Protest at Shannon as Sinn Féin commit to neutrality

As the Peace and Neutrality Alliance demonstrated at Shannon Airport at the weekend, the Sinn Féin spokesperson on International Affairs Aengus Ó Snodaigh said that Sinn Féin seeks to have neutrality enshrined in the Constitution, and that the party wants an immediate end to the use of Irish airports by US troops en route to Iraq or for illegal 'extraordinary rendition' flights. Ó Snodaigh said, 'All the political parties claim to support neutrality and the UN and to oppose global poverty and injustice. However, only Sinn Féin makes these core guiding principles of our international relations policy.'

In July 2002, the Irish government gave the US permission to use Shannon airport for military flights in its 'long campaign against terrorism'. Since then, hundreds of thousands of US troops have passed through the airport on their way to and from Iraq. RTE reported last year that 330,000 US troops had passed through Shannon in 2005 alone.

But as we run into the election the government's support for the US war is not popular. A survey commissioned by PANA in April this year showed that 58% of the Irish people opposed the use of Shannon Airport to transport US soldiers to and from Iraq, with only 19% in favour.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh further said, 'This State's military neutrality is under increasing pressure. The outgoing Fianna Fáil/PD Government has accelerated this process by violating its own stated policy of neutrality. It allowed Shannon Airport to be used to facilitate the illegal invasion of Iraq and the illegal programme of secret abduction and torture of prisoners. During the course of the last Dáil, Sinn Féin actively sought to enshrine neutrality in the Constitution and codify it in legislation. We will continue to pursue this objective in Government or in Opposition.'

*keep your eyes on irishelection.com for results this Friday

The place to watch the general election results on Friday will be irishelection.com as they plan to compile news, gossip and rumours from those having loads of fun hanging about at the polling stations and then those scrutinising the count as it begins on Friday.

When you know how boring election coverage gets when the results trickle in slowly and the pundits keep repeating themselves, this site will keep you interested!

Cruddas attacks Hodge's capitulation to BNP racism

The Government Minister Margaret Hodge has shown her complete incapability to tackle the growth of the British National Party in her constituency by making a policy statment conceding to their racism and backing an anti-immigrant housing policy.
She stated today that established British families should be given priority over economic migrants for council housing because, as she says, economic migrants have 'made a choice' to move here.

Her argument that 'however much social housing you do create, you will nevertheless have to take decisions to ration what will always be a finite resource,' show her failure to consider prioritising the building of increased council housing under New Labour spending programmes.

One deputy leader candidate, Hazel Blears, has already offered her support to Hodge whose Barking constituency saw the first BNP breakthrough in London at last years council elections when it took 12 seats on Barking and Dagenham Council. Its campaign focused on circulating lies that 'Africans' were being paid to move to Barking and also attacking Muslims. However the other MP in the borough, Dagenham's Jon Cruddas, who is standing for the party's deputy leadership attacked Hodge saying 'We're in danger of racialising arguments over housing allocation rather than concentrating on the need for greater social housing provision'. John McDonnell, who had hoped to challenge Gordon Brown for the party leadership said 'This is a deeply reactionary and dangerous statement to make. The issue is the chancellor's failure to allow affordable housing over the last ten years'.

Hodge's capitulation to the BNP's racism further legitimises them as a political party and will help them in their campaign to win election to the Greater London Assembly next year.

Fianna Fáil banking on poll surge as they refuse coalition with Sinn Féin

BBC Radio 4 World at One programme has interviewed Ireland's Foreign Minister Fianna Fáil TD Dermot Ahern who has reiterated that his party will go into opposition rather than form a coalition with Sinn Féin.

When asked why the DUP could form a coalition with them but FF couldn't, Ahern denounced Sinn Fein as 'Marxist-socialist' and asserted it was a different situation to the north because the republic was a 'voluntary democratic society'. Is he seriously saying voters are coerced in the north?

The BBC reminded Ahern of a poll that showed 46% of the public didn't believe that FF wouldn't do a deal if it was necessary to keep them in power and broadcast the independent Senator Shane Ross who suggested Fianna Fáil's priority of staying in power would override their aversion to a coalition. Fianna Fáil's repeated statement of opposition to a coalition could put them in a difficult situation after the poll, where they may have to choose between saving face and losing power or rapid back-pedalling to rewrite history and make new friends.

