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The idea, indeed the irony of Micheal Martin saying not enough is being done to foster understanding and co-operation on the island of Ireland between North and South is quite extraordinary and demonstrates clearly the massive rift which has formed between the Southern Irish government and Unionists in the North. Not so long ago his predecessor Leo Varadkar was cosying up to Unionist politicians in a bid to stop Sinn Fein from getting a foothold either North or South of the border. In fact many in the Southern establishment outright refused to congratulate Michelle O’Neill on her new role as First Minister designate, concentrating rather on congratulating Alliance’s Naomi Long on the middle ground which has forged a place in Northern Irish politics. The issue with cooperation lies within Unionism itself and it bleeds profusely into Unionist culture in the form of burning the Irish national flag on their bonfires. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have always had a very close relationship with Unionist politicians in the North while all but ignoring their Nationalist and republican counterparts, due one might suppose to the fact that Unionism has held Northern Irish politics in an iron grip for decades and the Southern establishment, seeing British and Northern Irish Conservatism and Unionism as more closely aligned to their own politics than nationalism and republicanism. With Brexit being the absolute disaster it is, and many warning that it would strain any and all relations between the North and the South (I can just see the DUP rubbing their hands at that one) is it any wonder relationships, cooperation, understanding and indeed trust is all but gone between Northern and Southern Irish institutions? The absolute madness that at a commemoration for Sean Lemass Micheal Martin proclaimed – “We have too often allowed the rhetoric of the headcount to replace the true republican spirit of engagement” is breathtaking to me. Saying something like this while actually refusing to talk with the biggest republican party both North and South of this island of Ireland for decades has me wondering if Micheal Martin can actually feel embarrassment at all. This also has me wondering if he is coming forward with his cooperation and understanding stance because Sinn Fein is leading the Northern Executive. A party that has brought Northern Irish republicanism along with it to where it is today. Fianna Fail’s forefather Lemass favoured an attitude of cooperation with the new political entity that was Unionist Northern Ireland. In 1965 he became the first Irish leader to visit Stormont for talks with Prime Minister Terence O’Neill. One has to wonder if his split with Sinn Fein would have given him cause to treat the current Sinn Fein differently from how the current Fianna Fail treat them. Micheal Martin went on to say – “The harsh reality is that in the past two decades we have done too little to take up the historic opportunity of the Good Friday Agreement to build understanding on this island. Northern Ireland is still largely missing from news and current affairs coverage in Dublin – appearing only when there is crisis to be covered. Therefore it is more open to being defined by the loudest voices, missing those in the middle and missing the greater diversity in society.” Micheal Martin seems to think there is a tendency to dismiss those who do not conform to a certain approach to Irish unity. A certain approach? Such as what? Democracy? Surely the GFA has enshrined in it the very mechanisms under which unity can be brought about and that is the most literal form of “headcount”. I believe what Micheal Martin is referring to here is the fact that Unionism demands that 70% or more Unionists should vote for unity before it is permitted to happen. He also thinks that Alliance, seen as the centre ground party should be given a greater say in unity, suggesting again that soft Unionists be given a greater say in discussions. The problem with that being, Alliance seems to have absolutely no interest in unity and refuses to so much as suggest that it is either pro or anti unity. If Alliance were to declare for either camp it would lose a lot of votes and indeed Alliance refused to declare itself ‘Unionist’ after the recent election when asked by voters to take the Deputy First Minister post, in an attempt to go around the DUP blockage. So co-operation is most certainly needed but clearly it is the British and Unionist sections of governments who are causing the issues, with Unionists literally telling the Irish government to keep their noses out of Northern Irish business and over the past few years being absent from the cross border committees in protest over the NI Protocol. However, something tells me in the not-to-distant future it will be the British government that will work on closer ties with the South on behalf of Unionists in the North. Sinn Fein will obviously want closer ties with the South, with a sitting Sinn Fein First Minister, as close as possible, and if there is a Sinn Fein Taoiseach sitting in the South in the near future those ties will be so close a piece of paper wouldn’t be fit to slip between them. I suppose, as always, time will tell. It’s also a great healer which is so badly needed in this country. Come what may, one thing is for certain. Northern and Southern Ireland can only get closer politically, and with Unionism diminishing as a political force a united Ireland could be closer than we think. |
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