Oscar Wilde — 'The truth is rarely pure and never simple.'
From experience, I would agree with the above quote. However in my quest for personal freedom, which is conditional on sharing it with others as best I can, I also try to keep it simple.I am also learning the price of freedom, is first taking personal responsibility, being the flawed human I am, I can only try my best, which often falls far short of the ideal. Unless I share my own experience first, I am probably writing nonsense, with regard to events in British Occupied Ireland. That is why I am forced once again, to state that, I volunteered three times for active service, with the Provisional IRA, to demonstrate that I was prepared to walk my talk. I would be a rather foolish man, to be stating these matters here, if they were not grounded in fact.
When the peaceful demonstrators of the Civil Rights campaign, based on Martin Luther King principles, were shot in massacres, off their own streets in British Occupied Ireland, Britain by any standards, was at war with the Irish people officially, and guilty of war crimes. That was more than 43 years ago and to a lesser or greater extent, that war still continues in Ireland, be it high or low intensity. The proof of this, is the recent kneecapping and elbow-capping, a few days ago in Belfast and the many political prisoners still incarcerated. Because this matter is not reported in a transparent manner, by the British controlled media, few people have any idea, what this was about. All the general population can do in such circumstance, is to live in fear, keep their heads down, keep their mouth shut, say nothing and pray to their respective Catholic and Protestant Gods, that the knock does not come to their door.
People were told for many years by British Sinn Fein, that this was all a consequence of a war situation with Britain, the goal being liberation.This is by any standards of fair-mindedness, unacceptable, forty-three years later, with the prospect of another forty-three more years, this still remains the situation. That is the principal reason, it is called the Bad Friday Agreement, by a significant part of the population. The chief enforcer of that agreement on the ground, has been Gerry Kelly of British Sinn Fein, who has called on Irish people, to become informers, to British occupation forces in Ireland, with regard to any activity, by those who claim to have inherited the traditional Irish Republican resistance, to British rule in Ireland. I am aware from personal experience, that there are people of considerable integrity, among the resistance leadership. However there are also people, as no doubt was the case with the provisionals, many of whom are exploiting the war, on all sides, for self-serving reasons and profit.
Going back to personal experience again, I spent considerable time, as an unpaid volunteer, behind a desk in the first Provisional Sinn Fein centre in Newry, as a voluntary servant, to people, who came with the various problems, that every person has to deal with, living in British Occupied Ireland. From problems like leaking roofs, anti-social behaviour, British repression, people bringing bullets, received in the post, people dragged away to interrogation centres, like Gough and Castlereagh, political prisoner, related issues, interrogation centre issues. In fact I once had to stand alone, facing an insurrection crowd, who wanted Martin McGuinness's blood. I have often regretted my stand since, but that was my responsibility and I acted in good faith. Between this and other activity, I spent up to eighty hours a week, constantly alert and on my toes, with the only relief, being a couple of pints at the end of the night, listening to Irish music.
When Adams and McGuinness started to take control of Provisional Sinn Fein, with elections and money, a new calibre of volunteers started to appear, and as time went by, I started to become disillusioned, with the general direction of the organization. I began to suspect, that many of those now around me, were compromised to the British. Documents appeared in the office, which suggested collaboration with the British. However giving the benefit of the doubt, as we normally would do, to comrades and friends, I thought the British, probably planted them. However when one of our comrades was taken to Castlereagh for interrogation, and in my capacity at the Centre in Newry, I phoned Castlereagh, a few times every day, inquiring about his welfare, eventually on the last day, the voice of the comrade in question, came screaming down the other end the phone in reply from Castlereagh. Now of course, this could be another ploy by the interrogators, so I still gave him the benefit of the doubt, but it did pose some serious questions for me personally.
I was in a catch 22 situation but I travelled up to Belfast and went to Provisional Sinn Fein's headquarters on the Falls Road, with my concerns but approached them in a tentative way, because it was a leadership issue. I was eventually met by a person, whom I had good grounds to believe, was Chief of Staff. After some general discussion about matters on the ground in Newry, my intuition felt, that it was not safe, to voice my leadership concerns about IRA matters. I came to the conclusion, that a considerable part of the IRA leadership, was compromised to the British. My consumption of alcohol increased thereafter and I found myself one evening leading up to Christmas, without a pot to piss in, a wife and a family, whom I had neglected, because of political commitments and some serious doubts, about the leadership. I approached the senior Republican in Newry in question and challenged him about leadership, which resulted in an argument, in which I became quite drunk. I went down the street and held up a business, walked home to my wife and children, with my pockets full of money, to buy toys for my children and drink for myself, for the Christmas.This is not Irish republican activity and causes great harm, in bringing it's cause into disrepute.
