It often amazes me in life how things that look potentially disastrous can be turned into a glorious opportunity, how sometimes it is possible to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. This is how I view the prospect of Brexit.
My initial thoughts on Brexit were extremely negative. However, I am now of the view that far from being a disaster for our people, Brexit could actually offer the long sought after solution to our ongoing constitutional crisis.
The creation of Northern Ireland ensured the constitutional position of that part of Ireland within the United Kingdom, thus meeting the needs of the unionist community to have their British identity enshrined in law and within a British state. This had the polar opposite effect for nationalists in Northern Ireland, constitutionally severing their connection with the rest of Ireland.
This constitutional tension exploded in violent political conflict in the late 1960s. Nationalists had no allegiance to the northern state, as its existence copper-fastened their loss of Irish identity and instead identified with the Republic of Ireland, while unionists had full allegiance to Northern Ireland and the wider UK state, with the continuation of partition in Ireland seen as the only way to ensure their British identify.
A positive development came for northern nationalists in 1973, when both the UK and the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community (EEC), now known as the European Union (EU). This meant that, for the first time since the partition of Ireland in 1921, northern nationalists were in some form of political union with the Republic of Ireland.
The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 added a further dimension to this, through the creation of the North- South bodies. A certain level of contentment was being reached by northern nationalists in terms of the level of formal recognition of their Irish identify and intrinsic connection with the rest of Ireland.
Then came Brexit, which at face value threatens all that has been built over the last 40 years.
Northern nationalists are now facing the prospect of having their connections with the rest of Ireland severed. This should be seen as concerning by unionism, but also as a unique opportunity. How so? In my view, if unionism was to agree to some form of continued EU membership for Northern Ireland, while the rest of the UK fully exited the EU, this would go a very long way to meeting the needs of northern nationalists for some form of Irish political unification. Ireland would be essentially unified at a European level.
Is this not the ultimate compromise for unionism and nationalism? Ireland politically unified within Europe but Northern Ireland at a local level remaining a part of the UK?
D MacSEIRIDH
Belfast BT11
British authorities obstructing legacy investigations
Trevor Ringland, ‘Ensure what happened in past never occurs again’ (May 5), targets the issue of ‘legacy’. He cites that an amnesty or ‘statute of limitations’ is being explored by (presumably) the British government.
His matter of fact view is that either we wholeheartedly investigate alleged criminal activities or we do not.
Why Mr Ringland cites the possibility of Sinn Féin members ‘going to prison’ and studiously avoiding loyalist/British army collusion is a matter for him.
It may surprise him that it is republicans that are pushing for legacy issues to be investigated and it is British authorities that are obstructing this.
Mr Ringland ought to note that expressed frustration of coroners when faced with a ‘wall of silence’ by British authorities.
Mr Ringland offers the view that unnecessary violence did not have to happen. He is correct. The refusal of the sectarian ‘government’ – the six counties, the ignoring by the British government of demands for change – led to a phrase that to me sums things up. It was said by Bernadette McAliskey (nee Devlin) that it was not a case of if violence broke out but when. I ask Mr Ringland does he dispute that?
I do not honestly believe that we can brush aside the legacy issue. And I say that the British authorities are the main blockers here. The idea of shrugging off the past is really avoidance behaviour.
So Mr Ringland who is blocking the necessary truth and reconciliation process?
MANUS McDAID
Derry city
Ireland is not ‘at the heart of Europe’
Britain is Ireland’s most important trading partner. A truck loaded in Belfast or Cork can be unloaded anywhere in the UK the next morning. People who say Irish companies can export to the continent instead of Britain forget the fact that very little freight sails directly to Europe from Ireland. It’s much faster and more economical to use Britain as a ‘land bridge’ as its known in the haulage industry. Most indigenous Irish companies export to the UK, not places like Germany or Poland. The Politicians in Leinster House keep saying Ireland (26 counties) is “at the heart of Europe”. Veteran journalist Bruce Arnold joked that they must never have looked at a map.
As for the £100bn bill the EU is demanding – not a hope in hell the Brits will pay that. The sleeveens in Leinster House dumped half the cost of the EU bank crash on unfortunate 26-county taxpayers after the ECB threatened that “a bomb will go off in Dublin”. This phrase must have made the justice for the forgotten campaigners wince.
MICHAEL O'FLYNN
Cork city
Plain to see why Catholics won’t join PSNI
A couple of weeks ago The Irish News reported about the low numbers of Catholic/nationalists joining the PSNI. It’s very plain to see why – the heavy surveillance of nationalist/republican communities; the stop and searches of citizens taking children to school; the constant approaches of citizens by Special Branch to become police informers.
The chief inspector (October 10) defended this tactic saying it was to keep the community safe from criminals. Why then do they not stop/search at schools in Larne? This last five years the town has been swamped with criminal/paramilitaries.
When a republican was caught with three arms dumps around Larne the place came to a standstill, arrests, searching, helicopters flying all day.
The partial policing of this force hasn’t changed since their cousins in the RUC and that’s the reason Catholics/nationalists are wary of the police service.
ALAN McKAY
Larne, Co Antrim
Honour dead respectfully
I would like to congratulate the organisers and families of the
Loughgall martyrs who organised the commemoration events which culminated in the massive 30th anniversary march attended by thousands of people of all ages from across Ireland.
The event was entirely non party political and hundreds of former republican political prisoners and republican activists were present. This was in contrast to the previous Sunday’s event organised by Sinn Féin where draped around the platform was a billboard asking people to ‘vote Sinn Féin’.
Commemorating the Loughgall martyrs should be about honouring the dead and supporting their families and not using their sacrifice for party political votes.
S FOX
Glengormley, Co Antrim
