Gerry Adams: Belfast Media, August 20th 2025:
... Today, Wednesday 20th August marks the anniversary of the death on hunger strike in 1981 of Mickey Devine. Mickey was the last of the ten men to die and several weeks later the hunger strike ended on 3 October. It was also the day the by-election was held in Fermanagh South Tyrone caused by the death in May of Bobby Sands. Owen Carron successfully held the seat as the ‘Anti-H-Block/Proxy Political Prisoner’ candidate... ...The prisoners’ election successes also accelerated the debate within Sinn Féin on electoralism . . . - Gerry Adams.
He just can't help himself can he? Gerry Adams proves yet again that we are telling the truth. To him it was all about 'election successes.'
Bobby Sands stood in the Fermanagh/South Tyrone bye-election as an Anti-H Block candidate in the hope that Thatcher couldn't allow a sitting MP to die on hunger strike.
He won that election yet she, being the evil vindictive bitch that she was, let Bobby die.
In the general election down south that June eight H-Block candidates and Mairéad Farrell Armagh Gaol, were put forward. Kieran Doherty and Paddy Agnew were elected while others came close to winning seats.
The results had rattled the establishment who had failed to realise the levels of support for the prisoners in the H Blocks and Armagh Gaol. It had also severely embarrassed the British Government internationally by further exposing the lie of their criminalisation policy.
Despite this the hunger strike continued.
Come August 20th, Mickey Devine became the 10th hunger striker to die. On the same day Owen Carron won the bye-election for Bobby's seat.
But still there was no end in sight to the hunger strike.
Any right-minded person would see that these were not 'election successes' in regards to saving the lives of the hunger strikers.
These 'election successes' certainly didn't 'accelerate the debate within Sinn Féin on electoralism.'
Electoralism was being pushed through three days after Mickey's death and Owen Carron's election victory when the Adams inner-circle publicly announced on August 23rd, without debate or getting the support of that year's Ard Fhéis, that Sinn Féin would be standing in all future elections in the North.
These are photographs of pages from An Phoblacht/Republican News from Saturday August 29th 1981 which prove that to be true.
(The date is on the top right hand corner of the first image.)
Danny Morrison was director of publicity at that time.
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Thomas Dixie Elliot is a Derry artist and a former H Block Blanketman. Follow Dixie Elliot on Twitter @IsMise_Dixie |
Thanks Dixie.
ReplyDeleteI asked AI
"Was the Irish Republican Movement wise to embrace electoralism?"
Here are the against arguments:
Dilution of Princiles: Participation in electoral politics might lead to compromises and dilution of core Republican principles.
Legitimising the State: Engaging with the electoral process could be seen as legitimising the state and its institutions, potentially undermining the movement's revolutionary goals.
Co-option and Control: The movement might risk being co-opted or controlled by the existing power structures loosing its autonomy and radical edge.
Gerry ought consult with AI before he opens his mouth!