Articles For Blogger

The novel --THE WAY IRELAND OUGHT TO BE--is an impressionistic fiction derived from life experiences. The novel relates Dr Quinn's struggle in a psychiatric clinic to discover his true self as an Irishman. In his mental struggle he creates THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND ACT as the solution to the Irrish problem.

The novel is the companion to this series of articles in this Blog and is recommended reading. The novel can be bought through any book store or from any book agency on the Internet

Abortion in the Six Counties

Abortion in the six counties

On listening to the radio I heard Geoffrey Donaldson and Dianne Abbot debate Dianne’s intention that the 1967 Abortion Act and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology 1990 Act be amended so that abortion on demand and for social expediency be made available in the six counties. I was pleased to hear that Geoffrey was opposed to such an amendment because such legislation was not acceptable to the political parties or to the four main churches. Mr Donaldson pointed out that such legislation was an imposition on the people of the six counties.

Secularist Federal Unionist – Early Sinn Fein sees the introduction of abortion in the six counties as an imposition coming from a central Westminster, but the objection by Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein runs much deeper than that. The imposition of abortion on the people of the six counties is a spin off of a much deeper problem which is the imposition by the military of an unwritten undemocratic constitution on those in the six counties who don’t want it. That is how U.K. constitution works. Mr Donaldson is right to oppose the imposition he objects to but is heedless to the plight of those who have to live under a military imposed unwritten undemocratic constitution they object to. What is needed is a reformed U.K. constitution, which is acceptable to all in the same way, as the six counties need abortion legislation that is acceptable to all c.f. THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND ACT Article 4 Page 201.

In another article in this Blog titled Here’s to you, Mrs Robinson---, a definition of secularism is given taken from the Internet. This definition of secularism is fine and dandy and is the definition of secularism acceptable to Federal unionism - Early Sinn Fein. It agrees that state laws should be derived from reason and should be based on
evidence and fact. Laws should be humane and be enacted for the good of the state the community and of the individual. Since the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act six million potential individuals have been refused the right to exist. Such a shameful statistic condemns those false prophets of secularism who support abortion on demand and for social expediency. Those who are genuinely secularist in outlook see those who support abortion on demand and for social expediency as, inhumane, cruel and criminal.

Dianne Abbot was raised under an unwritten undemocratic U.K. constitution and is surrounded by those who unthinkingly accept such a constitution so the lady is free to impose Dianne Abbot law on those parts of the U.K. who don’t want it. In this way abortion is being dragged in by the undemocratic back door of The U.K. into the six counties and imposed. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein urges the lady to come clean and wise up and introduce abortion by the democratic front door. To do that the lady should leave Hackney North and settle in Belfast. In Belfast she should set up the six County Abortion Party. If Dianne prefers to be politically correct she may call it the N. Ireland Abortion Party. Whatever! She should go forward on a ticket of abortion on demand and for social expediency and when Dianne’s party returns a majority to the assembly the abortion party can introduce acceptable abortion legislation in the six counties, which is a humane solution to the difficult human problem of an unwanted pregnancy. If that were done that would be legislation introduced through the democratic front door, not through the undemocratic back door of an unwritten militarily imposed U.K. constitution that is objected to by a significant section of the six county population.

Michael Gillespie Federal Unionist – Early Sinn Fein

Whither Traditional Unionism

Whither Traditional Unionism

The partitionists David Cameron the leader o f the British Conservatives and Sir Reg Empey leader of the Ulster Unionist Party are reported to be in the process of forming an alliance between their respective parties. This is a new partitionist move to copper fasten the division of Ireland into two foreign states. Neither of these men show the slightest concern about the Irish disease --- sectarianism unless there is a mass conversion of the catholic community to the old dogmas of traditional toryism following an alliance between the Tories And the U.U.P. Margaret Thatcher sold the traditional unionists down the river in the Anglo Irish Agreement, a sell-out of which the traditional unionist Ian Paisley was keenly aware in his public outburst –Never, Never, Never. But Ian in turn sold traditional Ulster unionism down the river in forming an unholy and ungodly union with Late Sinn Fein/ I.R.A.

