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The restoration last
Saturday of the political institutions and the election of Michelle O'Neill as
First Minister marks an extraordinary turning point in the process of
constitutional change for the North and for the island of Ireland. It is a
significant new chapter in the transitional process of change that began with
the peace process. Last Saturday something fundamental happened.
In its century of
existence the northern statelet reflected the ethos and wishes of those who
ruled us. It was born out of colonialism, occupation, conflict, sectarian
division, fear and partition. Under successive unionist and British regimes it
relied for its survival on special powers, structured inequality and
discrimination. Up to this point the northern state has had 11 unionist Prime
Ministers and First Ministers and a succession of largely mediocre British
Secretaries of State who saw their role as shoring up unionism and defending
partition and the union. Last Saturday that changed. A Republican is now First
Minister. Structures foisted on us to block this from ever happening have
crumbled.
In 1998 the Good
Friday Agreement began the challenging process of unravelling all of this. It
provided for a level playing field on which all of the political parties can
present their analysis; promote their policies; and advocate for their
objectives – Irish Unity or Union with Britain – while requiring that they
accept the outcome of the democratic process.
On the core issues of
Irish Unity or the Union the Agreement recognised that it is for the people “of
the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively
and without external impediment, to exercise their right of self-determination
on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to
bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish, accepting that this right
must be achieved and exercised with and subject to the agreement and consent of
a majority of the people of Northern Ireland.”
The Agreement also
provides for referendums North and South and if in the future, the people vote
for Irish Unity there is a “binding obligation on both Governments to introduce
and support in their respective Parliaments legislation to give effect to that
wish.”
Of course, British
governments are not renowned for honouring commitments. Last week, following
his deal with the DUP, British Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris claimed
that any change on the North’s place in the union “would absolutely depend on
the consent of both communities.” Not true. Any change will depend on a
democratic majority in a referendum voting for unity.
That places a
significant onus on republicans who want maximum constitutional change and a
new Ireland – united and independent - to engage positively with those who do
not share our vision of the future or with those who are unsure what that
future should look like.
Michelle O’Neill will
carry out her duties and responsibilities honestly and with diligence. As First
Minister she will advocate for every citizen, and for every family irrespective
of their attitude to the Union or Irish Unity. She will defend the right of
every citizen, of every family, to choose their preferred future. But as a
committed Irish Republican activist and leader she will also work to advance
the objective of Irish Unity. These are not contradictory positions. They are
complementary.
Michelle’s speech to
the Assembly is evidence of this. It was a confident, well delivered
wide-ranging manifesto for change for the future. It spoke of the need to
deliver “for all our people, for every community” and to make “life better for
workers, families, communities.”
Michelle acknowledged
that the new Executive will “face great challenges” and it will. Not least
because of the stranglehold British governments – Tory and Labour - have over
the North. Among these she identified the rising cost of living, patients
waiting for treatment and support, workers on the picket lines, the need for
childcare supports, social and affordable housing, key infrastructure
development projects, the climate crisis and Lough Neagh, and using the Windsor
Framework to advance the all-Ireland economy. She identified the epidemic of
violence against women and girls and said she would prioritise a new strategy
to tackle this.
She expressed her
sorrow for all the lives lost during the conflict. And she committed herself to
the work of reconciliation.
Michelle spoke for all
of us who have watched in horror the Israeli government’s genocide against the Palestinian
people when she called for an immediate ceasefire. For dialogue and peace.
Last Saturday was a
good day. Everyone who made a stand over the decades or in more recent times
should be proud of the progress we have made. Inevitably there will be many
challenges. The Tories in London are not our friends. And the Executive is a
coalition of parties with widely different opinions. But with good will and
respect we can make it work.
Alex Maskey
Before the business of
electing the Ministers my friend and comrade for many years Alex Maskey finally
got the opportunity to step back from the Ceann Chomhairle’s office.
Four years ago years
Alex was elected Speaker and he did that job intelligently, fairly and
patiently. His time was up in 2022 but because the Assembly was suspended Alex
continued to play that role for the last two years.
He took a number of
very worthy initiatives even though the Assembly was suspended. They
included A Youth Assembly made up of ninety young people aged from
thirteen to eighteen. He also convened A Women's Parliament and an Assembly for
Citizens with Disabilities.
He met foreign
delegations and hosted others interested in the Good Friday Agreement and the
peace process. Last year he was front and centre in Parliament Buildings for
the 25th celebration of the Good Friday Agreement.
The respect and esteem
in which he is held was evident at the weekend in the unanimous words of praise
and thanks he received from all sides of the Assembly.
It was a far cry from
Alex’s first entry into elected politics in 1983. In June that year he was Sinn
Féin’s first Belfast City Councillor. He ran a gauntlet of abuse from
unionists. They refused to talk to him. They tried to shout him down, sounded
horns, blew rape whistles, threatened him. He was the target of constant
harassment by the British Army and RUC and the victim of several assassination
attempts by unionist death squads, including one in which his friend Alan Lundy
was shot and killed in Alex’s home and another in which Alex was gravely
wounded. Undaunted by all of this Alex went on to become the first ever Sinn
Féin Mayor.
Alex has committed
himself to continuing his activism and to the goal of Irish Unity and to the
principles and objectives he has dedicated his life to. So, well done Alex and
well done also to Liz, an activist in her own right. She has been by his side
through all of these years. Ádh mor oraibh a chairde.
Ivor Browne
Ivor Browne died last
week, aged ninety four. I admired him a lot. And I’m glad to say I met him a
few times. He was one of the world’s leading and pioneering psychiatrists. As
President Micheal D Higgins said he ‘…left a profound mark on the understanding
and attitudes to mental health in Ireland’. A visionary and a doer Ivor
dismantled mental institutions and developed community clinics. He was a
revolutionary. Professor Brendan Kelly said his legacy was ‘the additional
liberty enjoyed by thousands of people who avoided institutionalisation as a
result of the reforms which Ivor came to represent’.
He spoke up on behalf
of the political prisoners, especially the Armagh Women Political Prisoners.
Speaking out in 1985 against strip searching he said: “Strip searching is a
rather violent procedure and tremendous intrusion on a human being . . . In
Ireland clothes are almost a part of a person’s body. To invade this is a
violation. It is a violent act, and I think, in this sense rapacious.”
Ivor was also a
musician and a co founder in 1959, with Garech Browne, of Claddagh Records, to
record Irish traditional music, song and poetry. Claddagh is still
thriving and wonderful elements of our rich heritage is preserved thanks to
their vision.
Ivor was also SNQ -
sound on the national question. He did great work in Derry in the 1970s and
afterwards by assisting the development of community models for
human development. My condolences to Ivor’s family. His life was a life
well lived.
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