The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
2
Thomas McDonagh / Tómas MacDonnchadha
1 February 1878 - May 3 1916
A Tipperary man, Thomas sprang from Cloughjordan near the scenic Slieve
Bloom Mountains. Perhaps it was in this
tranquil setting that Thomas learned of his
love and talent for the arts and poetry.
Thomas was a man of many talents. An
advocate for the Irish language, a university
lecturer, poet and playwright.
Thomas realised that for a final peace and
prosperity in Ireland to be achieved that the
Irish people would have to break the
connection with the British Empire. He was
a member of the Irish Republican
Brotherhood (IRB), and was Commandant,
Dublin Brigade, Irish Volunteers. A man of
high integrity and selfless moral courage he held out until the very end that
faithful Easter Week in 1916. In his address to the Court Martial the day
before his execution, he made clear his motives;
“The Proclamation of the Irish Republic has been adduced in evidence
against me as one of the Signatories; you think it already a dead and buried
letter, but it lives, it lives. From minds alight with Ireland’s vivid intellect it
sprung, in hearts aflame with Ireland’s mighty love it was conceived. Such
documents do not die.”
True to every word the Republic proclaimed that Easter Week went on to be
endorsed by an awoken people albeit using the British electoral system. Sinn
Féin contested the General Election in 1918 as abstentionists, vowing to stay
in Ireland and represent the Irish people, an overwhelming victory was
claimed and Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the 32 County Republic came into
being on the 21st January 1919. England made sure it was the last time
Ireland acted as a unit, Ireland was partitioned in 1921 and the Republic
proclaimed and endorsed was suppressed in brutal fashion. Today no final
settlement has been achieved, no final peace can be guaranteed and militant
opposition to England’s writ in Ireland remains a reality.
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
3
Within The Grip Of Imperialism
There can be no doubt that the Ireland of today bears little resemblance to
that envisioned by the signatories of the
Proclamation in 1916. Whereas the
signatories fought and died for the full
freedom of Ireland that is yet to be achieved.
The 6 North Eastern counties are held by the
same imperial power as in 1916 and despite
there being a limited form of home rule in
operation the real power remains with the
British Secretary of State and the Westminster parliament.
The remaining 26 Counties are ruled by a counter revolutionary
administration from Leinster House who preside over a neo-colonial state
that is firmly in the grip of the capitalist Troika of the EU, IMF and ECB.
Stormont is openly sectarian and carries on the tradition as highlighted in the
Proclamation of perpetuating “differences carefully fostered by an alien
government, which have divided a minority from the majority in the past.”
Supporters of the current set up frequently
point to the Stormont Agreement of 1998,
commonly called the Good Friday Agreement,
as having brought peace to Ireland. This is
untruthful. While several of the antagonists
have ceased fighting each other some one-
time Republicans are now firmly within the
British camp and directly oppose the ideals of the Irish Republic of Easter
Week. The British have consequently been able to scale back their military
presence but their governmental presence and their spy network remain.
British tactics may have altered but the powers available to them are
undiminished as demonstrated by the case of Martin
Corey who has been imprisoned for over three and a
half years to date at the whim of the Secretary of
State despite a court ordering his release.
Harassment by the armed regime police also
continues unabated. A November 2012 report from
the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)
highlighted 22,000 “stop and searches” under the “Terrorism Act 2000” and
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
4
the “Justice and Security Act 2007” in the year 2010/11 alone. More than half
of those stopped and searched under this legislation were under the age of
25. These powers are extended to British soldiers as well as the police and
dispense with the usual requirement of “reasonable suspicion.”
Yet another generation is growing up in Ireland witnessing institutional
sectarianism and injustice. Economically their future looks no brighter as the
disadvantages inherent in a partitioned Ireland continue to hold sway. This is
not a recipe that can ever bring peace to Ireland but will instead perpetuate
the cycle of continued conflict in our country until the root cause of this
conflict is properly addressed.
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
5
Towards A Peaceful Ireland
The proposals contained in this document “Towards a
Peaceful Ireland” were drafted by Dáithí Ó Conaill and
completed on December 29, 1990, three days before his
death. They were subsequently adopted by Republican
Sinn Féin of which he was Vice-President and have
remained an integral part of our policy since:
____________________________________________________________
THE Proclamation of Easter 1916, in declaring the Irish Republic,
asserted the fundamental right of the Irish People to the ownership of
Ireland. It emphasised that imperialism, colonialism and the denial of
democratic freedom were at the core of the
conflict in Ireland with the statement that “in
every generation the Irish people have asserted
their right to national freedom and
sovereignty: six times during the past three
hundred years they have asserted it in arms.”
In the decades since 1916 the people of Ireland have suffered war, strife and
political turmoil. The cost has been high, approximately 3,500 lives have been
lost in the current phase of the struggle since 1969, liberties have been
denied and two generations have grown up in an
abnormal situation. With significant changes
taking place in the world, many people ask why it is
so difficult to bring about peace, stability, and
economic development in our own country.
Speaking in Belfast at the Easter Commemoration in 1973 Dáithí Ó Conaill
reiterated the Republican Movement’s position on the cause of the conflict.
He said: “Today, the central issue in the war is one of conflict between
Ireland’s right to freedom and England’s determination to keep us in
subjection. All other issues are subordinate to this basic point. There can be
no compromise on the fundamental issue as to who should rule Ireland: the
British Parliament or the Irish people.”
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
6
It should be evident to most people by now that the unresolved national
question is the root cause of our problems.
