There is no reason why today, with the redefinition of what it means to be Irish, Irishness shouldn't be absolutely compatible with being British. And for republicans to ever succeed, the two cannot be considered mutually exclusive concepts. Were Ireland to rejoin the commonwealth, it would send out a message to Northern Protestants not simply that their Britishness would be tolerated (which implies a kind of reluctant acceptance) - but would be actively promoted in a united Ireland. Which is why Gerry Adams and Co. should be reaching for the commonwealth application forms.
Well, despite what the provos and other narrow-minded fascists may have argued, being "Irish" has always been "absolutely compatible" with also being British.
And I think the Republic should be joining the Commonwealth, but not for the reason that it will bring a United Ireland any closer; nevertheless, the rest of the piece is thought-provoking and well worth a read.
5 comments:
It will never happen.Why would they if as you say it would not persuade any unionist on the benfits of a United Ireland.Thanks but no thank
"Never" is a very final word and not one which I would use in the context of British-Irish relations at the present moment in history.
The potential benefits which would the ROI receive after joining the Commonwealth stand on their own (if you follow my second link, I outlined them in a previous post).
I agree to join only because you think it would prove to the Unionists that you don't really hate the Brits would be completely wrong.
I agree to join only because you think it would prove to the Unionists
that you don't really hate the Brits would be completely wrong.
Im currently just finishing a biography of Sean MacBride, leader of Clan na Poblachta, the party, who when in coalition with Fine Gael, was the driving interest in the announcement of the Ireland leaving the Commonwealth. Interestingly enough, Fine Gael was very much pro Commonwealth and even dev felt that Irelands best interests lay with working within the Commonwealth. The Irish contribution within the Commonwealth was very much seen as positive and they yielded quite an influence within it. So why did they leave. We it was nothing to do with anti Britishness. It was more a case that successive Irish governments felt that the external relations act, under which Ireland had to operate, was too undefined and restrictive and a legal mess. Confusion existed as to the exact relationship Ireland had with Britain. Breaking the link with the Commonwealth was seen as Irelands way to complete its independence, and to put control for its external relations in the place where it belonged, i.e. the Dail
. Indeed it was seen as a stepping stone to improving relations with Britain and not the opposite, as a confident independent Irish state interacting with another sovereign state. It offered the Irish state the ability to finally assert its influence on the world stage, which it did, in the council of Europe, the OEEC and so on...
As to whether or not Ireland could ever rejoin. Im not sure. Ireland has shown that it doesnt have a problem with pooled sovereignty, or with economic or political cooperation. The thing is, there is no demand out there from the Irish public to join. Not because of any anti Britishness, although there would be eyebrows raised over joining an organisation headed by an unelected monarch, but more because I doubt that Irish people on the street could see any benefit in it.
Im sure Unionists would see through any attempts by the Irish government to join where the only goal was appeasement. However, were the Irish government, upon joining, to adopt a constructive policy within the commonwealth, and we would have no reason why not to expect so, and to engage with the organisation wholeheartedly, then that might so a sincerity that Unionists could latch on to
I don't really see the point. There is no great economic benefit to it, you accept an organisation that has an unelected monarch at its head, and crucially, it will make absolutely no difference to how Unionists view the Republic. Absolutely zip.
It isn't such a big deal that if Unionists raised it in the course of negotiations after a successful referendum vote that it should be opposed, just utterly pointless to do so now and completely superceded by the EU.
What could possibly induce the people of the Republic of Ireland to rejoin the Commonwealth? They were in it until 1949, and their national government decided to pull them out of it. Why? Was it because there was no progress towards Irish reunification? Now almost 60 years later Ireland is still partitioned into two states, so again I say: what concrete benefit is there to the independent Irish state for it to rejoin the Commonwealth? As a concession to northern Unionism, as has been made plain in this blog, it will have no effect.
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