Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 09:47:13 +0000
From: James Heartfield <James-AT-heartfield.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: M-I: Bill, Tony and Gerry


In message <v03102800b13625fb43f6-AT-[128.146.5.16]>, Yoshie Furuhashi
<Furuhashi.1-AT-osu.edu> writes
>James,
>
>We ought to read this as a result of *our* failure--not the Irish Republicans'.
>
>Yoshie

I wasn't reading it as a result of anybody's failure or success, just an
indication of the political trajectory of Sinn Fein. Some Republicans
resist this drift towards rapprochement with the old enemy, such as the
breakaway Republican Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Socialist Party,
Bernadette McAliskey and a considerable number of Sinn Fein's
grassroots. I defended Sinn Fein and the IRA throughout their conflict
with Britain. The magazine I help produce was the only one to carry an
interview with Gerry Adams when the British government introduced a
broadcasting ban on Sinn Fein. We made a decision that we would not do
what the rest of the left did, inventing spurious 'left-wing' reasons
for failing to support the republicans - thereby caving in to public
hostility.

But how could we continue to support Sinn Fein when they propose a
British solution to the problems of Northern Ireland? That would be a
betrayal of those republicans who have refused to go along with the
peace process. Some people on this list think that telling the about
where Sinn Fein is going is a betrayal. I see it differently, *not*
telling the truth about Sinn Fein is a betrayal: it is a betrayal of
that minority of Republicans who are trying to maintain the goal of
Irish indepndence.

Fraternally
-- 
James Heartfield


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