With the military defeat of Republicanism by the British in the six counties Partition and its underlying malady –Sectarianism –is being reinforced on the island as never before. The six counties are now polarized into two extreme and constitutionally contradictory sectarian camps of Republican: Late Sinn Fein and the unionism of Right Wing Union Jack Unionism, the D.U.P. For Sir Reg and David the treachery of Margaret Thatcher is being airbrushed away and sectarianism is taken to be the order of the day in Ireland.

At this point in the history of Traditional unionism it should be useful to ask ----Whither traditional Unionism? and look at a radical appraisal of the U.K. by examining what are the fundamentals of U.K. constitution and ask what is the sine qua non of the union.

For traditional Unionists in Ulster the union is constitutionally embodied in: -
(1) Loyalty to the Crown.
(2) The anthem God Save the Queen.
(3) The Union Jack.
(4) A British Passport.
(5) Parliament at Westminster

God Save the Queen is regarded by traditional unionism as being immutable and unchangeable. However God Save the Queen is not a sine qua non of the union. Three Blind Mice as the National Anthem could replace God Save the Queen if that were the will of the House of Commons and deemed appropriate by the British people.

By the same token the union Jack is not immutable and unchangeable. That flag is manmade and was created by Whitehall in 1801 and as such is not a sine qua non of the union. An alternative to the Union Jack is given in THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND ACT Article 9 page224. A suggested redesign of the Irish Tricolour as the National flag of Ireland and a symbol of the United Kingdom of the Sovereign Nation of Ireland and Great Britain can be seen in this Blog. The new design should be called The Royal Flag of Ireland.

Is the existing design of a British Passport a sine qua non of the U.K.? Surely not. The British passport can be redesigned in any shape or form the House of Commons cares to make it. A suggested redesign of a U.K. passport in Ireland is given in the Act as follows:-

(1) Ireland--- written in English Irish and French on the cover along with the Royal flag of Ireland
(2) The Crown Irish Representation c.f. The Act Article 3 Page 195 to be shown on the first inside leaf of the Passport.
(3) The passport should be written in Irish and English.

The holder of such a passport would be an Irish citizen who recognises the Crown as head of state in Ireland and such recognition of the Crown as Head of State is the only sine qua non of the U.K. All else is changeable including Parliament With devolved governments in Scotland and Wales, Parliament at Westminster is now in a state of flux.

Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein brings this radical unionism to the attention of traditional unionism At the moment there is a working party in place to examine a new arrangement between the U.U.P. and the Tories. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein has no objection in principal to this except that such an alliance will do nothing to eradicate sectarianism in Ireland. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein puts forward a new approach to the eradication of sectarianism on the island. It is proposed that a constitutionally central collation be formed of the central S.D.L.P. the U.U.P. and Alliance whose aim is to oppose and defeat the constitutional extremists Late Sinn Fein and the D.U.P. The central coalition should be named The Federal Unionist – Early Sinn Fein Party of Ireland. In such a coalition the U.U.P. could retain its association with the Conservatives, the Alliance retain its historic association with the Lib Dems and the S.D.L.P. retain its association with the Labour Party.

If eventually the National Government of Ireland Act were in place, ideally, in the whole of Ireland then the Irish Christian Democrats could be in association with the British Conservatives and with the Christian Democrats in Europe, the Irish liberal democrats could be in association with the Lib Dems in G.B. and with European liberals, and the Irish Social Democrats could remain in association with British Labour and with socialists in Europe.

In such an arrangement politics in Ireland would become normalized being based on the ideological, right, centre and left and the sickness of Ireland –sectarianism will wither away. So whither traditional Unionism?


Michael Gillespie Federal Unionist – Early Sinn Fein

Whither Late Sinn Fein?

At the moment there is considerable interest in the press and in the media concerning the peace process and its direction and efforts are being made to reconcile the DUP and Late Sinn Fein to one another. Stormont has become the Mecca of the North for Late Sinn Fein.

But it may be time to stand back and examine what is happening constitutionally in the six counties. The crux of the matter seems to be that the DUP and Late Sinn Fein will not bed down together at Stormont until Late Sinn Fein accepts in full the six county courts and cooperates in full with the PSNI. Gerry Adams is now leading Late Sinn Fein in that direction.

