Re: The Legacy Of 1981

Date: 4th May '01

Name: Red Pol

Country: Belfast

Danny Morrison undoubtedly has very vivid memories of the hungerstrike and his role in the campaign though it must be stated that he consistently writes the experiences of the republican movement conveniently forgetting thatthere was another liberation army involved, the INLA. What he does not state is that three of the hungerstrikers did not come under the control of the IRA inside or outside the prison. At no time did the IRA have the right inside or outside of Long Kesh negotiate on behalf of the republican socialist POW's
Danny states that the leadership of the republican movement was contacted by the british in an aim to resolve the hungerstrike, did the republican movement pass on these contacts with the british to the IRSP or INLA who after all were participating in the protest in their own right, did they pass on these contacts to the relatives of the men? the answer is no! yes, danny's memories are accurate from a Sinn fein perspective and are certainly one legacy from the hungerstrike. Another legacy it seems is that the leadership of the Republican movement were secretly negotiating with the british from the early 1970's whilst british troops were slaughtering members of the irish working class on the streets of the occupied 6 counties. The Good Friday Agreement and the peace process may be a legacy of the hungerstrike period but it is a legacy that does not have its roots on the inside of Long Kesh rather on the duplicitous and secret meetings between the leadership of the republican movement and the British overlords.

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