Re: Loyalism and the GFA

Date: 17th May '02

Name: john buckman

Country: ireland

dan- Firstly no-one is talking about a Road to Damascus style conversion just hard work over a long number of years, work along class lines first and foremost. No I do not consider Donaldson a Terre Blanche figure ,rather jostling for position of captain on the sinking ship, the likes of Jonny Adair fit the bill all too readily though and are moving rapidly in that direction, independent Ulster etc etc. The voting blocks by the way are unionist and nationalist rather than religious. This is not sectarianism this is politics and whoever you are you are primarily defined in that way in the 6 counties at present.
Now to deal with your broadest and most interesting point, the idea often put about in the past by the left that the republican base can be bought off with a few reforms undermining their nationalism which is fueled primarily by social injustice. This argument usually goes something like there is one solution revolution, existing national liberation movements are essentially bourgoise and therefore easily bought off by a paternalistic approach, a few reforms etc etc. It is usually peddled by people who this week in the 26 counties are standing under slogans such as axe the bin tax, vote for an airport worker to stop privatisation, people before profit etc all easily achievable ie their voters easy to buy off. Even if you accept your mechanical association between poverty and rebellion do you not see National liberation, equality, justice etc as harder to buy off?

A few questions you could perhaps answer.
Who do you support in the six counties?
Do you see no shifting of attitudes towards the concept of a united Ireland over the last 10 years? Why do you see the peace process as a british attempt to stabilise the six counties. I see it as being initiated and driven by republicans, with substantial difficulty but with a firm purpose, a real attempt to see if our aims can be achieved without any more of our people being killed.

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