Well, no one can accuse Mary Lou McDonald of taking off her shoes and putting up her feet since she took over as Sinn Féin president. She’s done a number of things, but most importantly she’s taken by the throat the issue of a border poll and the desirability of a reunited Ireland, and slammed them down on the table. What’s more, at least two former unionist leaders have said they think it’d be a good idea to look at the notion – Mike Nesbitt and Peter Robinson are agreed at least on that. They’re not saying they’re in favour of it, they’ve just said it should be examined.
“Timid tiddiliwinks!” you snort. But here’s the thing: when did you last hear a unionist leader or ex-leader say something like that? On the contrary, it’s been all “Not an inch”, “Living in fantasyland”, “Have some sense and talk about bread-and-butter issues.”
I’ve always maintained that Irish people were capable of doing both – thinking about food on the table AND working for a reunited Ireland – but the gods have kindly arranged for a 2-in1. That is, these days when you’re talking about a reunited Ireland, you’re talking about economics – employment, earnings, personal and public finances. For which we all must give thanks to our rather scary new friend, Mr Brexit.
Wasn’t it John F Kennedy who said “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” ? Some say that Kennedy showed his ignorance of Chinese linguistics in making this assertion; but as the Italians (definitely) say, “Se non e vero, e ben trovato” – If it’s not true it should be.
Brexit certainly looks like arriving with some seriously tough times, since Theresa May and Co are at the wheel, showing all of the driving skills of Charlie Sheen after he’s been hit on the head by a bottle five minutes after snorting two lines of coke. But as those tough times rattle ever nearer, people throughout Ireland are looking at the possibilities of a reunited Ireland in the EU.
And now Mary Lou is talking about a new Ireland re-entering the Commonwealth. Talking isn’t the same as advocating, but she believes it should be put on the table for consideration: “You can hardly make that call and then say ‘We are not going to discuss any particular item’. And there are some people who believe rejoining the Commonwealth would be a worthy proposition.”
She’s right, but the population of the south, by and large, would be horrified at the prospect. They don’t mind us in the north being directly administered from London, but the notion of them in the Commonwealth touches a nerve.
Would rejoining the Commonwealth be worth it? My first instinct is a large NO. I don’t want the Queen of England as head of an organisation to which Ireland belongs, and I see little point in junkets involving the leaders of different countries sipping cocktails and wolfing down haut cuisine. There’s enough of that without us encouraging them by joining in.
But. But but but but but. Supposing that rejoining the Commonwealth and having Queen Elizabeth as its head were to be the price for having unionism opt into a united Ireland? Then I’d accept it in a nanosecond. The Commonwealth is a largely pointless institution, the queen as its head is purely symbolic. If some part of the Irish nation feels reassured by being given the opportunity to curtsey, bend and juke at will, so be it. Just so long as they don’t expect me to do likewise.
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