It was only last July that I was castigating Mary Lou McDonald on this page for telling northern nationalists that the time wasn’t right for a border poll. However, following a period of catch up with so-called civic nationalism that was focused on a conversation on a united Ireland post-Brexit, she now is suddenly championing a border poll. For a party whose fundamental objective is supposed to be a united Ireland, you might think that the issue of whether to hold a border poll should not be subject to the vagaries of Brexit. Indeed that party seems to be indecisive on the way ahead with Michelle O’Neill telling Sunday Politics that partition has failed but the party remains committed to the restoration of the devolved institutions at Stormont. Quite apart from the fact that these institutions have been in a state of collapse almost as long as they have been operational since the Goof Friday Agreement, Ms O’Neill’s position is totally illogical. On the one hand she espouses Irish unity, on the other she seeks to legitimise British rule through devolved institutions at Stormont. Surely the issue of Irish unity becomes a more logical solution the greater the political impasse in the six counties and the disenfranchisement of the majority of the population as demonstrated by the Brexit scenario. As a devolved appendage to Britain, the population of the six counties has been refused any meaningful say on constitutional issues. While the GFA states that it will be for the people of Ireland, north and south, to determine its constitutional status with respect of Irish unity. Clearly the constitutional status of the people of the six counties within the EU is something that they are not allowed to determine. The logic then should be that the only way to remedy this constitutional deficit is to vote for Irish unity.
On another note, there are no federal parliaments in the 26 counties and, therefore, if a united Ireland comes about there shouldn’t be any Stormont institutions, otherwise it would give people here a greater say than other Irish citizens. Why anyone would advocate for the resurrection of these institutions who favours a united Ireland is beyond me. Let’s consign them to the bin where they ought to be. They have been no more than an illusion of democracy and I would suggest that Sinn Féin’s decision to withdraw from Stormont two years ago was, again, because the party was playing catch-up with its support base.
SEAN O'FIACH
Belfast BT11
Unionists’ irony to violence emanating from political grievances
Brian Gibson crunches some numbers on what constitutes an overwhelming majority or not – ‘Brexit numbers don’t add up’ (February 13). As someone who voted no for the GFA, with a hint of a Brexiteer, he departs with a remark that unlike some of his fellow countrymen he doesn’t go around throwing rocks when he didn’t get his own way.
There’s a deep sense of irony when someone of the unionist persuasion takes a condescending view on people committing violence when they don’t get their own way given the recent violence when like-minded folk brought Belfast to a standstill with protests and riots (which included the throwing of many rocks, Brian) because a piece of cloth was taken down from a building to be only flown on designated days, following a democratic vote by elected officials in the city.
While not in contemporary times, it’s worth noting going back to the genesis of the state, that no doubt Brian sees as his ‘country’, another overwhelming majority of people (75 per cent) espoused Home Rule, a devolved form of government still under British rule. The answer from unionism was the importation of 25,000 rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition with a threat of holy war if implemented in Ulster, where they held an ever-so-slight majority. A mere few years later, another overwhelming majority on the island gave 74 per cent of the seats in an all-Ireland general election to a party that stood on a mandate of independence from Britain and again an overwhelming minority responded with threats and violence against the community they felt would harbour the views of this overwhelming majority.
I suppose unionists never did irony when it comes to violence emanating from political grievances.
PATRICK DONOHOE
Clondalkin, Dublin 22
Facts taken out of context
I take the opinions of others as one should – listen and read.
A canard that has to be confronted is Fionnuala O Connor’s repeating a patent misuse of facts – ‘Context illuminates Brexit grievances’ (February 12). It is ironic that this article involves the title context. Yet Ms O Connor evades this and does not actually address the ‘context’. How did this dreadful conflict originate? In my view she sidesteps this matter. She flags up the allegation that the IRA killed thousands of people. Yes, war does that.
I have attended many funerals and whistling was not present – sadness and grief was there in plenty.
The context of our grief and sadness, loss of freedom, loss of futures is ignored in this article. Nobody voted for partition. It took the British government and a Civil War to create what we have.
MANUS McDAID
Derry City
RTÉ must let UK listeners hear Irish viewpoint
RTÉ must use all broadcasting platforms as we approach Brexit.Radio One to London/SE England has been cut back.
This impacts on commuters limiting their ways of hearing our opinions on Brexit.
Since the foundation of this state RTÉ radio has been available across the UK.
Radio One LW 252 was threatened with closure in 2014. Public outcry and government funded research reversed this decision. A digital replacement resisted by UK diaspora has failed to launch. BBC Radio 4 shares the same broadcasting space as RTÉ. Commuters could easily retune to RTÉ Radio One LW 252 if available.
Important programmes such as BBC’s Today and Yesterday in Parliament are broadcast on the long wave band.
RTÉ must allow UK listeners to again hear our viewpoint by resuming full power at this critical moment.
ENDA O'KANE
Terenure, Dublin
Realignment of politics
The SDLP has become redundant not the SDLP per se, but the job the SDLP was tasked to do, which was find a rationale to our troubles that extended beyond two words – Brits out. The GFA was the result.
Today the SDLP has the same task which is to find a way out of the fundamentalist politics practised by SF/DUP with the added dimension of Brexit. Realignment of politics on the Island was always on the cards, not in a fundamentalist sense bowing to some notion of continuity or ‘apostolic succession’ that ignores experienced reality but in a practical sense that recognises people’s needs and hopes and fears.
A new dialogue needs to happen embracing all the people on this Island. It won’t be easy but it is necessary. The alternative is to close up into our shells and wave our own flags. Change is always difficult and politics is about vision as well as power. The SDLP has always had good people who think for themselves and are beholders to no-one but the electorate.
D HENDRON
Sion Mills, Co Tyrone
Expression of thanks
On December 5 2018 Depaul ran a street collection in Belfast to raise funds for the ongoing homelessness crisis and raised £556. We would like to thank the people of Belfast and St Louise’s Comprehensive school for all their help in volunteering.
PHILIP KEE
Belfast
