How the Establishment Loves A Terrorist
Sinn Fein achieved 17.6% of the vote in the recent elections to the Ulster Assembly. This was their highest ever vote in the province and continues the process of slowly gaining ground on the more moderate SDLP. Does this mean that the republican community in Ulster is becoming more inclined to the terrorist viewpoint or is there another reason?
First of all the total republican vote has been increasing in recent years. Fifteen to twenty years ago the divide was roughly 65% Loyalist:35% Republican. In recent years this has changed to 55%:45%. This is partly due to the continuing relative increase in the republican population and also to the feeling amongst a number of loyalists that they are being sold out and that successive elections are not the way forward.
Secondly there is the effect of both the British Government's actions and the media in the United Kingdom. Tony Blair's 'feting' of Gerry Adams and the frequent trips to America where Adams is now hailed as some sort of 'heroic freedom fighter' has resulted in Sinn Fein/IRA not only becoming respectable but almost trendy a sort of 'terrorist chic'.
In contrast the Unionist leaders, especially the leaders of the Democratic Unionist Party, are shunned by Blair, Hague and the American establishment.
If anything, the media is even worse. If there is an argument about the siting of a zebra crossing in Ulster then Gerry Adams is asked for his view. He is courteously interviewed in a studio and asked for his opinions. Then a typical 'balanced item' would show Rev. Dr. Ian Paisley addressing a large public meeting where his voice booms out - fine for the people at the meeting, but on television it looks hectoring and dictatorial - and the news presenters and editors are fully aware of this!
Of course, not everything goes according to the wishes of the media establishment. In the run up to the recent Assembly elections the British newspapers were almost unanimous in their announcement that the 'firm loyalism' of the D.U.P was about to become a thing of the past. The new consensus would be between a form of unionism so moderate as to be almost non-existent and republicans who were all sweetness and light even if they did still keep large supplies of armalites and Semtex.
When the results were announced, editors must have been overjoyed by the success of Sinn Fein and everyone pointed out the 'success' of the women's coalition in securing two seats. But horror of horrors, the D.U.P had not only survived but had strengthened their support as the Official Unionists of David Trimble had their worst ever showing on first preference votes.
Despite all the fiddling and adjustments to ensure that the Assembly worked according to Mo Mowlam's plans and that the republicans could block anything they didn't like, the actual end result has been somewhat different. The key element is the fact that David Trimble no longer has the support of all of his party. Quite a large section believe that the failure to secure any decommissioning of arms while the release of terrorist prisoners have gone ahead, and while Sinn Fein/IRA is taken into the very heart of the government of Ulster, is a danger and a threat which is being ignored...at great peril.
Unless rapid decommissioning now starts, many Official Unionists will begin to have reservations about supporting the headlong rush into all-Ireland agreements which from the Republican view are an essential element of the peace agreement. They are also aware that, for example, in East Londonderry the D.U.P made large gains at the expense of their party and that further defections will occur unless they are seen to be holding the line.
The media and the main British political parties have already decided what they want for the future of Ulster - but not for the first time they may find that the people have other ideas.
This article first appeared in the now defunct 'vanguard' magazine, issue 53.