The latest opinion polls for the Irish general election have seen Fianna Fáil shore up their support whilst both parties of the opposition block, Fine Gael and Labour have faltered. However, the overall result remains too close to call. In the Sunday Business Post, FF/PD remains on 38% equal to FG/Labour, whilst the Sunday Independent's poll puts the ruling coalition on 40% and the opposition two parties on 37%. Both Sinn Féin and the Greens vote is holding up and increases the likelihood that at least one of them will be involved in negotiations for government if the breakdown of seats is as equal as the polling suggests.

The party no-one is willing to countenance a deal with, at least publicly, achieved the largest rise in the RedC poll for the Sunday Business Post by rising 3 points to 10%. RedC polls have previously placed Sinn Féin at a notably lower rate than IMS polls with the latest results giving encouragement for the party.

Sinn Féin success forces dissidents to change tactics

A number of reports today suggest more paramilitary organisations are set to follow the Provisional IRA and abandon the military struggle.

The Observer reports that a 200-strong conference in Derry saw representatives of the INLA, Continuity IRA and Real IRA come together for peaceful political strategy, when they finally acknowledged the lack of support for acts of terrorism amongst working class republicans.

Sources quoted in the Observer show dissidents concern at the failure of their strategy in comparison to Sinn Fein's successful political strategy which has seen them become the largest nationalist party in the Six Counties and set to win new seats in the Dail on Thursday. However the political wings of the three parties will have to reconcile different strategies - the CIRA's Republican Sinn Fein did stand in the recent Assembly elections, whilst the RIRA's political wing, the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, does not claim to be a party and does not stand in any elections.

Sinn Fein will rightly claim they have led the way and forced dissident groups to accept their strategy.

Meanwhile, the Belfast Telegraph reports that the Ulster Volunteer Force, who recently put its weapons 'beyond reach', has met the International Commission on Decommissioning for a 'frank exchange of positions.' Whilst no decisions were reached, the meeting should be welcomed as another step in the Peace Process.

Bobby Sands last days to be made into a film

The last weeks of the life of Bobby Sands, the first of the republican prisoners to die on the 1981 Long Kesh hunger strike for political status, is to be made into a film by Channel 4 and the artist Steve McQueen.

Bobby Sands died after 66 days on hunger strike and having been elected to Parliament for Fermanagh/South Tyrone after 41 days. He recorded the experience of the hunger strike for the first seventeen days without food in the book Writings from Prison. On the day that he died, 5th May 1981, Margaret Thatcher said 'Sands was a convicted criminal. He chose to take his own life.'

The Independent suggests the film is 'likely to rekindle bitter feelings in Belfast' but we can hope it will also be a vital tool to express to younger people the depravations that republicans accepted to demonstrate their commitment to the struggle for Irish unity, a struggle which has brought us to the success that is the Peace Process.

Channel 4 said the decision to dramatise Sands' death was motivated by an attempt to examine the mind of a man who was prepared to die for a cause rather than to glorify him in any way. 'The film will give an emotional insight into what it is like to die for a cause and is a serious examination of the human cost paid by everyone, when fundamental conflicts cannot be resolved through politics and negotiation.'

Although there are few details currently available, McQueen said he was fascinated by the concept of using the body as a form of 'political warfare' and also said 'It will be a film with international contemporary resonance. The body as site of political warfare is becoming a more familiar phenomenon. It is the final act of desperation; your own body is your last resource for protest', prompting the possibility that he will link Sands's death to those of modern day suicide bombers in Palestine. However, his statement that 'I want to show what it was like to see, feel, hear, smell and touch in the Maze at this time,' provides some hope that it may play some educational role in expressing the discipline and comradeliness of republican prisoners in appalling conditions.

For a well-made video with footage documenting the events of the hunger strike, set to Bik McFarlane's tribute to Bobby Sands 'Song for Marcella', click here.

Say Enough! to Israeli Occupation

The Enough! Coalition is calling for an End to the Occupation and for Justice for the Palestinians. The Enough! Coalition includes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, NUS Black Students Campaign, major trade unions and many more.

It is now 40 years since the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank began, with new fortified settlements still being built and the apartheid wall securing Israeli annexations.

It is time to say Enough! Join the demonstration on 9th June.