Republicanism – Page 5 – Slugger O'Toole

The Return of the Militants

Pete Baker on November 11, 2010, 9:51 pm

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BBC Newsnight’s Liz MacKean reports in advance of the publication of a report for The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) – Return of the Militants: Violent Dissident Republicanism From the BBC report The report’s author, Martyn Frampton, told Newsnight that Northern Ireland is at a crucial juncture because of the coming together of two distinct generations of dissident republicans. Veterans disillusioned by the direction the republican movement has taken, who no longer believe the Sinn Fein political path …

Encouraging dissent – would a ‘Trevor’ do that?

Blank on November 10, 2010, 11:34 pm

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It’s funny who or what can make you think, bumping into a Liberal Unionist at a funeral isn’t one of my normal jumping off points. When someone from such a different mindset, on meeting for the first time, asks such an inappropriate question, in such an inappropriate setting, as; “Just how do we talk to these [dissenting republicans] people?” First you think ‘wtf’, then: ‘I’ have no more insight than ‘you’, the state and certainly not SF – they aren’t …

“The Provisionals must accept that this will happen to them, too.”

Pete Baker on November 10, 2010, 2:53 pm

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Liam Clarke was invited to speak at the launch of Richard O’Rawe’s second book on the disputed offer to end the hunger strike in the Maze – Afterlives: The Hunger Strike and the Secret Offer That Changed Irish History. In the News Letter he explains why and, in doing so, addresses a recent topic on Slugger. It is long past time we were free of this heavy hand, this atmosphere of threats and intimidation for anyone who tries in a serious way to …

“How many school yards now ring out to nationalist or republican songs like ours did?”

Mick Fealty on November 9, 2010, 2:31 pm

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One of the most striking things about Barry Flynn’s great evocation of the IRA’s 1950’s border campaign was the degree to which the shooting of IRA volunteers Sean South and Fergal O’Hanlon seemed to galvanise pro Republic sentiment south of the border. That was reprised with the death of the ten hunger strikers of the early 80s. But in the absence of conflict and death from Northern Ireland the south has simply presumed all is well and settled and has …

“ONH and the other dissident groups cannot succeed where, as they point out themselves, the Provos failed”

Pete Baker on November 5, 2010, 3:36 pm

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Unlike the Guardian’s interview with the Real IRA, Brian Rowan’s interview with leadership representatives of Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) was face-to-face and, as he admits, unnerving. From the interview in the Belfast Telegraph Rowan: Let me talk about contacts, quiet dialogue, involving mediators talking both to your organisation and British and Irish officials. Do you recognise that description? ONH: I recognise the description, yes. Rowan: I’m told it’s at two levels — alternatives to punishment attacks, and exploring a way forward …

“You have to ask yourself – are they (the leadership) the only ones allowed to write books?”

Pete Baker on October 29, 2010, 3:56 pm

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On Thursday the International Representative for west Belfast, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, and his party colleague the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, may have been expressing their concern at a “crisis meeting” about an apparent increasing number of suicides in the area… But they don’t yet seem to have found time to comment on the suicide of a former comrade. Former Provisional IRA member Gerard ‘Whitey’ Bradley’s body was found in a car parked at a marina near Carrickfergus Castle on Wednesday. Bradley, with the assistance …

“they are doing nothing which the Provisionals didn’t do before them and with the same political rationale”

Pete Baker on October 27, 2010, 3:32 pm

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Somewhat related to this previous post. In the Belfast Telegraph, Eamonn McCann makes the point I remember almost breaking down as I spoke as the realisation hit me that the difference between Ned McCann and Patsy Gillespie was nothing except 25 years. Just as the difference between Patsy and Gerry McConnell was 20 years. Oglaigh na hEireann hadn’t sucked the idea from their thumbs. This consideration, the fact that precedent is provided by the actions of some who have since …

Brian Arthurs: “Republicans cannot see Irish unity in any of this.”

Pete Baker on October 24, 2010, 5:46 pm

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The ongoing saga of “prominent Co Tyrone republican” Brian Arthurs’ legal challenge to the ruling that he and his wife should stand trial in a non-jury court, on charges of converting criminal property and obtaining a money transfer by deception, received an update on Friday. A panel of High Court judges had rejected Arthurs’ legal challenge in June this year. On Friday the Irish News reported that “those judges [had] agreed to certify two questions to be put before the [UK] Supreme Court on points …

“We are raising this case now with David Ford Justice Minister, Mr Chris Smith US Congress, the Irish Government, all interested non-governmental offices and civil liberties organisations, local political parties here and with the Court Service”

Pete Baker on October 20, 2010, 10:50 pm

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Apologies for the length of the post title, but I wanted to make sure I had included everyone… A 25-year-old Queen’s University politics guaduate walked free from Belfast Crown Court today after the prosecution offered no evidence on charges relating to the fire-bombing of Toys R Us Boucher Road store on 1 November 2006. There had been a series of fire-bomb attacks at the time. Since then, the circumstances of those “micro-organisations” appear to have changed… As the UTV report reveals, it’s not necessarily the end of the …

