The Peace Process A Shame and a Sham - A one way street to Irish Unification ! By David Nicholl former UDP political advisor for Londonderry & North Antrim. The Peace process vindicates my previous warnings that successive British Governments have been implicated in a scheme to remove Northern Ireland from the Union into an all - Ireland republic. This is a document that sets boundaries , certain parameters that Unionism set out over four decades of political discussions with HMG and others, it is not a number of proposals to be approved or rejected , it simply states the case of how we got ourselves into the mess we are in and outlines the dangers ahead. There are no Options. The Peace Process is a one way street with only one agenda – the achievement of a united Ireland by Political and other means. The Government is obviously committed to this one way street and has stewarded Unionists down it. The Government will not allow for any other destination to be arrived at. This document contains some staggering things, for instance the Government has been busy telling us that we will be consulted , persuaded and listened too. They said it would take “ the consent of the people of Northern Ireland “ to effect any change to our position within the Union. They told us in the First Framework documents for a political settlement there “must be a new beginning for relationships within Northern Ireland, within the island of Ireland and between the peoples of these islands” They said it would be enshrined in constitutional legislation , including the principle of Consent. “the principle of self determination by the people of Ireland as a whole on a basis outline in the Joint Government Declaration issued by the Major Government. To bring about a united Ireland , if that is their wish… subject to the agreement of the people of Northern Ireland” That commitment would be set into law, and is the commitment given to those in the talks process by both Governments . So much for the principle of consent when the decision was already given to the IRA/SF . Subsequently in the Belfast Agreement , this commitment became fact, and the said paragraph was enshrined in law , It revealed that there is to be no opposition or impediment to Irish Unification as far as HMG was concerned and that nobody who wanted to preserve the Union would ever again be taken seriously. The original Framework document for political progress had been already rejected by multiple participants in the Brooke Talks of 1992. Yet when in 1994 the IRA and others called ceasefires the two governments where pledged to deliver this promise, Unionism were sold the pup that Articles two and three of the Irish Constitution would go. Of course the Irish Government did not require the articles claiming territory when the new arrangement offered them the title deed to our country. The new strand three proposal that was ultimately approved provided executive powers for the new North South Body, an authority which would expand its remit and role over time until eventual unification was achieved . Dublin already has its embryonic parliament which will , mature in due course to full unification. Of course we were promised that if the Assembly were to collapse that the other strands of the process would collapse as well, but the reality has been very different, during two suspensions of the Assembly because of IRA activities , the North South Ministerial bodies continued to meet as agreed with their UK counterparts. It is clear that if Assembly were to fall tomorrow for some reason - you will still have a fully operational North South body with executive powers working at maximum capacity and free standing to give effect to the plan for Irish Unification. The Assembly a further stage in the Surrender Process.# The Good Friday Agreement was another stage in the surrender process, the British Governments Brain washing process against its own citizens. The British Government misled us over the Anglo Irish Agreement and the Downing Street declaration, it told is that one was a tool for peace and the other a tool for reconciliation. While in reality both were another step in the weakening of the Union. Providing as they do for the gradual diminution of our history, culture, identity and heritage as part of the handover process that the government is engaged in. it also concealed the true mind-set of the British officials in white hall and of the Government, that the genuinely stated at the dispatch box at one stage, when Peter Brooke said “ Britain had no selfish, strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland “ and so it has proven to be. The political process that we are witness too is nothing more than a vehicle for the abandonment of the Union. Ulster’s Annexation from the Union ! The Good Friday Agreement – Belfast Agreement is the culminated formulation of the malicious scheme devised by successive British Governments to push Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom and into an All-Ireland Republic. After 15 years of observing the mechanisations at work , we at last see exposed the real heart, will , intention of the British Government and their allies in Dublin, and their clear and implicit collusion with Sinn Fein /IRA in the demise of the Union . Ulster has been served with its eviction notice in order to leave the UK. The GFA is a declaration of war on