Over the last 20 years, Ardoyne like many other Republican communities across the Six Counties have changed utterly from the areas' that they once were. In many ways, most of it has been in a focused and positive way and in a forward-looking manner. However, when one looks at some changes they have made people like myself curious and sad.
The end of armed attacks by the British Army, RUC, Loyalists and Republicans in and around Ardoyne were welcome to local people as since 1969, some 99 residents lost their lives as a result of the Conflict. Therefore, the cessations brought much relief and a respite for the whole area. Likewise, the ending of overt and aggressive British Army patrols around our streets were equally welcoming.
Between 1994 and 1996, most Ardoyne Republicans and their families were content to allow Sinn Fein to represent their views and hoped those opinions and hopes would be raised with the British Government during detailed negotiations. These hopes were dashed when the British political and military establishment hesitated and refused to believe how genuine Republicans were about the future....The Unionist/Loyalist Community were equally as untrustworthy when they continued to demand more rights than us and also said decomissioning of weapons, these demands caused the breakdown of the Provisional IRA Ceasefire and the trouble surrounding Drumcree in the Summer of 1996.
In spite of serious concerns within the Republican Family, the Provisional Leadership took the trust members had in them and abused it, when they dismissed a number of senior Republicans and began criminalising them throughout the Country. The Real IRA was formed and decided to continue with the Armed Struggle. Regardless of the huge amount of changes taking place both inside and outside the Movement, the Leadership continued recruiting madly in the hope that these new members could be manipulated around to their way of thinking, while stating openly that the 'War' was far from finished....
2001 took secatarianism to new heights in Ardoyne with the Holy Cross School Blockade, when Schoolgirls were physically prevented from attending their local School by Unionist and Loyalist bigots in an attempt to have the Provisional IRA Unit in Ardoyne break its Ceasefire. The three-month blockade was in addition to increased gun and bomb attacks on vunerable Nationalist areas across North Belfast. Luckily, due to the disipline and steadfastness of local Volunteers they did not retaliate and remained committed to the Peace Process.
Four years later, the same Volunteers were 'rewarded' with a stand-down and dump arms order from the Leadership in favour of a political settlement that was far off from what they expected and what they had served long prison sentences and many of their comrades had died for.... They were 'promised' a new future with plently of jobs, increased Government spending for their community and a United Ireland by 2016. None of which has been forthcoming.
Instead, we still have the British Governement in full control of six Irish Counties, over 6,000 armed British Troops stationed on Irish soil, a British political Police Force, MI5 operational in Ireland, Political Prisoners, Diplock Courts, Poverty, Partition, two seperate States in Ireland and the crumbs of the Westminster table to help our economy.
The Provisional Movement is NOT what it used to be, it compromised on almost every single core Republican principle to be given a couple of seats in Stormont, they now endorse the British system in the North of Ireland and have 'stolen' the political clothes of the SDLP. They condemn, criticise and actively work against their former comrades and accusse them of being 'backwoodsmen' amongst other things...They believe they are travelling the correct political road to a United Ireland, but the objective was always a 32 County Socialist Republic. They may well secure and garner tens of thousands of votes but what are votes when you leave working-class communities like Ardoyne behind?
As Nelson Mandela once said; 'There is no such thing as part freedom'!
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