not a member of Sinn Féin

Fanny Garrison "I'm a Writer"

How I Saw 2001 The year 2001, like all years, was eventful. I went to many events during the year 2001. My good friend Paddy Magee, a leading republican, wrote a book for my introduction, and I spent many fine evenings introducing him at many fine book launches, most of them in West Belfast and Dublin, but I did make it to Derry once. Some of those evenings were highlights of my year, but many other things happened in 2001 which I feel were important. In my column this week, I will tell you what they are and why I feel they were important. North Belfast is very different from West Belfast. This year saw the worst child abuse imaginable taking place on the streets of North Belfast. Innocence was lost, lives were ruined, little children were psychologically damaged. No one said a word; it does not matter if children in North Belfast or even in West Belfast are abused. Holy Cross also happened in North Belfast this year. I know this because I wrote many columns highlighting how horrible it was. I have many friends who are in government, such as Martin McGuinness, the Minister of Education, and Bairbre de Brun, the Minister for Health, both of who are my friends, although I am not a member of Sinn Fein. Stormont went through many crises this year past but through it all my good friends, many of whom are leading republicans, never went without a pay cheque or lost their jobs. All in all, when I look back, 2001 was a good year. Stormont is up and running and everyone got paid. We have the IRA to thank for that. In an unprecedented and deeply patriotic act, the IRA pretended to decommission some of its weapons so as to enrage the Unionists, placate the Americans, scare Fianna Fail, keep the British happy and manage the base. Because the IRA were so creative and imaginative, they were able to achieve their goals. The British government loves spin and appearances over substance, and the IRA move was full of that. The Americans only want the peace process to stay in place, and as we all know, there's no chance of it ever, ever, ever going away. The grassroots of the republican base will believe anything my friend Gerry Adams tells them, and this move proved just how easily they are fooled once again. This has enabled the IRA to pretend to decommission more of their weapons, which they already have but won't announce until next year. Unionists are always in a perpetual state of rage so no matter what the IRA did or did not do, that goal would have been achieved. It helps the republican base to believe our lies when the Unionists are enraged, however, so that was a masterstroke on the IRA's part. With the upcoming elections in the south looming, the IRA decommissioning was the equivalent of Sinn Fein tip-toeing up behind an already jumpy Fianna Fail and suddenly yelling "Boo!" We all fell about ourselves laughing about that one. After Gerry's speech in Conway Mill, I thought it couldn't get any better. When we left the Mill and an old man who was not Billy McKee, because I know Billy McKee and know when it is him and when it is not him, yelled out his car window as he was passing us, "You Sold Us Out, Gerry, You Bastarding Cunt!", Gerry smiled serenely. "Fanny," he said to me, "that man is old, much older than me, and he will be dead soon." "Yes, Gerry, you're right," I recall saying. "He will be dead, but I will still be a bastarding cunt," was his reply. "Yes, Gerry, you're right," I remember agreeing. But the year did get even better than that. We ended our year on a high note - reached only by the likes of Celia Cruz and Tito Puente. Yes, we ended our year in Cuba. It was just like the Godfather II, only better, because instead of Fredo, Gerry Kelly, another good friend of mine, was there. And he took us to all the best nightclubs, just like Fredo did in the movie. We also met Castro. May 2002 be as full of as much fun and travel - I never made it to Colombia last year but many of my friends did - as 2001. Happy New Year! www.fannygarrison.com