To understand clearly what is afoot in the six counties the state’s constitution has to be looked at and the law courts and the police force are basic to the six county constitutional make up. In this unwritten constitution derived from the 1801 Act of Union the law courts and the police are the basic means whereby the six county unwritten undemocratic Right Wing Union Jack Unionist constitution is maintained. In deed one might say the courts and the police are the heart and lungs of this undemocratic constitution. This constitution has been rejected by the vast majority of the people of this island but in the six counties this undemocratic constitution is being maintained militarily by the British Army and by the PSNI with a gun strapped to their hip.

Since the 1801 Act of Union, the primary function of the police in Ireland, beginning with the RIC, was the maintenance of the constitution on the island as a whole. The maintenance of civil law and order was a secondary function. When the six county statelet was set up the RU C took on the role as state enforcers of an unwritten undemocratic constitution even though the constitution was unacceptable to a significant portion of the population. The PSNI still has as its primary function the enforcement of the constitution on those who don’t want it. That is why they travel the highways and byways carrying guns. For the PSNI the maintenance of civil law and order is a secondary function. The ultimate back up to the PSNI in this role is the British military garrison of 5000 whose ultimate duty is to enforce the constitution at the point of a gun on those who object to it. For Gerry Adams and Late Sinn Fein this is now to be accepted. In this acceptance Late Sinn Fein is now accepting the 1801 Act of Union and in so doing are propping up a Right Wing Union Jack Unionist regime in the six counties. Late Sinn Fein are now being hoodwinked bamboozled and pressurized by the clever wiles of Ian Paisley and the DUP into an acceptance of the Act of Union. This deception is aided and abetted by the British con artist, Tony Blair using the sleight of hand—good community relations and peace. Backing this up is the Irish con artist, the partitionist Bertie Ahern and a partitionist Dail Eireann, and urging this on is the arch partitionist Catholic potentate of a cosy Catholic foreign jurisdiction---Mary Mc Aleese. Gerry Adams should now come clean with the party faithful and go the full constitutional hog and fly the Union Jack on Late Sinn Fein headquarters, take a seat in the House of Commons and take the oath of allegiance to the Queen and end its Ard Fheis in Dublin with ---God Save the Queen. If Ian Paisley and Tony Blair were to make all of that a condition of entry to Stormont Gerry Adams and Late Sinn Fein would acquiesce such is their lust for power in the six counties.

This is not so with Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein. There is no way it would buy into the Act of Union 1801 by selling its birth right for a mess of pottage in the six counties. It rejects utterly the Act of Union simply because the Act has been rejected historically by the vast majority of the people of this island. But Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein goes further than that and positively. Recognising that Republicanism has been defeated militarily in the six counties and because of that, is defeated on the whole island and is now partitionist in outlook, Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein advocates the repeal of the unacceptable Act of Union 1801 and its removal from the statute books, to be replaced by a new acceptable Act of Union, the National Government of Ireland Act, giving a Union that is democratically acceptable to all, be it the Catholics of Kerry or the Protestants of Derry. Those who have the best interest of Ireland and the Irish at heart will find a proposal for the National Government of Ireland Act published in 22 articles in the Blanket 2006 The six counties are now in a constitutional mess as is the island as a whole, being partitioned into two statelets the one foreign to the other. This mess has been created in the past by extremists north and south. It is high time the mess was cleared up but Late Sinn Fein cannot do that. All they can do is wallow in it and now have their nose rubbed in it by the DUP. But the mess can be cleared up in a UK context in the National Government of Ireland Act. That way, in a UK context lies a United Ireland and only in that way.

When it comes to policing a few twiddles of the constitutional knobs by Cris Patton will not do. Patton has left the primary role of the PSNI as constitutional enforcers intact. In the National Government of Ireland Act the police would be subject to the constitution, not enforcers of it and the maintenance of the constitution would be in the hands of the Taoiseach but would ultimately be determined by the democratic will of the Irish people. The only constitutional duty of the police would be the maintenance of civil law and order. Likewise if the National Government of Ireland Act were in place, ideally, in the whole of Ireland or else in the six counties it would then a constitutional imperative that English Scottish and Welsh soldiers leave Ireland and an Irish Army in Ireland would have the constitutional role of defending Irish territory and democracy, or of defending the territory of the Isles of the North Atlantic and democracy in conjunction with the British Army should the need arise. Neither the Irish Army nor the British Army would be constitutional enforcers in Ireland. The constitution would be maintained solely by the democratic will of the Irish people.

