Liam Lynch
04-04-2008, 07:13 PM
Gary Donnelly,Portlaoise:"Let's have debate on republic Reply with quote
A chara
It is obvious that the letter entitled "Stop telling lies about the IRA", Derry Journal 21/3/08 is directed at myself. Unfortunately the opening paragraph of this letter is nothing more than a personal attack which usually indicates a letter which consists of little genuine debate or political substance. "Revolutionary Republican Activist" claims that I was not involved with the movement very long and "certainly not during the hardest times of our struggle." I'm no better a republican than anyone else, but I have been a republican activist all my life. At the age of 14 I joined the Provisional Republican Movement. I was a member of that organisation for 14 years and left in 1998 when I believed that they were no longer a revolutionary republican movement. If the author is older than me then I would hardly consider this to be my fault; perhaps more disturbingly it exposes an arrogant disregard for the views of younger people.
I would like to challenge "Revolutionary Republican Activist" as to what does he/she view as dishonouring the IRA Constitution and what are the ignominious and treasonable acts which he/she is alluding to? I did not dabble in the IRA's Constitution but simply copied relevant sections, verbatim, to illustrate my point and to show how Republican Activist had tried to misrepresent it. The only ignominious and treasonable acts that I have seen are the surrender of weapons procured by the Irish people for the pursuit of Irish freedom and the attempt to legitimise British rule in Ireland, as stated by Francie Molloy when he stated that (Provisional) Sinn Fein were "prepared to administer British rule in Ireland for the foreseeable future and if Unionists heard of this in the 1920's they would have been laughing."
'Revolutionary Republic Activist' chooses to ignore the fact that hundreds of ex-POW's have gone on public record in opposition to the attempt to legitimise the PSNI by PSF.
There was a considerable number of these people who would have qualified for Revolutionary Republican Activist's narrow definition of the "men and women who fought the war'. Does Revolutionary Republican Activist only value the opinions of those "men and women who fought the war" provided they support the leadership of PSF? Revolutionary Republican Activitst then informs us that he/she voted for Peggy O'Hara but gave preferences to PSF candidates in an STV election.
Surely this is a case of political schizophrenia, as the Peggy O'Hara campaign was diametrically opposed to PSF's position on the PSNI. It leaves me a little confused.
Then we see Revolutionary Republican activist revert to the usual PSF tactic of creating a smokescreen by suggesting that I have been telling lies about the "one and only IRA" and that I have berated and slandered IRA volunteers and Republicans.
This is an obvious attempt to whip up hysteria amongst PSF supporters and I would challenge Revolutionary Republican Activist to state what lies I have been telling.
Furthermore, not only does he/she attempt to whip up hysteria amongst PSF supporters, he/she then misquotes my previous letter in order to give the impression that I was attacking all community workers. In my previous letter I acknowledged the importance of community activists and the work that they do. This is another example of dishonesty which is systemic within Provisionalism.
When Revolutionary Republican Activist talks about the “conditions that sustained the war” he/she perhaps deliberately fails to recognise that the root cause of conflict in Ireland was and is the British violation of national sovereignty and this hasn’t changed.
What has changed is PSF’s response to this occupation; they have now adopted the road of constitutional nationalism by participation in a British administration and their idea of what is revolutionary is to do as Raymond McCartney did and call on nationalists to inform to the British after republican operations against the Crown Forces and to cosy up to international war criminals like George Bush and their evil merchants of death such as Raytheon. Even the editorial line of the Anderstown News - normally pro PSF - is quoted as having attacked the PSF leadership and how out of touch this leadership is with the grassroots.
It contrasts the “high-end” lifestyle of Adams and his entourage with the lives of the “abandoned Sinn Fein voters of west Belfast”. And the fact that he has “failed miserably.”
In my last letter I was responding to the letter by Republican Activist which named me on nine occasions. I was merely exercising my right to reply and believe me it had little to do with egos. I welcome debate and think it is healthy for republicanism.
The reasons that Revolutionary Republican Activist offers for remaining anonymous such as being afraid of their convictions. I find it laughable that anyone would afford themselves such a grandiose title such as Revolutionary Republican Activist would then complain of anyone having an over-inflated ego.
Is mise.
