The Independent Monitoring Commission report on the PIRA Army Council. A short but interesting read. September 4, 2008
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Irish Politics.trackback
Perhaps it is me, but the most striking nugget of information from yesterdays (or should that be this weeks seeing as the media apparently knew the full details long before the publication) IMC report on the status of the PIRA Army Council was a phrase at the end of the following:
2. 8 Has PIRA abandoned its terrorist structures, preparations and capability? We
believe that it has. The so-called “military” departments have ceased to function
and have been disbanded. It has been put to us that these structural changes
have had a profound and debilitating effect on the organisational capacity of PIRA.
We share that view and consider that the organisation’s former terrorist capability
has been lost. PIRA is not recruiting or training members and the membership
continues to decline, and there is some issue as to what membership means in the
absence of activity. In so far as gathering information or intelligence may continue
in any limited way – not in itself improper if it does not involve illegal methods or
intent – we believe that it is mainly for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of any
threat from dissident republicans.
Interesting that PIRA should seek to do that. Very interesting indeed. Fascinating too that the IMC should take such an apparently sanguine view of the matter. It is of course true that intelligence gathering – per se – isn’t illegal, but the issue must of course be about what constitutes the ‘threat’ and to whom? Is it to Sinn Féin or is it more broadly to the current dispensation? Intelligence gathering is a slippery concept. Is collating data on political rivals in the normal course of political activity essentially the same? Well yes. But much depends on how it is done and to what end, and even within the law lines can sometimes be crossed.
Beyond that the report was much as one might expect. That’s a fair point about ‘what membership means in the absence of activity’. Still, one suspects there are other organisations that arguably pre-date the formation of PIRA who could give a steer there. Certainly one might argue that an halo effect may persist for decades around those who were most centrally involved, in the sense of a communal cachet (and I use the word cachet in a neutral sense). Indeed, hasn’t it been ever thus with many a rocky patch in the peace process being smoothed over by the hint of recourse to higher authorities (and let’s note that precisely that dynamic was at work the day David Trimble entered the talks resulting in the Good Friday Agreement flanked by representatives of the UDP and PUP).
But note the howls of outrage from Jim Allister at some of the findings, because they don’t simply relate to the Army Council but also to the IRA as a broader entity.
2.9 Is PIRA involved in other illegal activity? We do not think that it is. Members
have been instructed not to engage in violence and we do not think there have
been any recent acts of PIRA violence or intimidation, either internally as a means
of imposing discipline or towards people outside the organisation.12 We are
satisfied that it is not involved in exiling or in any form of sectarian activity and it
has made clear to members that such activities are not acceptable. We are
satisfied that PIRA as an organisation is not involved in crime and has instructed
its members not to be involved in criminal activity. Some individual members
remain criminally active but the organisation does not support those involved. As
we have said in successive earlier reports, we are unable to say what has
happened to funds which PIRA previously illegally gained. There is no evidence
that any funds are being used for paramilitary purposes. However, we are aware
that law enforcement agencies North and South are continuing vigorously to
pursue any illegal assets held by individuals.
Which undercuts years, if not decades, of stories served up by the media about criminal activity – and let me add that’s not an exoneration of what PIRA actually did but more a thought about the role of the media in exaggerating some aspects and ignoring entirely others.
And what might be read as a direct riposte to Allister in footnote 12:
12 We draw attention to the conclusion we expressed in our Eighteenth Report on the killing of Paul Quinn
in County Monaghan in October 2007. We said that the killing was contrary to the strategy, instructions
and interests of PIRA, and we did not attribute it to the organisation. IMC Eighteenth Report, May 2008,
Section 4.
Predictably Allister wasn’t mollified.
“Today’s IMC report, despite all its Jesuitical verbiage, is unable to say the IRA Army Council is gone – in spite of the fact that the DUP told us it would have to go before they entered government with their political wing.
“The IMC’s pitiful whitewashing comments, following the brutal murder of Paul Quinn, demonstrated to all who were interested that it had become yet another pawn of the political process. Today’s effort confirms its compliant role,”
Still, got to like the old “Jesuitical” dig he gets in there. Playing to the gallery? Never!
And the IMC makes some further claims which are, arguably, very useful in the current political context.
