THE BODENSTOWN speech, the annual commemoration of the great Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone, is taken as an opportunity for the Republican movement to spell out its current strategic and political thinking.
This vear the speech The speech assesses the situation confronting the Republican movement after the Anglo-Irish Accord and the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
both defends the struggle for national liberation against its 'left-wing' critics, and outlines a strategic goal that is both socialist and internationalist.
We reprint the speech on these pages.
TODAY WE honour Theobald Wolfe Tone, that most dangerous I remember the last time I spoke at his graveside, the aftermath of Bloody Sunday and following the abolition of Stormont all of us were in no doubt that and naive to believe that we could from Toreign occupiers and native siderable extent underestimate Britain's determination to maintain its controlling influence over the adwas serious when he said that 'It aborators. we have learnt much in the other in the history of our country. have experienced and withstood internment, torture, murder and martial law.
Our people have shown a dedication, a neroism and a willingness to sacrifice anything in their fight for freedom that throughout Filipinoes know all about Bobby Sands technogically superior an oppressor can will tor treedom cannot be Reagan fear and hate us. Our move. ment symbolises freedom, and that, of course is unacceptable to the imperialist was delivered by MARTIN McGUINNESS, Sinn Fein elected representative for Derry.
The speech defines Sinn Fein's objective of building a republican socialist political party in the whole of Ireland. It in Ireland, spoken of by James Connolly could community, John Hume and (South of Ireland foreign minister Peter Barry are trying to convince us that Britain's intentions are not only honourable, but We have been promised perienced is increased repression. In the North, the RUC, the UDR and the judiciary have historically represented do so. Any cosmetic changes made will only enable those violent institutions to vicious effectiveness. And in the past week after the latest Barry, who went into it disappointed with the slow rate of progress, came out predicting once again an announcement on a package of legal reforms for which maintain it, are irreformable and corrupt and as such repressive screw, John Hume and Peter Barry would have us believe that the Hillsborough Deal (the Anglo-Irish Accord) is achieving reform and change.
But for the nationalist working class nothing has changed.
for the ordinary people of Ireland little has changed. In the short term unionist opposiuon to lne Agreement may well be defeated so that the way will then be cleared for a final assault on Britain's real enemy, the political and military frightened by shoot-to-kill policies or This movement will that the war will go on, and this moveout and meant that the RUC were in ling lie law Mr Hume also steadfastly refuses to tell the Irish people exactly where he and his party stand on the whole issue of extradition. At the funeral of Eddie asked to sign a petition attacking the proposed extradition of Bik McFarlane refused to do so. And while the SDLP allegedly condemn the use of perjurors or informers in the show trials his party encourages ordinary people to turn inAmerica's blatant acts of international aggression. While Reagan, aided and • hatcher. engaged in the mass slaughter of Libyan children; the 26 county coalition was one of the few states that did not criticise this adventurism Interestingly, Ireland has been dragged into the global paranoia of America and Britain. In exchange for Thatcher's F1-11 support for Reagan, the US administration is now seeking to link extradition of Irish Republicans to prolonging the war in Ireland. Without the quislings, the collaborators, we would already have achieved freedom. In the words of Padraig Pearse: 'After all there are in Ireland two parties; those who stand for the English connection and those who stand against it.
The underlying the London-Dublin Agreement the destruction of the Republican movement, and neither the British government nor the 26 county coalition really