Showing posts with label Republicanism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Republicanism. Show all posts
Today The Pensive Quill carries an article by guest writer, Mark McGregor
Distopia [sic]ness by Mark McGregor
The Provisional movement was a four decade long hegemony in Republicanism, other groups rarely featured in a narrative dominated by them. Political challenges were like gnats on a cow’s arse and competing militarists a whimper beside a bang.
Slowly from the 90s on as that ‘movement’ gradually retired itself from militant republicanism, both armed and political, a space should/could have opened for those that rejected the direction taken. Those opportunities were consistently missed. Various groups have managed to build and then neglect small globular clusters of dissent over years - none ever achieved a gravitational pull large enough to become the dominant voice of republican opposition. The discerning dissenter now has more options than a P7 child deciding on secondary education - but unlike them knows failure is almost always guaranteed.
Republicans have even been faced with a ‘Unity Network’ promoting a ‘Unity Forum’ that half the organised groups are ‘United’ in ignoring. The options of organisations to join has never been so vast, Republicans finally have real choices to make - on which futile organisation suits them best.
While this goes on, Republicanism retreats further into insignificancy. Fractured, competing and utterly irrelevant. Some groups build fiefdoms but nobody builds a head of steam or a broad base. Huge areas without a viable group of committed activists from one organisation are left with no republican organisation at all. In many instances nobody ends up taking a credible stand on issues that should matter.
Instead of a mirror being shown to the face of the British state and its supporters we have a shattered myriad of fragments blinding all and ensuring focus is impossible.
Distopia [sic]ness by Mark McGregor
The Provisional movement was a four decade long hegemony in Republicanism, other groups rarely featured in a narrative dominated by them. Political challenges were like gnats on a cow’s arse and competing militarists a whimper beside a bang.
Slowly from the 90s on as that ‘movement’ gradually retired itself from militant republicanism, both armed and political, a space should/could have opened for those that rejected the direction taken. Those opportunities were consistently missed. Various groups have managed to build and then neglect small globular clusters of dissent over years - none ever achieved a gravitational pull large enough to become the dominant voice of republican opposition. The discerning dissenter now has more options than a P7 child deciding on secondary education - but unlike them knows failure is almost always guaranteed.
Republicans have even been faced with a ‘Unity Network’ promoting a ‘Unity Forum’ that half the organised groups are ‘United’ in ignoring. The options of organisations to join has never been so vast, Republicans finally have real choices to make - on which futile organisation suits them best.
While this goes on, Republicanism retreats further into insignificancy. Fractured, competing and utterly irrelevant. Some groups build fiefdoms but nobody builds a head of steam or a broad base. Huge areas without a viable group of committed activists from one organisation are left with no republican organisation at all. In many instances nobody ends up taking a credible stand on issues that should matter.
Instead of a mirror being shown to the face of the British state and its supporters we have a shattered myriad of fragments blinding all and ensuring focus is impossible.
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