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Let the ruling classes tremble. national |
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news report
 Tuesday June 04, 2002 22:03 by Con Lee - Saor Eire
 Or will Sinn Fein sell out? From the rebel homes of Kerry, the Ulster hills of Monaghan, and working class Dublin, the 5 Sinn Fein T.D.s pose a challenge to the powers that be. They inherit a 200 yr. old revolutionary tradition that has promoted the needs of the people of no property. They have withstood a vile, vituperative campaign from that most backward political section,-the pathological hacks of Sir Anthony in the Independent. But will they be true to that revolutionary spirit, or, in Leinster House with those who bartered and sold, will they assimilate to the structures of oppression? Already, over in New York, Smurfit's boy, and Gerry Adams' friend, Niall O'Dowd, in the Irish Voice, has attacked Sinn Fein's winning equality platform. Will they be true to those who elected them, the people of no property, or will they succumb to their millionaire U.S. backers, some of whom have the most sinister connections? Interesting
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Comments (10 of 10)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10I do no believe for a fraction of one second that the ruling class is trembling. On the contary, they are undoubtly pleased with the outcome of the general election. Bertie and Mary are back with a secure overall majority. The opposition, such as it is, is fractured and in any case with some honourable exceptions, do not have radically different policies. The Greens were willing to participate in a Government and The Republican Movement are moving in the same direction.
Sinn Féin are not a radical or an alternative. Just look at their record in the North where they are in government. SF ministers have closed hospitals and privatised schools. Also all across the country they have voted for the hated Bin Tax. They are also cap in hand to every rich business man that is willing to throw a few dollars at them. SF will portray themselves as being an alternative over the next few years, but as people move into struggle and see the real face of SF they will be exposed for what they really are, a party of big business.
they have invested id say millions into improving their PR image recently, but to be realistic, they are the same...
Fine Gael grew out of a Fascist army. Does anyone know if they have denounced their Fascist military background? And when did the Blueshirt Fascists decommission...Sauce for the goose...
And when did the Stalinist freaks of the Workers Party-Democrat Left-Labour Party disarm? Certainly not before they murdered Seamus Costello.
A friend was talking to a senior figure in the election campaign, and he didn't seem to believe in any of their economic stuff at all, and was comfortable with the fact that they can say all this shit about abolishing waiting lists and what have you as they have no opportunity to disappoint anybody, and won't for the forseeable future.
Just look at how they are handling health in the north - and that is where they are in charge! They'll say whatever it takes to get votes.
I raised the issue of SF in power in the north with somebody who would see themselves part of the movement and knows a lot of the players. They had two points on this
1. The north is not really a government, more an administrative function. This limits the power of anybody especially regarding money.
2. There has been an attitude that you can't trust nationalists / republicans / (your favourite insult) with any power. A key objective of the current phase of the peace process is to show that this is rubbish. If a militant tendency type showdown had been attempted over PFI or other issues this could have had implications for the peace process.
I dunno - i know there are people here who see it as evidence of reformism or compromise or one of those other dirty words, but it has a type of logic.
Yes, it does. The logic of bullshit.
More precisely it's the logic of administering capitalist austerity. "We don't want to privatise this school... but we have to be realistic". "We don't want to shut this hospital... but where is the money going to come from"?
It's simple really - if you take part in a right wing government, you do right wing things.
Perhaps we should also have a look at Sinn Fein's actions over the bin charges in the South. They voted to introduce them in Sligo. Then they voted to increase them. In the Dublin Corporation area they took part in a slimy deal with the other right wing parties - Labour/FF/FG - to bring them in as well. Two of their councillors failed to show for the crucial vote (sick notes in order I'm sure boys) and the other two voted against publically recording the votes of each councillor.