2.10 Is PIRA committed to supporting policing and the criminal justice system? We
believe that the decision of the Sinn FОin Ard Fheis in January 2007 to support
policing and the criminal justice system has been followed through, including by
participating in oversight and consultative bodies and by recommending that
people should take evidence of crime to the police. The Ard Fheis decision
followed a long internal debate in which PIRA and Sinn FОin leaders took an active
part in support of the change of policy. Although some individual rank and file
members have undoubtedly found this policy difficult to accept it is not at risk and
there is growing evidence of public backing for the police in areas in which PIRA
traditionally found support.
And for all the rhetorical bluster of recent days and weeks that has to, at least in part, ease forward progress.
But it raises a further point. At what stage would the Allister’s of the world, or more particularly Northern Ireland, be satisfied? And the truth is that they wouldn’t. Is this problematic? This depends. As long as the DUP remains in poll position most likely not. And on the other side of the equation does this information, that to all intents and purposes PIRA is defunct, open space for dissidents to move towards greater activity? A lot will depend I’d propose on the exemplary effect of what the report notes as follows:
Consistent with this strategy, significant numbers of PIRA members,
including senior ones, have, at the behest of the leadership, moved to political
roles in Sinn Féin. Others have moved to community work or have dropped out of
activism entirely.
And further:
The Ard Fheis decision
followed a long internal debate in which PIRA and Sinn FОin leaders took an active
part in support of the change of policy.
If Sinn Féin and associated Republicans retain credibility then their coherence politically will provide an intrinsic block towards the development of dissident formations. After all, the argument can go, if PIRA didn’t succeed in fulfillment of their goals how can any smaller groups? And the forward momentum of Sinn Féin politically is crucial to this dynamic. It’s not merely that PIRA occupied that political space, but that their monolithic nature made their replacement by any successors near unthinkable. Which isn’t to say that violence won’t/can’t continue on a low level, but just that it would be difficult for it to ramp up to a level even close to the past and not merely due to logistical reasons.
I’m not sure that the contents were known before the report was issued. It seems to me that there was a very clever leaking process organised which meant that what was reported before the issuing of the Report was less definitive on the “non-active existence” of the Army Council than what the report actually says. And my guess is that this was done to make the actual report more palatable to the DUP, thus increasing the chances that they’ll come to an agreement with SF on Policing and Justice.
On the PIRA itself and its Army Council, I used to take a straightforward line of DISBAND NOW. But not anymore. Better to have them in existence as long as they continue full support for the GFA and the peace process. If they cease to exist, it leaves carte blanche to the dissidents to say “We are the IRA” and to recruit on that basis. Leave PIRA in the market please for any such misguided potential recruits.
“In so far as gathering information or intelligence may continue
in any limited way – not in itself improper if it does not involve illegal methods or
intent – we believe that it is mainly for the purpose of ascertaining the nature of any
threat from dissident republicans.”
Of course, gathering information likely to be of use to terrorists is in fact illegal, especialy if it is used to target and kill dissidents, something which the Provos have not been shy to do in the past. One may take the view that such Provo policing of “their own” communities is a good thing and that a few dissidents being whacked is a small price to pay for the peace process to remain intact but there are wider problems in that view not least the continuing brutalisation it engenders in society.
NI is a more divided place even after 10 years of relative peace-there’s widespread segregation in houisng, education, jobs etc. The peace lines still exist and show no signs of coming down. Added to this we have the entrenchment of paramilitaries in “community” sevices and now , it seems the legitimisation of the Provos as community police officers and intelligence gatherers as long as the intelligence is directed against their political opponents.
I wouldn’t be too sure that serious violence in the future is permanently off the cards -all the sectarian ingredients are regrettably still there.
“NI is a more divided place even after 10 years of relative peace-there’s widespread segregation in houisng, education, jobs etc.”
I would take issue with the “more” in that sentence, Redking. Yes NI is hugely divided. But surely 10 years of relative peace means it is a teeny weeny bit less divided now than say 10, 15 or 20 years ago. Now there are a lot less people in both communities who are actively engaged in trying to kill members of the other community ergo less divided, no?
But I agree it is still massively divided and also that the ingredients are still there for serious violence in the future. And I would argue that the task for socialists is to engage in and support the painstaking, often thankless work that will lead, little by little, inch by inch to the lessening of those divisions. And in a generation or two, less and less segregation, peace lines and walls down and eventually, victory for humanity over barbarity.
