Here’s Robin Swann trying to sound like a credible politician:
“Let me state very clearly that this proposal is totally unacceptable and is one example of why any reasonable person could not agree to the proposals for an Irish Language Act.”
What is this proposal? Well, it comes from the mouth of Conradh na Gaeilge’s discussion document on an Irish Language Act:
‘Ten per cent of those who are appointed [to the Civil Service] should have both spoken and written Irish in the future”.
There it is in black and white. What’s more, the Alliance Party, which is a finely balanced party, believes those advocating an Act are a bit bonkers, that they have an appetite for pie in the sky. In the words of spokesperson Kellie Armstrong, they want “…the sun, the moon and the stars options…In the early stages of negotiations we had a bilateral with Sinn Féin where that figure was discussed.”
So now the public have a firm grasp of the situation: Sinn Féin is intent on an Irish Language Act, and it is determined it will be mandatory for 10% of civil service recruits to be fluent in Irish.
Only hold on. Run that Conradh na G statement past me again?
“Ten per cent of those who are appointed should have both spoken and written Irish in the future.‘
So is it asking for the sun, moon and stars to discuss the notion that our civil service might one day have ten per cent Irish speakers and 90% English-only speakers? It would appear that’s what Kellie thinks. Even though this comes from a discussion document – the clue is in the adjective ‘discussion’, as well as the phrase “in the future”. Not “in future”, as in “from now on”. “In the future” as in “some day”. A goal. An aspiration. Yet according to the delicately-poised Alliance party, to even harbour such an ambition is to go floating around in outer space. Yet Kellie herself is aware that this is an ambition and not a requirement for an Irish Language Act; otherwise why would she add that 10% “may well be a natural progression” one day?
So why is she going on about sun, moon etc? Well here’s a suggestion. Because the Alliance Party are fearful that public perception of them might be that they’re too close to the Shinners. That wouldn’t be a healthy development, since they could lose the more anti-Shinner wing of their supporters to the UUP and the DUP. Time for the balanced party to right the imbalance.
And why does Robin Swann come out so assertively? Because as I indicated, the UUP is terrified it’ll one day go pop and vanish up its own electoral base.
In the end, when it’s claimed that Sinn Féin want 10% of civil servants to be Irish speakers, a few modifications are necessary. (i) It wasn’t Sinn Féin made the statement, it was C na G. (ii) The statement, if we don’t lop off the last few words, is a modest ambition for a growing Irish-speaking sector. (iii) Arlene Foster has already told us there’ll be no Irish Language Act under her watch, regardless of whether it aims for 0.01% or 10%. No Act. Sin é.
But the key lesson here is that a lie, ably assisted by the Shinner-bashers, will travel half-way round the world before the truth has time to get its boots on.
I don’t think 10% is unreasonable as an aspiration but the devil is in the detail.
That would be much higher than the percentage of the population claiming it as a first language.
So is it an aspiration? What does ‘in the future’ mean?
How much will it cost to train staff to this level?
As Scott has already said we are painfully short on detail here, so if anyone has any it would be most interesting.
As a fluent Irish speaker in the civil service, I think you’ll find there are already many fluent Irish speakers already employed.
Máirtín Ó Muilleoir gave a little bit of a insight on TalkBack yesterday regarding the shape of a ILA. Not enough detail mind you but enough to show rough thinking around it.
He rejected the 10% of civil servants would need to be fluent Irish speakers, saying that it wouldn’t be compatible with fair employment laws anyway . He seemed to suggest that a IL commissioner wouldn’t carry legal authority but act more as a spokesperson/representative for the language and he rejected universal signage only seeing the need for it in strongly republican areas (which happens anyway) and perhaps motorways.
The more I listen to this the more I think that on details there isn’t a wide margin between what SF and what the DUP (probably) would support. It seems the sticking point is as usual politics. SF need a standalone ILA to give them any credibility with their electorate. It’s the bare minimum they could accept. The DUP backed themselves into a corner saying their wouldn’t be a ILA and have since tried to use a “culture act” or “minority’s language act” to give themselves a escape route out of that cul de sac.
It really does seem to be a battle over the naming of the bloody thing. Despressing situation if that’s the case.
My humble suggestion would be twin acts. A standalone ILA and a Ulster-Scotch/Culture act. Perhaps that’s a way to move beyond this whole farce.
Ps I think SF missed a trick though when they chose Michelle O’Neill as their northern leader. Máirtín Ó Muilleoir would have made a excellent leader in my opinion.
It is honourable to promote and encourage the use of the Irish Language.
But if you have a sick child in hospital, are on a waiting list, or waiting for the next school or public sector closure, this impasse over implementation of an ILA will be the least of your worries.
I don’t need any Stormont Act to tell me that I’m Irish or that I should be respected. The unionist opposition to an ILA is nothing more than a sign of their ever increasing inferiority complex. Nationalists should stand proud. Be bigger than the squabbling gutter politics of the DUP who clutch to a deteriorating anti-culture. Go onto Stormont, represent your constituents, get health and education working and the rest will follow. The electorate will reward those who are truly progressive.