Michael Gillespie

Whither Traditional Republicanism?
Michael Gillespie

On first writing to the Blog I made clear I am a dissident, dissenting from Traditional Republicanism, Nationalism, and Unionism seeing these as failed entities that have past their sell by date and should be thrown out and replaced with the new improved up-to-date stock of Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein. On reading current articles in The Blanket, contributed by Republicans, it is now becoming clear that Early Sinn Fein’s original message is finding an affinity with thinking Republicans where traditional Republicanism is being seen as a futility.

Traditional Republicanism has been abandoned by Late Sinn Fein which now props up a Right Wing Union Jack Unionist 6 county state by buying into the 1801 Act of Union at Stormont. Like Early Sinn Fein, traditional Republicanism is opposed to the 1801 Act of Union and wants rid of it but unlike Early Sinn Fein, traditional Republicanism doesn’t know how to achieve that goal. Violence has been the traditional means towards the end but that means proved futile in ’98, in 1916 and in the recent spate of violence in the 6 counties. So the question is---Whither Traditional Republicanism?

The 1801 Act has been rendered secure in the 6 counties and being secure partition is copper- fastened and sectarianism institutionalised. Ian Paisley had beome expansive and has made a benevolent visit to Dublin and has shaken hands with the unprincipled partitionist Bertie Ahern who has the full approval of a unprincipled Catholic partitionist foreign Dail Eireann. All of this is greeted with euphoria by an unthinking media.

In the knowledge of all of that, Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein holds to the principle that the Act of Union was a military imposition in 1801 and undemocratic and remains an undemocratic military imposition on a sizeable section of the population in the 6 counties at the present time. To resolve this Early Sinn Fein advocates the replacement of the imposed Act of Union 1801 by a new acceptable and democratic Act of Union—The National Government of Ireland Act---.Ideas for such an Act have already been published in The Blog. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein is as one with Traditional Republicanism in its opposition to the 1801 Act as an end but Early Sinn Fein advocates reason, not brute force as a means.

Federal Unionism-Early Sinn Fein also wishes to see the day when sectarianism will be non-existent in Ireland. Being realistic sectarianism has its roots in the fracture of Christianity in ages past and is bound up with denominational religion in Ireland. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein believes that ones religion is a private matter between the individual and God and religion shouldn’t be worn on the sleeve, or mouthed about in public, or paraded in public for votes. Federal Unionism- Early Sinn Fein profoundly believes that no single brand of denominational Christianity holds a monopoly of Christian truth but that since the fracture of Christianity at the Reformation, the Christian truth is held in a partial fragment by each one of the Christian denominations. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein profoundly believes that no single Christian denomination offers an exclusive route to personal salvation but that each one of the Christian denominations offers a route to personal salvation, the various denominations being six of one and half a dozen of the other. In that belief Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein is aware that Ian Paisley preaches from the pulpit that his brand of denominational Christianity is the whole Christian truth and nothing but the Christian truth. Preaching thus Ian maintains that his brand of denominational Christianity is a super brand, and like Persil it washes whiter. Is Ian then the role model of the super Christian and is he the superstar of Christianity? If Ian had behaved like a Christian and spoke like a Christian 40 years ago and had backed Captain O’ Neill in the introduction of modest reforms in the 6 counties and had shaken the hand of Sean Lemass in friendship as he has done with Bertie Ahern, in the judgement of Early Sinn Fein there would never have been an I.R.A. and there would never have been violence and 3000 people who are now dead would still be alive. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein maintains that Ian Paisley is a man with much on his conscience and has much to answer for. Because of that Early Sinn Fein calls on the reverend gentleman to admit his guilt, confess his sins and in company with his erstwhile unchristian political partner at Stormont, Martin who has an unchristian record of terrorism, wear sackcloth and ashes as repentant sinners who have been joined at the hip in an unhealthy, unholy and ungodly union at Stormont. On the other hand Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein is prepared to assist in the healing of the multiple fracture in Christianity by advocating in the National Government of Ireland Act that Christian Ecumenism be made the official state religion of a New Ireland.

The reverend gentleman preaches that the Pope is the anti- Christ and believes that all Catholics are clones of the Pope and would have us believe that Mary M cAleese should be called Dolly the Pope because of her Catholicism. He preaches that his brand of religion and it alone, offers personal salvation and that he personally is saved but maybe if the full truth were known the only thing saved in Ian’s life are the files on his computer. Those with an ounce of Christian sense in their make up must realize that neither Ian or Martin have a Christian bone in their body and in both their faces can be seen the unacceptable face of Christianity.

