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Letters to the Editor
Congratulations A Chara, I would like to thank the Irish Republican Socialist Party on the publishing of the "Starry Plough". The contents were a pleasure to read. It is great to hear other Republican Socialists on the issues printed in the Starry Plough. I will take a copy of the paper from you every week/month. Keep up the good work.
Mark Melaugh, P.S. The Irish lesson is great. Editor's reply: Thanks, Mark, for your encouragement and congratulations. For far too long Republican Socialists in general and the IRSP in particular have been without a regular publication to express our views and concerns. Producing a newspaper is an expensive project. Unfortunately the IRSP is not a wealthy political party, it does not have wealthy benefactors, nor is it sponsored by foreign capialist governments. However, we are committed to producing the Starry Plough. Keep reading, Mark.
GRAYMOUNT ETHNICALLY CLEANSED A Chairde, I write to you as a resident of the Lower Whitewell Road in North Belfast to inform your readers of the terror being inflicted on the nationalist community on a weekly basis in the Graymount estate, off the Shore Road. The Housing Executive admit to having to rehouse over thirty Catholic families due to sectarian intimidation. Local residents put the figure at closer to ninety families forcefully evicted. This mass intimidation of nationalists in the past three years occurs unhindered by the RUC and the state. The British failure to act in these cases is giving militant Unionism the go-ahead to continue to ethnically-cleanse Graymount of nationalists. This purge is continuing in many areas. As someone who voted yes in the referendum on the basis that the "Good Friday Agreement" would bring peace and equality not only to my community but also my own family, I now feel conned. We are now living under a greater threat of sectarian eviction than at any time in the past thirty years, and the state doesn't care. In fact, in many case the state and the RUC cover up intimidation cases. What is happening is the re-partition of Belfast. I feel conned and betrayed -- my yes vote in the referendum has been used not to bring peace as it was claimed, but for the continuation of sectarianism -- in many cases the British state funds this sectarianism. My vote has been misused. Any of the yes politicians will get short shift at my front door at the next election. That's if I still have a front door let alone a house by the next election!
Conned
SINN FEIN SHOULD PUBLICLY DISOWN BEATINGS OF REPUBLICANS We are disappointed and saddened by the refusal of Provisional Sinn Fein to publicly disavow and call fora halt of attacks upon prominent republicans opposed to the Stormont deal. Violence between Republicans can only serve British interests. We recognise the political difficulty of those who became party to the Stormont deal, to suggest that there is no alternative to it other than return to the past is incorrect. The promise of peace, prisoner releases and the unification of our country at an undefined future date were used to disguise what truly lay at the heart of the Stormont deal, that was the acceptance of British rule in Ireland, a minority Unionist veto and the reinforcement of partition. The restoration of national sovereignty to the people of this nation enabling self determination can be achieved by peaceful means. Britain can facilitate this by relinquishing its claim to sovereignty over part of our nation and recognising Ireland's sovereignty. We call on all those with influence in the United Nations to encourage and help this to take palce by allowing the Irish people access to international arbitration.
Is mise,
GARVAGHY SEIGE Last night the Orange Order (9th March) "celebrated" 250 days of pure hatred. The Orange Order has every right to civil and religious liberty, what they do not have is the right to infringe on the rights of the people of the Garvaghy Road. What the Orange Order is celebrate the murder of the Quinn children and Robert Hamill and inflict pain and suffering on the nationalist people of Portadown. The only contribution the Orange Order and the Ulster Unionist Party ever made was to bring thousands of Orange bigots and racists on to the streets. The only way to describe these people is to compare them with the racists and bigots found in the deep south of America. Closer to home perhaps the Orange Order could be regarded as Ireland's equal to the thugs and racists who murdered the black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, in London. The Orange Order, while claiming to stand in defence of religious and civil liberty, have demonstrated for the past 250 days the true nature of the "culture" of Orangism. Mr. Watson, who is the Order's grand secretary and assembly member called on the Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flannigan to state that the Orangemen were not responsible for the Quinn murders. The Orangemen were responsible for the Quinn murders and a lot more - let's not forget the sectarian RUC headed by Sir Ronnie Flannigan stood by while Orange and loyalist racists kicked Robert Hamill to death. Nationalist now quite rightly are questioning the role of the RUC in the murder of Civil Rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson. The failure of successive British governments to challenge sectarianism has led directly to the culture of Orange racism and all the violence that is associated with that "culture". The Good Friday Agreement panders to the Culture of Orangism and will lead directly to more murders.
E. Kelly |