Anyway, the RUC came in the early hours of the morning, as they previously had done, many times before, for strictly political activity, while I was asleep in the chair with my pockets full of money. In the early hours of the morning, still suffering from the DT's, I agreed to become an informer, if they arranged my release. I did not divulge any information, that caused anyone, time in prison or their death. I did rectify a proposed operation on my release, before any harm was done. After a couple of weeks I was released on bail and as soon as I saw people from Newry on the street, I realized I could not become an informer and look them in the eye.
I went across to headquarters elsewhere, to explain everything, fully expecting to take a bullet in the head, for my behaviour, elsewhere, but failed to make contact. I was then forced to go and face the person in question, locally in Newry, whom I had argued with, while definitely expecting a bullet, to explain the details and was thoroughly debriefed. At the end of the interview, I asked what was the best course of action to take. I was ADVISED, not ORDERED, to cross the border. I sought further advice from a very ethical priest on the matter and lived in the south of Ireland.
After I moved, with the shame and the guilt I felt, my drinking increased rapidly, to the point of alcoholism, where I was eventually forced to get help, with the 12 fucked steps. I wish to re-iterate here, to be fair to myself, that at no time, have I ever been, what is known as a Tout or an informer for the British. Many decent volunteers have broken in interrogation, we are not all made of the same stuff but at no time, have I engaged in this activity and until the the British Occupation of my country is resolved, could I in a sober state, engage in such activity. Drinking to excess and Irish Republican politics, do not mix in Occupied Ireland.
The truth, forgiveness and reconciliation, have set me free personally. I believe the same patient process, can do the same for my country, but it requires and honest broker, and an international, transparent, platform with clout. Twenty years after the the Bad Friday Agreement, there has not been the promised Truth & Reconciliation, that the process requires. I know from experience, that there never will be one, within the islands, because there are too may vested interests, in high places, that will never allow the truth to see the light of day. Like the Palestinian Authority, I believe that the International Criminal Court in the Hague, is the only place, to adjudicate all war crimes, including genocide, committed in Ireland by Britain, to resolve the issues, in a civilized way. That part of the process, called reconciliation, requires restitution be made, in the same manner, as was made to the Jewish people for their Holocaust.
The Continuity IRA political prisoners, probably the most hardline and oldest of Irish Republican resistance, in a recent communique, with regard to seven men, from the Newry area recently arrested, stated:
“These individuals do not belong to the Continuity Irish Republican Army.Their only goal is an MI5-led incursion, with the sole aim of destroying the Republican movement. Their criminal exploits are well known in our communities so it would be very hypocritical and unethical on a point of principle to allow this masquerade to continue within this jail.We will take every action necessary, to protect our status and our movement from these criminals. We wish to make it clear these men are not republicans."
CIRA are the oldest army, of the anti-bad Friday agreement, following a split within provisional sinn féin in 1986, a year after my departure, which formed Republican Sinn Féin. I do not belong to any political organization, because I believe, that currently, the war is doing more harm than good for the Irish Cause. Incidents such as the kneecapping and elbow capping of suspected criminals, such as the individual punished in Belfast a few days ago, with media manipulation, serve only the interests of the British and their proteges British Sinn Fein in calling for iIrish informers to the British. It serves only the interests of Fear & Censorship of the Cause of Ireland, ajust Cause in a transparent, civilized, International Court. The Cause of Ireland is the Cause of Freedom and the Cause of Freedom is the Cause of Ireland.
I am calling on CIRA leadership and those of integrity within other groups, including those who have been misled in Provisional Sinn Fein, to organize in Republican unity at a Congress, to consider this and other matters, to replace armed struggle, with a co- ordinated, methodical, persistent manner, to mobilize the support of the Irish people, behind this course of action, and ensure that it is led by people, with a proven track record of persistent resistance, to British crimes in Ireland. Ordinary Irish people have suffered enough from the law of the gun, fear and censorship. Genuine Irish Republicans have nothing to fear about the truth of war crimes being revealed at the International Criminal Court. I have tried despite censorship to campaign for this. It obviously requires the energy, commitment and organization demonstrated from the resistance of the last forty-five years in the present troubles.
The a party that organizes this, will have my commitment and support. All Irish political prisoners, who commit themselves to this course of action and its peaceful enforcement, need to be paroled in the interests of the common good of Ireland. The Price of Freedom is Responsibility, the State of British Occupied Ireland is not fit because of fear, for human habitation, in my humble opinion. Fortunately for me, it is easier write all of this, while outside Ireland, because Kitsonian counter gangs work on the basis, that dead men don't talk. I am one of the fortunate ones, who flew over the cuckoo's nest, I would be dead years ago, if I had stayed there. I plead with fair-minded people, to have mercy on the poor people who still live there. We are as Sick as our Secrets, a society of Fear & Censorship ensures secrecy. Who is afraid of the Truth? the British are, because like Israel, they want to disband it. I would ask that 32CSM have a look at the Al Jazeera opinion below, on time wasted at the UN.
brionOcleirigh, Ex-political sinner & recovering alcoholic.
