We look back at the stories that were making the headlines in the Andersonstown News this week in 1981
Sinn Féin and party politics
IN response to a wide range of questions put to Gerry Adams following the Sinn Féin decision to contest the West Belfast Westminster seat of Gerry Fitt, the party’s vice-president told the Andersonstown News...
“At the moment the only seat which interests us, is that of West Belfast. We consider that the sitting member Gerry Fitt, no longer has the support of his constituents because of his attitudes towards the hunger strikers and that his claim to represent the Catholic majority is spurious. The opportunity to defeat Fitt probably will not arise before late 1983.
“At the forthcoming Ard Fheis, the Ard Comhairle will ask the delegates to untie their hands over elections and a decision should be reached within four or five months, whether or not to contest seats. This decision, which has been accelerated by the hunger strike, has been an ongoing movement within Sinn Féin.”
“Sinn Féin will attempt to show that the likes of Fitt and the middle-class SDLP are not the spokespersons for the Nationalist people. Sinn Féin propose to stand on an active abstentionism ticket. This means that while they will not take their seats, they will assist their supporters as Owen Carron is doing in Fermanagh/South Tyrone, with three weekly surgeries in his constituency.”
“Under no circumstances will there be a split. The decision whether or not to participate in elections will be in the hands of the delegates at the Ard Fheis. Any decisions taken will be arrived at democratically and the ‘pros’ and ‘antis’ will have their say.”
“The IRA have stated repeatedly that the only way the British will leave our country is by forcing them to leave. They will not be pressurised into ending their campaign or into ceasefires because of electoral gains. The war against the British will continue until they have left, or until the IRA have been crushed, which is highly unlikely.”
“There is no doubt that the armed struggle will continue. The IRA have stated that they have a mandate from the people, they are fighting within the war zone and are fed and billeted by the people in Nationalist areas. Sinn Féin will examine the possibilities of intervention in the electoral process and attempt to bring about conditions whereby the people will control their own cultural, political and economic futures. The British will not leave willingly, and while they have the loyalists and the green Tories to support them, they will hang on indefinitely.”
Girls of Wards 23-24 in the Glenowen with Mary McCleave from Divis Flats, retiring from the Royal Victoria Hospital
Editorial
THE ancient Greeks are credited with the profound statement that ‘man is a political animal’, and we in Ireland have, far more than most other countries, sought to prove the validity of that statement by giving to our politicians and political institutes, more importance that they ever deserved.
We have been ill-served as a nation, by the party political process. It has been a continual source of division and strife in Ireland, both North and South; it has perpetuated privilege as an acceptable way of life and made party political advantage the goal of thousands of ordinary, decent, human beings. Government by favour is the order of the day, and jobs for the boys are the acceptable perks for services rendered.
Even the judicial system both North and South is in the main filled with political hacks who had no particular attributes for the job, except that in the past they had rendered loyal service to a certain political creed.
In political parties, party comes before people, and party dogma, before democracy. This has been our experience in Ireland since the beginning of this century, and we know of no party in Ireland which is free from this particular disease (and a disease it is) that we have tried to describe here.
We don’t believe that all the people of Ireland are corrupt, but we do believe that the party political system itself has a contaminating influence on people. How many times have we seen bright-eyed idealists, full of energetic and righteous enthusiasm, enter politics only to be swamped by the system and swallowed up.
In a major interview in this paper, Gerry Adams, vice-president of Provisional Sinn Féin, has made it fairly clear that his party is about to enter the political arena. In other words, they are going to play the system. They will maintain that they are incorruptible, but time will tell.
What we do know, is that all the talk of an alternative society, through new structures much indulged in by Sinn Féin in the past, has now been abandoned. For the dubious advantage of a place at the same table as the SDLP, Republican Clubs, DUP, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, etc. Sinn Féin are free agents and they can do as they please, but those of us who are genuinely interested in the alternative Irish Society, will battle on. For us Comhar na gComharsan is still alive and well.
Ann Ramsey, Margaret Duffin, Isobel Toner, Maura Morgan and Mary McGivern at the Andersonstown Racing Pigeon Club presentation night in the Kerri Inn
Friends of St Michael's
THE Friends of St Michael's are celebrating ten years in ‘show business’ this year by staging their annual concert in the Members’ Rooms, Balmoral on Wednesday 28th October. This Committee which is attached to St Michael’s parish, Finaghy Road North, has been responsible for organising entertainment in the Andersonstown area throughout the ‘troubles’ and take pride in the fact that they not only cater for all age groups and most tastes, but they manage to raise between £7,000 and £8,000 each year.
This venture promises to be one of the most exciting and entertaining to date. This is no mean boast when you consider that previous concerts, which have all been sell outs, have starred such people as Brenda O’Dowda, Philomena Begley and American Express.
The star of this year’s show is the Irish and international folk singer Danny Doyle. Danny has been described as Ireland’s number one balladeer. He has travelled all over the world performing in top concerts and cabaret. Although he has many albums to his credit, he is probably best known for his record ‘Whiskey on a Sunday’ which was No. 1 for two weeks in the Irish charts. The album which took its title from this record includes all time favourites like Mary fron Dungloe, The German Clock Winder and Lizzie Lindsay.
His latest single Leaving Nancy promises to be a big hit.
Ronnie Malone and Jim Maguire at the Andersonstown Racing Pigeon Club presentations in the Kerri Inn, this week in October 1981
