"To break the connection with England" Wolfe Tone

Sunday 4 September 2016

Below is the oration that was delivered today by 32 County Sovereignty Movement Chairperson Francie Mackey at the graveside of IRA Volunteer Alan Ryan -

We gather here with an even deeper sense of tragedy given that Alan's brother Vincent is now at rest with him. And it also drives us to seek a deeper understanding of why these events came to pass. Two of our comrades are dead; taken from us by criminal elements.
At what point in republican thinking and planning did this confrontation arise? What policy or republican objective was served by this confrontation and its lethal consequences? Where was the strategic merit and return for Irish republicanism? The addressing of these questions is an essential ingredient in truly honouring Alan and Vincent's legacy.
For as much as we must continue to question every aspect of what led to the murder of IRA Volunteer Alan Ryan we are also left with that deeds legacy, which will simply not go away. The entire republican family is impacted by this negative legacy and there rests a corporate responsibility to address it.
As republicans we must be defined by the message we present to our people. The veracity of that message will be judged by the policy platform that we develop in its pursuit. What Alan fought for must be articulated in a way that breaks through the wall of negativity that the State and State media maintains around us.
Republicanism must be more than a set of initials or a broad stroke slogan of intent. To be relevant we must be effective on the ground and to achieve this we must adopt a dual approach: a concept of actually winning this struggle and a radical policy platform to give structure and focus to our struggle.
The core objective of Irish republicanism remains the same. The political environment within which we fight for it however is constantly changing. We have to learn to both adapt to, and manipulate, those changes for republican ends. Every generation of Irish republicans have the absolute right to bring their own ingenuity to bear to further this struggle. It is not an objective or principle of the Republican Movement to anchor itself in a historical rut no more than it is an objective or principle to pass this struggle on to the next generation.
That the British presence remains in our country is a clear indicator that up to this point Irish republicanism has failed to realise our core objective. We owe no loyalty to failure. We have no duty to engage in yet more glorious defeats. When we glorify failure we institutionalise it into our strategic thinking. This is the malaise at the heart of current republicanism.
Without a concept of winning we cannot work through the problems we cannot avoid. And we cannot avoid each other. Each time a republican group fractures we take failure to new levels. Each time a separate republican entity comes into being we further undermine the potential for Irish republicanism to advance.
At what point are we going to say stop to this madness and press the re-set button? We cannot stand at the graves of our patriot dead and honestly say this is the best Irish republicanism can do. We cannot stand within our communities and convincingly say that we are here to work with you. We have to rise above the personality and work together to once and for all win this struggle.
If we intend to bring this struggle into our communities we must come armed with a message that resonates in their lives. We must engage in a narrative that is relevant to our people's needs both locally and nationally. What we offer must be plausible and understood as such.
It is this policy platform that republicans and socialists should concentrate on building. It is here were we can work together and reintroduce a true sense of comradeship into republicanism. The last thing our communities need now is yet another set of initials claiming to be something new or different.
If we hope to assist our communities with the many problems they face then we must seek to educate ourselves from those who work at the coalface of issues like substance abuse, evictions and debt. Waving the Proclamation at such issues is not a solution to them. Quoting Marx is too distant an endgame. We must make the Centenary year of the Easter Rebellion a watershed for Irish republicanism. We must define the criterion to claim to be a republican organisation in a very different and onerous way. A name, a logo and a Facebook page simply does not cut it.
This struggle is a national struggle built on the integration of local and national activism. And this activism can only be gauged by the positive political effect it has at each level. Without any political effectiveness it is nothing more that political noise.
There is no interpretation of the Republican Constitution that allows for a deliberate policy of not seeking republican unity. A fractured base needs to heal. To do this honest and open dialogue is required. There is no point in espousing radical ideas with a mindset that has proven to have failed.
A change in mindset is as essential as it is eminently achievable. And this is the start point for every individual republican. This is the most important first step. As you leave the graveside of Alan and Vincent remember them through actions that will ultimately lead to the Republic.
Beir Bua.