Doolan-The status quo must go!
Published: 28 January, 2007
Sinn Féin hosted their Extraordinary Ard Fhéis today in the Royal Dublin
Showgrounds, Dublin to discuss the party's endorsement of the PSNI.
Speaking this morning in favour of the Ard Comhairle motion, Dublin South
East Representative Cllr. Daithí Doolan declared, "this has been a great
debate . I have attended meetings and witnessed robust, lively, energetic,
and most of all comradely debates. I feel these recent weeks have been
extremely politicising period for myself and indeed for this organisation.
What ever happens today, whatever the outcome, we will be stronger for
having this debate on policing. That is down to the membership of this
organisation getting our heads around what is the best strategy for
advancing our struggle. This is the debate our opponents don't want us to
have. For they want to maintain the status quo, our opponents on both sides
of the border actively seek to maintain the status quo. Maintaining the
current inequality and divisions on this island suits their ends."
Cllr. Doolan went on to explain, "We are a revolutionary party, we want to
see maximum change brought about throughout this country, north and south of
the border. That means as republicans the status quo can not be maintained.
The status quo must go!
To move our struggle forward we must show leadership, take brave and bold
initiatives and sometimes do what was once unthinkable. That is what we are
about today, that is what all the deliberation, long debates, briefing
sessions and late nights have been about. Preparing to take the next step in
advancing our struggle, preparing to take on policing. Each time our
struggle reached a similar juncture in the past, we debated the issue, and
made the right decision. We have always come out stronger, ready for the
next battle and better equipped to take more power from our opponents.
I believe to pass the motion in front of you today does advance the
struggle, it does so on our terms, it is Sinn Féin setting the agenda. For
me the important part of the motion is the final paragraph. We will support
the policing system in the north only after the full transfer of powers from
London to Ireland, with a power-sharing arrangement or within a partnership
arrangement to our satisfaction. We do not enter this phase blindly, risky
it might be blind we are not.
This motion offers the potential to move things forward, but only the
potential. What ever we do here today wont make a blind bit of difference to
occupying British forces, the PSNI or indeed their political collaborators
unless we leave here today at whatever time of day or night that might be
and resolve to make this motion work. Use it as a tool for change. Force our
political opponents onto new ground, where the British government must
reassess their relationship with Irish unionism, where the Irish government
can no longer sit idly by reducing their role in the Peace Process to
issuing luke warm welcoming statements from government buildings in Merrion
Square."
In conclusion Cllr. Doolan urged delegates, "to support this motion. Of
course there are risks with it, but it offers us the potential to bring
about the maximum political change on this island. And that is what we are
about creating political change on this island."
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