Former Sinn Fein Councillor Standing as Independent Republican - Stormont Assembly Elections

national | politics / elections | news report Friday February 09, 2007 14:02 by Republican Socialist

Former Sinn Fein Councillor Running in South Down

South Down an opportunity to reject British Policing in Ireland and a mandate to build an Irish republican alternative to the present political direction.

South Down republican Martin Cunningham has announced his intention to stand
as an Independent Republican candidate for South Down in the forthcoming
Stormont elections. Declaring that his intention is to offer the people of
South Down an opportunity to reject British Policing in Ireland he has
committed himself to using whatever mandate he receives to build a
republican alternative to confront issues like British policing in Ireland
from a republican perspective.

Rejecting outright both the legitimacy and suitability of the British
Government to be involved in any aspect of policing in Ireland he is calling
on all republicans to convene a public forum to outline in detail the
republican alternative to the present political direction. ‘ The recently
confirmed revelations concerning the depth of British criminality in Ireland
automatically disbars the British Government as an acceptable agency for any
aspect of policing whether you wish to call it Civic Policing or any other
bland title’.

Mr. Cunningham has stated that the acceptance of British policing by
Provisional Sinn Fein calls into question the merit and true intent of this
so called ‘peace strategy’ and has called on all republicans who are
supporters of the GFA to carefully reconsider that position. Stating that
the obligations inherent for the signatories of the GFA are becoming more
apparent now he refutes the notion that PSF has strategically chosen to
endorse the PSNI but that it was obliged to so under the conditions it has
signed up for.

Mr Cunningham has declared his intention to stand as an abstentionist
candidate not just from the Stormont Assembly but also from the political process
which brought it about. ‘Stormont is the product of a failed politics.
Republicans need to reorientate the debate away from secret deals with the
British government and back into the control of the republican and
nationalist people’.

Martin Cunningham will also use this opportunity to highlight the continued
denial of political status for republican prisoners in Maghaberry and to
call for support for the immediate restoration of political status and an
end to the harsh condition they are forced to endure for their refusal to
accept criminalisation.