Freedom yet again

Following on a previous article on Freedom and Democracy, it is to be noted that in Late Sinn Fein’s recent Ard Fheis, the word – Saoirse—was emblazoned in the background. As noted in a previous article the word –Saoirse—as used by Late Sinn Fein is as meaningless as ---Uhuru---as used by the Kenyans in the 60ties. The 1801 Act of Union remains in place in the 6 counties and Hugh Orde can sleep soundly in the knowledge that the primary function of the P.S.N.I. is fulfilled, the 6 county undemocratic sectarian unwritten enforced constitution being now more secure than it ever was. It is now duly and finally enforced by a permanent British garrison and by an armed P.S.N.I. Hugh Orde can now relax knowing that partition is copper fastened and sectarianism institutionalised. Having conceded the constitution to the P,S.N.I. Late Sinn Fein is now willing to participate in the secondary function of the P.S.N.I. which is the maintenance of civil law and order and be happy with a placement at Stormont. Gerry Adams recommends that Republicans join the P.S.N.I. How this is going to work constitutionally is impossible to tell. As policemen and women it will be their constitutional duty to enforce the 1801 Act of Union but as Republicans it will be their duty to oppose it and get rid of it. In such a set up Republicans in the police will lead a schizophrenic existence.

By taking Right Wing Union Jack Unionists, the D.U.P., as bedfellows at Stormont Late Sinn Fein has exposed the attempt by P.I.R.A. to overthrow the Act of Union by brute force as just another Republican failure, a futility, and a farce and at the same time have exposed the tragedies of the hunger strikes at Long Kesh as just another Republican folly. In truth ---Saoirse--- as used by Late Sinn Fein is clearly as bogus and false as was ---uhuru---in Kenya.

However Federal Unionism—Early Sinn Fein still holds steadfastly to freedom in Ireland and holds to the truth that freedom is needed as never before but not of the bogus--- Saoirse/Uhuru--- sort. In the National Government of Ireland Act freedom is given its modern meaning as accepted by forward thinking people. In the Act there is given a list of “freedom froms” and in this list there will be found ---freedom from disease---as a basic freedom of the individual. What Ireland needs to be freed from in the 21st century is from the social disease of sectarianism, bigotry and intolerance. If the Irish are to be united in freedom they must first be liberated from the social disease of the country—sectarianism---.

Sectarianism is rampant in the mentalities of Late Sinn Fein and of Right Wing Union Jack Unionism There isn’t a protestant in the ranks of Late Sinn Fein nor is there a Catholic in the ranks of the D.U.P. In the case of Late Sinn Fein sectarianism runs deep in its history and pedigree. Late Sinn Fein takes as its ancestry the Catholic sectarian uprising of 1916.In that debacle there wasn’t a Protestant in the leadership or in the ranks; the Protestant Roger Casement is associated with this period of history but one swallow doesn’t make a summer. If the full truth were known about 1916 and it isn’t, it could be that the leadership and the ranks held to the sectarian bigotry that to be Irish one must be a Catholic, convert to Republicanism, and have a paranoid hatred of all things British especially the Crown. But to look at the whole picture and be fair there is the counter sectarian bigotry which says that to be loyal to the Crown, one must be protestant and British and convert to Right Wing Union Jack Unionism and live by the Act of Union and have a paranoid hatred of all things either Catholic or Irish. This sectarian bigotry, which is rampant in Ireland, has kept the communities at one another’s throats for generations. Ireland needs liberation from this mindset and when thus freed the island will be at peace and will be unified. Only Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein can point the Irish in this direction in the National Government of Ireland Act. If this Act were in place in Ireland, Ireland would a sovereign nation like Canada. Canadians are loyal to the Crown and such loyalty is no barrier to Canada being a Sovereign independent nation within the Commonwealth. As a sovereign nation Canada has one head of state, the Crown, one Canadian flag, one Canadian anthem, and one Canadian passport giving a Canadian identity. Thus in Canada there is no inconsistency in being loyal in being loyal to Crown and in being Canadian because the Canadian constitution allows that. But in Ireland one cannot be loyal to the Crown and be Irish because the constitution doesn’t permit that either in the 1801 Act of Union or in the 1937 constitution in the 26 counties.

In the National Government of Ireland Act Ireland would be constituted as an Irish Christian Liberal Democracy within the United Kingdom and in an Ireland constituted in this way there would be no inconsistency in being loyal to the Crown and in being Irish. The constitution would allow that. Under such a constitution the people of Ireland would enjoy true freedom, not a bogus freedom like a shout of ---Saoirse / Uhuru---in the streets. The highest form of freedom that the individual can aspire to is---freedom to be--. In an Irish Christian Liberal Democracy the individual could aspire to freedom in its highest form namely freedom to be Irish to one’s heart’s content and at the same time the individual should be free to be loyal to the Crown to one’s heart’s content.

Republicanism and Nationalism (Nationalism being a half way house to Republicanism) hold that self-determination can only be realized in a Republic. But self-determination can equally be realized in a Monarchy. This is true of the Monarchies of Norway and Sweden

To develop this concept of the freedom of the individual the needs of Ireland in the 21st century can be listed as follows and these can only be fulfilled in Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein.

1. The repeal of the Act of Union 1801

2. Its replacement by a new Act of Union, the National Government of Ireland Act in which the U.K. constitution is reformed and restructured in Ireland making it acceptable to all, be it the Catholics of Kerry or the Protestants of Derry.

3. The Act should define Ireland as a Sovereign Nation within the United Kingdom with a reformed Crown as head of state.

4. A federal structure of government in Ireland with a central government in ~Dublin, Dail Eireann, with powers devolved to four provincial Houses of Representatives

5. One state religion for all---Christian ~Ecumenism

6. A reform of the Orange Order

7. The British Isles redefined as The Isles of the North Atlantic.

8. Emmet’s epitaph to be written, Ireland being a 32 sovereign nation.

There is little point in disillusioned, disenchanted and disgruntled Republicans lamenting the sell-out by Late Sinn Fein in the six counties. That was inevitable. Republicanism has been tested to destruction by P.I.R.A.in the six counties and have shown it to be flawed, faulty, and defective and should be rejected. It is the thrust of these articles that traditional Unionism, Nationalism, and Republicanism are all flawed, faulty, and defective and should all be thrown out and replaced by the new stock of Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein. So all is not lost. Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein, which is a synthesis of Nationalism, and Unionism, remains with its solution to the Irish problem.

Michael Gillespie