Jonathan O'Brien TD oration at the Volunteer Diarmuid O'Neill Commemoration

Jonathan O'Brien TD oration at the Volunteer Diarmuid O'Neill Commemoration 23/9/12 Every year Republicans gather to commemorate the live and death of Vol. Diarmuid O’Neill and to be asked to speak at today’s commemoration is a great honour for me personally. Sometimes it is hard to try and find the words that would do justice to or accurately reflect the gratitude and humility we feel for our patriot dead. I know from speaking to many Republicans in the lead up to today’s commemoration, that the loss of Diarmuid is still felt by his many comrades in the Republican Movement. I can only imagine that that sense of loss and hurt pales in comparison to that which must be felt by his father Eoghan, mother Theresa, brother Shane and sister Siobhán. I never had the privilege of meeting Diarmuid yet his sacrifice and the sacrifice of all other IRA Volunteers who lost their lives in the pursuit of Irish Freedom inspires me. It is what drives us every day to work harder to finally achieve what they dedicated their lives to. A 32 County Democratic Socialist Republic. Although I never knew Diarmuid I have heard much about him and the type of person he was. I know that Diarmuid was a young man of integrity, loyalty with a great love of Ireland. Born and raised in London, from an early age Diarmuid took an interest in Irish culture and nationalism and spent much of his time between County Cork and London. As well as having a deep sense of the injustice inflicted by British forces in Ireland, Diarmuid took a keen interest in International liberation movements throughout the world, particularly the Basque country which he visited on several occasions before his death. Diarmuid was just 27 years young when he was killed by the Metropolitan Police during a raid on his flat in the early hours of September 23rd, 1996. While the primary reason for gathering here today is to pay tribute to Diarmuid we should also use the occasion to rededicate ourselves the cause he spent his life trying to achieve, the cause of Irish Freedom. Just as the strength, courage, determination and commitment displayed by the men and women of 1916 acted as an inspiration for volunteers like Diarmuid. We should use the some of the same qualities Diarmuid displayed in his life to act as an inspiration in everything that we do today. Diarmuid joined the IRA to not only help free Ireland of British occupation but because he had a deep belief believe that the establishment of a Democratic Socialist Republic was in the best interests of the Irish people. For volunteers like Diarmuid the struggle was about more than just uniting 26 and 6, it was about building the type of Republic envisaged in the Proclamation. That is now the challenge facing those of us gathered here today, it is now a political challenge we must meet and overcome if we are to truly commemorate the sacrifice of Volunteers like Diarmuid. Make no mistake comrades, no one else going to achieve the Republic on our behalf. In my role as a political activist I get to spend a lot of time in Leinster House where I hear the word Republic used a lot by partionist politicians. However, the Republic that these partionist politicians in FF, FG and Labour speak about is not the Republic that Diarmuid strived to achieve. They speak of a 26 County so called Free State, where corrupt politicians and corrupt developers got rich on the back of hard pressed citizens. It is a so called Republic where, for far too long, the political elite have fostered a culture of dependency by citizens, a society built on a corrupt system. The Republic they speak of is not the Republic we will ever settle for. The Republic we speak of, the Republic we work every day to bring to fruition is the same Republic that Diarmuid believed in. It is a 32 County Republic which guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities for all of its citizens and one which cherishes all of the children of this island equally. The Republic we seek to build is inclusive and respectful of all traditions and cultures and as I said earlier, we cannot rely on anyone but ourselves to achieve it. We are the people who must take the lead in shaping a New Republic. To do so will mean sometimes mean taking courageous and hard decisions, decisions that Republicans have never shied away from taking in the past and will not shy away from taking in the future. Achieving the Republic we envisage will mean addressing the many economic and social issues facing Irish people in today’s society. In this state it will mean address the 450,000 people currently unemployed, assisting the hundreds of thousands of others struggling to survive Stemming and reversing the emigration of our most educated and intelligent young people who are the very life blood of any Nation. In the 6 counties it will mean convincing those from the Unionist and Loyalist community that their interests will be better served in a United Island. Here in the 26 Counties, FG & Lab were given a mandate to change the disastrous economic road that FF was leading us down. Despite their pre-election promises to do so they are now happily implementing FF policy further eroding our economic sovereignty at a time when Republicans in the 6 are fighting to regain economic sovereignty from London. The British Tory parties’ economic policy of Austerity and cutbacks threatens to destroy all of the social progress we have made since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Just as we are leading the fight back against Austerity in this State we will do the same in the North, regardless of our position in Government. We will never be forced into a corner where we are seen to be defending Tory cuts, nor will we be put in the comprising position of being forced to implement them. That is why we announced last Thursday that we will not be supporting the Tories programme of welfare cuts. Republicans are not in Government in the 6 counties to service Stormont or implement the Tory agenda and the Brits would be wise to never forget that point. Stormont for us is a site of struggle and an institution which we ultimately want replaced with a true Dail Eireann representing all 32 Counties. Remember, Sinn Féin has a mandate from the Irish people to oppose these cuts unlike the Tory party who has no mandate in this country to implement them. Speaking of mandates, the last general election in this State, as we all know, saw Sinn Féin increase its political strength but comrades that election is history so we must now start planning for next set of elections we face in 2014. Already plans are well under way in every Cumann right across this State to ensure that we continue to build our political strength. One of the challenges facing us is to be in a position where we can give every citizen in this State the opportunity to cast their vote for a Sinn Féin candidate. That will be easier said than done though. In order to be in that position we need to build an organisation fit for purpose with the strength and depth to deliver on our goals and objectives. We need more women and young people and those who have made Ireland their home in recent years. We are all in this together and every member of Sinn Féin has a role to play, whether you’re the party President or the newest member. Unlike other political parties we are not interested in winning seats just for the sake of it. We seek political office in order to bring about real change and building political strength to advance our primary goal of Irish Unity is a key element of what we do. Be under no illusions comrades, our political opponents will fight us every step of the way. The establishment will rally against us as our Republican politics continue to find favour with a growing number of people. With every passing week and month we are convincing more and more people that Sinn Féin is a credible alternative that they can trust and believe in. The stronger we become the closer we get to achieving our objective of realising the New Republic we all dream and work towards. And when the day comes that we have a 32 county Republic we will once again gather here at the graveside of Diarmuid and at the gravesides of other fallen Volunteers the length and breadth of this Nation, content in the knowledge that we have completed the task they gave their lives for. There will be no more a fitting tribute to our patriot dead so comrades, go from here today even more determined to do ensure that that day comes sooner rather than later.