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8 November 2001 Edition

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By Ballot and Bullet

THE MORE positive republican approach to elections, which evolved during the H-Block Hunger Strike, has been clarified by decisions taken at last weekend's Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in Dublin.

The clear position of Sinn Féin now is that it will in future contest local government seats in the North as it has always done in the South, and take whatever seats are won.

The party's Ard Chomhairle has been given authority to decide on involvement in Leinster House, Stormont, and Westminster elections - in which seats will not be taken, in accordance with traditional abstentionist policy. And the leadership of the Republican Movement has been asked to stufy the feasibility of involvement in future EEC elections - to which Sinn Féin's abstentionist policy does not apply.

FEARS


Yet there can be no fears, for anyone, who followed the relevant debate last weekend, that an illusion has grown up in the Republican Movement that electoral contests can replace armed struggle.

Republicans do not fool themselves that the ballot box is a new and powerful weapon against the might of imperialism, neo-colonialism, and the physical military occupation of our country.

Even as recent electoral successes took place, the reaction of those who hypocritically plead the cause of the ballot box was exposed. When Bobby Sands was elected in Fermanagh.South Tyrone, the rules were changed so that no prisoner could repeat his success.

DEMOCRACY


When Owen Carron's victory once again raised the voice of the nationalist people in the 'democratic fashion', Margaret Thatcher refused to meet him, and Garret Fitzgerald did likewise. The great protector of 'democracy' - the US - refused him entry.

In the South, the undeniable call for action from the people manifest in the electoral support for nine prisoner candidates - and the election of two of them - was ignored by the Free State government.

These are the lessons on elections which republicans have experienced now, without need of recalling historical precedents such as the 1918 elections and the subsequent suppression of the First Dáil, and without looking abroad to the imperialist undermining of democratic socialist regimes wherever they emerge.

As it was aptly put at the Ard Fheis: "Who here really believes we can win the war through the ballot box? But will anyone object if, with a ballot paper in this hand and an Armalite in this hand, we take power in Ireland?"

An Phoblacht, 5 November 1981


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland