Irish Republican Army Part 02 · p.131

FD-350 (Rev. 5.8·81)
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Date:
Edition:
Character:
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SubmittingOffice:
Indexing:
November 1986.In the·weeks
porters. In the last few months
The Officials eventually
beforetheSinnFeinmeeting
asmall number of.prisoners
evolvedintowhatisnow
theIRA held itsfirstconven-.
havecome:outfor R:S.F
known as the WorkersParty,
tion in 6years.At theconven-
Prisoners,however,do no
a left-wingparty based main-
tion.itdecided tooverturnthe
make an army..
ly in the South that is anti-
rule on abstention.In Sep-
For some time many of the
Republican in its political
temberFlannery traveled to.
older andmore.conservative
orientation.'The Provos re-
Ireland and. tried totalk..Noraid members have been
mained intact as simply Sinn
Adams out of dropping abstenunhappywith..the 'radical
Fein and the IRA,a movement
tion.He was unsuccessful.socialist direction taken by the
that operates politically and
In the SinnFein convention.newSinnEein/IRAleader-
militarilyinNorthernIreland
that followed O'BradyandshipTheyshave always felt
andis involved inpolitical
O'Connellwalkedoutwithmore comfortablewith-and.
agitation in the South.
their supporters after they hadwerepersonallybetter'ac-
When the split came in
fought unsuccessfully toretainquaintedwiththeold
Ireland,Flannery and a group
the abstentionrule.The same.O'Brady/O'Connell people.
of.veteran Republican ac-
day they. setup a new
Similarlymany.ofthenew
tivists came to the support of
organization,RepublicanSinn
leadership have beenunhappy
the Provisionals. Like Flan-.F
Fein.
with.theinefficiencyand
nery.manywereSoutherners'
Immediately the phone lines
political conservatism of.
whohadleftIrelandafterthe.
to America were burningup Noraid. However; the Adams
Irish Civil War and had a deep.
with appeals to Flannery andleadership has tried to avoid a
mentinDublin,which theyfeltinGalvin,Noraid's publicityyear formerRAChief-
hadsoldoutthe'strugglefora:
director,supported theleader
Staff:Seamus Twomey.wns?
unitedIreland:
shipin:Ireland but-Flannery.
sent fothe U.S:to smooth ru/1
After' the 1981hunger:and anumber-of prominented feathers.whire Twomeys
the Provos.that political:supAmerica were'coming out for theissue*with.him.on a
port in the Irish Republicwas.Republican SinFein Many:number ofoccasions-but.re
effective force:A new anding. However, unlike the splitNowRSF have set up.the
emergedbased mainly. inintact. RS.Fwere left without performthe same functionas
around GerryAdams.This
ssupportedtheIRAclaimingisaclearaftemptontheirpart
supplanted Rory OBrady andallthe while thatitspoliticaltocutintothefundraising
the Republic: Adams was in-This left-Flannery and hisneryhasjoined themis ama
creasingly.of.the.opinion that..associates.with-a problemjor boost;given his.enormous
for. the Provos·to be of any.Noraid'supporters intheUSprestigeamong Irish
elections'in.the Republic and
than with any politicarparty.. tivists.How,long Flannery.can
take.their seats if.elected..
Without an armed wing.the;aisoretain his membership of
F81/00J