our membership of that union and a sell out to all its British Citizens living here. UNITY OF PURPOSE WITH IRA – the pay off. Throughout the multi party talks , we heard language which many off us had not encountered before from Sinn Fein and the Governments, IN FACT exact phrases of the IRA were used , they where “ to remove the causes of conflict” (Gerry Adams), “ to overcome the legacy of History” (Mitchell McLaughlin), “ to heal the divisions which have resulted” (Martin McGuiness). This was accompanied by the language of Dublin- “ The people of Ireland, North and South”, “ the people of the island of Ireland” all indications that GFA was drafted by the Irish Nationalist and Republican cabal , known to Unionism as the Pan Nationalist Front. This led to the a deal with the IRA when the language was first used and outlined in the frame work documents and in several presentations by the Irish Delegation in strand two of the talks in 1992 which resulted in Gerry Adams stating “this moves us to a new phase of the peace process” note word phase. This he said would “ lead to a suspension of military operations “, we were urged to remember the bullets and the bombs and the murders and he expressed his desire to cement the peace. Contriving a scenario that if the process failed Unionism would be to blame for any return to violence, and so that position remains still. If the process fails it must be those bloody awful unionists to blame. Democratic Unionist Leader Ian Paisely MP MEP stated in his parties paper breaking the Log Jam – “ the previous talks process has political debris which we must first sweep aside before any new political process can begin”, “what is that debris?” he asked and then went on to say “ if one word could be written over the policy of this government who have dealt with Northern Ireland and attempted to form a policy to end the troubles, that word would be Concessions. Government policy in the province has ignored the voice of the electorate. It, undoubtably has heard them speak at election time, and at border polls and through there elected representatives but the Government has not listened”, ( Peter Robinson take note) “ it has trampled on the will of the people. Rather than implementing and effective policy the Government has embarked upon a merry go round of making concessions to the Dublin Government, The SDLP, and Ultimatley the IRA terrorists”, Well the SDLP ,are long since gone because of the scenarios painted above as are the Ulster Unionists and others involved in the process, but what is startingly clear is that the DUP are now in the exact same situation as outline by Paisley above. This policy now led by the DUP//SF axis of evil at Stormont has led to the alienation of the Unionist Majority in an ever increasing momentum. We have an illusion of democracy , and im not convinced that what we have is the best way to proceed in preserving the union. The Haas discussion begin this week to address the issue of relationships and how we deal with the issues of: - Flags and Emblems, Cultural expressions, and the violence perpetrated on Victims. It is not helpful to address these issues whilst the issue of sovereignty is still very much live in the minds of republicans who call for a border poll. The façade of negotiations must be resisted, we have the illusion of democracy but democracy is not what we have. What we have is a process of concession after concession and unionism is always the loser. The Concessions we have made need never have been made had we ensured our sovereignty was secure in the first instance. Terrorism Terrorism is still rife , we have had to endure it as apeople for over 25 years, yet today on our streets we still have republicans murdering police officers, soldiers and others who stand in their way, we have republicans objecting to band and loyal order parades because the share the same neighbourhood as some republicans , yet we have the IRA celebrating murder and the contribution to murder that sinn fein members have made as joint members of the IRA during the conflict. Over 3,000 people have been murdered and over 30,000 maimed and mutilated as well as tens of millions pounds worth of damage to property and an economy crippled by the ongoing effects of terrorism. The present sitation in the province is grim, The Chief Constable has warned of the massive threat posed by the IRA or as he calls them dissidents. And they have ready access to old stock piles of arms and recruits from the mainstream republican movement that they can mobilise as and when they wish to up the pressure . Rather than through off the failed policies that have brought us to this point we continue to pursue them to no effect. The Haas discussions will only bring more of the same , a string of further concessions to republicans and their violence , yet our warning and advice to go unheeded, the Government has brought us to a crisis point and , alas, worse could be ahead. Let no one be in any doubt that no political initiative , however well-meaning short of surrender to the IRA’s demands will cause them to go away. Those that believe that talking around a table and in operating a democratic façade, are only fooling themselves and are attempting to fool we the Ulster people. Ends.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 20:27:26 +0000
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