Most people in Ireland follow the political philosophies from their own immediate families. It's time to look at the new leader of Sinn Féin and to her particular political antecedents. The new leader of Sinn Féin's political baptism comes from the mildly republican wing of the the Fianna Fail party. On entering University College Dublin she became a member of that party, eventually moved to a civil rights group supporting the Civil Rights Association in the occupied zone, as that had been the hot political issue of the day.
So let's go back to the beginning of the Fianna Fail party in the lofty suburbs of Rathgar and Rathmines area of Dublin where she lived out her childhood and adolescence. She went to a private school in the area, this was her humble beginnings. The house she was brought up in at today's prices could reach over million of euros.
So what was the republicanism of Rathmines and Rathgar?
In 1926 Fianna Fail left Sinn Féin the majority of the more politically aware and socially conscious members of the party joined Fianna Fail. Constance Markievicz encouraged the women of Cumann na mBan to join the new party at the at the time. Most of the progressive women did join. Constance
So let's go back to the beginning of the Fianna Fail party in the lofty suburbs of Rathgar and Rathmines area of Dublin where she lived out her childhood and adolescence. She went to a private school in the area, this was her humble beginnings. The house she was brought up in at today's prices could reach over million of euros.
So what was the republicanism of Rathmines and Rathgar?
In 1926 Fianna Fail left Sinn Féin the majority of the more politically aware and socially conscious members of the party joined Fianna Fail. Constance Markievicz encouraged the women of Cumann na mBan to join the new party at the at the time. Most of the progressive women did join. Constance
Markievicz herself, Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, Kathleen Lynn were among those moved from Sinn Féin to Fianna Fail. Countess Margaret was a Fianna Fail TD at the time of the death. The Irish Republican Army was still in existence in both Cities and towns, as well as rural areas and were independent from Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein only became the political wing in the 1950s. A lot of the members of the new party were members of the IRA. The IRA were responsible for the fundraising to pay for the new party, mostly holding up illegal bookies offices. There is still a Fianna Fail cumann on the north side of Dublin called after a man who was shot dead by the Special Branch during one of the IRA robberies.
The last time the IRA were active on behalf of Fianna Fail was when General O Duffy planed to match on Dublin with his Blueshirt army. O Duffy felt he had the support of the Free State Army and the Garda, an organisation he was the founder of. Fianna Fail used the IRA to face them down, confining both the Free State Army and Garda to barracks. O Duffy didn't turn up for the fight and Fianna Fail won the day. It was probably Sean Lemass and Todd Andrews, with their superior political understandings within the Fianna Fail party at the time, who knew what to do.
Fianna Fail knew how to appeal to the ordinary people and subsequently became known as the party of the small farmers and urban working class. They stole that from the Labour Party, and housing was their main issue. Fianna Fail created many semi-state industries and expanded those that already existed, employing a lot of their supporters as they developed and expanded. This eventually was to lead to a culture of cronyism: for if you were never in Fianna Fail you would never get a job. They justified this because of the brutal way the Free Staters treated their Fianna Fail supporters after the establishment of the state. The first programme for government published by Fianna Fail is an extremely progressive document, something that any Socialist party would be proud of.
Fianna Fail then went to destroy the IRA, initially releasing all Republican prisoners from Mountjoy jail and then taking stock, studying the factions within the Republican movement and picking them off one by one. On social issues and on the National question they became more moderate. They created a new force within the Gardai of former Republicans who knew the workings of the Republican Movement, where they were strong or weak, and were able to deal with militant republicanism effectively for the state, which Fianna Fail had now most definitely bought into.
Fianna Fail went on to open concentration camps and execute Republicans in the coming years, while still claiming the mantle of republicanism for themselves.
The current leader of Sinn Fein's family, was very much a part of and agreed with all of this, and that is very much a part of her political background and current thinking.
**Looking at the present and future
In the two years since she has ascended to the position of president of Sinn Fein she has clearly consolidated her position. It is no longer respectable to say you had a part in the armed struggle. People who were in the armed struggle have now been deleted from the organisation, sidelined, some given consolation jobs, others - like a man who served time in England - has been told his form of republicanism was for dinosaurs. Dinosaurs must be made extinct. Even a former MEP - who for a short time ended up as an MLA - and who was part of a bombing campaign in England, serving time after being arrested with the Brighton bomber, has now been sidelined, given an obscure position as a consolation. Commemorations for dead Republicans have been severely curtailed, and from now on will be given less importance.
