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Martin McGuinness Speaks at London Meeting Condemning Denial of Democracy in Ireland

STOP THE WAR COALITION
IPSWICH STOP THE WAR

Martin McGuinness MP, Sinn Fein chief negotiator, was the main speaker at a public meeting held at the University of London SOAS campus on July 7 to condemn Tony Blair’s decision to cancel elections in the north of Ireland.  The meeting was entitled Democracy Denied in Ireland – Voting: A Right Not a Privilege

            He began by paying tribute to the 30-year struggle for truth and justice of the families of the Bloody Sunday victims, many of whom were attending the current sessions of the Tribunal in London and were present in the audience.   He said that in those 30 years things had changed.  Never again would his community accept the role of second-class citizens.   The continuing physical attacks on the community, the attempts to bring down the peace process and rescind the Good Friday Agreement, all were driven by fear of the strength of the Republican case, of inability to handle its just demands.

            He said that the present situation in the north of Ireland presented a huge challenge first and foremost to the British government.   We have delivered on our responsibilities, he said.  The British government must now accept its responsibility to face up to Unionist rejectionism.  The big difficulty was that the Good Friday Agreement was not fully implemented, even though the vast majority throughout all of Ireland had endorsed it.   It had become clear that the sticking point was not IRA decommissioning, as some had claimed, but opposition to the Good Friday Agreement itself, to the fact that it heralded change and could bring a new future.  Tony Blair, he said, deserved credit for passing the Good Friday Agreement.   But it was a serious mistake to have cancelled the Assembly Elections.  Britain has no right to “fix” the democratic process, he said.   The British and Irish governments must defend the democratic process.  If the election delivered a majority against the agreement, then that would have to be dealt with.  Pressure must be put on politicians here that once the people decide, it is the responsibility of the British and Irish governments to continue.

            As far as Sinn Fein was concerned, he said, it was going from strength to strength.  Some said the DUP and Sinn Fein would emerge as the largest blocs.  He would prefer, he said, that the DUP were defeated.  But that would only happen if the Unionist community got a decisive pro-Agreement lead from David Trimble as well as the British government.  Sinn Fein for its part would work with whatever politicians were returned.  But the DUP must be given a clear message that there would be no renegotiation of the Agreement.  He said the future was bright and that Sinn Fein would continue its work.   He said that the peace process was the only way forward and Sinn Fein would work with all who wanted the Good Friday Agreement to succeed.  He compared the peace processes in South Africa, the Middle East and Ireland.   He said what all had in common was the need to reach a peaceful settlement by negotiation.   Why wait for thousands more to die?  He said he was sure that in Ireland a 32-county Republic would be achieved.  It would be inclusive and in the interests of all who had made their home in Ireland.

            There then followed a very broad and informative question and answer session.  In his replies, among other things, Martin McGuinness condemned as disgraceful the recent attacks on the mosque in Craigavon.  The local community must stand up to the thugs, he said.  Such racism must be nipped in the bud.   On the question of Unionists and a United Ireland, he said that many Unionists recognised that change was necessary, the status quo was unacceptable.  They had voted for the Good Friday Agreement as a new way forward.  We should be big enough, he said, to be content to live with those who believed in the Union and believed themselves British.  We must convince them that a regime would never be visited upon them of the type under which our parents suffered.   On Tony Blair, he said that his words of praise concerned the passing of the Good Friday Agreement and did not imply support for his other programmes.  He condemned the holding of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay by the US and said Sinn Fein had made clear its views on the invasion of Iraq to both George W Bush and Tony Blair.  On his work as Minister of Education in the Northern Ireland Executive, Martin McGuinness spoke of the achievements in improving schools, especially special needs schools and progress towards scrapping the 11+ exam.   On work in the Irish Republic, he spoke of Sinn Fein’s growing influence, of the importance of defending Ireland’s neutrality regarding EU military forces, and of the importance of good relations and of equality in relations between Ireland and Britain.   He said the old days were gone.   The issues were complex and demanded humility from all sides, including the British.   But the Irish were masters of their own destiny and would decide the future of their island!