GARY DONNELLY
E3 Portlaoise Gaol (24/03/08)
http://www.derryjournal.com/3911/Lets-have-debate-on-republicanism.3947187.jp?articlepage=1
A chara
It is obvious that the letter entitled "Stop telling lies about the IRA", Derry Journal 21/3/08 is directed at myself. Unfortunately the opening paragraph of this letter is nothing more than a personal attack which usually indicates a letter which consists of little genuine debate or political substance. "Revolutionary Republican Activist" claims that I was not involved with the movement very long and "certainly not during the hardest times of our struggle." I'm no better a republican than anyone else, but I have been a republican activist all my life. At the age of 14 I joined the Provisional Republican Movement. I was a member of that organisation for 14 years and left in 1998 when I believed that they were no longer a revolutionary republican movement. If the author is older than me then I would hardly consider this to be my fault; perhaps more disturbingly it exposes an arrogant disregard for the views of younger people.
I would like to challenge "Revolutionary Republican Activist" as to what does he/she view as dishonouring the IRA Constitution and what are the ignominious and treasonable acts which he/she is alluding to? I did not dabble in the IRA's Constitution but simply copied relevant sections, verbatim, to illustrate my point and to show how Republican Activist had tried to misrepresent it. The only ignominious and treasonable acts that I have seen are the surrender of weapons procured by the Irish people for the pursuit of Irish freedom and the attempt to legitimise British rule in Ireland, as stated by Francie Molloy when he stated that (Provisional) Sinn Fein were "prepared to administer British rule in Ireland for the foreseeable future and if Unionists heard of this in the 1920's they would have been laughing."
'Revolutionary Republic Activist' chooses to ignore the fact that hundreds of ex-POW's have gone on public record in opposition to the attempt to legitimise the PSNI by PSF.
There was a considerable number of these people who would have qualified for Revolutionary Republican Activist's narrow definition of the "men and women who fought the war'. Does Revolutionary Republican Activist only value the opinions of those "men and women who fought the war" provided they support the leadership of PSF? Revolutionary Republican Activitst then informs us that he/she voted for Peggy O'Hara but gave preferences to PSF candidates in an STV election.
Surely this is a case of political schizophrenia, as the Peggy O'Hara campaign was diametrically opposed to PSF's position on the PSNI. It leaves me a little confused.
Then we see Revolutionary Republican activist revert to the usual PSF tactic of creating a smokescreen by suggesting that I have been telling lies about the "one and only IRA" and that I have berated and slandered IRA volunteers and Republicans.
This is an obvious attempt to whip up hysteria amongst PSF supporters and I would challenge Revolutionary Republican Activist to state what lies I have been telling.
Furthermore, not only does he/she attempt to whip up hysteria amongst PSF supporters, he/she then misquotes my previous letter in order to give the impression that I was attacking all community workers. In my previous letter I acknowledged the importance of community activists and the work that they do. This is another example of dishonesty which is systemic within Provisionalism.
When Revolutionary Republican Activist talks about the “conditions that sustained the war” he/she perhaps deliberately fails to recognise that the root cause of conflict in Ireland was and is the British violation of national sovereignty and this hasn’t changed.
What has changed is PSF’s response to this occupation; they have now adopted the road of constitutional nationalism by participation in a British administration and their idea of what is revolutionary is to do as Raymond McCartney did and call on nationalists to inform to the British after republican operations against the Crown Forces and to cosy up to international war criminals like George Bush and their evil merchants of death such as Raytheon. Even the editorial line of the Anderstown News - normally pro PSF - is quoted as having attacked the PSF leadership and how out of touch this leadership is with the grassroots.
It contrasts the “high-end” lifestyle of Adams and his entourage with the lives of the “abandoned Sinn Fein voters of west Belfast”. And the fact that he has “failed miserably.”
In my last letter I was responding to the letter by Republican Activist which named me on nine occasions. I was merely exercising my right to reply and believe me it had little to do with egos. I welcome debate and think it is healthy for republicanism.
The reasons that Revolutionary Republican Activist offers for remaining anonymous such as being afraid of their convictions. I find it laughable that anyone would afford themselves such a grandiose title such as Revolutionary Republican Activist would then complain of anyone having an over-inflated ego.
Is mise.
GARY DONNELLY
E3 Portlaoise Gaol (24/03/08)
http://www.derryjournal.com/3911/Lets-have-debate-on-republicanism.3947187.jp?articlepage=1