Unionists in Northern Ireland have long suspected a passive struggle in the Republic to unify right up to the present day. This may be true despite the formal changes to the Irish Constitution and Good Friday Agreement (GFA).
Unionists are always on their guard and this is obvious when there is the mere mention of new north/south talks. Even though the Republic has no day-to-day interest in Northern Ireland, it still gets cocky from time to time in examining whether there is a shift in thinking.
The decision on Brexit gave such an opening in the minds of some for a new forum and the possibility of overtones to a border poll towards a united Ireland, as Sinn Féin wanted recently.
Unionists and the majority of nationalists who want to stay in the United Kingdom, as several polls have shown, are not seeking a united Ireland or the re-entry of the Republic into the United Kingdom which they could do, so why should the Republic or republicans always believe it is appropriate for them to seek constitutional change of some kind?
The Republic can hardly believe it can offer unionists or nationalists in Northern Ireland a better way of life in any case, given that much of the Republic is decadent, indolent and smothered in Catholicism.
The irony of the Republic’s occasional interest in Northern Ireland to see if there is a shift is that it, like Sinn Féin, haven’t a clue how it would all work.
Sinn Féin at this stage of the game may be living in hope, rather than expectation. So why should unionists be impressed or take any interest in a notional concept of it?
Republicans and the Republic are going after a castle in the sky in ‘dreaming’ about a united Ireland and it is getting ridiculous.
We are blue in the face with dogma such as “our day will come and a united Ireland is inevitable”.
Dogma that has become very frayed over the passage of time, with ‘time’ being the herald of truth in the absence of such dogmatic prophesies. Climbers who scale high mountains and do not plan ahead in approaching it, almost always get into very severe trouble and die in the attempt.
The Republic and hard-core/die-hard republicans have no right to provoke a united Ireland, when they have not properly conceived of it.
And if the only reason why Sinn Féin are in existence is to bring about a united Ireland, then they should close up shop as they are living in a void of substance and that of the Republic with its occasional interest in the concept.
MAURICE FITZGERALD
Shanbally, Co Cork
Proliferation of loyalist flags deterring tourists
Tourism is now one of the main economic drivers which Newry Mourne and Down District Council is continuing to actively promote as part of its corporate plan strategy for the council region as a tourist destination.
Newry Mourne and Down District Council Tourism & Events teams are working very hard to promote tourism areas, such as Dundrum, and deliver a tourism product for the betterment of the people in this area.
Therefore I was greatly disappointed to learn of a business owner in Dundrum who was left a message on his phone from a party of American tourists.
They had travelled from Belfast specifically to visit the restaurant in Dundrum. Once they got to the village they turned around again because they felt uncomfortable with the flags.
This is their feedback not the business owner’s. How deeply disappointing it is to learn of international tourists deciding not to stop in Dundrum village because of the proliferation of flags.
If both council and business owners in Dundrum are seeking to attract and encourage visitors and tourists to stop off in places such as Dundrum then there needs to be to a solution to the whole issue of flags flying as this is totally detrimental to business and tourism in the village.
This is not and isolated incident or the first time that I have been made aware of tourists cancelling restaurant bookings when they arrived in Dundrum in July and August.
People should realise that by their actions when they erect these flags over the peak tourism season all they are actually doing is discouraging tourists from stopping, when in fact it is the total opposite of what council and business owners are trying to do.
Cllr PATRICK CLARKE
Independent,
Newry Mourne and Down District Council
Radical suggestion
As each day passes one man-made atrocity after another occurs where humanity is treated with disdain by the slaughter of innocent people irrespective of gender, age or national identity.
We had a coup in Turkey that cost more innocent lives, grief and hardship.
Only those who wear blinkers refuse to see that such atrocities will continue for a long time to come and threaten the collapse of the European Union.
When that happens (and it will) where does the Republic (or Scotland) go then?
Recently there has been an acceptance of detente between Britain and the Republic. As Britain has now got a new prime minister, who has already intimated that she favours unity of the people of these islands, perhaps she may consider it would be prudent to offer the Republic to rejoin the commonwealth.
Yes, this suggestion would undoubtedly be treated with anathema by those holding republican views but it would be interesting to see what the result would be if a referendum was held, where all the people of Ireland, voted to decide their future?
HARRY STEPHENSON
Kircubbin, Co Down
What a friend to have
With Martin McGuinness clearly remarking on the loony right-wing of the Tory party having too much of a say on Brexit, how embarrassing it must be that one of Sinn Féin’s most important supporters has rallied behind Donald Trump to be the next president of the US.
Peter King, being co-chair of Congress’s Friends of Ireland body makes him an influential person. He is a keen supporter of Sinn Féin and a close ally of Gerry Adams.
Sinn Féin’s left-wing credentials must be sorely tested by having such a right-wing politician on their cheer leading team.
Peter King is well known for his conservative Catholic views. These must really sit well with Sinn Féin’s support for marriage equality and limited access to abortion.
Maybe Sinn Féin and Peter King should have a skype session to make clear to each other their actual political positions. Sinn Féin backing Donald Trump would indeed be an interesting thing to see.
IAN HOEY
Lisburn, Co Antrim
Loyalists don’t want to share
The amount of mixed housing estates in Northern Ireland with union flags and flags of St George hanging from every pole is a disgrace.
In a society where we are meant to be respectful of each other’s traditions it seems loyalists don’t care – their flags are up everywhere. It is meant to be a shared space.
I haven’t seen one Irish Tricolour up in Portadown, yet every mixed housing estate in the town is plastered with every kind of British flag, not too mention the three months of parading we get through the town.
It seems loyalists don’t want to share this part of our island.
DERMOT SPOLLEN
Portadown, Co Armagh
