The result of the so-called Brexit Referendum brings into national and international focus the issue of Irish national sovereignty and its continuing violation by the Westminster parliament. It is inconceivable that the glaring contradiction of British occupation in Ireland and its withdrawal from the EU on the pretext of taking back its sovereignty should not now be immediately addressed.
If, as they have argued, it is for the British people to determine their own destinies they must extend that logic to the people of Ireland. It is no longer acceptable that the future of Ireland be determined by a British imposed gerrymander in the six counties. Calls for border polls are a deficient response to the magnitude of this event. Partition has no place in the exercise of Irish sovereignty – it is an imperialist relic and a continuing source of conflict between our two countries.
There is now an onus on the Dublin government to pursue the logic of Irish unity beyond the illogical and undemocratic constraints of the Good Friday Agreement. In this the centenary year of 1916 it is to the Proclamation that Dublin should ground its political and constitutional approach to Irish unity and abandon utterly its Home Rule sentiments.
We call on Irish republicans to coalesce around a renewed and contemporary republican message for the people of Ireland. We must make our voice heard to those who need to hear it. We must possess the political acumen and strength to take advantage of these significant events or watch them drift into sterile conformity. The time to act is now. The way to act is to do so together.
FRANCIS MACKEY
32 County Sovereignty Movement
Omagh, Co Tyrone
EU referendum result has potential to create a new partition
The results of the referendum defy logic and have sent shock waves through the business community who have no idea where they go from here, particularly if they are importing raw materials from other European countries in the Euro zone. In one fell swoop the cost of those materials has rocketed as a result of the collapsing value of sterling.
Billions have been wiped off the stock market which will have profound implications for tens of thousands of people whose financial security in older age hangs by a thread as pensions teeter precariously.
Of course this won’t affect those unionist politicians who were to the forefront in the Leave Campaign. Their pensions are underwritten by the government so it doesn’t matter if they play Russian roulette with other people’s retirement funds.
While I am delighted that Northern Ireland voted to remain it is devastating that we have to follow the crazy decision to leave inspired by people like Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage who are on personal crusades and quite obviously unaffected by the support they received from individuals contaminated by xenophobia.
Hundreds, indeed thousands, of workers will be affected by this decision and, of course the border is now a major issue again given that a new frontier has been created in an area of the world where borders need to be minimised and divisions need to be healed.
The assembly needs to show leadership and the First Minister needs to explain how she can represent the people when a majority of voters voted to remain within the European Union.
The secretary of state’s position is also in question, some would say untenable, and the role of the Irish government has never been more important given that they have a special role under the Good Friday Agreement to ensure that all the obstacles created by partition are addressed.
This decision has the potential to create a new partition in a part of the world where barriers need to come down and people have unfettered opportunities to reach out rather than be guided by politicians who clearly have no vision and can’t see the bigger picture.
GERRY MULLAN
SDLP, East Derry
Amicable compromise to EU vote
The recent close result in the UK Brexit referendum result from the EU amply demonstrated the blunt instrument that majoritarian democracy is. That 52 per cent of voters can prevail over the other 48 per cent on matters of such importance is not an equation likely to inspire civic contentment.
It is unlikely that Democritus ever expected his contemporaneously innovative political paradigm of 50 per cent plus one voter to remain unrefined over two millenia. And although a majority of 4 per cent of an electorate is a vast quantitative improvement, it hardly qualifies as an optimum.
Restricting voters to simplistic in/out, remain/leave responses to complex constitutional issues like Scottish independence or European interdependence was probably inadvisable retrospectively effectively forcing people’s hands, even if one appreciates the intent of avoiding ambiguity.
A qualitative take on such quantitative result would predicate that the UK was only mandated to negotiate a 52 per cent degree exit, being consequently obliged to remain to 48 per cent degree, in something approximating associate membership.
Otherwise, the most amicable compromise would be for Ireland to align with Scotland and London, with the remainder of England and Wales left to plough their own secessionist furrows.
CIARAN MAC AODHA-O CINNEIDE
Baile Atha Cliath 8
We now need a Eirexit
The EU Commission has said that it considers the application of water charges as qualifying as Ireland’s so-called “established practice” under the Water Framework Directive. This clarification means that it is now probable that the EU Commission will take action against the government if it abandons water charges.
The EU Commission has learned nothing from Brexit. They issue dictats, impose fines on governments and ignore the harsh reality that it is now politically impossible to implement water charges in Ireland. But nonetheless the commission will continue with this pig-headedly stupid dictat.
The people of England and the UK in general have led the way.
We now need a Eirexit.
JAMES McCUMISKEY
Belfast BT6
Ulster again says No
Has anybody noticed that Northern Ireland, like Scotland, did not vote Brexit but firmly wishes to remain in the European family? While Nicola Sturgeon has been showing statesmanship it took a weekend of deafening silence for the Assembly at Stormont to finally sit and debate the way ahead for our part of the island of Ireland, one senses not much longer part of a crumbling UK.
The nationalist parties and the Alliance have been leading the arguments. Let’s hope they will all now respond to the declared will of the Northern Irish voters and a constitutional convention would help.
As so often, Ulster said No.
JANE and MICHAEL CONAGHAN
Belfast BT7
