A Republican Response

By Anthony Mc Intyre

Last August in his weekly column in the Belfast Telegraph, Malachi O'Doherty, commenting on the West Belfast play, Forced Upon Us, argued that it provided a new spin on the importance of the First World War in the development of the UVF. I never associated that UVF with those who fought at the Somme. When questioned on this topic by Jonathan Stephenson, for his book, We Wrecked The Place, my response was, rightly or wrongly, to trace the origins of the UVF to 'four or five drunks on the Shankill'.

Michael Acheson in this magazine has composed a panegyric for those who fought and/or died at the battle of the Somme. Despite its brevity it has increased my limited knowledge of the affair. It has not increased my understanding. My main exposure to the activities surrounding the 'Great War' came through James Connolly. My uneasiness with the Somme lies not in any sectarianism it may have, unbeknown to me, subsequently produced but in the futility of it all. In Connolly's view the war was utterly unjustifiable and unnecessary. Britain may have guaranteed the independence of Belgium. But would Belgium have been threatened in a warlike manner if France had not encouraged Russia to prepare to attack Germany. And would France have taken such a stance without the urging of "Perfidious Albion?"

The underlying cause of World War 1 in my opinion lay not in the defence of cultural values and a way of life but in a struggle between Britain and Germany's wealthy elite. A battle fought for control of the international economic high ground. The great irony of which was that their destructive conflict resulted in both losing this prize to the USA.

The claim that Partition was secured at the Somme still appears to me to be an attempt to attribute meaning to purposeless tragedy. Had the tenacity and bravery displayed by the 36th Division been restricted to Ireland alone, it would have provided the muscle for the unionist strategy of threat.

However, the Somme remains one of the great historic events of the last century and I doubt if we have had the last say on its consequences.