Sinn Fein look well fed and warm now after a long time coming in from the cold. After supporting the non-jury courts, even Fianna Fail are cracking jokes at their selling out before an election instead of waiting until they are in government. Ah but isn’t that what mates do? A wee piss take at each other? Once they skip into Leinster House hand in hand like best friends at baby infants, leaving Fine Gael behind at the school gates crying, all will be forgiven, and they will get down to carrying out the same old Capitalist neo liberal system. While Fianna Fail won’t have too much problem with their voter base siding with Sinn Fein, even the robotic of Shinner bots will have a cognitive dissonance major malfunction.
This of course, will require a strategic, modernised and highly intelligent strategy to win back those angry at Sinn Fein for siding with Fianna Fail. Roll out the ‘’what’s the alternative’’ line. From dropping abstentionism in 86 to today’s support of non-jury courts, Sinn Fein have a long history of this famous slogan. They seem to dismiss the fact the alternative would be the extremely obvious decision to vote no on non-jury courts.
Perhaps it was so obvious that they missed the point altogether and will fix all that once they bring in the socialist republic? Even when they literally signed in welfare reform themselves and had the choice to say no and reject it, their answer was "what’s the alternative?" When they agreed to be junior partners to Fianna Fail or Fine Gael, and had the choice to say no, their response was, well, I think we are getting the pattern here.
When this lie fails. When a politically aware socialist questions the policies of Sinn Fein, you attack and instantly accuse them of wanting to blow up fish and chips shops and go back to the 70s and 80s. Throw in words like equality and integrity. That always goes down well. Begin speaking of the Good Friday Agreement and how amazing it is, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with what the topic on point is. Talk about Sinn Fein as if they wrote, composed, and done everything about the GFA and no one else. If they mention Sunningdale, quickly change the subject or immediately leave the area.
The truth is, that the IRA brought the British Army to a stalemate and there was always going to be a continuous war that would lead to nowhere. So naturally you would cause a truce, sit down, and have some: we won’t shoot you if you don’t shoot us peace talks. What Sinn Fein thought it meant was you don’t shoot us; we won’t shoot you, we will play by your rules, we will abandon our principles, we will administer British rule. You can end a military armed campaign, but you don’t have to end your political campaign along with it. In fact, you ramp up and put all your efforts into that. But alas it was less a case of Brits go home, more Brits go home, we got you covered.
And finally, if all else fails, if you are in a corner slowly having a mental breakdown and close to going into a full-blown epileptic fit due to the realisation that Sinn Fein might not be the party you think it is, reach deep into your denial and pluck out the good old "you have to compromise" line. Yes, compromise. Or what I like to call, "the slow and subtle erosion of your principles".
When this lie fails. When a politically aware socialist questions the policies of Sinn Fein, you attack and instantly accuse them of wanting to blow up fish and chips shops and go back to the 70s and 80s. Throw in words like equality and integrity. That always goes down well. Begin speaking of the Good Friday Agreement and how amazing it is, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with what the topic on point is. Talk about Sinn Fein as if they wrote, composed, and done everything about the GFA and no one else. If they mention Sunningdale, quickly change the subject or immediately leave the area.
The truth is, that the IRA brought the British Army to a stalemate and there was always going to be a continuous war that would lead to nowhere. So naturally you would cause a truce, sit down, and have some: we won’t shoot you if you don’t shoot us peace talks. What Sinn Fein thought it meant was you don’t shoot us; we won’t shoot you, we will play by your rules, we will abandon our principles, we will administer British rule. You can end a military armed campaign, but you don’t have to end your political campaign along with it. In fact, you ramp up and put all your efforts into that. But alas it was less a case of Brits go home, more Brits go home, we got you covered.
And finally, if all else fails, if you are in a corner slowly having a mental breakdown and close to going into a full-blown epileptic fit due to the realisation that Sinn Fein might not be the party you think it is, reach deep into your denial and pluck out the good old "you have to compromise" line. Yes, compromise. Or what I like to call, "the slow and subtle erosion of your principles".
What Sinn Fein have taught us about compromising is that it absolutely and ultimately does not work. Just look at the 100 years of Irish political history. When the Sinn Fein of 1921 decided to compromise on the treaty, leaving behind their principles and abandoning the republic, accepting partition, and resulted in civil war, it didn’t work. When Fianna Fail compromised in 1927 and entered Leinster House, came to power, abandoned their principles, executed republicans by hanging, and handed any power over to the church, it didn’t work. The Sinn Fein of 1998 compromised and entered Stormont, administer British rule, joined the policing board, shook hands with royals, agreed to be junior partners with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and now supports the non-jury courts, their compromise didn’t work.
History and Specifically Sinn Fein themselves, have shown us that compromise does not work. You may think it’s a fine idea to only chip the pillars that hold up the party. However, the next group that hold the reigns will do the same. And so and so, until the whole thing falls down around you and all you are left with is Mary Lou Mc Donald, standing in the rubble, smiling, with a hunger striker’s blanket wrapped around her.
When all of the above fails, Blame the Brits and shout up the Ra.
History and Specifically Sinn Fein themselves, have shown us that compromise does not work. You may think it’s a fine idea to only chip the pillars that hold up the party. However, the next group that hold the reigns will do the same. And so and so, until the whole thing falls down around you and all you are left with is Mary Lou Mc Donald, standing in the rubble, smiling, with a hunger striker’s blanket wrapped around her.
When all of the above fails, Blame the Brits and shout up the Ra.
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| Finnian O Domhnaill is a Donegal political and community activist. |
