Engaging Modern Ireland

national | eu | news report Wednesday December 12, 2007 22:08 by VeChDi

Sinn Féin held a major event in Dublin last Sunday to sketch out the beginning of a new way forward for the party, particularly in the 26 counties.

The day-long conference, entitled 'Engaging Modern Ireland', was designed to re-start SinnFéin's electoral activities after the disappointing general election result last May.

Proving that the party is just as committed to jargon as ever, Senator Pearse Doherty is reported as saying : "Our core principles remain the same - we are working for Irish reunification, equality and justice. But we need to make sure that we also have policies that will deliver on these principles."

Surely, as far as most people are concerned, only objects like pizzas and parcels can be "delivered"? Principles can be fulfilled, but the speech writers are going to have to be sent to a re-education camp, (going forward), as it seems, some lessons were not learned from the general election.

Party president Gerry Adams confirmed that Sinn Féin would be opposing the European Union Reform Treaty when it is put to a referendum next year. He asked discerning members of the Green Party and the Labour Party to join in opposing the treaty, which will accelerate the militarisation of the EU, and will advance an economic agenda based on the lowering of wages and workers' rights. He continued by saying " "We also need to present our message in a better, more coherent way."

Full text of his speech below:

__________________________
Engaging Modern Ireland

Bhi cruinniu maith againn inniu achairde. Bhi an bhliain seo, bliain
mor I saol ar muintir agus i saol Sinn Fein agus sna stait seo bhi muid
I mbun proiseas comhreiteach a bhi chomh tabhachtach is abhi linn a
riamh. Ta an proiseas deanta anois. Ta muid ag bogadh ar aghaidh aris.
Ta me cinnte go bhfuil ceannairi polaitiula an lae inniu anseo agus
ceannairi polaitiula amarach fosta. Is sibhse na ceannairi seo.

2007 was a year packed with hard work, significant progress and some
disappointment for Irish republicans. But as the year comes to an end
Sinn Fein has emerged stronger and better prepared to make more
advances in the time ahead. Last January a special Ard Fheis
overwhelmingly mandated this party to engage with the PSNI, and to hold
that organisation to democratic account.

And while there is still a lot of work to do, already the benefits of
this engagement can be seen in many parts of the north. Only a few
months after that Ard Fheis, negotiations between Sinn Fein and the DUP
opened the way for the re-establishment of the political institutions.
In the Assembly election that followed, Sinn Fein won 28 seats and
Martin McGuinness was asked to lead our Ministerial team in a
power-sharing government with the DUP.

Many observers, including elements of the Irish government thought such
a development could never happen. But it did and it has and it was this
party which made that possible. There are huge challenges ahead.

Just this week Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley led a joint delegation
to the US to secure much needed investment. Building the economy is a
major priority for our party. We are leading the way in bringing about
fundamental change. As part of this Caitriona Ruane has grasped the
nettle of a failing education system, and especially of the 11+, and
set out a vision for education in the north which will place children's
needs at the heart of that new system. These are major achievements

And none of it would have been possible without the support of tens of
thousands of citizens who vote for this party; and the drive and
energy, the negotiating skills, the commitment, and patience of party
leaders, workers and supporters across this island.

It is not long since 2002 when five Sinn Fein TDs were elected to
Leinster House. Then in 2004 Mary Lou McDonald in Dublin and Bairbre de
Brun in the north won seats in the European Parliament, and we made
major advances at Local Government level. These were all significant
advances which made it clear to the establishment parties that Sinn
Fein was a serious political and electoral threat. Our successes were a
wake-up call to the conservative parties.

Most of us expected to see a continuation of that success in the 2007
General Election. We were disappointed when we failed to build on our
Dail representation and when we lost the seat held by Sean Crowe, one
of our most hard working and dedicated representatives, in Tallaght and
Dublin South West. Since then we have engaged in extensive consultation
and critical analysis inside and outside the party. This process has
been as intensive as the period during the run up to the Policing Ard
Fheis and will be viewed as a critical juncture for our party in the
time ahead. These discussions produced some key conclusions which
provide vital lessons for our future work.

* Our party is not strong enough on the ground in many constituencies

* Our party leadership needs to be expanded to be truly national.

* We need to widen our political appeal by effectively setting out our
alternative policies and solutions to the challenges facing modern
Ireland.

