updated as of May 08,2000
We believe that the Good Friday Agreement is the best way forward to obtaining peace in the North of Ireland.We are dedicated to ensuring that the agreement itself is not re-written by any "one" party or government, and that the agreement is followed by all parties to the letter of it's words. We lobby against any government or political party who attempts to operate outside or against the agreement.
The Save the Good Friday Agreement coalition is a non-partisan group dedicated to raising awareness of the Good Friday Agreement. We are pushing for the document's FULL implementation immediately as it is written!
We welcome all those who are supportive of the agreement and who share our opinion that this is the best way forward for *ALL*of Ireland's people, Protestant and Catholic alike.
We therefore welcome *ALL* to participate with this campaign until the Agreement is either implemented or abandoned by all parties, at which time this coalition will disband.
urgent actions required now!!
The peace process is in grave danger of collapsing due to David Trimble's attempts to hold Ireland hostage with his resignation and the British governments continued support of Unionists antics and stalling tactics. This week the British government actually passed and enacted a law to CLOSE the Northern Ireland government!!
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!
The simple fact that a "law" had to be passed proves that it is being closed illegally, this due to one mans never ending will to wreck the peace process.
We say let David Trimble resign if he chooses, if need be the British government can even "appoint" a representative to replace him and represent the Unionist people of Northern Ireland since their own representative seems unable to do the job and lead this land to peace and equality for ALL it's people!
David Trimble is NOT needed in order to move forward and the British government must stop backing him and giving him the ability to continue to act as this.
If the assembly is closed, then why stop all the other parts of the agreement? Why not continue on with the equality agenda and the North South bodies, why must the entire government and all the advances and gains over the last 6 years be ended by one mans insane actions and a government that once again proves it's weakness to stand up to Unionists un-democratic demands?
We ask you to join us TODAY, time is short, dissidents form both sides will fill the vacuum crated by the British and Unionists as was evident by a bomb which exploded in county Fermanagh on Sunday night 6th February.
THIS WILL BE OUR FUTURE UNLESS WE ACT NOW!
there are forces who want to return to violence and failed politics of the past, please help support the people of Northern Ireland by supporting this campaign fully and with all your strength and ability
We MUST not let peace end!
Join us NOW
About Us
(original campaign of 1998 below)
Simply put, we are a group of people who care about the future of Ireland and those who inhabit the island. We come from all walks of life and from all sorts of political preferences and nationalities. We are Irish, Irish-American, American, British and British-American. What we share in common is the simple belief that the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed by all parties over a year ago, forms the basis of an equality agenda which can deliver reforms to the six counties, thus allowing for equality, justice, civil rights and democracy to be enjoyed by all of the communities, not just one. We have watched the Agreement become stalled for an entire year and, more recently, effectively parked by allowing one side, one political party, to block the entire Agreement from implementation. By allowing this blocking to continue for an entire year now and, with no end in sight, the entire peace process is in grave danger of crashing down during the long summer marching season when sectarian tempers flare on both sides.
The founding members of this Campaign have become acquainted through other Irish humanitarian causes. Quite by accident, we were discussing the Agreement and it's impasse. The most important thing, we realized, was that the vast majority of the population are simply not aware that there is an answer to this situation. The answer can be found in the Good Friday Agreement itself and the Joint Frameworks Document which pre-dated the GFA and from which many of the Agreement's ideals sprang. This simple resolution, unfortunately, has continued to be overlooked while the media and public remain focused on Mr. Trimble's stalling due to his own interpretation of the Agreement and his refusal to now honor the very document he signed last April 1998, along with all other parties who signed this Agreement recognizing it as the way forward. This Campaign does not address the politics of Mr. Trimble or any of his reasons for blocking the entire government and Agreement from being delivered to the voters who overwhelmingly approved the Agreement as the future they chose for themselves and the political parties who represent them. A clear majority of 71% in the North and over 90% in the South of Ireland proclaimed loudly at the voting polls that the Good Friday Agreement was what they wished to replace the failures of the past and become the new way forward, bringing inclusiveness and equality to all sectors of the population and community, not to only a select few. The Agreement addresses the deep divisions facing Ireland's two communities by not repeating the failures of former proposals or agreements, but by allowing for and accepting that the past must not be repeated and that a fresh start must begin for all sides, without any preconditions which were always the reasons any past attempts were doomed to failure. The Good Friday Agreement is unique in that it accepts the divisions and mistrust and works past those barriers to allow all sides to begin again on a level playing field. Now, with the approval of the voters from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement enjoys a status and a position which has never been obtained with any prior agreements.
