Sinn Fein throws a book at faithful

Tuesday August 27, 2002 13:29

by Scott Millar - SUNDAY TIMES

Can someone track this down and publish it on Indymedia- Justin Moran prehaps?

GERRY ADAMS is sending the party faithful back to school to study the meaning of Sinn Fein. The republican party, which gained five TDs in the general election and swelled its membership by 30% in the past two years, wants to make sure that its recruits, both new and old, are all "on message"

A new 75-page book, outlining the "doctrine" of Sinn Fein, has been issued to education officers in every branch in the republic and also in
Northern Ireland. Over the next few months the officers will hold a series of seminars with local Sinn Fein members at which they will be asked to ponder the purpose and direction of the party.

The document, Members Programme from the Training and Development Unit, places more emphasis on the party's socialist credentials than its republican ideals. It skirts over the "armed struggle" and any mention of the IRA, its military wing, is confined to historical analysis.

Sinn Fein also prevaricates on its demands for Irish unity, once the party's single biggest policy. The aspiration is now placed in the context of wider "social progress".

It reaffirms its objectives as the "overthrow of British rule, the establishment of a republic in line with the ideas of the 1916 Easter proclamation, social justice and the promotion of the Irish language and culture".

Alongside the traditional rhetoric against British rule, it gives equal importance to the overthrow of capitalism and patriarchy. It also
emphasises environmentalism and gay rights.

Under the heading, media awareness, it accuses the media "as operating in a manner which is more often than not in direct conflict with ours".
It warns:
"Members must be aware of the operation of the propaganda war, know the enemy."

The textbook is a classic example of Sinn Fein's organisational skills which are the envy of the mainstream political parties with its rigidly
imposed discipline and tight national network of supporters.

The education programme has been launched on a nationwide basis because of the huge upsurge in the party's membership. The party fears that
many of the new members were drawn to Sinn Fein as an alternative to the mainstream parties - but know little or nothing about its social policies.
Sinn Fein does not release figures on its membership. Past estimates have put it at 2,500, although this is thought to have increased in the past two years.

The document, written by Frances McCole, a Sinn Fein candidate in Dublin in the last election, is believed to have had significant input from
Adams.

Anthony McIntyre, a former south Belfast IRA commander who is now a critic of Adams, said the document showed how the Sinn Fein leader was
trying to impose his will on the party.

"Under Adams there has been an attempt to make the party an extensionof his personality," he said. "The Adams leadership wants to get to a
controlled environment, not open discussion. The purpose of educating its members is not what Sinn Fein is about, it is about indoctrinating its
members into the ethos of the party."

He also suggested that its socialist credentials were a sham. "Although this process may talk of the ideals of Connolly and Marx that is not
where they are going," he said. "Mention of these views is just part of the inconsistency and self-denial of the leadership."

Daithi Doolin, of Sinn Fein's Dublin organisation, said: "This education policy is to ensure that the party membership remains united
behind such an ideology," and added that the document was "for all members, from Gerry Adams to the newest recruit, and is necessary if we as a party who have experienced massive growth in a short period are to maintain an educationally led, issue driven and action based approach to politics."

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Comments (16 of 16)

scott

by Terry

Tue Aug 27, 2002 13:39

alright scott nice article on sunday. Again not up to your muck raking best. However what about something on the basques.

Could Bertie please throw a book?

by Ruairi

Tue Aug 27, 2002 14:48

Whatever about the Sinners working their noble (however delusional) asses off....

twould be great if Bertie and co. stopped ranting about our 'brudders' in the North and their admiration for Pearse and the boys, and did some soul searching themselves......

Fianna Fail - the Republican Party - Indeed!

speaking the peoples languague (sometimes)

by interesting enough

Tue Aug 27, 2002 21:56

I dont agree with every thing the shinners say, but after reading some of the nonsense above I can understand why their support in going up.

Good News

by Daltun

Tue Aug 27, 2002 22:17

Its great to hear that Sinn Fein is doing so well. It is proof that Ireland's great revolutionary, republican is alive and very well. Anthony Macintyre 'criticisms' sound more and more like sour grapes. He, like his co-critic, the SWPer Eamonn McCann, are against the armed struggle, but are very upset with Sinn Fein for bringing it to an end. It is noteworthy that West Britons like the hysterical Ruth Dudley Edwards have now begun to praise Macintyre, and his 'criticisms'.

Reality

by Andy

Tue Aug 27, 2002 22:24

What's more to the point is now that the "armed struggle" has been called off and SF is now implementing pro market polices in the "executive", can someone explain to me why so many young people went out to fight against a modern european army and lost their lives in order to implement thatcherite polices, they lost their lives for NOTHING, OBSCENCE!!!!!

they stink!

Tue Aug 27, 2002 23:23

leftist, marxist rhetoric on one hard (where it suits) and right wing, neo-liberal on the other...... reminds me of UK Labour and Blair and the many other 'socialists' in power in Europe.

Sure, they are powering on - credit where credit is due - but how can anyone possibly trust a party that's doing the double so obviously? At least we know Bertie and co. don't pretend to be radical or the like, they bend over and proudly admit it.

Or perhaps these are simple Britain-6 county-Free State strategic play offs that I am simply not getting. Can some Sinner please explain.

