Don’t tell the DUPes....

Conservative policy on:

Irish Language and Heritage

·Every community must feel part of the N.Ireland and United Kingdom we are trying to build, which means (for example) protecting and cherishing our Irish language and Heritage.

·The Assembly’s failure to support a daily Irish Language newspaper has made it harder for Irish speaking communities to play a full role in our success as a nation - we would have given it our support.

·We call on the Assembly Government to do more to improve the status of the Irish language in N. Ireland.

Actually, (before Gregory Campbell’s, Pootsie's and the DUP Press-Office’s collective heads explode)- no. All I’ve done is superimpose "Irish" on the original "Welsh" here; these points, illustrating the Tories’ support for the Welsh language, were made by Nick Bourne (still, just) leader of the Welsh Conservatives.

But as part of a Mission Statement, the first point I would be in 100% agreement with. Newspapers, TV channels etc, I would take the libertarian attitude towards, ie if the demand’s there, then the customers and more importantly, advertisers, will ensure not just its survival but also that it thrives.

The nitty-gritty (left up in the air with Nick Bourne’s third point), in terms of what the state should and should not support, can be discussed and debated later, but the kind of Unionism I believe in would, indeed, regard the Irish language as an important part of our greater British heritage and not, as it presently is, an element in the zero-sum sectarian cultural tug-of-war. The simple acknowledgement of that fact would help to push the argument beyond of its present stale boundaries.