06.06.1996

‘Peace process’ on track

Irish elections

Another step in the ‘peace process’ towards a more stable imperialist domination of Ireland was carried off last week with the successful completion of the Six County elections.

The purpose of these elections was twofold. First, at the insistence of the Ulster Unionists, to establish a forum “to discuss issues relevant to promoting dialogue and understanding”. This assembly will have no legislative, executive or administrative functions and gives the term, ‘parliamentary talking shop’, a whole new meaning, even by normal bourgeois standards.

Second, and much more important, was the choosing of negotiators to attend the all-party talks due to begin on June 10. To this end it was essential to devise a system which would permit the presence of representatives closely linked to all the main paramilitary groupings. So, as well as the 90 seats allocated to the leading candidates in the 18 constituencies (five seats were contested in each constituency), the 10 parties gaining the highest number of votes across the whole province were awarded a further two seats each.

Sinn Fein’s success was the most spectacular, winning 17 seats in total with its best ever result - 15.47% of the vote, just behind the three main pro-imperialist parties (UUP - 24.17%; SDLP - 21.37%; DUP - 18.80%). The political wings of the two main loyalist paramilitary groupings were awarded their two seats each, but the most notable absentee was the Irish Republican Socialist Party, who did not contest.

There is no doubt that under the very favourable electoral rules two IRSP members would have been elected to participate both in the assembly and in the all-party talks. Lenin considered it, as a rule, essential for communists to participate in bourgeois elections. Whether or not they are elected, great possibilities for propaganda and agitation among the masses will arise - both during the campaign and in any subsequent forums.

In the absence of the IRSP, the Labour Coalition (No Turning Back) filled the 10th slot. Of the coalition’s 72 candidates, 30 were Militant Labour supporters, although its two nominated representatives are independent social democrats, formerly members of the SDLP. Labour’s meagre 0.85% vote was still well ahead of the Greens, the 11th most successful grouping. The Workers Party and Democratic Left, both offshoots of the old Official IRA, were reduced to 0.47% and 0.16% respectively, while the misnamed Communist Party of Ireland managed just 66 votes across the whole Six Counties.

The complicated nature of the electoral rules was necessary to try to ensure the election of even the smallest groups of paramilitaries to the negotiating table. But there remains one major snag. The British government has declared that Sinn Fein may not participate in the talks unless the IRA renews its ceasefire - a possibility which an IRA spokesperson described to the BBC as “extremely remote” just seven days before the talks were due to commence.

“Extremely remote” is not the same as impossible. Both the British establishment and Sinn Fein are anxious to make a success of the ‘peace process’. As The Guardian editorial (June 1) stated, “The British government and Sinn Fein must work with, not against, one another to try to achieve a solution to this genuine difficulty” (my italics).

John Major described the elections as a vote “for peace and democracy”, while Sinn Fein’s election campaign also stressed the need to “vote for peace”. Many SDLP supporters undoubtedly switched to SF because they thought that Gerry Adams was their best bet to ‘bring peace’. Imperialism too knows that Adams looks to be the best man to deliver what it needs - a new stability in its own interests.

There is a large element of brinkmanship in the positions of both sides - an attempt to wring out last-minute concessions. So we should not be surprised if an 11th-hour deal was struck: a token surrender of some IRA arms together with a ceasefire renewal, in exchange for an equally token imperialist gesture (the early release of some political prisoners or the withdrawal of more British troops) could well be enough to get the talks rolling with Sinn Fein on board.

Jim Blackstock