10 May 1998
Opening address by Sinn Fein Vice President Pat Doherty
I want to welcome everybody here this morning to our re-convened Ard Fheis where we will deal with outstanding matters, including the election of the new Ard Chomhairle, as well as concluding our debate on the Good Friday document. This has been a busy and tiring three weeks for all of us with extensive discussions taking place in every county in Ireland. This debate has had several distinct aspects: internal for party members and external for the wider nationalist community and beyond.
We also had consultation with senior members of the African National Congress who travelled to Ireland at a moment's notice to share their experience of negotiations and conflict resolution.
There are some who have criticised us for the length of this consultation, but it is to our credit that we belong to a party that is built on the direct involvement and participation of all of its members. This is real democracy in action.
Since April 10th, people have been looking at the positive and negative aspects of the Good Friday document, something that I am sure will happen again here today.
People have voiced their concerns with the insertion of a unionist veto in the Irish constitution and with the redefinition of the nation. They are concerned that we are being cornered into something that will copperfasten partition and maintain British rule. People have also looked at the positive aspects including the all Ireland nature of the agreement, fundamental British constitutional change, the release of prisoners, the recognition of the need for a new policing service, for equality, an end to discrimination and the promotion of the Irish language.
All of this is reflected in the motions that are in front of us today both from the Ard Chomhairle, cumainn, Comhairle Ceantair and Comhairle Limistear around the country.
In examining this document and formulating its recommendation, the Ard Chomhairle looked at all of this in terms of strategy, tactics and goals. We looked at our peace strategy, the changing and developing tactics that we employ, and whether it is sufficiently transitional to bring us to our ultimate goal of a 32-County socialist republic.
At the last Ard Fheis I said we had to be sophisticated, determined and courageous. I want to emphasise that again today.
We always knew that the path to freedom was never going to be simple or straightforward. What is essential is that we are prepared to adapt our tactical positions without ever losing sight of our ultimate objectives and without ever compromising on those issues which are a matter of principle. In doing this we must never confuse principles with tactics. Tactics are there to be adapted and to be changed when the need arises but principles are there to be achieved.
What we need to focus on today is not the detail of the document - although that is very important - but whether it promotes an advance or a permanent block to us obtaining our objective of a reunited Ireland.
When we take our decision at the end of today we must leave here united and determined to move forward together into a new phase of struggle.
During the last week, David Trimble has been saying that the Union is safe - he couldn't be more wrong.
We have in this room the living proof of this lack of judgement.
We have with us a generation of men and women who brought us through the thirties, forties and fifties. We have a generation who came through the civil rights campaign and the struggle of the seventies and eighties. We also have a new generation of young people. Together, we will deliver Irish unity and independence.
You can put this in any language you want - Amandla! Tiocfaidh ár lá! . It all means the same thing. We will continue to struggle until we achieve our people's right to true freedom, real justice, and an enduring peace.