Shorn of all the self-congratulation, the bluff and bombast and empty gestures, Mike Nesbitt’s speech to his conference on Saturday was simply an elaborate smokescreen to avoid sharing power with Sinn Féin.
A lot of observers were taken in by what appeared to be a presentation of a new liberal unionism if you can imagine such an oxymoron. It was nothing of the kind.
Nesbitt’s performance was as usual just plámás devoid of substance or logic. Yes, he talked about the Irish language but offered nothing concrete. He declared that those who opposed same sex marriage are on ‘the wrong side of history’. Does that mean he thinks history is the future? Is history predetermined? In any case two days later he was on the radio announcing he opposed same-sex marriage thereby putting himself ‘on the wrong side of history’.
In the whole of his speech there wasn’t a single policy. He mentioned as many different topics as he could, sounding like Lord Ronald in Canadian funny man Stephen Leacock’s book who, ‘flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions’. Not quite. The only directions Nesbitt rode towards were places where he has no power or authority to do anything.
On both an Irish language act (which he didn’t promise) and on same sex marriage he knows perfectly well that the DUP would put down a petition of concern to block them. So it’s easy to sound liberal even though his rhetoric is totally opposite from his actions. However on important matters affecting everyone in the north and over which he might have some ability to bring about change, like flags and parades, not a single word. This omission amounts to a classic example of the type of political cowardice which has characterised unionist leaders of all stripes.
On the current political crisis for which Nesbitt bears the main responsibility since his precipitate and irresponsible opportunism almost led to the collapse of the executive, he has now adopted exactly the same idiotic stance as David Trimble more than a decade ago.
Trimble was constantly setting conditions for Sinn Féin which were not in the Good Friday or indeed any subsequent agreement. Trimble used to tell Sinn Féin when the IRA had to decommission despite the decommissioning body being responsible. When the IRA didn’t comply Trimble then had to stomp out because his deadline hadn’t been met.
Nesbitt is now demanding Sinn Féin admit the IRA still exists before he agrees to go into an executive. In other words, an impossible condition, a way to avoid sharing power with the majority representatives of northern nationalists.
Sinn Féin have done everything required of them by all agreements they signed up to since 1998. The British and Irish governments agree they operate by exclusively peaceful and democratic means. The report on paramilitary groups which unionists demanded and was written by the PSNI and MI5 says the IRA ‘remains committed to the peace process and its aim of achieving a united Ireland by political means’.
Who is Mike Nesbitt to invent unilaterally another set of criteria for sharing power? The answer is quite obvious. He is a unionist leader in the antediluvian mould of previous unionist leaders. As soon as republicans concede one demand he presents another.
Still, the good thing abut Nesbitt is that his demands are infinitely rubbery. Remember he wasn’t going back into talks until the IRA’s existence was number one on the agenda? Then it wasn’t, but he was back in.
The laughable consequence of all his grandstanding to discommode the DUP is this. Suppose next May the UUP get back the three seats of former MLAs who defected or Nesbitt expelled, and maybe a couple more with the DUP losing say, four or five seats to them and the TUV. The SDLP, with McDonnell having beaten Eastwood, still carrying his china shop around with him, lose seats to Sinn Féin. Nesbitt’s new opportunistic hard line will then put Martin McGuinness over the line to be First Minister.
Still, maybe that’s what he wants. It would mean unionists wouldn’t have to share power or ‘go into coalition’ as Nesbitt puts it because of the peaceful IRA. Confused?
