Opinion

Deaglán de Bréadún: The more politics changes, the more it stays the same

Mary Lou McDonald is due to become Sinn Féin leader on February 10
Mary Lou McDonald is due to become Sinn Féin leader on February 10 Mary Lou McDonald is due to become Sinn Féin leader on February 10

ONE morning when she was reading the newspaper over breakfast, my dear late mother remarked: "It must be tough for those reporters, finding something new to write about every day."

Little did she know at the time that her youngest son, namely myself, would end up in the news business.

Her words come to mind now, as one considers the repetitive nature of political events on this island.

That poses a challenge for us journalists and it reflects the fact that the politicians need to do more to move things on and set the world to rights, which is supposed to be the reason they are in the game in the first place.

When a majority in the south voted by referendum in 1983 to introduce a constitutional ban on abortion, that was supposed to remove the issue from the political agenda once and for all.

Mainstream political leaders yielded to pressure from the anti-abortion lobby, with very little fuss, and the electorate voted two-to-one in favour of the measure.

But as a bearded gentleman once said of a certain guerrilla organisation, the issue hasn't gone away you know.

Thirty-five years later, it is still on the agenda and, heaven help us, a further referendum is looming.

The date being mentioned in political circles is Friday May 25, when students - seen as more likely to vote for a removal of the ban - are still at college. Another priority would doubtless be to ensure it takes place before the visit of Pope Francis in August.

Although the amendment promoted by the pro-life lobby in 1983 was meant to put the controversy definitively to rest, it has not succeeded in that regard.

Now it is the pro-choice people who are arguing for constitutional change, but there is no guarantee either that they will achieve closure.

One of the problems is that, when the public are asked to vote on removing the ban, they will naturally expect to know what type of legislation on abortion will be introduced subsequently.

There is an influential school of thought that abortion should be legalised on an unrestricted basis up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, but if the electorate are presented with that scenario it could well jeopardise the referendum result from a pro-choice viewpoint.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, or rather Stormont, talks about the restoration of power-sharing drag on, a long and dreary year after the collapse of the Executive.

At time of writing there appear to be glimmers of hope but it is hard to condone the failure to reach an acceptable compromise after all this time.

Major international figures played key roles in securing the Good Friday Agreement which has served as an inspiration and role-model to other conflict zones.

It would be frankly shameful if the 20th anniversary in April were allowed to pass without a settlement.

Political leaders who may be under pressure from their backwoods element should take their courage in their hands, just as their counterparts did on that famous occasion back in 1998.

On a more positive note, it was encouraging to see the dissident republican group that calls itself Óglaigh na hÉireann announcing an open-ended ceasefire.

Whatever injustices may exist in the north - there are plenty in the south as well - they do not justify a resort to violence.

Among other things, that rules out attacks on the police force, whatever its faults may be, and it is especially disturbing that officers seem to have been specifically targeted on the basis of their religious background.

We are now only 12 days away from the formal rubber-stamping of Mary Lou McDonald as Sinn Féin's new president at a special ardfheis on February 10.

On the off-chance that she might be interested in advice from this long-time observer, it would be as follows:

1. If there is a reasonable deal with the DUP on the table at Stormont, go for it and show that your party is purposeful and committed to harmony between the two main communities.

2. Sort out your party's internal problems in the south that are generating so much bad publicity, with allegations of bullying and ostracisation.

3. Don't go too far on the liberal side in the abortion debate - your party is committed to removal of the constitutional ban, but sending out a more permissive message could frighten a considerable element of the electorate into voting the other way.

Most of the opinion polls since Leo Varadkar took over from Enda Kenny show Fine Gael ahead of the other parties and Sinn Féin will be hoping Mary Lou's ascension will have a similar effect on its ratings.

Although his judgment in a crisis is open to question, Varadkar has been creative and innovative in some respects and a comparable approach by Mary Lou could also pay dividends.

Ddebre1@aol.com