Artist takes issue with review

A chairde,
I would like to bring to your attention a review Sean O' Tuama did for An Phoblacht of my Art Exhibition in last week's FŽile an Phobail. It was obviously clear that this man did not understand the theme portrayed in my work, which was to reflect the hurt, pain and injustices suffered by the nationalist/republican community, emphasizing that these events and others should not be forgotten.

To be an Art critic I think it is necessary to have some understanding of the message the artist is conveying. His remarks were something I would have expected from a British tabloid. If he had any queries about my work, all he had to do was ask.

Besides the verbal attack and claim that my paintings were inaccurate, something that I refute, O' Tuama had the audacity to suggest that I was trying to trivialise the conflict, something I would never do! I am somebody who has supported the Irish struggle all his life and then to be castigated in this way is totally out of order and offends me deeply!

s John Kennedy (Illustrator)

SF & multinationals

A chairde,

Despite Mary Connolly's letter in response to my original letter calling for Sinn Féin to desist from promoting multinationals from setting up in Ireland I would like to further explain my position.

Some may say I'm not being realistic in my call for Sinn Féin to oppose multinationals setting up in Ireland. But much of what is revolutionary sounds unrealistic until it's achieved, that's why it is revolutionary. This is not a time to limit our vision or to set boundaries to our future. When the Democratic Programme of Céad Dáil Eireann called for ``the Republic to adopt all measures necessary for the recreation and invigoration of our Industries, and to ensure their being developed on the most beneficial and progressive co-operative and industrial lines'' it did not envisage allowing the total repatriation of wealth by multinationals, as is the case at present. In fact it stated ``that the Nation's sovereignty extends... to all its material possessions, the Nation's soil and all its resources, all the wealth and all the wealth-producing processes within the Nation''. Sinn Féin's Constitution as well as endorsing the Democratic Programme calls for ``a just distribution and effective control of the nation's wealth and resources''. Multinationals would be a negation of that goal.

The primary aim of multinational corporations is profit and they obey no moral or ethical rulebook as they ruthlessly pursue that end, as many communities around the world can bear testimony too.

I will admit that they are, and will be, a factor of Irish economic life, but it is not and should not be our role to promote their greed in Ireland, or to encourage our economy to be further dependent on their false promises.

We can demand a change in the conditions under which they operate in Ireland, but don't expect a leopard to change its spots. Overnight multinationals can create a wasteland of Ireland, pollution wise and employment wise. Multinationals are only in Ireland to further their goals. They are not philanthropic organisations.

Aengus O Snodaigh
Dublin

Change society not drug laws

A chairde,

Michael Pierse's piece (6 August) discussing cannabis legalisation used dubious arguments, lacked a philosophy, and failed to distinguish between problems under capitalist society and the completely different perspectives under a planned economic society.

Any law reform under capitalism cannot solve that system's growing contradictions which get reflected in deteriorating relationships of all kinds throughout society - more divorce, more crime, more violence, more cynicism, more escapism, etc - with drugs and alcohol increasingly prominent in all of this. Stopping cannabis being an `illegal' kick by legalising it will not halt the trend towards nihilism in the slightest.

Supporting bourgeois reform agitation (Independent On Sunday) on anything is bound to be at the expense of agitating to overthrow the capitalist system itself.

To agitate for greater personal self-indulgence in any recreational activity when so much else is going wrong with society would seem to be a particularly wasteful diversion.

Do people addicted to cannabis make better socialists? Are they clearer thinking? More organised and reliable? More financially secure?

Doesn't capitalism in general peddle drugs and booze so as to keep the masses subdued, befuddled, dependent, and broke? Imperialism has gone from the opium wars and gin palaces to the CIA pushing crack-cocaine.

Criminal violence flourishes parasitically over every aspect of capitalist society no matter how `laws' change - drugs, prostitution, gambling, sport, money-lending, etc.

The closer capitalist society degenerates towards breakdown, the more `criminal' disorder takes over.

Any anti-working-class bias in police drug-busting tactics is not an argument for legalisation of cannabis but for rejecting capitalist-state law on everything and replacing it with a socialist state.

Philosophically, why not just keep concentrating on trying to turn people on to all the potential richness of life infinitely more rewarding than a shallow drugs kick?

Royston Bull
(editor EPSR)
Cheshire

Don't legalise cannabis

A chairde,

Your correspondent Michael Pierse (An Phoblacht 6 August) is correct in saying that anti-drugs activists in Dublin are against the idea of legalising cannabis. This is in fact the policy of COCAD. It is not however based on a ``knee jerk'' refusal to confront ``accepted ideas'' but on the lack of any convincing argument that legalisation would be of benifit to our communities. Pierse's article presents nothing new in this regard.