Resources which would normally be used for
economic development, both North and South
are diverted to sustain a regime of repression
under a façade of political consensus.
Constant efforts are made by the British
government with the collaboration of the Dublin administration to resolve the
Northern situation by military means; yet it is widely recognised that a
military solution is not feasible in the long term. Draconian laws, non jury
courts, clandestine agencies and routine harassment all go hand in hand with
other more overt methods of maintaining the status quo.
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
7
Agents of British Rule
Various political solutions have been tried to date and have failed to deliver a true
peace with justice which is the only way lasting
peace can be built. The Dublin administration
has never made a serious effort to produce
worthwhile proposals while the British have
blundered from one failure to another.
Continuing British rule in one guise or another
has ensured that conflict and instability have continued. The Stormont Agreement
signed on Good Friday 1998 secured British rule and safeguards the future of the
26-County State and has only succeeded in creating an “institutionalised
sectarianism” that constrains the right of all the people of Ireland to self-
determination. The solution of British governmental and military withdrawal from
Ireland has never been tried as both Dublin and London do not view such a thing as
being in their interests.
The Stormont Agreement and the later St. Andrew’s Agreement of 2006 have
ensured the continuation of a situation where a
divided people is now ruled on behalf of the
British establishment. The Agreement has
succeeded only in subverting former Republicans
to act as agents of British rule. Such an
arrangement can never be viewed as a long-term
solution. The evidence from other conflicts
around the world points to the fact that a desire for national self-determination
can never be quenched by Quisling deals or political packages that ignore the basic
cause of the conflict: that is the British presence and until that presence is removed
all agreements are doomed to fail. The institutionalising of sectarianism that is
central to the 1998 Agreement has fuelled
sectarianism in the 6 Counties. In the past 20 years
the number of so-called “Peace Walls” has swelled
from 18 to 48. This very abnormal situation could
never truly be called “Peace”. In this context there
are many people who despair of an eventual solution.
To overcome that feeling of hopelessness, Republican Sinn Féin makes the
following proposals.
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
8
1
An All-Ireland Constituent Assembly
The lack of democracy is at the root of the National issue. The restoration of
democracy without any influence from the British would secure a way
forward. There cannot be two different sets of questions posed in the two
parts of Ireland to determine a way forward for the entire country as was
tried under the Stormont Agreement of 1998. The Irish people, acting as a
unit, must be free to exercise their national right to self-determination.
Towards that end Republican Sinn Féin calls for the establishment of a
Constituent Assembly representative of the whole people of Ireland and
elected by the suffrage of the adult population. The Assembly would have the
sole function of drafting a new Constitution and would have six months to
complete its work. The agreed constitution would be submitted to the people
in referendum for acceptance or rejection.
Republican Sinn Féin believes that drafting a new 32-County Constitution
would be more democratic, just and lasting than amending an existing flawed
26-county document. Furthermore, an open democratic forum would be
more meaningful to the Irish people today than meetings behind closed doors
between politicians who have failed the people so often. All elements of Irish
society would be free to contest the election for the Assembly. The internal
relations of the Irish people with one another and their external relations
with Europe and the world at large would be determined through free and
open debate. As a contribution to that debate, Sinn Féin Poblachtach has
prepared a set of proposals -- ÉIRE NUA -- which outlines the basis for a new
Constitution in a federally structured Ireland. Such structures will be
necessary to ensure justice for all, including the 18% of the national
population who have supported the unionist position.
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
9
2
Declaration of Intent to Withdraw
Prior to the setting up of the Assembly, the British Government must declare
that it will withdraw its forces and establishment from Ireland within twelve
months of the adoption of a new Constitution by the people of Ireland.
3
Towards a New Ireland
Coupled with the two above-mentioned proposals there must be an amnesty for all political prisoners and people on the wanted list. This must be a genuine amnesty not a political manoeuvre such as was seen after the Stormont Agreement when prisoners were released on “licence” and those suspected of not conforming to the status quo have subsequently been re-imprisoned. The fact is thousands have endured great hardship – from imprisonment to the deaths of the 22 hunger strikers and gross injustices inflicted on people who only sought the freedom of their country. All political prisoners must be released one month prior to the election of a Constituent Assembly.
Given the acceptance of the above three proposals, there would be no necessity for the continuance of armed struggle. All elements, including the British, engaged in such activities should cease action immediately on acceptance of these proposals. By so doing, a new spirit of freedom would pervade the country and the Irish people could, at long last enter into a dialogue of genuine discussion to fashion the Ireland of the future.
Failure to adopt these proposals will prolong the current situation in regard to the continued British presence and will lead to further loss of life, police harassment of the people, political prisoners languishing in jail and an ever-widening gap between rich and poor. Such conditions cannot be allowed to continue.
Seo é Bóthar na Síochána.
The Seven Signatories Manifesto – Towards a Peaceful Ireland
10
Teagmháil / Contact
Any queries about the Seven Signatories Manifesto can be made to the relevant
contacts below.
Head Office:
Republican Sinn Féin, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1
Telephone: 872 9747 Fax: 872 9757
E-mail: [email protected] www.rsf.ie
Ulster Office:
229 Falls Road, Belfast, BT12 6FB Telephone 9031 9004
Fax: 9031 9863 E-mail: [email protected]
web: http://www.ulster.rsf.ie
RSF International Relations Bureau:
Republican Sinn Féin, Stiftgasse 8, 1070 Vienna, Austria
E-mail: [email protected] web: http://www.rsf-international.org