FURY AT ‘THATCHERITE’ TALKS DEAL

Posted by Jim on November 21, 2015

There are fears that this week’s talks agreement represents such a
victory for unionist and British negotiators that it could wreck the
North’s political process, rather than sustain it.

The so-called ‘Fresh Start’ agreement comes after ten weeks of talks
aimed at reviving the main elements of the failed Stormont House
Agreement, which was reached in the run-up to last Christmas.

Unionist commentator Newton Emerson said he was unnerved by what he
described as a “total defeat for Sinn Fein”. He warned the deal was
“destabilising and unsustainable”.

Every aspect of the negotiations saw setbacks for nationalists,
republicans and progressives. Arguably the most controversial
development was that an entire section of the previous agreement on
dealing with the past was shelved. That component was dropped over the
British government’s insistence that its “national security” take
precedence over the release of information to victims of the conflict.

Sinn Fein officials said no deal on legacy issues was better than a bad
deal. However, victims groups said the party should have refused to
sign up to any agreement at all.

“In their homes around the country, those who lost loved ones in the
conflict will be privately grieving and angry,” said Relatives for
Justice and Justice for the Forgotten.

On the welfare issue, Sinn Fein pointed to a headline figure of
financial measures of 146 million pounds a year to compensate those
affected by cuts in welfare and tax credits.

Overall, however, the ‘Fresh Start’ agreement contains less money than
the Stormont House deal it is meant to replace, to the tune of 85
million pounds. A broad range of left-wing groups and political parties
have denounced it, and protests have already been organised for this
weekend.

There are reports that some in Sinn Fein could rebel against the deal.
The party’s leader on Belfast council Jim McVeigh, in a message to
supporters, warned that planned cuts in corporation tax might not go
ahead “unless we afford it and we won’t be able to afford it any time
soon, comrades”.

That earned an apparent rebuke from Martin McGuinness, who said: “Sinn
Fein will honour all commitments it made in this week’s agreement.”

The new deal includes cuts to all working age benefits, a benefit cap
for families with children, and also agrees to another round of cuts
currently before Westminster.

“It is overwhelmingly children who will suffer,” said Eamonn McCann of
People Before Profit. He said Sinn Fein had now joined the ranks of the
pro-austerity parties.

“Staying in government with the DUP took precedence over standing by
the most vulnerable,” he said. “The worst-off people in deprived places
like Derry will be hardest hit. If the Coalition in the South
introduced this sort of package, Sinn Fein would be elbowing its way to
the front of street protest.”

The British Crown Forces in the North are the new deal’s clear
financial winners. The PSNI and a new cross-border agency will receive
160 million pounds of additional funding over the coming years, with an
additional 85 million pounds to secure interface area as well as issue
payments to “community workers”.

The deal appears stacked against republicans by concentrating on
illegal cross-border activity — there is no requirement for the PSNI
or other British state agencies to address loyalist criminality or
sectarian and racist violence.

In another embarrassing development, Sinn Fein was required to openly
cut its ties to the Provisional IRA’s Army Council by agreeing to a
principle to “accept no authority, direction or control on our
political activities other than our democratic mandate alongside our
own personal and party judgment”. Neither unionists nor the British
government have an equivalent commitment to end their co-operation with
loyalist paramilitaries.

BAIT AND SWITCH

In a key intervention, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the
promotion of truth and justice, Pablo de Greiff, warned against the
British stance on dealing with the past.

He said it had worked “to cover up the action of their agents, army,
police and political establishment by using a so-called national
security veto.

“That pretext for blocking disclosure is clearly nonsense as much of
the information families are looking for is related to events 30 to 40
years ago,” he said.

Brian Gormally of the Committee for the Administration of Justice
described Mr de Greiff’s remarks as “significant”.

Accusing the British government of pulling down the shutter on legacy
investigations, he said: “This is contrary to international standards
and unacceptable to victims.

“It will use state power to give impunity to state agents. In so doing,
it jettisons the interests of victims and the truth, continues its
violation of international human rights standards and undermines the
rule of law.”

Relatives for Justice spokesman Mark Thompson said British ‘national
security’ issues were not raised during the Stormont House Agreement
last year.

“It’s introduction was an indication that the British government do not
want to face into the truth of their responsibility and role in the
conflict,” he said.

“They are denying families from all sides of the community who lost
loved ones the truth and facts about those murders.”

‘TORY PROXIES’

The other political parties at Stormont sought more time to examine the
contents of the agreement when it was released on Tuesday. However, the
welfare element was pushed through by Sinn Fein and the DUP at the
Belfast Assembly within 24 hours.

The motion ended Sinn Fein’s opposition to the Tories directly
legislating on the matter from Westminster. There are fears that the
axe is now set to fall on a range of crucial welfare payments and
frontline public services as collective punishment of the nationalist
community.

In the day-long debate, Sinn Fein was accused of capitulating on its
main ‘red line’ vow to oppose Tory cuts, and also needlessly agreeing
to give London 60 million pounds a year to balance potential changes to
tax credits.

Sinn Fein denied it was supporting austerity in the Six Counties but
opposing it in the 26 Counties. Its Minister for Regional Development
Conor Murphy said the devolved administration had acted as a “bulwark”
against the Tory government’s austerity policies.

“I think what is being proposed and agreed in part of this
implementation plan gives us protection measures better than exist
anywhere on these islands for people who are struggling,” he said.

However, SDLP deputy leader Fearghal McKinney accused Sinn Fein of a
u-turn.

“We are being asked to hand over to the Tories – or ‘Thatcher’s
children’ as Martin McGuinness likes to call it – decisions on
legislating on welfare,” he said.

“Only a matter of weeks ago Sinn Fein would have described this as a
huge serious mistake but now Sinn Fein are doing Tory austerity, and in
spades.”

REPUBLICANS OUTRAGED

In its response, Republican Network for Unity spokesperson Nathan
Stuart said the Sinn Fein had agreed on a document that “would make
Margaret Thatcher blush”.

“Once again, and after a nine month delay, the right-wing coalition in
Stormont have shafted the Irish working class in favour of feathering
their own nest,” he said.

“All anti-imperialist groups must begin a process of working together
and putting the doctrine of Irish sovereignty back on the agenda.”

The 1916 Societies said the fact that Sinn Fein had agreed to move
forward while Britain still refused to admit its ‘Dirty War’ was a
“clear demonstration of who holds sway in Ireland”.

“The Sinn Fein project of drawing power away from Westminster,
supposedly towards regional decision-making processes, stands in ruin,
the handing back of key powers to London exposing the same as facade,”
they said.

“All of this makes clear the deal in question has been framed to uphold
partitionist government, fulfilling the needs of the British state and
its occupation system, with the people barely an afterthought.”

But Sinn Fein insisted the deal was an important milestone.

“I am hopeful that we will be able get on with the important work of
building a fairer society for all the people on the island of Ireland,”
said the party’s Galway West election candidate, Trevor O Clochartaigh.

“The agreement is as Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described
it, evidence of a common commitment to a better future,” he said.

“There are of course aspects of the agreement that we may not be overly
happy with but there is enough in it that is positive and constructive
and allows us to move forward.

“Our aim must be to focus on the positive aspects and look to the
future.”