We have created a proposal and a paper that we wish to put forth to the British and Irish governments. This proposal comes directly from the community and from all sections of the community as well. This proposal; therefore, is non-partisan and is not connected to any of the political parties involved, but rather comes directly from the people who are most effected by the Agreement being parked or passed over. Those people are the people of Ireland who took the time to vote and pass this Agreement and who expected to see its full implementation. We feel strongly that the best and only way forward from this current impasse or any future impasse, is to remain dedicated to, and focused on, the only agreement negotiated by ALL the parties who represent the population of Northern Ireland.
We have watched deadline after deadline pass since last October's date for setting up the shadow executive. We have watched as those who are against peace continue their attempts to return Ireland's people to another 30 years of war and heartache. This is unacceptable! Therefore, those of us who support this Agreement, and the people who voted for it, have banded together in an effort to encourage the Agreement's implementation.
We are calling on the two governments to honor what they signed as well as the individual parties. We are calling on the two governments to act in absence of the setting up of the executive which has been blocked for an entire year now. We do not need an executive to enjoy all other aspects of the Good Friday Agreement. The fact that the executive continues to be blocked by one party of the Agreement does *not* negate the Agreement. Rather, the Agreement must be put into action by the two governments who have taken an oath to be the guarantor of democracy in the absence of a democratic process, or agreement among all those parties who negotiated and signed the GFA.
Our proposal outlines and fully covers what the responsibilities of the two governments must be, and should be, according to the very document they signed and promised to protect should any one party or person block the democratic reforms the Agreement will bring with its implementation.
So, there you have it. Our group felt that we could no longer sit quietly by and watch this situation continue to worsen and become stalled. We made the only decision we could and decided to be pro-active. We are saying that the "status quo" can no longer be allowed to continue and is *not* an option! We are saying the best and only fair and impartial way forward is to not deviate from the multi-party talks, not cherry pick the Agreement or sections of the Agreement, and first and foremost, not allow one person or party to re-write any or all of the Agreement. This can best be done by the two governments stepping up and exercising their duties and responsibilities to the public and all other parties to the Agreement, by triggering the set-up of the new government and moving forward as planned; thus honoring their promise to guarantee democracy and to ensure its place in the new Northern Ireland government based on equality for all. Please read and study our proposal called "The Way Forward" Then join with us in urging the Good Friday Agreement's immediate implementation by the British and Irish governments as was promised and spelled out within the Good Friday Agreement itself and the Joint Frameworks document.
We are a group who say "Enough is Enough " and one-sided stalling must not be allowed to continue any longer and does not negate all other aspects and reforms contained within the Good Friday Agreement. We are challenging Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, to exercise their powers and promise to the people of Ireland by implementing this Agreement now! Before it's too late.
If you don't want to wait another 30 years for peace to come to Ireland, support us now. Time is critical. Please help us "Save the Good Friday Agreement"
Our questions to the British and Irish governments are:
If you allow the actions of groups of people with guns to control whether Ireland's government is set up and the peace Agreement implemented, then we would ask you "Just who is running the show? The 71% and 90% of voters who stated they want this government set up with ALL parties in it? Or are the paramilitary groups running the show and keeping the people from the Agreement they voted for!? Where is the logic in that?
The only way freedom and peace may prevail is to not tie any groups with the guns to any parts of Ireland's government.
Otherwise, we are all held hostage by those very groups and their actions or non-actions, even though they were not involved in the negotiations or the signing of the Agreement: why should they now be given such power, enough power to control the future for the entire population? If a group does not want the Agreement implemented, all they have to do is give themselves a name and start shooting people left and right! Then, as a reward for their actions, they are given exactly what it is they want, i.e.: no government!
ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN OF 1998 DOCUMENTS LISTED BELOW
FOR new CAMPAIGN click here NOW!!!
old links below from original campaign 1998:
VIEW OUR PETITION OUR DOCUMENTS TALK TO US LIVE
ADDRESSES TO WRITE LETTERS PUBLISHED
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