determination. the SECONd deals with the question of the loyalists and the final scruul lobusco a way in which the British government could withdraw and transfer power to an all-Ireland constitutional convention and national government.
National Self-Determination The island of Ireland, throughout mistorv. nas been universally regarded ...... as one unit. The historical and contemporary existence of the Irish nanon nas never deen in aispute.
The Irish people have never relindetermination. What has been in contest is the right of the Irish people, as a whole, to self-determination and their freedom to exercise that right.
'For centuries, the relationship between the British government and the Irish people has been the relationship between the conqueror and the conquered, the oppressor ana lne oppressed.
The perennial cycle of oppressiondomination-resistance-oppression has been a constant feature of the British government's involvement in Ireland and the Irish people's rejection of that government's usurpation of the right to exercise control over their political, social, economic and cultural destiny.
From the late seventeenth century onwards, that usurpation provoked both revolutionary resistance and — within the narrowest confines of Situtional sitution in the course - conofession ted hamite, Bused the tamine caused population of Ireland to be halved.
The only occasion on which the people of all Ireland have been permitted to hold tree and fair election: to determine their political future was • in the 1918 Westminster elections. Sinn Fein, with a political programme demanding complete independence for the unitary state of Ireland, won the election with 69.5 per cent of the vOlC NOSe who alically-ciccled representatives of the Irish people Dail Hireann January 1919, enacted the Declaraof Independence.
The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922 the partition of Ireland and the Constitution of the Irish Free State were threat "immediate Lenais t imposition represents a denial to the trish people of i the freedom to exercise their The pretext for partition the tain British rule — holds no validity against the express wishes of the vasi majority of the Irish people. Secession same , self- determination.
Partition perpetuates the British government's denial of the Irish people's right to self-determination. It perpetuates the cycle of oppressiondomination-resistance-oppression. In the words of Sean MacBride, winner of the Nobel and Lenin Peace Prizes:
'Ireland's right to sovereignty, independence and unitv are inalienable and indefeasible. It is for the Irish people as a whole to determine the future status of Ireland. Neither Brilain nor a small minority selected by Britain has any right to partition the ancient island of Ireland, nor to determine its future as a sovereign nation.' Law Ireland's right sovereignty, indetermination supported by principles of international law.
The InternaRights and nant on Social Cultural Rights. of each economic, cultural The Declaration on cerning operation in AccorNations declares: all people have external their respect visions of the of Declaration on of which states:
national principles dependence colonial interterence, it suits the British Ubslalic allows projecting itself DOKe the economic reunification loyalism deed, conditional by Treaty, is to with the SDLP The hands untenable ampaig Their refusal to disaster where disaster unilateral by politicians.
hual dulle provisions for, The would free historic laager phalism.
the off the hook, the 'honest which or minimise artificial between support part of the morale of national According Increasingly, Their protest the dialogue towards war, of inpresenta day social reality of the conflict their of history, or to the Irish tarianism.
decolonisation That is peace. quickly and dependence camouflage the Sing peaceful, united tion.
"Government statelet its military Demener shortest set for withdrawal We ending sec.
We dialogue that a will respond La British Ireland and the , national selfsoluthat the Six , socialthe con by repealing the will remain this entering could not be tional methods loyalist intransculle tions forces to any alleged would only nas snown tnat woula nave a bias. Their subsequent to avoid the The ine nalure , if Britain All would be oreansalv As settlement, the national to provide for an agreed ment and South.
to accept: leavi their choice to a united and independent Ireland • of that society is a matter for the Irish people Only when Britain recognises that right and initiates strategy decolonisation along these lines will peace and reconcilia tion between Irish people and between Britain and Ireland be establishSocialist Action 8 May 1987
----- pull-quotes -----
They were not submitted to the Irish People for ratification and their
with of