* We also need to present our message in a better, more coherent way.

We have also undertaken a deeper analysis -- exploring the more
fundamental issues that influence and generate political change in this
country, and re-assessing what contribution our party can make to that
process of change.

That election result was a wake-up call for us. We now need to do
things differently.

But we can take succour from how well we did in many constituencies.
Where we had the organisation our party avoided the squeeze which wiped
out other parties. These are positives on which we can build. They
include the success in Cavan/Monaghan, Louth, Kerry and Dublin South
Central and the overall rise in our vote particularly in places like
Donegal where we came close to taking seats.

We need a major re-organisation of our party structures, something
which is already underway; a well presented political programme, and a
widening of our engagement across society.

* Republicans need to rejuvenate our party from the ground up.

* Republicans need to re-organise, re-structure, and recruit more
younger people into the party. * Republicans need to present relevant,
modern politics and policies to meet the needs of Ireland in the 21st
century.

* Republicans need to popularise the demand for Irish re-unification.

* And we need to be as comfortable with words like 'prosperity' and
'economic opportunity' as we are with 'equality' and 'independence'.

* Republicans need to apply the same determination and commitment we
brought to the peace process to the task of advancing our national
objectives and delivering sustainable economic prosperity and equality.

Today, the frontline of the struggle is here in the south. That means
adopting and developing new strategies and tactics to meet the
challenges facing republicanism in this part of the island. These
challenges are easily stated. They are:

* Irish re-unification;

* building the economy to deliver strong public services;

* and tackling crime, drugs and anti-social behaviour which is
devastating so many communities.

Fanann ar bprionsabail larnach mar an gceanna. Ta muid ag obair ar son
ath-aontu na tire, comhionnanais agus cearta. Ach ag an am ceanna
caithfidh muid a bheith cinnte go bhfuil polasaithe ciallmhara againn a
dheanfas dul chun cinn ar na prionsabail seo.

Our first priority is achieving national unity and independence and an
end to the partition of our country. This goal did not end with the
formation of the Executive and Assembly and the all-Ireland Ministerial
Council and other institutional arrangements.

While others pay lip service to their republicanism this party - Sinn
Fein has a detailed strategy for ending partition, for the
re-unification of Ireland, for political independence and national
sovereignty. In only a few short years Ireland and the Irish Diaspora
will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising.

The Proclamation is our mission statement. It sets out the Republican
vision of a free and independent Ireland, a national republic, and a
democratic and equal society.

I believe we should now establish a dedicated group to develop a
programme of work to celebrate 1916 and properly mark all of the great
events that led to the Rising -- including the 100th anniversary of the
Great Lock-Out here in Dublin in 1913.

The celebration of those actions, and the example set by the activists
of that generation, can provide an opportunity to generate a national
debate on the future direction of this island; as well as putting a
spotlight on the Proclamation and its relevance in the Ireland of
today.

But in addition our task from this day onward is to broaden and deepen
our roots in communities, in the colleges, the villages and towns, in
every parish in every county on this island. We can only do that
through shaping our republican politics and policies to address the
needs of people in their daily lives and by making republicanism
relevent to these needs. Sinn Fein activists should be engaging with
local communities and working with them in seeking to achieve change.

We stand for a republic in which citizens have rights -- a republic
which is fashioned around people -- citizens -- and not political or
economic elites. To further this ambitious programme we will need to
build alliances with like-minded people, and perhaps at times, with
those who are not so like minded.

We also need to develop a new working relationship between our party
and those who are trying to build their businesses and economic
projects; particularly in the indigenous small and medium sized
business sector. We need to work together to deliver the next
generation of jobs that will drive the economy forward and sustain
economic prosperity.

At a time when the economy is facing so many challenges we will demand
absolute accountability and value for money when it comes to the use of
public funds. And we will insist that those in greatest need are the
priority in fiscal and taxation policy.

During the General Election I said very clearly that Sinn Fein is not a
high tax party. I also said that, given increasing economic
uncertainty, it was irresponsible of the other parties to promise
massive tax cuts as they could not be delivered. We were correct in
this analysis.

This week's budget saw Fianna Fail renege on many of the promises that
saw them elected in the first place. This budget is particularly
disappointing for ordinary families struggling on low and medium
incomes. They are once again bearing the brunt of the inequity in our
public services. This is particularly the case in health and education.

