Irish Political News

Via Newshound. Interesting view-point from Kevin Myers on The Process™ and the ‘price of peace’. Room too for some archival links - on Gerry Adams, “armed struggle” was “necessary”, MI5 and the back-channel, and the US government’s role in the latter part of that Process™. Read the whole thing.

For the peace process was solely about ensuring the IRA never bombed London again; and as far as MI5 - the prime movers of the peace process - was concerned, the corruption of Northern Irish political life was a small price to pay.

Mick has pointed to the actual debate to be had around Gordon Brown’s defence of the Union. But, rather than looking for complicated reasons and strategies behind Brown’s apparent playing down of Northern Ireland’s role in the United Kingdom, sometimes, as Henry McDonald suggests here, there’s a simpler reason for these things.

In his promotion of the union, not only in relation to Scotland but also Wales, the prime minister failed to mention Northern Ireland, which drew a wave of criticism from Ulster unionists and their supporters in the Tory press.

Yet neither unionist politicians or their allies in the London media ought to be surprised over Brown’s omission of Northern Ireland - because the delicate political settlement that has guaranteed the union between the north of Ireland and Britain requires periods of diplomatic silence.

As Fair Deal has already noted here.

Unlike the printed version, the full online text of Brown’s article did mention Northern Ireland, but only in passing.  And it’s a sufficiently fleeting a mention, compared to Wales and Scotland, to still support the argument made by Henry McDonald.

Unlike Scotland and Wales, Gordon Brown doesn’t have to compete for votes against other parties in Northern Ireland. That is because Labour doesn’t organise across the Irish Sea.

The only thing the prime minister has to concern himself with is that the political settlement at Stormont remains in place.

To trumpet the continued existence of Northern Ireland inside the UK would be to rub nationalist noses in it.

So instead the British government maintains radio silence on the north’s constitutional status.

Sorry, another Telegraph link. But Damian Thompson’s line on Gordon Brown’s reasons for proposing an end to the Act of Succession: he’s fearful of losing a solid base of Catholic Labour voters in central Scotland… Over to you?

Across Europe, there are nationalisms of many different types. In Britain as in Ireland finding the weight of a new citizenship is proving tough and in complicated by ‘red in tooth and claw’ politics: whether Bertie’s ill-fated attempt to get a national debate off the ground around any future implementation of Schengen and what it might ask of national consciousness in the Republic; or the political intriguing around Brown’s attempts to get a sane discussion going on the ever vexed theme of Britishness.

The Hansard Society launched an interesting initiative a few days back... as the governments draft proposals for a largely democratic upper house are published today, it ought to be a place to keep an eye on... [I also see that Slugger has made it to the blogroll]… I’ll be putting a few thoughts together on that this afternoon over at Brassneck…

The President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has echoed Taoiseach Bertie Ahern by linking a visit by the Queen there to the devolution of policing and justice powers here. From the BBC report

“We know that it is dependent on the completion of devolution, which hopefully will not be too far away. We had hoped that would be May.” Mrs McAleese said: “We are not entirely sure what the time scale is. We hope it will keep closely to the timetable.”

Indeed. Adds From another report

Mrs McAleese said she thought it unlikely a visit would take place this year. “I would be hopeful, though, that it would happen sooner rather than later,” she said.

Lord Goldsmith’s paper on British Citizenship has excited a lot of comment in Britain. Michael White just wonders, if ain’t broke, why fix it? Chicken Yoghurt just isn’t keen on Patriotism of any description. The CEP blog is not impressed either, saying the proposals are skewed towards making the English buy into Britishness and everyone else doing what they like. Rick MUir reckons the whole furore is obscuring the fact that there is a need for more ceremony. But the real kicker, for the Irish at least, his is proposal to bring down the curtain on Republic of Ireland nationals’ right to vote in Westminster elections. 

That would mean that were Catriona Ruane, for instance, to stand for election in South Down, she could not vote for herself. Gerry Adams could, since although presumably an Irish citizen he was born inside the UK and therefore would remain legally entitled to vote for himself in West Belfast.