There is a recurrent theme in Republican writing that the Irish problem can be resolved in socialism. It would be interesting to know the origins of this notion. It could be that this notion originates in Long Kesh with Republican prisoners being brainwashed and indoctrinated into the dogma that revolutionary socialism is the cure all. This has been put to the test in the 6 counties and has been shown to be flawed, faulty and defective. Socialism has also been put to the electoral test by that foot soldier of socialism, Eamon McCann and by the Worker’s Party. The electoral results speak for themselves. Socialism collapsed in Europe with the Berlin Wall but there are those who still cling to the forlorn hope that if only the Shankill and the Falls would unite as working class people in socialism unity would follow and all would be well. This hope was put to the test by the old Northern Ireland Labour Party but without electoral success. The difficulty with the Labour Party lay in the reality that to split the party from head to toe on sectarian lines all that was needed was a motion proposing that the Party recognise the border. So in the old Labour Party the unity of socialism was skin deep and superficial. What touched the quick and divided the party was the border i.e. the constitution. So Federal Unionism reiterates again that to unite Catholic Protestant and Dissenter requires a new reformed U.K.constitution in Ireland i.e. The National Government of Ireland Act and that Ireland can be united in no other way.

There is the assertion in Republican thinking that in Ireland disunity is due to the naughty British who back unionists and if only the British would stop doing that and went away protestant loyalist Ireland would convert en masse to Republicanism and a united Ireland would follow. This foolish assertion fails to understand loyalist Ireland. The central plank of that community’s culture is loyalty to the Crown. It has to be accepted as reasonable that loyalty is a praiseworthy human attribute be it loyalty to friend, family, organization, country or Crown. In a liberal democracy that allows freedom of expression, loyalty should be freely expressed not repressed, as loyalty to the Crown would be in a Republic. The case in point is the Protestant loyalist community in the 26 county statelet. There the central plank of the community’s culture was taken away and the protestant community, ill at ease in an imposed alien culture, voted against the statelet with their feet by walking out, so it is true to say that protestants are as scarce on the banks of the Shannon, nowadays, as Sioux Indians are on the banks of the Mississippi. The fate of Catholics in the 6 counties is in marked contrast. Since 1921 the catholic community in the 6 counties has increased, multiplied and flourished even though they have felt badly done by, by Right Wing Union Jack Unionism, so Catholics in the 6 counties don’t seem to have any objection in principle to being within the U.K. provided they get a fair crack of the whip. By the same token the Catholics of Kerry could equally increase multiply and flourish if they were to be within a reformed United Kingdom.

Some time ago I saw Catrina Ruane of Late Sinn Fein mention a New Ireland to a D.U.P.man on T.V. It was a mystery to myself the D.U.P. man and also to the viewers what Catrina was talking about. Everyone would want to know what Catrina’s new Ireland would be like , where it would come from and how it would be constitutioned and what we all would be letting ourselves in for in this new Ireland but Catrina never mentioned any of that. Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein is willing to come to the lady’s assistance and offer the lady, free of charge, a brand new Ireland which unlike the muddy waters of Late Sinn Fein’s Eire Nua, is clearly thought out, clearly presented, and clearly constituted and with no hidden agenda so that the lady can study the National Government of Ireland Act and see how she would like to live in a united Ireland as an Irish Christian Liberal Democracy within the United Kingdom. I hope Catrina reads This Blog.

When first writing to This Blog I described myself as a teacher and a writer. If the readership doesn’t like teachers and writers especially teachers I can describe myself in the way Shaw described himself to the Fabian Society: -

“I am not a teacher. I am a fellow traveller who is pointing the way.”~
Michael Gillespie











