Joe, couldn’t agree more with your last paragraph – I share your politics and hopes for the future.
On division-I dunno-its just my personal view everytime I’m back in the North with family and friends there’s the palpable sense of relief that the madness of violence has tailed off largely and of course the present situation is better than the violence of 20 years ago, but attitudes by and large remain the same, and may in some ways be worse.
I agree it’ll take generations to sort out the mess sustained and in large part created by the Provos et al.
At what stage would the Allister’s of the world, or more particularly Northern Ireland, be satisfied? And the truth is that they wouldn’t.
You’re right about that – there were people demanding repayment of the proceeds of the Northern Bank blag not so long ago, a textbook example of the and-another-thing approach to negotiation. But still, Peter Robinson does have a point of sorts: “they’re not doing anything any more” is a very different statement from “we’re not doing anything any more”.
The problem is, of course, that an official statement that PIRA was no more would give a massive boost to I Can’t Believe It’s Not The IRA, in all its various flavours, and risk tipping the Province into a very nasty and unstable state. You’ve got to wonder if
a) Robinson’s a bit dim and hasn’t thought this one through (highly unlikely)
b) Robinson has thought it through but it’s the principle dammit! (possible)
c) Robinson knows that’s what the DUP faithful are thinking, knows it doesn’t entirely make sense but thinks he’s got to repeat it back to them if he’s not going to be outflanked (quite likely)
or
d) Robinson would actually quite like ICBINTIRA to bring it on, on the calculation that the balance of forces is more unfavourable to armed Republicanism than it’s ever been and it would put the DUP at the centre of a short and winnable war (hmm…)
‘I agree it’ll take generations to sort out the mess sustained and in large part created by the Provos et al.’
Indeed it will. But the ‘et al’ have not decommisioned, let alone put their leaderships out to grass. And Robinson never adopts the same tone when the rare occasions he is forced to talk about the UDA/UVF/RHC/LVF.
Wasn’t that the DUP’s Willie McCrea that shared a platform with Billy Wright? Yes of course it was.
I think that’s true, that even a shadow Army Council is preferable in the context of the situation in the North. And Phil, those do seem to be the options available. I can’t quite see Robinson wanting to see the situation tip back to the status quo ante, but who knows? But D&C, that’s it completely. IIRC the largest paramilitary by a long shot was/is the UDA. And of them? Not a word, particularly as they seem to see retaining their weapons as almost a ‘cultural’ issue… (I’m joking, but hearing that last public statement of theirs on the matter you know what I’m saying).
Yes, as Kevin Myers nicely put it, the only terrorist group in the world with their own regimental blazer. Then again, for the right price…
Pretty awful, isn’t it?
‘I agree it’ll take generations to sort out the mess sustained and in large part created by the Provos et al.’
Let me get this right, the long war came about and was sustained because of those dastardly Provos. [why not throw in a few wicked godfathers and you will have swallowed UK propaganda completely]
What next Hamas is to blame for all the ills in occupied Palestine and if only if that nasty Hizbullah had rolled over when the Israeli army came cold calling and battalions of the IDF crossed the Lebanese border all would be well in the middle east.
Clearly the Catholic working class of the north were not as clever as some of you, hell instead of reaching for the well known book, ‘teach me how to stop being shit on,’ they reached out and grabbed the nearest thing available that they thought might bring them respite after being second class in the Statelet since 1922 when it was set up by force of British arms.
Shame on them for fighting back, hell they should have been like many within previous generations of nationalists and continued to take it up the arse from the Unionist bigots who ran their nasty little statelet on behalf of their masters in London.
Don’t tell me, all who resist the US and UK occupation of Iraq should give up their guns to their tormentors, go home and shut the door and await the day when US GIs will kick it in and beat the shit out of them. They only have themselves to blame for their current predicament
There is no master plan to resist oppressive governments or foreign occupation, the history books lie. Resistance is mainly learnt on the job and is often bloody and brutal and if anyone who considers themselves an international socialist fails to understand this they should get another line of work.
I know one thing, if by a quirk of fate the Provos had been successful, many of those who bad mouth them now would be singing their praise
One of the aims of these peace processes, GFA, Oslo accords, etc was to turn victims into terrorists and oppressors into heros. It is something we should all bare in mind when we bad mouth the Provos and over look the sins of unionism..