Fourthwrite .......................Issue No. 11

Editorial

An acceptable level of violence

It is becoming increasingly obvious that there is now an acceptable level of violence in the North. Night after night, inter communal strife continues in Belfast and elsewhere while the authorities seem incapable (or unwilling) of preventing the ongoing trouble. There is though, a regular flow of information from the police authorities telling the public that the force is overstretched trying to contain disturbances. It seems strange however, that the PSNI is unable to control the same handful of streets with more diligence. What seems even stranger is that over the past number of years one well known organisation carried out an ongoing campaign of pipe-bombing and that only a mere handful of culprits were ever caught. In contrast to the ruthless policy deployed against the Provisional IRA during its campaign, the treatment of loyalist pipebombers was pure indulgence.

The PSNI and Stormont authorities are now quick to lay the blame on ‘both sides’ while Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble after his visit to one side of the divide, claimed that ‘mainstream republicans’ were responsible for most of the conflict in the area. This magazine is not in the business of making excuses for ‘mainstream’ republicans. We do not accept however that they are mainly to blame for the sectarian conflict. Why should they encourage that which can only spoil their plans for parliamentary reform?

The reality of the situation is that after a prolonged period of provocation, the UDA and its front groups has succeeded in rekindling inter-communal strife. At a certain stage it becomes pointless attempting to apportion blame for individual incidents because once a conflict begins it takes on a life of its own.  The reason for the present round of conflict can be traced to the endeavours of those bigots who persisted with their work when others had stopped.

There is nevertheless, another dimension to the current conflict that gives rise to even greater concern and that is the well-founded suspicion that the blind bigots of the UDA do not act alone or in the face of universal official hostility. This issue of Fourthwrite carries an interview with Newtownabbey councillor Mark Langhammer and in the course of his conversation with our reporter; he claims that the PSNI is less than enthusiastic in its pursuit of loyalist troublemakers. We have no reason to doubt the accuracy of Mr. Langhammer’s opinion. Nor have we any reason to doubt that as always, there are many so called ‘constitutional unionists’ happy to still ‘carefully foster divisions’ in order that their own worthless political manifestoes are not subjected to cool headed and careful scrutiny.

The Nice Referendum

There is a grave risk that the No to Nice camp may become demoralised and disorganised before the campaign even begins officially. When the Nice issue was first put to the people of the Republic, Fianna Fail, the PD’s and  the wider Establishment took it for granted that they would secure a ‘yes’ vote, grew complacent and lost. Shades of the Robinson presidential campaign. And now, shades of the McAleese campaign when an aware Fianna Fail machine has decided to make a pre-emptive strike against the opposition and seeks to nobble the challengers before they leave the stalls. The Yes group has focused in on Anthony Coughlan’s mention of a possible wave of immigrant workers coming to Ireland.  A decent and honourable man is now forced to refute an unjustified insinuation of racism while the Yes camp is happy to imply that this is the real opposition to Nice. Confusion and hesitancy reigns on the No side as some unsavoury groups attempt to take advantage of the situation, while many radicals retreat into individualised opposition. In an article in this issue, Mags Glennon writes that a re-evaluation of the campaign against Nice is required with a strong lead coming from those on the Left and arguing from a radical left-wing position. We agree