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Ruled by Zealots

With the setting up of the assembly in the 6 counties the partitionist Bertie Ahern has declared in a partitionist Dail Eireann that the constitution in Northern Ireland is now off the table. It is easy for Bertie to say that in a cosy catholic foreign 26 county Republic. Federal Unionism- Early Sinn Fein invites the taoiseach to visit the 6 counties and look around and he will find his wishful thinking about the constitution is misplaced. In the 6 counties he will find that for the people, the constitution is at the centre of the table and remains at the heart of the matter. He will find in catholic estates the kerbstones painted green white and orange, the flag is the tricolour, the anthem is a Soldier’s Song and the passport is Irish. In protestant estates he will find the kerbstones painted red white and blue, the flag is the Union Jack, the anthem is God Save The Queen and the passport is British. So what is Bertie talking about when he says that in N. Ireland the constitution is off the table? This typifies the flannel that comes from politicians in Ireland. What now is the flag to be flown at Stormont and what is the anthem? Is it the Union Jack and God Save the Queen? If it is then Late Sinn Fein are 1801 Unionists and should fly the Union Jack at headquarters and end the Ard Fheis with God Save the Queen. Could both flags be flown and both anthems sung? If that were the case then Stormont would clearly be the constitutional monstrosity that it has become. Perhaps the parties could agree not to fly any flag or have an anthem, in that case the 6 counties, as a constitutional non – entity, would be a non- state. This seems to be the constitutional position adopted by Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair and being urged by the media. The people of the 6 counties are being told to deal with bread and butter matters only. In other words the people are being told to think about their bellies and about nothing else. But to have a buoyant economy it is vital to have a stable state and a stable state must have a democratically accepted constitution, which the 6 county statelet doesn’t have. Mr Ford of the Alliance Party has suggested that the 6 counties should have its own flag—a green flag with a circle of blue flax flowers---- and its own anthem---Danny Boy--- but that is typical of the silly shallow nonsense that comes from Alliance.

Ian Paisley keeps insisting that he is a democrat, that the 6 counties is a democracy and is within the United Kingdom but never explains what ‘democracy’ or ‘united’ are supposed to mean. Since the U. K. constitution is unwritten the validity of these words can be tested in acid in this way. Ian should invite the Queen to make a Royal tour of the 6 counties and Ian, Martin, and Bertie should escort Her Majesty on a walk about up the Falls Road and have the people of the Falls greet the Queen with Union Jacks. The Royal visitor should then attend a Royal Fete in Casement Park to be serenaded by a Falls male voice choir crooning in four part harmony---God Save the Queen---with Ian Paisley jr conducting. The Queen should then make a similar Royal tour of the Bogside and Creggan in Derry and finish off the visit with a similar Royal tour of Crossmaglen. When all of that comes to pass Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein will concede to Ian that the 6 county statelet is democratic, that he is a democrat and the United Kingdom is united and will agree with Bertie that the constitution is off the table in N. Ireland. But all of that is not a scenario of the immediate future but may happen light years from now. In the mean time when the Crown visits Belfast the Crown is hijacked by Right Wing Union Jack Unionists, is corralled into Protestant districts and is seen as a protestant Crown for Protestants. If that is ever to change that can only be done in the National Government of Ireland Act by Federal Unionism- Early Sinn Fein.

To look at the constitutional surrealism of the whole island, recently I saw Ian Paisley jr on T.V. make a visit to Dublin where he was greeted by the Irish foreign minister Mr Ahern. It looked like Ian jr was arriving from Timbuktu not from Belfast a hundred miles or so up the road. It amazes one how these two men can keep straight faces when involved in such a surrealist constitutional farce.

Zealotry is the curse of Irish history and while the farcical constitutional nature of the island goes back to ancient religious wars in ancient times, the modern farce began with the zealotry of Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen Their zealotry drove the Irish ship of state off course. Prior to the United Irishmen, the Patriots in the Irish Parliament were pressing for a parliament which was separate from, but co- equal to Westminster under the Crown and this is the first and best concept of Irish nationhood in Irish history. In this concept the Irish ship of state was on course but in reaction to ’98, the Irish parliament was ripped out of Ireland and with it the island’s constitutional centre, this being spearheaded by a zealotry of Irish protestant landed gentry and the Irish ship of state was driven off course. In the 19thcentury attempts were made by Butt and Parnell to steer the ship of state back onto the course of the Patriots but this was frustrated by Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. In the 20th century Griffiths, in the notion of a dual monarchy, tried to steer the ship of state back on the central course of the Patriots but the sectarian zealotry of 1916 put paid to that in 1916, and the ship of state was driven totally off course into the doldrums of partition. How many protestants were in the leadership or in the ranks in 1916? Now in a 30 year zealotry of violence Late Sinn Fein is not only off course but is now lost at sea in Stormont.