Two faced shinners

by Mark - Socialist Party

Wed Aug 28, 2002 09:10

They are no more socialists than Bertie. Their record in government in the north is one of neo-liberal cuts and their previous tactic of individual terrorism and their current tactic of representation of Catholic ghettos (which they have been instrumental in creating) rather than MOBILISATION of the working class as a whole is as far removed from Marxism as you will get.
By the way Scott hows it going? See you in Dalyier.

mark

by pat c

Wed Aug 28, 2002 10:00

i really expect better than that from the SP. the provos didn't create the catholic ghettos. british imperialism did. as did the loyalist pogroms which started in 1968 & are still ongoing.

certainly the armed campaign was wrong headed & added to divisions; this should not blind us to the fact that the ultimate divider of the working class is capitalism working through british imperialism.

all sectarian attacks should be condemned but it has to be recognised that a campaign of ethnic cleansing is being carried out against catholics in largge areas of county antrim, east belfast & north belfast.

however sinn fein should certainly be criticised when their actions do not live up to their rhetoric. this glossing over of the republican movements past does not auger well.

well mark, keep up the struggle.

Clarification

by Mark

Wed Aug 28, 2002 11:21

When I said the shinners helped create ghettos I was talking about the current ghettoisation in the north, not the original ghettos. If you look at areas like the short strand that were previously more or less integrated, the divide and conquer policies of the main Nationalist and Unionist groups has lead to further ghettoisation. And I said "Helped" create, not created all on their own.

Ghettos?

by Mags

Wed Aug 28, 2002 15:13

Please stop referring to working class areas as ghettoes. I was discussing this with some people living Ballymurphy a short while ago. They are very annoyed by it.
These are working class housing estates - same type of 1950s council hosues as Crumlin, etc. in Dublin. Just because there is conflict going on does not meant the residents can be gratuitously insulted by outsiders.

Ghettos

Wed Aug 28, 2002 16:30

Ghettoisation is the process of segregating different sections of a community and isolating them in one area or simply the dividing of working class communities on the basis of race or religion.

Still

Wed Aug 28, 2002 17:50

Well, that might well be true in as sociological definition. Fact is that 'ghetto' in relation to the North is used in a prejorative sense, almost solely by the media and 'the left', I might add.

no ghettoes in holy Ireland

by ghetto blaster

Wed Aug 28, 2002 21:47

Of course there are no ghettoes in holy Ireland, you only have them in foreign countries, (non caucasian as well)

Ghettoes

by hs - Sp

Thu Aug 29, 2002 23:46

Its fair enough that residents being told they live in a ghetteo. But there is no doubht that the areas are divided on religious grounds (stating the obvious), On SFs role obviously they didn't create the problem and in many ways the provisionals war itself was a reaction to the oppression and brits divide and conquer policies coming back to haunt them. On the other hand the provos have to take responsibility for their actions, they weren't all hot heads. The PIRA was a pretty well disciplined organistaion with a program and tactics, finishing in the long war theory etc. So they have to take some responsibility for the divisions in society. At the moment they are a party who see themselves as representing catholics only (however it's dressed up) And they have a part to play in the divisions. Unless they drop nationalism prodestants will never agree. Why not instead of closing hospitals don't they open them? How about house building, What ever extra money they spend it'll be paid for (look how much is spent there anyway). If sf were doing things like this for all the community (rather than the oppisite) they could possibly convince some.
If they were seen to be fighting for people (all people) they might find an echo. The IRA and republican movement had prodestants involved right up to the fifties. The provos probably have the honour of being the first republicans to be catholic through and through.
As for the sectarian riots, unless something radical is done it will end in serious bloodshed. many prodestants do feel under siege and that there is nothing for them and are turning to violence, in no small way compared to the way catholics felt in the past. A united Ireland most likely now would end in the creation of a well disciplined and effective loyalist group possibly as effective as the provisionals themselves.

ghettoes not a term used by the social development agencies

by babsdebrawl - irsp/class war

Fri Aug 30, 2002 21:21

ballymurphy is a ghettoe, not quite the same type of ghettoe as the lower shankill, and some parts of loyalist areas, all these places are ghettoes compared to the Malone rd and leafy suburbs of south belfast, with the exception of belvoir park estate, which is another shite hole. lets not mince our words, and try an fool working class people that they're not living in ghettoes, compared to millionaire politicians/community workers and the rich with their holidays, ranches in the USA, and pads in the suburbs/bangor, working class people are living in apalling poverty stricken ghettoes, with nowhere for children to play, no youth clubs and no social amenities for wee kids. look at the social amenities a rich shitehole place that bangor, has skateparks for the children of peelers/judges/dhss staff, everything for these rich snobby fukers but go to ballymurhy and where are the fukin skateparks, etc.

by bernadette mary

Fri Aug 30, 2002 21:51

ballymurphy is a ghetto, not quite as bad as the lower shankill ghetto, and some parts of loyalist areas, poor but loyal, compared to the leafy suburbs of the MALONE RD and south belfast, though not belvoir park estate thats another shitehole, ballymurphy is a ghetto. compared with the plush villas of bangor, with their skateparks and esquestrian centres, ballymurphy is a rundown ghetto, no where and no amenities for working class wee kids, while the spoilt children of the snobby rich bangorians judges, peelers, dhss staff enjoy their skateparks and seasides, compared to the leisure pursuits of rich politicians/community workers with their holiday villas, ranches in the USA and pads in the suburbs, ballymurphy inhabitants are deprived.

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Sinn Fein throws a book at faithful

Comments (16 of 16)