Marc Mulholland recalls a seminar in Oxford at which both Anthony McIntyre and Danny Morrison spoke about their differing views on the future of republicanism. Mulholland detected a substantive move away from the old rhetoric of national self determination.
My own clearest recollection of the same event was Morrison’s view that during the troubles he had been a fundamentalist. How else, he argued, could one wage war in pursuit of a political agenda? The evolution began around 1977, about the time of Gerry Adams’s release from prison. “Effectively the IRA realised that though they could go on forever, without adding another ounce to the negotiating power of the Republican movement.”
Interestingly for unionists perhaps, by the time of the ceasefire came Morrison said that they knew they “…could not expect to achieve through negotation what we could not win in the field of war.” The movement was set to compromise on the aims of the ‘war’.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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