Zealotry is normally found in religion but there exists the zealotry of two secular religions in Ireland i.e. Late Sinn Fein and Union Jack Unionism. These secular religions have secular saints and secular martyrs, a one true faith based on contradictory dogmas about Ireland and on two conflicting and contradictory truths about Ireland. The adherents of these two apostate religions have gutted one another in the past but are now joined together at the hip in an unholy ungodly and unhealthy union at Stormont and these zealots now rule; on the one hand, the religious and political zealot, Peter Robinson on the other, the political zealot Martin Maginnis. In the past in G.B. the racist zealot Oswald Moseley was put out of politics because he was anti- Jewish but in the 6 counties the religious and political zealots theD.U.P. have remained in politics and now rule even though they are known to be anti- Irish and anti- catholic. They do this in company with the anti- loyalist zealot Maginnis.

All of this is bound up with the morality of government in the assembly. A government in a genuine democracy has a moral basis. In a genuine democracy the government governs in the belief that what it says and does is right and the opposition opposes in the belief that what the government says and does is wrong. Profumo was sacked because of a sexual impropriety and for lying to the House; Nixon was sacked for lying to the nation; Clinton was faced with impeachment, not so much for a sexual impropriety as for lying; Bertie Ahern’s fitness for government was called to question over his personal finances and all of this is due to the moral basis of the democratic governments concerned. This is not the case with the assembly at Stormont. There the basis of government is amoral. Amorality and immorality are different. To be immoral one must have a sense of right and wrong and infringe ones sense of right with a sense of guilt. To be amoral one is devoid of a sense of right and wrong and the person is devoid of guilt. This is characteristic of a psychopath. For all Early Sinn Fein knows, and for all the general public knows, those who were involved in the most heinous of crimes, like the Enniskillen bombings and those who condoned such criminality now rule over us in an amoral assembly. This is not directed at Republican criminality alone but is directed at the counter criminality of Right Wing Union Jack Unionism, such Unionism stretching from the UUP, to the DUP, to the police, to the British military and then to the UDA and to the UVF. All of these are, constitutionally speaking, the one sow’s pigs and condone a criminality that extends from Bloody Sunday to the murder of innocent Catholics and to collusion between the police and loyalist paramilitaries. Thus the assembly rests on amoral deals done between zealots behind closed doors in the Belfast/Scottish agreement. Thus the zealots rule.

In Dublin, Bertie Ahern has said that in Ireland, the two constitutions are now set in stone. In Bertie’s mind that is the way Ireland is, and has to be. There is no other way. Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein refutes that flatly. There is another way for Ireland and the Irish, in the way Ireland ought to be. This can be expressed in the National Government of Ireland Act. If the Act is examined as published in this Blog it will be seen that the joining of the two historic traditions in Ireland is symbolized in the union of the Irish Tricolour with the Cross of Saint Patrick and the Crown, the Harp and the Shamrock This is a more realistic and rational approach to unity than having two irreconcilable zealots sit beside one another in a partitionist Stormont. As a symbol of unity the new flag should be named in the Act as the Royal Flag of Ireland and defined as the national flag of Ireland and as the co- equal symbol of the United Kingdom of the sovereign Nation of Ireland and Great Britain. This is a synthesis of the two historic political traditions in Ireland. The joining and synthesis of the two cultural traditions in Ireland, the Irish and the Loyalist and of the two Christian traditions, the Catholic and the Protestant is symbolized in the Crown Irish Representation given in the Act which should show a picture of the Crown wearing the Irish Crown Jewels standing beside a Celtic Cross and underneath should be written in Irish and English: -

An Coroin Criostuil Gaelach
Banrion Eilis a do

The Christian Crown Irish
Queen Elisabeth the Second

The full synthesis of the two historic traditions in Ireland is given in the 22 articles of the National Government of Ireland Act published in The Way Ireland Ought To Be In this way there lies a united Ireland that is peaceful and stable and in no other way but Ireland divided will never be at peace. This is only achievable in Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein.

Michael Gillespie

Was it a war? ----Oh yes it was---- Oh no it wasn’t.
Some time ago on B.B.C. N. Ireland the in-dispute seemed to be----Were the troubles a war? For Late Sinn Fein the violence was a just war fought in a noble cause and for Union Jack Unionism it was despicable terrorism. As usual the debate had an air of pantomime farce about it i.e. Oh yes it was a war---Oh no it wasn’t--- with no reference as to what the word ---war – is supposed to mean.

