18 September 1997 Edition
Back issue: Smash Stormont!
With all hopes of an effective nationalist boycott of the forthcoming Stormont assembly elections smashed by the SDLP's rejection of the boycott call, James Prior is now set to initiate the first stage of his rolling-devolution-to-Stormont programme.
The SDLP is now gearing itself to contest Prior's election and following this to engage in the process outlined by him. In the coming days the Republican Movement will be outlining its electoral strategy and naming its candidates as Sinn Féin prepares to intervene in the election in order to defeat the British government's proposals and to deny to SDLP politicians their claim to act as the sole representatives of the nationalist people.
The Republican position is straightforward.
James Prior and his cohorts have no right to outline proposals for the return of Stormont or any other Six County partitionist regime. They and their British government have no right to be in Ireland at all.
Only when the British government is forced to accept this position will the Irish people, free from outside interference, be able to unite in a 32 County democracy to secure their social, economic, cultural and political destiny.
An Phoblacht, 16 September 1982.
The SDLP is now gearing itself to contest Prior's election and following this to engage in the process outlined by him. In the coming days the Republican Movement will be outlining its electoral strategy and naming its candidates as Sinn Féin prepares to intervene in the election in order to defeat the British government's proposals and to deny to SDLP politicians their claim to act as the sole representatives of the nationalist people.
The Republican position is straightforward.
James Prior and his cohorts have no right to outline proposals for the return of Stormont or any other Six County partitionist regime. They and their British government have no right to be in Ireland at all.
Only when the British government is forced to accept this position will the Irish people, free from outside interference, be able to unite in a 32 County democracy to secure their social, economic, cultural and political destiny.
An Phoblacht, 16 September 1982.