Something to declare
THE IRA's policy is to advance with the ballot paper in one hand and an armalite rifle in the other. At present, the IRA is able to conduct the policy in local govern- ment through its 'political wing', Sinn Fein. The Government has produced bold prop- osals to prevent this abuse. It wants to institute some form of declaration against terrorist violence which all councillors in the province would have to make. The provisional form of the declaration is, 'I declare and undertake that if elected, I will neither support nor assist the activities of any organisation proscribed by law in Northern Ireland.' The imposition of such a form of words is wholly justified: it avoids raising painful questions of national allegiance which are not strictly relevant to local government, and merely insists on a minimum without which local government cannot be safely carried on. In mainland Britain, there are, of course, many candi- dates (though very few elected) who favour revolutionary or terrorist violence, but their support for violence is mostly ab- stract. To favour violent groups in North- ern Ireland is to support people who are actually killing your neighbours: for coun- cillors to do so is to support people who are often killing employees for whom those councillors are responsible. The declara- tion is, quite simply, a basic necessity for decent local government. It is not intended to have wider political implications, which is why it has been announced by the Northern Ireland local government minis- ter, Mr Richard Needham, and not by Mr Tom King. The chief problem is a practical one. Should the declaration be made by all candidates, or only by all these elected councillors? The Government wants the former, arguing that enforcing it only on the elected would lead to lurid by-elections and complaints of frustrating the popular will. We, however, would tend to let them stand, but not to sit. Sinn Fein cannot complain much of being denied seats on bodies whose legitimacy they reject, whereas the effective electoral proscription of Sinn Fein may increase public sympathy. But this, though important, is a secondary detail which can be sorted out in the discussion period. The Government's scheme is bold and right.
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