every side stand those who are determined to obliterate every vestige of nationhood or nationality. Both the British and 26 County Governments have made it clear that they are determined to crush all those who they cannot absorb into the apparatus of British Rule in Ireland. In the 26 Counties the political show - trial of the 'Limerick Seven' continues at the non - jury 'Special Criminal Court' in Dublin's Green St, where 200 years ago Robert Emmet stood trial, how little has changed, whilst on the ground the harassment of Republicans is ongoing. In the Six Counties the arrest and harassment of Republicans is also the order of the day, with in a number of cases spurious 'conspiracy' charges being used to intern Republicans. In Belfast recently, Republicans were even denied a premises in which to hold a function in support of Republican prisoners and their families. Hand - in - hand with all of this is the denial of political status to republican prisoners, particularly in the Six Counties, in an attempt to criminalize Ireland's struggle. And I would like to take this opportunity to extend greetings to Republican prisoners in Magilligan, Maghaberry and Portlaoise. Meanwhile attempts to once more patch up the ailing sectarian 'Stormont Agreement' are ongoing, Following its signing five years ago RSF warned that due to its inherent contradictions, promising Nationalists on the one hand that it would lead to a free and united Ireland whilst on the other promising Unionists that it would strengthen the 'union' with Britain, it was doomed to failure. As we point out in our 'Address to the People of Ireland' which was launched in Belfast on February 11 by RSF President, Ruairi O Bradaigh, the 'Stormont Agreement' has served to institutionalise sectarianism, leading to an increase in sectarian conflict, based as it is on a crude sectarian 'head - count', further entrenching "the differences carefully fostered by an alien Government'. The 'Stormont Agreement' has failed the people of Ireland, for Nationalists their nightmare continues, with an increase in pipe bomb attacks and shootings, Unionists have been left in a vacuum of fear and uncertainty. The 'Steven's Report' published last Thursday (April 17) only confirms what Irish Republicans have been pointing out since the early 1970s, that the British Government have used Loyalist Death Squads as the underground arm of the British Occupation forces in Ireland. In calling for the establishment of a public international inquiry we would also point out that they should not be confined to the Finucane case, nor held in private as in the case of the single biggest loss of life in the conflict, the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1974. What is also clear is that simply changing the name uniform and cap badge of the RUC and UDR does not change the fundamental nature of these forces. They consist of the same personnel which carried out a brutal campaign of murder against uninvolved nationalists as a matter of British Government policy. Against this background the Provisionals look set either now or in the near future to take the next step from administering British Rule in Ireland to actively enforcing and policing it, let us not fool ourselves the Provos have bought into British Rule in Ireland, and have no option but to dismantle their military wing allowing for its absorabtion into the machinery of British Rule, to be used against former comrades who have refused to be bought or accept British Rule, as latter day 'Broy Harriers'. The purpose of the 'Stormont Agreement' is the normalisation of British Rule in Ireland, as Irish Republicans we will never accept this, like Connolly we hold that 'England has no right in Ireland, never had any right in Ireland and never can have any right in Ireland'. We pledge our determination to continue the struggle for Irish Freedom, the removal of the British presence and the re - establishment of the All- Ireland Republic of Easter week, we are here for the long haul. In EIRE NUA Republican Sinn Fein possess the only sane and credible alternative to what is a clearly failed process, as we point out in our 'Address to the Irish People' : We believe that neither London nor Dublin can guarantee the future welfare of the people of Ulster. Only the people of Ulster themselves can do that - and they can best achieve it by taking their rightful place, as equals in the historic Irish Nation, where their rights would be guaranteed by a new constitution and they would have access to real power. Internationally imperialism is once more on the march, the USBritish led war on the people of Iraq, which has led to deaths of thousands of innocent men, women and children, was a gross violation of international law, in effect tearing up the UN charter. America's doctrine of 'pre - emptive war' is an imperialist charter of the strong to be used against the weak, already the US hawks are rattling their sabres in the direction of Syria, who is next on the list? The war in Iraq was but the first of the 'resource wars' of the 21st Century. Since the 'Boer War' Irish Republicans have consistently opposed wars of conquest which is why we were to the forefront in protesting at the us of Shannon and Irish airspace by US warplanes in breach of Irish neutrality, the position adopted by the 26 County Administration in aligning themselves with an unholy 'coalition of the willing' in defiance of the clearly expressed wishes of the Irish people can only be described as disgraceful. Likewise the visit to Hillsborough by US President George Bush was both hypocritical and shameful, equally shameful was the welcome given to him by Bertie Ahern, the Provos and the SDLP, at a time when he was unleashing weapons of mass destruction on the defenceless people of Iraq, whilst using Ireland as base to set out his stall for the colonialisation of Iraq. We are inheritors of a proud and noble tradition with roots deep in Irish history, from Tone to Emmet, whose Bi - Centenary we commemorate this year, to Davis, Lalor to Pearse and Connolly, we are not for sale nor will we be co - opted into any British imposed settlement, we are implacable enemies of British Rule in Ireland, and will continue to preach the undiluted gospel of Irish Republicanism, whilst continuing to put forward the three historic demands of the Irish people: - A public British declaration of intent to withdraw from Ireland within a stated period.
- The release of all political prisoners
- A New Ireland negotiated by the Irish people themselves.
Conscious of the historic links between Ireland and Scotland we yearn for the day when a free Scotland can take her place alongside a free and united Ireland in a 'League of free Celtic Nations.' In this the Bi -Centenary year of Robert Emmet's rising and execution let us by our words and more importantly our deeds hasten the day when his epitaph can finally be written, when Ireland has truly taken her place amongst the nations of the earth.
8:03:09 AM 
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