The first move by the new president towards a Fianna Fail mentality and policy is the recognition of the Special Criminal Court by Sinn Fein. She is looking for coalition partners as she feels she is taking the party into government after the next election. What would really suit her is if Fianna Fail was to split: she would then be able to go back to the social, political and economic policies of a respectable Fianna Fail. She knows that the electorate that Fianna Fail had for years is up for grabs and she intends to capitalise on that.
The last time the IRA were active on behalf of Fianna Fail was when General O Duffy planed to match on Dublin with his Blueshirt army. O Duffy felt he had the support of the Free State Army and the Garda, an organisation he was the founder of. Fianna Fail used the IRA to face them down, confining both the Free State Army and Garda to barracks. O Duffy didn't turn up for the fight and Fianna Fail won the day. It was probably Sean Lemass and Todd Andrews, with their superior political understandings within the Fianna Fail party at the time, who knew what to do.
Fianna Fail knew how to appeal to the ordinary people and subsequently became known as the party of the small farmers and urban working class. They stole that from the Labour Party, and housing was their main issue. Fianna Fail created many semi-state industries and expanded those that already existed, employing a lot of their supporters as they developed and expanded. This eventually was to lead to a culture of cronyism: for if you were never in Fianna Fail you would never get a job. They justified this because of the brutal way the Free Staters treated their Fianna Fail supporters after the establishment of the state. The first programme for government published by Fianna Fail is an extremely progressive document, something that any Socialist party would be proud of.
Fianna Fail then went to destroy the IRA, initially releasing all Republican prisoners from Mountjoy jail and then taking stock, studying the factions within the Republican movement and picking them off one by one. On social issues and on the National question they became more moderate. They created a new force within the Gardai of former Republicans who knew the workings of the Republican Movement, where they were strong or weak, and were able to deal with militant republicanism effectively for the state, which Fianna Fail had now most definitely bought into.
Fianna Fail went on to open concentration camps and execute Republicans in the coming years, while still claiming the mantle of republicanism for themselves.
The current leader of Sinn Fein's family, was very much a part of and agreed with all of this, and that is very much a part of her political background and current thinking.
**Looking at the present and future
In the two years since she has ascended to the position of president of Sinn Fein she has clearly consolidated her position. It is no longer respectable to say you had a part in the armed struggle. People who were in the armed struggle have now been deleted from the organisation, sidelined, some given consolation jobs, others - like a man who served time in England - has been told his form of republicanism was for dinosaurs. Dinosaurs must be made extinct. Even a former MEP - who for a short time ended up as an MLA - and who was part of a bombing campaign in England, serving time after being arrested with the Brighton bomber, has now been sidelined, given an obscure position as a consolation. Commemorations for dead Republicans have been severely curtailed, and from now on will be given less importance.
The first move by the new president towards a Fianna Fail mentality and policy is the recognition of the Special Criminal Court by Sinn Fein. She is looking for coalition partners as she feels she is taking the party into government after the next election. What would really suit her is if Fianna Fail was to split: she would then be able to go back to the social, political and economic policies of a respectable Fianna Fail. She knows that the electorate that Fianna Fail had for years is up for grabs and she intends to capitalise on that.
Republicans and socialist Republicans are going to be in for a bad time. There is a rootlessness within Sinn Fein at the minute which the previous generation of Fianna Failers could identify with and find acceptable. The apples don't fall far from the tree.
⏭ Bill O'Brien is an independent republican.
Aye, by chance was a passing thae shops up in Cabra, Dublin. three years back and there in that estate of fine mansions and big houses, was the sumptuous constituency office of her very ladyship! This, this is where a private education and a family property portfolio gets you!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post and totally agree, Mary Lou reminds me of one of those parasitical grubs who eat their host from within, in this endeavour she is not alone for quisling $inn £anny is an amalgamation of carpet baggers and social climbers now without bombs, they as Ernie O Malley said "lie easy on another mans wounds" and indeed Connolly warned us of such people in his whoop it up for liberty speech, I would be prepared to bet that the majority of ex activists and active supporters of PIRA with hindsight would never have placed their lives or liberty in danger so that a well heeled Dublin D4 and cronies could turn what was as once thought of as a grass roots movement into a clone of FF,stiff middle finger to you Mary Lou and your quisling cronies ,
ReplyDelete