Anybody But Sinn Fein
Posted by Jim on December 20, 2018
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Liam O’Muileann feels republicans in Derry are very mixed up.
Is the political situation in Derry symbolic of the problems facing contemporary republicans?
At the mouth of Christmas, every four years or so, a number of hopefuls announce their candidacies for local DEA elections usually held in May.
In 2014, a number of republicans who opposed Good Friday & rejected the lure of compromise that came with the peace process took seats in the North-West – between Derry & Strabane.
Thinking back to that time, I expected a similar return with a number of independent candidates announcing their plans to take a seat.
The only candidate announcement I have seen to date is that of an independent in Derry. Ex-SDLP member Emmet Doyle. I thought this was very mundane & barely paid attention to an ex-Stoop shaking off the party shackles that were clearly inhibiting his political & career ambitions.
Largely uninteresting, until I seen the outpouring of republican support for this candidate in the form of well wishes, good lucks & even some declaring they will give him a vote.
Some of those ‘republicans’ included the heretics of pure republicanism & the high-priests of abstentionism.
You won’t have to look far to see them decry everything as anti-republican. Yet, seemingly, have no problem displaying support for a pro-peace process, pro-GFA, pro-PSNI & pro-Stormont candidate.
No doubt they will attempt to justify this on two fronts:
These elections are only local council elections – ignoring they are political arenas devolved from Stormont
He does great community work – so we should ignore all their other political leanings so long as they clean graffiti off the walls. Then hopefully we are never faced with the quandary of a hard-working Shinner.
Maybe this is indicative of modern republicanism. Anybody but Sinn Fein.
Or is it much worse?
Has their been an internal republican coup, where non-republican types have displaced republican ideologues?
Either way.
⏩ Liam O’Muileann is an Independent commentator and political activist from Strabane.