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Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!
Israel urging ICC member states to cease funding the court after launch of preliminary inquiry into possible war crimes.
Dalia Hatuqa | 20 Jan 2015
Absence of peace talks and increasing pressure from the Palestinian public paved the way for joining the ICC
Palestinians are facing a slew of retaliatory measures after signing the Rome Statute, paving the way to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), The Hague-based legal body that prosecutes perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
After Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas signed the guiding treaty of the ICC on December 31, 2014, Israel announced a freeze on the tax revenue it collects on the Palestinians' behalf, affecting the salaries of some 160,000 PA civil servants.
Israel also said it would lobby ICC member-states to defund the court after prosecutors launched a preliminary inquiry into possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories. "We will demand that our friends in Canada, Australia and Germany simply to stop funding it," Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Israel Radio.
"This body represents no one. It is a political body," he said. "There are a quite a few countries that also think there is no justification for this body's existence." Neither Israel nor the US are ICC members.
RELATED: Palestine's ICC bid could mark turning point
The inquiry by the court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, is the first step that could potentially lead to charges being filed against Israelis. "The office will conduct its analysis in full independence and impartiality," she said in an announcement on the ICC's website.
Palestine's court membership comes into effect on April 1, 2015, but the ICC's jurisdiction is recognised from June 13, 2014, a period that covers Israel's summer military offensive on Gaza - Operation Protective Edge - which resulted in the death of more than 2,000 Palestinians and 70 Israelis.
Diplomacy cannot be a tool used in isolation. It must be part of a strategy that takes other tools into consideration, like boycotting Israel economically and non-violent resistance.
- Hani al-Masri, political analyst
Legal experts said the choice of jurisdiction served two purposes: Going back too far in time would call into question accountability for suicide bombings, and Palestine's non-member status at the UN, which was upgraded from "observer entity" to an "observer state" in 2012. In 2009, Palestinians asked the court to investigate Israeli crimes during that year's three-week war in Gaza, but were rejected because of their status at the UN.
"Going to the ICC should have taken place a long time ago," said Shawan Jabarin, who heads al-Haq, the West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva. "But now that it has, we can say that it's a good thing, especially because it can look into settlements as a war crime, and the crimes perpetrated in Gaza."
The absence of peace talks and increasing pressure from the Palestinian public and parties paved the way for joining the ICC after months of threats to do so, politicians said. Khalida Jarrar, who heads the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) - a left-wing faction constantly in conflict with the president - said her party and several others have been pushing Abbas to take this step after years of him threatening to do so.
"We have been exerting pressure on Abbas for a long time to go to the ICC," Jarrar said. "So we welcome this move, but unfortunately until now, we have had no clear strategy, just knee-jerk reactions. We must stop betting on negotiations, on the Americans, and we should take our case to the UN alone."
Abbas has come under renewed pressure as of late, and likely feels cornered by a slew of opposing forces. Washington has called the ICC move "counterproductive" towards a peace settlement, and warned that US aid to the PA could be impacted.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would fight the ICC prosecutor's decision to launch an initial inquiry into war crimes, which he dubbed "the height of hypocrisy and the opposite of justice". According to a Haaretz report, Netanyahu also decided to launch a "media campaign" to discredit the ICC and Chief Prosecutor Bensouda.
OPINION: Palestine's wasted time at the UN
Aides to the Palestinian president said the ICC move comes at a time when the Israeli occupation has become entrenched in every facet of Palestinian life.
Netanyahu has never negotiated in good faith and Israel has not missed an opportunity to undermine Abbas' governance and break previous agreements, revealing the lopsided dynamic between the two parties, they contend.
"Pressure was constantly being applied on the president not to head to the UN and not to apply for membership in international bodies, but he did those anyway," said Ahmad Assaf, a spokesman for Fatah, the West Bank's ruling party which Abbas heads. "He has succeeded in placing the Palestinian cause in the international arena limelight."
But critics believe that internationalising the Palestinian cause and relying on diplomacy may not be enough. There are already signs that the Palestinians may withdraw their ICC appeal if Israel were to freeze settlement construction,according to a Times of Israel report.
"The Palestinian leadership's signature move has become issuing a series of empty threats," said Hani al-Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst. "There won't be an end to security coordination for example. Diplomacy cannot be a tool used in isolation. It must be part of a strategy that takes other tools into consideration, like boycotting Israel economically and non-violent resistance."
Source: Al Jazeera
