This is a Dead Parrot!

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday November 07, 2002 02:49 by Danielle Ni Dhighe - Irish Republican Socialist Movement danielle at irsm dot org

IRSP editorial about the suspension of the GFA.

Starry Plough
October/November 2002
http://www.irsm.org/irsp/starryplough/

This is a Dead Parrot!

We all remember the famous sketch from Monty Python when, despite all
appearances to the contrary, the pet shop owner kept insisting the
parrot was not dead. Remind you of anyone? It reminds me of Gerry
"Well done, David" Adams.

Following the Ulster Unionist Party's decision to effectively dump
the Good Friday Agreement. Gerry Adams repeated the mantra learned
from the pet shop owner: "Implement in full the Good Friday
Agreement".

Gerry, the parrot is dead! This is a dead parrot! Dead!! Stone cold
dead! The Good Friday Agreement is bollixed.

But Articles Two and Three of the constitution of the Republic are
gone. Provisional Republicans recognised the Six County state and are
running government departments.

>From at first rejecting the Patten report on policing, the
Provisional Sinn Fein party now call for its full implementation.

Then a Sinn Fein MLA, Mick Murphy, criticised the PSNI/RUC for not
cracking down on the dissident Republicans. Lo and behold, within a
week two men are arrested within Mick's constituency. Did Gerry then
say, "Well done, Mick?" We wonder.

>From at first rejecting disarmament, the Provisional movement then
carried out two acts of decommissioning

Sinn Fein ensured that the Rev. Willie McCrea, a notorious loyalist,
become chair of Magerafelt Council. Provisional Republicans beat
protestors against Orange marches off the streets in Ardoyne.

The cross-border bodies will now go into a state of limbo and after
January 18th the Unionists will pull down the political institutions.

Meanwhile the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's accused by
one of its own members that it couldn't deliver on its remit under
the Good Friday Agreement. Even within its limited powers and
resources, it lacks direction on the strategies, policies and
practices needed to carve out a positive role for itself in
protecting and promoting human rights. The commission has not tested
its powers in the context of delivery of rights.

Crucially, despite a few worthy reports, three and half years on the
commission have not delivered on the protection of human rights. It
is clearly not "independent of government, with an extended and
enhanced role", as outlined in the agreement, claimed Inez McCormack.

The so-called equality agenda much trumped by supporters of the GFA
also failed to deliver. The Equality Commission, which itself is
riven by internal dissent, advised the NI Fire Service to remove a
banner supporting the Armagh GAA All-Ireland victory. So this is the
height of the equality agenda!!

Loyalist paramilitaries will continue their sectarian murder campaign
and have received a political signal from soberly suited people
within the Unionist family encouraging sectarian killings. When they
sort out their internal difficulties, then nationalists beware.

The IRSP position has been consistently correct in its analysis of
the whole peace process and the political institutions arising from
that process.

While we recognise the desire of the people for peace, we said that
the GFA could not deliver peace. What occurred during practically
every summer since 1994 has not been peace. There may be a political
process but there is little peace for those living on the front line.

Those who wish to continue with the illusion of a Belfast Agreement
remember this: This is a dead parrot. This parrot is dead!!!!!