Comrades friends, and fellow workers,

We have paid tribute to the memory of Patsy. Now it is time to re-affirm the political direction that Patsy was going and what it means for today.

Patsy was a revolutionary soldier fighting for the establishment of a socialist republic. He was a political prisoner who refused to wear a convict's uniform. He sacrificed his life for his beliefs.

Much water has flowed since 1981. The war has to all intents and purposes ended. Let me on this platform here in the historic city of Derry publicly spell out that Republicans have suffered a severe set back, even a defeat.

Twenty years ago the deaths of Patsy and his comrades effectively achieved political status. Today republicans in gaols are once again fighting for political status. We unequivocally support their demand.

Twenty years ago Republicans were united against the establishments in Britain and North and South. Today there is disunity, demoralisation and divisions among former comrades. And some Republicans accept the partition of Ireland.

Twenty years ago Republicans were "agin" the Government. Now some are part of it.

Any one with any passing acquaintance with history will not be surprised at this. Those who try to change society without understanding how it works are doomed to failure.

It is not enough to talk of history and evoke the memory of the dead and expect the people to follow. It is not enough to take up the gun and think one is a revolutionary soldier. It is not enough to compromise and claim that as a victory. It is better to be upfront and honest. The people can not be fooled indefinitely. He who ignores the people is eventually doomed to fail.

When we talk of the people we don't think of all the people. For what have we here today in common with the corrupt middle class of chancers who dominate the financial and political life of both parts of the island.

Don't anyone think that the culture of the brown paper parcel with which the rich corrupted the planners and the politicans, is solely confined to south of the border. There are clearly two classes today in society, the middle class and the working class. Ireland north and south is a class ridden society.

Remember who stood by Patsy in his struggle. There were not too many suits, too many Mercs, too many clergy or too many builders rushing to protest about the denial of political status.

No it was the plain ordinary people of Ireland working class people from both urban and rural areas who stood by the prisoners. It was the men and women of no property who stood in the vanguard of the struggle.

And comrades they are the only solid foundation on which the struggle can be won.

Patsy was a Republican Socialist - a follower of Connolly and Mellows and Costello. They clearly saw that the class struggle was the driving force of history and that republicanism with out a class analysis was doomed to be eventually either sucked into the arms of the middle class or veer towards mindless militaristic actions on behalf of the people whilst actually ignoring the people

Conditions have changed from 20 years ago. The relative absence of violence and the rapid changes in life style have transformed the way many people live. We are led to believe that the Celtic Tiger economy will raise standards for all. The building boom in the north, with the rise of the apartment blocks for the single well off, is supposed to herald a more prosperous time for all.

Well here is the way we see it. It is a false dawn. The so-called rising tide of prosperity far from raising all boats is only raising the yachts of the rich.

Youth are forced into working for below poverty wages. Here in this city and all around Ireland thousands are working for a pittance and if they don't take these poor crumbs are cut off from the welfare safety nets. Meantime those who defraud a few hundred from the social security fraud are pursued relentless by the state while the rich who cheat on paying their taxes are given amnesties. Working class communities are driven from city centres by economic pressures and driven out to soulless suburban concrete jungles where really only architects and builders should live.

North and South the health services are in dreadful shape with people waiting three years for serious operations and beds few and far between. Its different however if you are rich. You jump the queue by going private.

The education service in the North is slowly being privatised thanks to the decision of the Education Minister to proceed with the introduction of private financing into the school building programme.

Public house building has been strangled and many can now no longer afford private housing and are forced into the hands of unscrupulous landlords because of the lack of cheap affordable high quality housing.

The scourge of drugs is eating away at the heart of working class communities whilst governments essential ignore the problem We demand that the profits seized from the drug Czars be channelled into those communities most ravished by the drug capitalists.

We could go on. But it is clear there are immense social and economic problems that beset the plain people of Ireland. We maintain that the political struggle for freedom is also the social economic struggle The two can't be separated. That is the essence of our Republican Socialism.

It is clear to us that in the present climate the only road is the political road. The only road is the class struggle .The only road is the road of unremitting opposition to the capitalist system.

Comrades that system has spawned sectarianism racism sexism unemployment, poverty and wars. It is a system that turns the finest humans into mere servants of the Great God of Greed. Its never-ending quest for profit has endangered not only the individual health of millions as a result of factory farming but also endangered the earth's environment.

Friends we struggle not only for this generation but for the future generations to come for we want to pass onto them a world build on the finest values of our class, the working class.

Patsy O'Hara died for that better world.

It is with pride that we, the friends and comrades of Patsy, remember him and in spreading the Devine gospel of discontent with the status quo we know that Patsy walks with us.

Friends, Comrades and fellow workers, in the words of Patsy O'Hara:

"Let the fight go on!"

STATEMENT ENDS