Instead of blaming unionist misrule as the source of sectarian division here in the six counties the blame is very subtly aimed at the existence of our Catholic schools and no other denominational schools.
And so, the ambition then of pro-integrationists is to bring us back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when in 1695 penal laws forbidding Catholics to have their rights to have their Catholic schools and educate their children. Their aim is to divest the Catholic Church of its right to have a Catholic ethos of education, just like King Henry VIII, in order to wipe out the Catholic religion, ordered the dissolution of the Catholic monasteries and had the priests executed.
They tell us that through a system of integrated education ‘children of all religions and none, will grow up with understanding, tolerance and respect for each others cultures. They ill not wish to remain part of our divided society”.
That has not been my experience of so-called integrated education. Within that system there was no such thing as parity of esteem. It was mostly about fostering a pro-British and Protestant ethos. British royalty was put on a par almost with God.
Whenever I dared to use my right to speak in our native Irish language I was verbally mocked and told “none of your foreign talk here”. Respect? Tolerance?
Of course Irish is forbidden to be taught in an integrated school because as we have been told ‘it would offend the Protestant side’. Parity of esteem?
No recognition, except when being sneered at by some, was ever given to our dearly held Catholic religious beliefs or special feast days within our Church calendar. It was as if our religion didn’t exist – all about alienating us from our true identity.
Looking back on my experiences I can’t help cynically smiling at how it used to be said – ‘how well we all get on together here’.
In fact, it was those experiences that led me to not wanting to remain within that system.
And my difficulty and bewilderness in trying to understand it sparked a curiosity in me to do a study of Irish history.
What a revelation. Britain brutally forced our country into submission and partition and imposed a sectarian Orange state – a Protestant parliament for a Protestant people. Partition required repression and discrimination against Catholics to sustain its existence, to keep it steeped in sectarianism and division.
No political set-up could survive against that such background. Hence the current collapse of Stormont.
Hands off our Catholic schools. Forget about trying to strip us of our true Irish and Catholic identity and wanting to force us to remain within a divided/partitioned country.
Put the blame where it truly belongs – Britain’s responsibility for the brutal division/partition of our country and 50 years of sectarian, anti-Catholic unionist misrule here in the six counties.
C HUGHES
Belfast BT7
Alternative course of action to triggering Article 50
Are there any alternatives to helplessly waiting for the prime minister to trigger Article 50 and the UK’s exit from the European Union?
On the face of it, not much.
But we’re rapidly approaching an interesting centenary that might suggest that there is an alternative course of action.
As we’re all aware, Westminster elections during 1918 returned 73 Sinn Féin MPs out of the 105 Irish seats in the House of Commons and instead of taking their seats they established the first Dáil Éireann from 1919-1921.
Although this act of defiance caused a constitutional crisis at the time it wasn’t enough to cause irreparable damage to the United Kingdom.
Almost a century later and the pro-EU Scottish National Party (SNP) now hold 56 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats.
Were the SNP to withdraw their 56 MPs from Westminster this would cause a constitutional crisis that would arguably lead to the dissolution of the UK.
Each of the four nations would then be in a position to negotiate directly with the EU – and from inside the EU – as independent states without the onerous need to trigger article 50 and all that entails.
We would still have the British-Irish Council (BIC) locked into the EU as it was created under the Good Friday or Belfast Agreement and it also precedes the 2007 Lisbon Treaty establishing the EU constitution.
This would effectively transform the BIC into a body similar to the Scandinavian Council in which some members are inside the EU while others remain outside.
An independent NI within the EU would benefit from unfettered access to a market of 500 million people, but through the BIC could still retain key benefits associated with the UK.
BERNARD J MULHOLLAND
Belfast BT9
Derry people want ‘action this year’
Sparks must fly from their heels as they walk into Stormont – in their determination to get Derry its fair ‘helping’ of proper 21st Century manufacturing jobs.
That’s what Derry folk want their new MLAs to do. And that’s why Derry folk must tackle candidates on the doorsteps on their proper jobs for Derry strategy.
New 21st century high-end, well-paid jobs are booming in and around 20 miles of Belfast.
The aerospace sector – making parts and fitting out products for aircraft is one example. Thompson Aeroseating in Portadown for instance makes hi-tech seats for passenger planes. They recently increased their workforce from 224 to 285.
Another massive job generation success story in and around Belfast is the life science sector. All the products you see in Boots are manufactured in a life science factory. Life science employs approximately 7,000 according to Invest NI.
Isn’t it time Derry too got its helping of life science jobs?
Winston Churchill had a slogan regarding urgent matters – ‘action this day’.
So Derry people’s slogan for MLA candidates must be ‘action this year’, If elected, to get proper well paid 21st century jobs into Derry.
TOM BRADLEY
Derry city
Playing politics with our health
Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill correctly wishes for £31m to help reduce the thousands of people on waiting lists for more than a year who are seeking treatment.
Her party collapsed Stormont and forced us into a unnecessary election and then she complains about underfunding – funding which no doubt I believe the British government will cough up. You can’t throw money at a dysfunctional Stormont with all departments, including health, all over the place with political instability and people’s health being the victim of politics.
We have given Sinn Féin and the DUP 10 years to deliver us healthy government which they flat-lined on.
Time to try out a new remedy and dispense with SF/DUP into the surgical waste bin.
JOHN McCABE
Newry, Co Down
Ireland should put itself first
Is it considered smart in DUP circles to set their faces against the Irish people, culture and language? This seems to be the case since partition, which was established against the wishes of the vast majority of the people. Democracy was denied with conviction and force, resulting in the mess we have today.
Irish is the ancient tongue of this island and threatens no-one.
It’s high time the people of this island decided to put Ireland first in every way and together map out our own destiny using our many talents to build a country of equals.
Britain will always put itself first and that doesn’t include us in the north.
Imagine going to live in France, Germany or Italy and proceeding to attack their culture and sneer at their language. So why is it considered alright here?
‘A country divided against itself must fall’.
Now where is that written?
SEAMUS MacDAIBHID
Dungiven, Co Derry
