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A Little Englander is someone who thinks that England and the English are superior to all other countries and people. Many people think their country is better than other countries. And some are. At sport. Music. Human rights. Opera. Tiddleywinks. Underwater wrestling. But thinking that you are genetically superior and that others are lesser inferior creatures is what underpins imperialism. It is the road to fascism. It thrives on ignorance. It is also grist to the mill of power seeking demagogues and racists. And political opportunists and tricksters looking to distract attention from their own political shortcomings.
Like Boris Johnson who
is making a mess of his government’s response to the dreadful Corona pandemic.
Cue the decision by the
Johnson government to unilaterally break the Withdrawal Agreement and Irish
Protocol that was agreed between the British and the EU last year. The
introduction of the Internal Market Bill will allow British Ministers to
arbitrarily change key elements of the Agreement. This breach of international
law is, Johnson claims, necessary to “stop a foreign power from
breaking up” the increasingly disunited ‘United Kingdom’. The
British claim that the agreement will impose a food blockade on goods from Britain
to the North; will create a “full scale trade border down the Irish
Sea”; and will destroy the “economic and
territorial integrity of the UK”.
This is the same
agreement that Johnson negotiated and signed off on last October. It was
trumpeted by him as “oven-ready” during the general election campaign in
December. It was signed into law on 20 January this year to great
public fanfare. Johnson said at the time: “Today I have signed the
Withdrawal Agreement for the UK to leave the EU on January 31st, honouring
the democratic mandate of the British people. This signature heralds a new
chapter in our nation’s history”.
His new historic chapter
didn’t survive long. Two weeks ago the British Secretary of State for the North
Brandon Lewis told the British Parliament that a new Bill to be introduced
will "break international law". The British
government’s most senior lawyer immediately resigned. In the war of words that
erupted the EU called for the scrapping of the draft legislation “in
the shortest time possible and in any case by the end of the month.” The
President of the European Council, Charles Michel, warned the British
government that any reneging on its responsibilities will mean that Britain’s
signature on everything from trade agreements to Treasury bonds will be
worthless. And five former British Prime Ministers all criticised and
challenged Johnson. The DUP supported him. Play it again Sammy. The DUP
supported him. Proof that the only thing worse than a Little Englander is a
Wannabe Little Englander who is not even English.
The Speaker of the US
Congress Nancy Pelosi pulled no punches when she declared that; "If
the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the
Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement
passing the Congress.”
Congress member Richard Neal, who is the Chair of the Ways and Means
Committee, which will have a powerful say in any economic treaty between the
USA and Britain, reminded Johnson that the USA is a guarantor of the Good
Friday Agreement; “Since the landmark peace deal was reached in 1998,
the 310-mile border in Ireland has remained frictionless and invisible. Every
political party on the island opposes a return of a hard border. I sincerely
hope the British government upholds the rule of law and delivers on the
commitments it made during Brexit negotiations, particularly in regard to the
Irish border protocols."
Antony Blinken, a
foreign policy adviser to Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, said
that Biden is committed to preserving the GFA. He tweeted "As the UK and
EU work out their relationship, any arrangements must protect the Good Friday
Agreement and prevent the return of a hard border."
Johnson however is not
for turning. To add fuel to the fire the Tories have also chosen this time to
signal their intent to reduce the influence and authority of the Human Rights
Act which became British law in 1998 and underpins the human rights components
of the Good Friday Agreement. The Act has long been a target for the
Conservatives, who under Theresa May planned to scrap it entirely. The 2020
Conservative manifesto pledged to “update” the Act and in recent days
the language from the Johnson government indicates a determination to erode
further Britain’s international obligations. In particular its about protecting
British armed forces personnel from facing legal sanctions for human rights
violations they are responsible for in Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Should we be really
surprised by any of this? A Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne obviously was. On 7
September he very stupidly tweeted : “Ireland has always accepted the
good faith of Britain in Brexit negotiations. I believe Britain will comply
with its obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement in the same way that it has
always respected its international obligations.”
Awhhh Tom. Was he
reflecting the view of An Taoiseach? Who knows? Who can tell?
At any rate it took An
Taoiseach a few days to get around to phoning Boris Johnson. As this column has
asked in the past why should Johnson take Micheál Martin seriously? Why should
anyone? Is it any wonder Fianna Fáil is floundering in the polls?
You don’t have to be an
Irish Republican to know that British rule has always been bad for Ireland.
Lest we forget Perfidious Albion has been a part of our historical and cultural
narrative for almost 900 years. And an unwanted trespasser in our nations
affairs.
So let’s remind An
Taoiseach - again- that Britain (and successive Irish governments) has not
honoured significant commitments contained in another international Treaty –
the Good Friday Agreement.
22 years later there is
still no:
·
No Civic Forum in the north
·
No All-Ireland Civic Forum
·
No Bill of Rights for the North
·
No Joint north/south committee of the two Human Rights Commissions
·
No All-Ireland Charter of Rights
In recent weeks the
British have also flouted international law and the demands of the United
Nations, aid organisations and NGOs that it stop selling weapons to Saudi
Arabia whose forces are currently involved in the worst humanitarian disaster
in the world.
So, we are in the
midst of another British inspired Brexit crisis – an international crisis. The
Good Friday Agreement is again threatened. The fragile economy of the North is
at risk. And a Brexit crash out of the EU, supported by the DUP, as this column
notes above, is looking increasingly likely at the end of this year.
In the short term the EU
and the Irish government must stand firmly against British government
intentions to tear up the Withdrawal Agreement and Irish Protocol. That is
their responsibility. But in the longer term the only viable resolution of this
issue is for an end to partition and the Union. English rule in Ireland is the
problem. The reunification of Ireland is the solution.
Let’s make it happen.
Let’s take control of our own affairs and shape a new shared, united Ireland as
the best answer to Little Englander DUPlicity.
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