17 Britannia Street WC1X 9JP

  Phone 0207 053 2153/4/5/6

www.stopwar.org.uk e -mail office@stopwar.org.uk

 

Peoples Assembly – Saturday 30^th August 2003

 

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters

As you will probably know, the Coalition has agreed to call a second Peoples Assembly on August 30.

The first Peoples Assembly was held in early March, on a broad and representative basis, to express the real views of the British people against the impending war on Iraq.  It was intended to address the denial of democracy involved in Blair's decision to go to war without the consent of the people.

This second Peoples Assembly is likewise intended to give voice to the views of the majority of people on the key question of the lies told and deceit practised by the government in seeking to justify the war and win support for it.  No weapons of mass destruction - the ostensible reason for the war - have been found in Iraq and the government, it is daily becoming clearer, manipulated and misrepresented information to conceal the absence of any real threat from these probably non-existent WMDs.

The Assembly on August 30 aims to keep the pressure on the government by indicting it for its lies, which in themselves constitute a negation of democracy and proper debate.  It will include presentations by legal and weapons-inspections experts which will help expose the ministerial deceit, and also provide a voice for ordinary people to speak out against what was done "in our name" and how to prevent it happening again.  The linked issues of preserving peace and developing democracy will be central to the Assembly. 

A successful Assembly will help set the tone for the whole conference season on the war issue.  It can also express the continuing vitality of the anti-war movement and help build support for the national demonstration to be held on September 27.

We would like the Assembly to be as representative as possible, and that local groups should convene meetings over the next two months to choose representatives who can speak for the millions who marched in February against war, and the many more outraged at the revelations since.  If that is not possible, please choose delegates by any other means that seem appropriate.   We would ask that you send in delegates names to the Stop The War Office either over the phone or via the e-mail.

Further details as to the agenda will be sent out soon.  Delegates will be charged £5 each; this is to cover the cost of the room.

 

The Assembly will be held at Friends Meeting House, London WC1 (nearest tube Euston) and will begin at 1030 hours and end at 1700 hours

 

For further details please do not hesitate to contact the office on the above number.

For the Steering Committee

Andrew Murray, chair
Lindsey German, convenor

 PRESS RELEASE

 

7TH JULY 2003

 

 

ANTI-WAR CONFERENCE BOMBARDS THE AIR WAVES

 

Historic anti-war coalition holds its first post-war conference

 

 

On Friday July 11th at 8.30am Vivienne Quay will be presenting a report on Ipswich Community Radio on the recent national conference held by the Stop The War Coalition.

 

 

The National Stop The War Coalition held it's first activists’ conference in London since war was declared on Iraq.  This meeting took place on June 21st in Hammersmith Town Hall and was attended by over 600 delegates.  Vivienne Quay an Ipswich anti-war activist attended this event and has compiled a report including speeches from George Galloway MP and Jeremy Corbyn MP and interviews with leading campaigners.

 

 

 

This Ipswich Community Radio programme "Voices of Resistance" can be heard on Friday July 11th at 8.30 till 10am on ICR 105.1FM and is also being webcast at this time at:

WWW.ICRFM.CO.UK

 

The Programme will also be permanently accessible from the WWW.ICRFM.CO.UK archive

 

 

Graham Plumbley, Chairman ICR:     "We choose to broadcast this report because it's a really important event that should be brought to people's attention.  We're pleased to see that Community Radio is being used in such diverse ways.  We're here to provide a platform so that people can conceive, present and create their own programmes.  This is an exclusive for ICR on a nationally significant news story that the main broadcasters choose not to cover."

 

Vivienne Quay, Presenter:    "This conference shows that the millions who opposed the war before it began have not disappeared.  As the US and UK governments are deciding who to bomb next, the fact that there is a solid network of activists around the country that condemn their policies, means we are in a strong position to ensure that no such action takes place."