|
Moment for Irish unity nearly overBy John Lloyd, Reuters January 31, 2013, 11:04 am TWN    This is what can happen after more than a century of demand for Irish independence: violence, on both sides, takes time to lose its attraction, and its adherents. Yet the bid for Irish unity, which from the late sixties to the late nineties was written almost daily in blood, has failed. Now, as we're witnessing what may be its long withdrawal from politics, republicanism may not have another chance. Sinn Fein, for nearly all of its life a front organization of the IRA, has made an accommodation with unionism. Its two leaders, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness — respectively once heads of IRA brigades in the seventies and eighties — have not just implicitly accepted the partition of the island, but have called for the nationalist community to work with the police (whom they previously sought to slaughter). They have also denounced those republicans who carry on terrorism under the name of the Real IRA as “traitors to Ireland.” In a much quoted observation, the historian Paul Bew quipped that “the IRA is too intelligent to admit that they have lost and the Unionists too stupid to realize they have won.” This is what the 1998 Belfast Agreement brought. Bringing Sinn Fein in from the cold was the raison d'etre for the Belfast Agreement. At its core, it was a negotiation between the British state and a terrorist-nationalist group, of the kind Britain has often carried off through the past century. The prism through which moderate unionists see the current events is to hope that the status quo will hold. Most do not like people whom they regard as murderers or apologists for murder being deputies and ministers in the Northern Ireland assembly. But peace eases the disgust, as does a return of tourism to Northern Ireland. Many unionists, though, do not see things this way. They view the Sinn Fein Council decision to haul down the union flag as a deliberate affront, a statement of intent to whittle away the Britishness of the province. Signs and symbols are of an importance here out of all comparison with the UK mainland, where few display any kind of flag or allegiance, other than to a soccer team. The protestors were outside Belfast City Hall again this past weekend, waving both the Union flag and the banner of Ulster, signifying Northern Ireland's government from the '50s through the '70s.
2 Comments January 31, 2013 taho1221@ Never say never........ |
  | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Blogger
Google+
Live Journal
Plurk
Stumble Upon
Submit Your CommentSitemap | Top Stories | Taiwan | China | Business | Asia | World | Sports | Life | Arts & Leisure | Health | Editorial | Commentary
Travel | Movies | TV Listings | Classifieds | Bookstore | Getting Around | Weather | Guide Post | Student Post | English Courses | Terms of Use | Sitemap
Now if this repulsive author cared to look at what’s happening with the population of the north and the Scottish question it would quite obviously appear that the union is not secure it is under severe threat which leaves the unity question at the most critical stage ever so this article is rubbish the next two years shall be interesting.