Article by 32CSM national chairman Francis Mackey published in today's Irish News.
Any policy on the policing issue must be the product of democratic debate thus its ability to sustain broad support as opposed to an exclusive policy claiming to have the answers without any democratic debate having taken place.
The PSNI were born out of this narrative placing them on one side of the constitutional conflict thereby upholding the British position to the letter of British law.
The attendance of Michelle O’Neil and Sinn Fein headlining the graduation of recruits to British policing is not something that required such headlines.
Sinn Fein accepted British Parliamentary Activity in Ireland in 1998 and by 2007 accepted British policing. This presented difficulties with more republicans objecting and they left Sinn Fein over their position on policing seeing it as a step too far.
When Sinn Fein accepted the Good Friday Agreement, the issue of policing would be controlled by the British as a means of upholding and protecting their constitutional authority.
Sinn Fein were again outflanked and failed to uphold the republican position and accepting policing as an outworking of the GFA they are complicit in failing to protect the sovereign rights of the Irish people.
Today Sinn Fein will say the constitutional position is resolved and they accept the two state position administering British Parliamentary Activity in Ireland and having a British Police force upholding that position under British Law enforced in the occupied area.
Sinn Fein are now delivering what they agreed and signed up to and have no shame. Its what they agreed and by attending the graduation of new recruits they are putting the final piece of the jigsaw together signalling their intent as being fully integrated to British interference in Irish affairs.
No Irishman or woman with an inclination to be a police officer could contemplate joining the PSNI giving their remit of Political Policing and their allegiance to one side in the constitutional conflict.
The PSNI are not impartial whereas had the negotiators insisted on a civic form of policing they could have a police service that would be complimentary to resolving the constitutional conflict.
Francis Mackey
32 County Sovereignty Movement