In essence Michael Pierse fails to grasp that what many communities in Dublin are confronted with is a culture of drug abuse that has taken root over a twenty year period. This culture is based on concepts of ``turning on'', ``getting a buzz'', ``getting out of one's head'', etc, and it is a culture in which poly-drug use is the norm. It is impossible to understand how singling out one drug intimately associated with this culture, even if less harmful than others, and trying to make it ``socially acceptable'' will assist in undermining the culture and channelling young people in positive directions.

Pierse's argument that the proceeds from the sale of cannabis would provide necessary revenue to the government to fight the scourge of heroin is, at best, incredibly naive. The exchequer is awash with cash at the moment and yet we have seen no concerted effort to tackle the socio-economic problems of communities which have borne the brunt of the heroin epidemic. What, obviously, needs to be addressed is the growing gap between the rich and poor in Ireland but making the use of cannabis by young people ``socially acceptable'' has no role to play in this.

Pierse is correct in saying that the Gardai have been ineffectual in tackling the supply of heroin and have clouded this with statistics relating to the seizure of cannabis. Not only cannabis, I might add, but also ecstasy, speed, etc. The slick PR of the Gardai is, of course, of concern to all anti-drug activists but it is not, surely, an argument for the legalisation of whatever drugs they are seizing.

In conclusion, I would point out to Michael Pierse that anti-drug activists will never be impressed with appeals to liberalise drug laws while the one country in Europe which has gone down that road has become a haven for just about every major drug dealing scumbag we have managed to drive out of Ireland.

Experience would seem to suggest that a liberal attitude to ``soft drugs'' reflects, at the end of the day, a liberal attitude to drugs in general.

Andre Lyder (Secretary)
COCAD.
Cork Street
Dublin 8

Children: a republican perspective

A chairde,

As republicans it is imperative that we all live up to our responsibilities to children in today's society. Children are undoubtedly the most vunerable members of society. It is encouraging to see that Sinn Fein's Women's Forum has recognised and is attempting to address these responsibilities. They are presently attempting to secure funding for counselling support for prisoners' children and spouses, amongst other projects.

It is important that we recognise the impact that living in a police state (which the Six Counties undoubtedly is) has on children, especially when this causes them to seperate from any member of their family unit, or results in them having to leave their normal place of residence. This can be a source of great upheaval in a child's life. Children in these circumstances need all our support and assistance. It is important that we should focus on their needs.

As society changes and develops, children are exposed to danger from different sources. Technological advancement is a beneficial aspect of modern society but it can be a concern when this technology is used to convey society's unwholesome elements. An example of this is the widespread availability of pornographic material on the internet. The accessibility of this technology even to children is another cause for worry.

There has been a marked increase in the incidents of sexual assault commited on children in this country in recent years. Sinn Fein should be congratulated on passing a motion at this year's Ard Fheis calling for a national paedophile register to be available to relevent authorities. It would be a very positive development if current governments implemented this policy at a national and international level.

All things considered, Sinn Fein in its wider role in the community is playing an active part in looking after the needs of society's most important members - its children.

Colette Nic Aoidh
Galway

Independent sensationalism

A chairde,

We, members of the Association of Nigerian Asylum Seekers in Ireland (ANASI), wish to express our concern and dismay at the article titled ``Asylum seekers fake torture - Nigerian plot to falsify torture and rape evidence for asylum'', which appeared in the front page headline of the Independent newspaper of last Sunday. This type of sensational journalism promotes ignorance, racism and xenophobia within Irish society against non-nationals like us.

ANASI strongly view the generalisation of a particular negative incident to ``a sizeable proportion of Nigerian asylum seekers'' as most pathetic, very unfortunate, grossly unfair, very discriminatory and entirely in bad taste. We believe it is morally wrong and professionally unethical for the Gardai and Department of Justice officials to be using information gathered during interviews of asylum sekers in this manner knowing full well such action can heighten the present negative attitudes of the populace towards Nigerian asylum seekers, and cloud objective decision making on subsequent applications. We demand to be treated as individuals rather than resorting to generalisation.

The Association therefore questions the rationale at this point behind the release of a comparative data of Nigerian and Romanian asylum seekers to the press when in recent past, reputable NGOs have repeatedly requested statistical data on asylum seekers' applications pending with the Department of Justice on a country-by-country basis without success.

ANASI
10 Upper Camden Street
Dublin 2