In such circumstance it is my conditioned reflex to reach, Pavlovian style, for the dictionary. According to my dictionary, war, has a proliferation of meanings. So it is a question of finding which one best fits the period of violence in the 6 counties. I quote the following meanings

(1) A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict, carried on between nations, states or parties.
Does this fit? Was the conflict in the six counties between the Irish Nation and the British Nation? That doesn’t fit.
Was the conflict between the six county state and the twenty six county state? Surely not.
A conflict between parties or communities in a country is a civil war. Was the conflict between the Catholic community and the Protestant community and was it a civil war? That doesn’t fit either. However the poet Michael Longley calls the conflict in the six counties a squalid little civil war.

(2) A period of conflict as in (1)
The period of conflict in the forties between G.B. and Germany is called in common speech—during the war---. The period of conflict in the six counties is called in common speech in Ireland --- during the troubles. So the period of conflict in the six counties is the troubles not a war.

(3) A formally declared state of war in which certain internationally conventions
are supposed to apply.
This is the way in which war is nowadays understood. War ought to be underpinned by conventions and rules. Military personnel who infringe such conventions and rules in conflict can be indicted for war crimes. The conflict in the six counties was not formally declared a war but free lance paramilitaries took it upon themselves to enter into conflict. These freelance paramilitaries were guilty of crimes at Enniskillen, Teeban, Darkley, Bloody Friday, Bloody Sunday, Omagh, The Disappeared along with a host of innocent people who were murdered. In the meaning of war in (3) war should be underpinned by morality and ethics. These were patently absent on both sides in the conflict in the six counties.

(4) Any condition of active antagonism or contention ---e.g. an advertising war, a price war.
(5) A concerted effort or campaign to combat or put an end to something--- e.g. the war against disease

(4) and (5) illustrate the width of meaning in which war is used. When these meanings are examined war should still be based on morality and ethics. In an advertising war is pornographic images permissible? In a price war is the use of substandard or illegal goods permissible? In a war against disease is vivisection permissible? If the campaign of violence was to put an end to the six county state then morality and ethics still apply in the effort

(6) A conflict A clash of opposing ideas or forces --- a battle ---- a fight.
However to describe what took place in the six counties as a conflict and leave it at that is a moral and ethical cop out. If one sees two men fighting in the street and one says this is a conflict and is unconcerned with the rights and wrongs of the matter then that is a moral and ethical evasion. I heard a lady from Dublin say on television that she saw the troubles in the six counties as a conflict and she claimed that the people in Dublin saw the troubles that way as well. If that is so then that is an evasion of the rights and wrongs of the matter by the South.

(7) Rebellion An uprising or organised opposition intended to overthrow the existing government or ruling authority.
Synonyms Revolt, insurrection, uprising, coup d’etat, revolution, mutiny

This begs the question is a violent uprising justified if the government or the constitution is just? There was an organized peaceful opposition by the C.R.A. to an unjust government and constitution in the six counties. The demands of the C.R.A. were conceded so the ensuing violence by P.I.R.A. to overthrow the state, was without moral or ethical foundation. However Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein maintains that the constitution of the six counties remains unjust in that it is unwritten and is maintained military not democratically and is imposed on those on the Island who don’t want it. For that reason Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein advocates that the six county constitution be opposed in an organized peaceful opposition with a view to replacing an unjust constitution with a just constitution in The National Government of Ireland Act.

(8) Feud A bitter prolonged hostility between two armies, two individuals or two families or clans

What is characteristic of a feud is the absence of any moral or ethical basis
to the conflict, the conflict being underscored by hatred. A feud could be described as a dirty war. What has gone on in the six counties for thirty years or more can best be described as a feud between the clans, Republicanism and Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. The dirt in this feud was equally distributed between the two sides.

In summary the recent attempt by Late Sinn Fein to have the conflict in the six counties called a war is a vain attempt by that feuding faction to snatch some semblance of victory from the jaws of abject defeat. It is the thrust of this article that what has taken place in the six counties is best described as a feud not as a war.
Note The National Government of Ireland Act is dealt with in my novel---THE WAY IRELAND OUGHT TO BE published by Authorhouse.
Michael Gillespie Federal Unionist Early Sinn Fein