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27 October 2005 Edition

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Green Paper: Campaign steps up - Irish unity motion will test rhetoric

BY Mícheál MacDonncha

ow emerging. We understand that this may take some time. But we are determined that it will not take too much time," he stated. The first test of this rhetoric will be the Fianna Fáil/PD Government's response to the Sinn Féin motion next week. The continuing test will be how they deal with the British Government and with unionists.

One thing is sure. Fianna Fáil cannot reconcile the approach trumpeted at the Ard Fheis with a resumption of their heightened vilification of Sinn Féin which we have seen for the past 18 months. If they do continue with this republicans will surely exploit the contradictions.

The more nationalist tone of the Ard Fheis is also reflected in Fianna Fáil's internal newspaper The Nation. (By the way this is only the second issue; the last one was in the spring. Sinn Féin manages to bring out a weekly paper, An Phoblacht, and has done for 35 years despite all attempts to suppress it.)

#225;in pointed out, The Nation article was actually referring to a piece of technical legislation then being debated in the Dáil which repeals redundant pre-1922 laws. "I hope Deputies will remember that while scrapping redundant pre-1922 legislation in this State is welcome, as I noted earlier, part of our country is still within the jurisdiction of the same foreign monarchy referred to in the Fianna Fáil newspaper," concluded Ó Caoláin.

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