Have I missed something here? Are the hospitals all closed? Are they due to close? Are the schools not opening in September? If ,as the SDLP mini party, got their way and prostituted themselves in Stormont would all the waiting lists disappear? Were there none of these worries before the Republican electorate decided that their noses had been rubbed in the dirt long enough? What we have had enough of is the shameless power seeking of the APNI, SDLP and UUP.
Fiosrach I accept there wont be Armageddon without Stormont, but there will also without be painful consequences. Sure Start and the youth Commonwealth Games are two potential consequences that spring to mind, but I’m sure there will be many many more that will never hit the headlines.
Ultimate result will be non NI ministers making local NI decisions. If it comes to that I’m happy enough but surely ideologically Republicans would be against “English ministers” making decisions in Ireland.
Does James Brokenshire as SOS not have the final say.
Is he not English, is Teresa May not English?
Have the English not been making “decisions” for 800 years re; Ireland.
The SOS becomes a hell of a lot more powerful Bridget minus a devolved government.
A worrying thing considering the lightweight we’ve got.
I’m sure there will be repercussions if republicans maintain that previous agreements must be honoured but there will also be repercussions from Brexit/ Sasamach. We will just have to get used to a world without quangos and Lordy Lordy no Commonwealth games. The Unionists here claim to be British so what changes?
Fair enough Fiosrach if your level of frustration/disillusionment with a devovled assembly has reached the point were you’d prefer direct rule (them being to only two realistic opinions long term) I can’t say I blame you. I’ve always been a devolutionist but I have to say I’ve almost given up on the thing myself.
Maybe Jim Allister is right, the things fundamentally flawed.
Do you accept the SF point of view that previously negotiated agreements have not been honoured? Do you feel it would be wise to allow an Executive to rise again? Do you think it would be possible to expect parallel talks to produce anything? Maybe if we had all agreements in place and a bill of rights, we could chance a majority coalition government but not before the unionists have publicly subscribed to equality and parity of esteem.
“Do you accept the SF point of view that previously negotiated agreements have not been honoured? ”
Yes completely, DUP should do a ILA and a Bill of rights in my opinion. The details need hammered out obviously but I agree with the principle of both. Devils in the details though.
“Do you feel it would be wise to allow an Executive to rise again?”
Yes taken in the round the assembly and our devolved government, has largely improved NI. An ILA shouldn’t cause its fall permanently. But I understand it’s deeper than simply about individual policies and more to do with trust. Neither SF or the DUP have ever liked/trusted/agreed with each other but they’ll have to find a way some level of détente if there’s going to be a Stormont again.
“Do you think it would be possible to expect parallel talks to produce anything? ”
I don’t know I really can’t answer that one.
Hospital departments are closing. No uniform grant for school children. Waiting lists getting longer……plus RHI still costing us on a daily basis.
When do you think these matters should be addressed?
At the whim of SF/DUP.
So much for the rest of us.
Martin , you’ve learned absolutely nothing….20 years of appeasement , civility and bending over backwards trying to make things work and the typical SDLP /Alliance mantra is get back in there and prostrate yourselves again…..fecking “croppie lie down ” politics …you want Sinn Féin to copy the DUP and lie to everyone, be as sleeked and perfidious as they are…..not going to happen …..what’s already been agreed must be implemented , in full , and then discussions will start about a resurrected government.
So the real story here is the Alliance party’s (well 1 member anyhow) inability to distinguish between Conradh na Gaeilge & Sinn Fein.
Also they seem unable to distinguish between a demand or the insistence that 10% of civil servants be fluent Irish speakers as opposed to an aspiration that 10% be Irish speakers.
Is this a simple case of Kellie Armstrong not thinking things through before she spoke publicly ?
Carál Ní Chuilín as Culture minister launched a consultation on proposals for the described ILA in 2015. This is probably where the assumption of what they want as a ILA is coming from.
If SF would like to fully explain in detail the ILA they want I’m all ears. Myself and I’m sure many others would love to know.
Yea
Kellie didn’t get anywhere near as wound up about the Portadowm Orangemen’s aspiration to march down the Garvaghy Road conveyed to Arlene & Co as they headed for Downing Street, or their thinly veiled reminder (warning) that it was their votes that got them elected in the first place.
The reaction of a so called moderate party to an ambition to have 10% of our civil service being proficient in Irish (at some undefined point in the future) tells us all we need to know about how far Irish speakers have yet to go in gaining a standing for the language in our society.
Only a stand alone Act can develop Irish and create the conditions for its next stage of development. This battle can not be lost.
Both phrases were in Irish so you can see how a letsgetalongerist would get confused. By the way, jude, why do posts appear an hour behind real time? Not that important but I’m curious. And the Irish speakers, being bilingual, will be able to cover English language jobs as well if clients as Gaeilge are scarce.
The percentage of civil servants in the Republic who are able to provide services in Irish would be much less than ten percent. That’s after 13-14 years of compulsory education in Irish. So the suggestion that 10% of civil servants in Northern Ireland would be able to is ludicrous.
You know this or you think this?
Apart from the incomprehensible grammar are you sure that compulsory Irish came in 14 to 15 years ago? For whom?
*13-14
Apologies frazzo. Makes much more sense now.