The contemporary political history of Éire (Ireland and occupied
Ireland)
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- British Labour Party confirms having had
talks with Sinn Fein
- The Irish Times, 30 December 1994. The
British Labour Party yesterday announced its own exploratory
talks with Sinn Fein and representatives of former loyalist
paramilitary groups in a move mirroring the process
involving the British government.
- War or Peace? It's Major's
Call
- Irish Voice, editorial, 4–10 January
1995. One year ago the people of Northern Ireland were
playing a waiting game as Sinn Fein pondered its response to
the Downing Street Declaration. The people of the North are
still waiting 12 months on, this time for the British
government's response.
- The New Coalition
- The Irish People, The voice of Irish
Republicanism in America, 11 January 1995. The new
government in Dublin will probably continue most of the
policies set out by the previous Fianna Fail/Labour
administration. It will bring a strong British/Unionist bias
to future dealings on the North.
- Britain squandering the chance of
peace
- By Hilda Mac Thomas, An Phoblacht/Republican
News, 12 January 1995. All there is since last Autumn
is a complete cessation by the IRA, a conditional cessation
by loyalist death squads, and some gestures by the British
government.
- Submission to National Forum for Peace and
Reconciliation
- By the Communist Party of Ireland, 4 February 1955. The
Communist Party of Ireland believes that the National Forum
for Peace and Reconciliation can make a significant
contribution to ending the divisions among our people and
help to create the basis for a lasting political
settlement.
- The Militant on the Framework
- By Celia Pugh, Militant, 4 March 1995. The
prime ministers of Britain and Ireland unveiled a
framework document
February 22 for all-party talks on
the future of the north of Ireland.
- The Campaign for the Right to Truth
- Oral Submissions to the Forum for Peace and
Reconciliation, Father Raymond Murray, Dublin Castle, April
1995. Murray is Chairperson of Relatives For Justice and
Chairperson of the Campaign for the Right to Truth. This
Campaign is an umbrella group of eight organisations.
- Rebels call for Orange free state at hall
rally
- By Niall Blaney, 18 November 1995. Rebel Orangemen may set
up their own bank and insurance company as the basis of an
‘Orange economy’ in Northern Ireland. The plan
was floated at a rally of 1,500 dissident loyalists.
- English Occupation Makes Orange Bigotry
Possible
- By William Gartland, Letter to the editor, 6 June
1996. Let us take a look at the facts. The Orange Unionists
make two claims to support their right to rule. The British
people know that the Orange Unionists simply wrap their
bigotry in the Union Jack and pretend that it is patriotism,
celebrating their conquest over over three centuries
ago.
- London ends talks, N. Ireland Heats up
- By Peter Clifford, Militant, Vol.61 no.25, 14
July 1997. London broke off talks June 16 with Sinn Fein,
under the pretext of responding to the Irish Republican Army
(IRA) killing of two Royal Ulster Constabulary policemen.
- IRSP Ard Fheis
- By Peter Urban, North American Coordinator, Irish Republican
Socialist Committees, 23 December 1997. The Irish Republican
Socialist Party Ard Fheis, December 6, 1997, has rejected a
motion that would have called upon the Irish National
Liberation Army to declare a ceasefire until the conclusion
of the Stormont talks and unanimously approved a motion
calling on the INLA to continue the policy of
defense and
retaliation
in effect since March of 1995.
- Ireland: has the peace process failed?
- By John Meehan, Green Left Weekly (Sydney),
24 February 1999. The referendum held on both sides of the
Irish border on the 1998 Good Friday agreement was carried
with massive majorities. Most of the
No
vote in the
North was hardline unionist. The tiny No
vote in the
26 Counties was mostly anti-partitionist. These votes
reflected a massive desire for peace.
- Ulster veto, Ulster terror
- By Alexander Cockburn, The Nation, 14 May
1999. The entire Good Friday Agreement, joyously ratified in
April of 1998, is about to run off the rails, sabotaged by
Protestant irreconcilables who think, maybe correctly, that
once again they can impose the Unionist Veto. The instrument
at hand is the issue of
decommissioning
IRA
weapons.