Stop anyone in the street and ask what the problems in the health
service are, and they will tell you: inept planning and management;
inflated wages for a minority - low wages for the majority; nursing and
medical staff overworked and undervalued; and a Minister who is
incapable of delivering any positive change The fact is this government
is about privatising the health services. That is what is driving
government policy. That is why there has been a systematic running down
of the public health services, while countless private health clinics
are opening up across the state.

The reality in the Ireland of 2007 is that there is a huge gulf in
incomes and living standards between a small number of hugely
influential people and the rest of Irish society. There were no
innovative budget proposals to help people to move from welfare to
work, or to re-skill those who have lost jobs, or to give real support
to those trying to start new businesses. And those at the top seem
oblivious of the difficulties facing ordinary people.

A few weeks ago the Taoiseach took a yearly wage increase of O38,000 --
that is 52 times what pensioners were awarded last week. And their
basic income is only a fraction of that paid to the Taoiseach. If this
government or the other leaders had any principles whatsoever they
would decline this latest wage increase. It is not fair, it is not
money well spent and it is not compulsory.

As our economy has grown, many people from Europe and Africa and beyond
have come to Ireland to make our country their home. We need to engage
with these new communities, who now make up more than 10% of the
population. Many of these people are in danger of being marginalised
and ghettoised in parts of our towns and cities. The danger of an
imploding racism, particularly as many workers find themselves out of
jobs or their wage levels under pressure by unscrupulous employers
using cheap immigrant labour, is unfortunately real as the economy
slows.

Sinn Fein -- the republican party will continue to actively campaign
against racism and for workers rights. In a few months time Sinn Fein
will be the only significant party campaigning against the Lisbon
Treaty referendum.

But I believe that we will be standing with the majority of people on
this island who share our concerns about the direction of the EU and
the power of the larger states.

I believe that Ireland's place is within the European Union. Many
benefits have come to Ireland as a result of our membership but moves
towards greater integration are certainly not in this country's
interest. The Lisbon Treaty will involve the most substantial transfer
of powers from member states to the European Council and Commission to
date.

The influence of smaller states will be reduced as the dominance of the
larger states is consolidated. It significantly accelerates the
militarization of the EU, and advances an economic agenda based on a
race to the bottom for wages and workers rights. Today, I want to call
on everyone on this island who will have a vote to come out and oppose
this Treaty.

I want to make a particular appeal to supporters of the Labour Party
and the Green Party to join with us in the coming months in opposing
this treaty.

Republicans have always been internationalists. We have always taken a
close interest in international matters and have spoken out in
solidarity with oppressed peoples. We should especially seek to
constructively share, if and when asked, our experience in conflict
resolution to assist others. In this regard I believe we should
encourage any settlement that guarantees a viable state and return of
their lands to the Palestinian people. We also look forward to an early
withdrawal of US and other foreign forces from Iraq.

Finally I would like to address the issue of community safety and
policing. Communities the length and breadth of this country are being
badly let down. There are huge concerns at the failure to respond to
rising crime and there is a renewed drugs epidemic which is having
devastating consequences. It is time that this government took on the
gangland bosses and put them out of business.

The Gardai need sufficient resources to do their job properly and
people in the community need to actively support them. I encourage all
of you to work with the relevant accountable policing authorities to
ensure the public safety of all our citizens is guaranteed and where
justice in the community prevails.

Today is a new starting point for this party. There is enormous
goodwill for Sinn Fein in every part of this island. We have to build
on that; build on our republican roots and policies; shape them to take
account of the political realities of Ireland today, and move forward
confidently. We have to grasp the major political opportunities which
are now open to us.

The fact is that we are now embarking on the most difficult but
potentially most rewarding phase of our struggle. Today marks the
beginning of our campaigns for the European and Local Government
elections which will take place in less than two years.

Two hundred years ago the founders of Irish republicanism had a vision
of a new kind of Ireland -- sovereign, free, in which the rights of
citizens are paramount and with equality as the bedrock of society.
That new Ireland is needed as much today as it was then. Genuine
republicanism is as relevant today as it was then. Our mission is to
deliver for modern Ireland.

Deanfaidh muid sin. Bigi linn. Agus go raibh maith agaibh. Adh mor agus
Nollag shona daoibh -- 2008 here we come.