PSNI lobby for more than £200m of special funding from the Treasury reserve

Pete Baker on October 18, 2010, 6:23 pm

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The Irish government is commited to providing adequate resources to tackle the continuing republican paramilitary threat. The Garda Commissioner agrees with the assessment of the Home Secretary, Theresa May, that that threat has increased. And with the research telling us “that concepts of the renegade groups as something ‘other’ are too simplistic”, the BBC’s Vincent Kearney reports that the PSNI Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, has been lobbying for access to “more than £200m of special funding from the treasury reserve during the …

“We continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in the Security Service…”

Pete Baker on October 11, 2010, 11:31 pm

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In addition to the weekend arrests and subsequent charges against members of still-violent republican groups there has been a seizure of weapons and explosives. But, as Roy Greenslade argues at the Guardian, there are questions for reporters to ask Some informed correspondents have been asking questions about this strange situation. But what is required is commitment from more newspapers to force the authorities to act more decisively and effectively. Similarly, British readers need to be informed, so the popular papers …

“concepts of the renegade groups as something ‘other’ are too simplistic”

Pete Baker on October 10, 2010, 3:51 pm

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The BBC’s Jim Fitzpatrick adds his thoughts on the University of Liverpool survey noted previously. From Jim Fitzpatrick We also learn this week that 14% of nationalists have sympathy with the objectives of groups like the Real IRA. Again, this piece of research challenges the conventional wisdom that these people enjoy no support. It is credible work and can’t be dismissed. But it is a bit of a jump to read the research as suggesting that 14% of nationalists “support” …

PSNI: “We will seek to make it difficult for them”.

Pete Baker on October 7, 2010, 5:09 pm

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The BBC reports that the Policing Board have been told that the PSNI are to launch “a major security operation against dissident republicans over the coming days”. From the BBC report At the October meeting of the policing board, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said that the public may face disruption as a result of the operations. “Over the coming days you will see an increase in police activity across Northern Ireland as we continue our efforts to prevent …

“One of the mantras of the peace process is that ‘dissident’ republicans have no support…”

Pete Baker on October 6, 2010, 6:32 pm

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The BBC has some details of a University of Liverpool survey – The ESRC Northern Ireland 2010 Westminster Election Survey – which asked some questions about peoples attitudes towards still-violent republican paramilitaries. From the BBC report Professor Tonge said the research also highlighted the difference in perception of the scale of the threat between the two communities. “They were offered three options, major, minor or no threat. A majority of Protestants , 53 percent described the dissidents as a major threat,” he said. …

“We will all play our part – however long it takes, whatever it takes in bringing that threat to an end”

Pete Baker on October 5, 2010, 12:08 pm

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As the Irish Times notes, at a seminar in Belfast yesterday the Irish Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern, commited his government to providing adequate resources to tackle the continuing republican paramilitary threat. And last night those republican paramilitaries are believed to have been responsible for a car bomb in the UK City of Culture for 2013. Interestingly, the owner of a hotel near the site of the explosion is quoted in this iol report Mr [Garvan] O’Doherty said there would be setbacks, but …

Face it. The ‘lines’ were lies.

Blank on October 1, 2010, 9:07 pm

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I found Rusty’s blog on the execution of Joe O’Connor personally challenging and greatly appreciate it for that alone. While revisiting the events leading up to his death and reactions after in such detail was worthwhile of itself, the final paragraph lays down a much harder question to many of those that dissented from SF republicanism post ‘Agreement’. “The hatred engendered during that time still runs deep; to acknowledge that McIntyre and Gorman were right, and not just about the …

Garda Commissioner agrees with MI5 assessment

Pete Baker on September 28, 2010, 5:09 pm

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As RTÉ reports Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy has said that he believes an attack by dissident republicans in Britain is a strong possibility. Commissioner Murphy said he agreed with the assessment of the British Home Secretary and the head of MI5 in the UK that the level of threat from dissident republicans was now moderate to substantial. He also said that while the intent has always been there, the capability within groups such as the Continuity IRA, the Real IRA …

Threat level to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism raised from ‘moderate’ to ‘substantial’

Pete Baker on September 24, 2010, 4:42 pm

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As iol reports, the UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, has stated that “The director-general of the Security Service has informed me that he has raised the threat to Great Britain from Irish-related terrorism from moderate to substantial, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.” As the statement notes The Security Service has raised the threat level from moderate to substantial. This means an Irish-related terrorist attack is a strong possibility. The system of threat levels aims to keep you …

MI5: “We have seen a persistent rise in terrorist activity and ambition in Northern Ireland over the last three years”

Pete Baker on September 17, 2010, 5:35 pm

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The Irish Times has some interesting quotes from the head of MI5, Jonathan Evans. Worth looking back in the Slugger archive for a reminder of his optimism in 2007. And checking more recently on what the Real IRA had to say. From the Irish Times report Mr Evans said the assumption in 2007 was that the residual threat from terrorism in Northern Ireland was low and likely to decline further as time went on and as the new constitutional arrangements under the …

“the Provos never claimed legitimacy on the basis of popular support but by reference to the mandate of history”

Pete Baker on August 22, 2010, 4:57 pm

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In The Observer, Eamonn McCann warns of further disaffection with the political process as “job losses, cutbacks and welfare ‘reform’” are imposed. And he identifies the problem highlighted previously here. From The Observer article Their allegiance was to the republic declared at Easter 1916. The dissidents have not budged from this position, whereas the Provos, they argue, abandoned the republic when they exchanged their Armalites for Armani and took executive positions at Stormont. In the new era of shared power …