If anything the consequences in Northern Ireland would be marginal. But in Britain, the largest single source of people born outside the UK come from the Republic: about 70,000 more Republic of Ireland-born people (537,100) than Indian-born (467,600). That’s a big change. And not a decision any one in the Labour Party would take lightly (since the Irish in Britain are a still prominent group amongst its own party activists).

Ciaran has more of the detail and explores the historic ambiguity of the relationship between the UK and the Republic. 

Whilst the UK’s parliament, the House of Commons for now, today voted down proposals to hold a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon - exposing divisions within parties in the process - the Republic of Ireland’s government prepares to publish their referendum legislation.. but no exact date yet.  Meanwhile, with perhaps some prompting from a mischievous press, certain EU state leaders have endorsed suggestions that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern would be a good first candidate for the envisaged post of President of the Council of the European Union - other [undeclared] candidates do exist. The potential conflict of interest would explain why Mr Ahern has played down the suggestion.. although a previous report, also playing down that suggestion, did point to another possibility for Mr Ahern - that of EU Commission President..

Idris Tawfiq was a Catholic priest, then left the and “in time moved towards Islam” “There is no clash whatever, and it is only mischief makers who like to cause division between people of faith.” On the troubles in Northern Ireland: “on this island of Ireland, terrible things were done in the name of religion which had nothing to do with the message of Christianity.” He goes on to talk about the split between political and religious responses; including the Archbishop of Canterbury’s controversial address (speech here) to the Temple Festival.

With the British Irish Council establishing a permanent secretariat the British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body could be excused a period of existential angst.  The DUP’s Peter Robinson may have made a presentation to the BIIP Body in April 2006, but neither the DUP nor the UUP have taken their seats.  The BBC’s Martina Purdy reports that the BIIPB steering committee member, Niall Blaney, TD, is in Belfast this week, meeting the DUP’s Peter Robinson and Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey.  He hopes to persuade both parties to change their abstentionist policies.  From the BBC report

The 50-strong body comprises TDs, MPs and representatives from Stormont, Edinbugh, Cardiff, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Mr Blaney said the body needs unionists on board to be more effective. He has invited proposals from unionists on a name change and a significant change in direction away from Northern Ireland politics. He has suggested a new body could focus on tourism, and shadow the British-Irish Council’s work on issues such as drug abuse.

Damian Lanigan over at the Telegraph is looking for contributions to his alternative British test. So far most of it is pretty Anglo Centric, so I reckon he could do with a few more from a Northern Irish British angle… To give you flavour, here’s Damian’s Number One:

1 - On encountering a Morris dancer one should:

a) clap a little, smile wanly, wish one were elsewhere
b) buy him a pint of Hook Norton and commiserate about the declining build-quality of knee-bells
c) decapitate him

Not sure which of those would disqualify you as being British…

As Mick noted in July last year, after a previous British-Irish Council meeting,

The BIC tasked the secretariat, in consultation with member administrations, to undertake a strategic review of the council’s work programmes, working methods and support arrangements, including arrangements for a standing secretariat, and report back with firm proposals as soon as possible.

After today’s BIC meeting in Dublin, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed that a permanent secretariat is to be established - “He said a date for the introduction would be announced when staffing and the mechanics had been worked out.” Also of interest is the delegating of new Secretary of State for Wales, Paul Murphy, to attend on behalf of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.  Full communiqué here

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, revealed he’s not a fan of Eastenders..

“I am not a fan of EastEnders or Coronation Street, but my wife and my children, particularly the girls, watch the programme. I have to say I am absolutely appalled at the level of concentration around the pub in the programmes.

“I am appalled at the drunkenness that is quite clear for everybody to see and all of that before the nine o’clock watershed when children as young as eight, nine, 10 and 11 are watching.

“Now I regard that as irresponsible broadcasting, and I think something should be done about it,” said Mr McGuinness.

[He could switch over to a different channel.. - Ed]

It has the faint whiff of pork-barrel politics, and it looks like there’s some ministerial trespassing involved, but the BBC’s blogging Mark Devenport spotted some crossing Northern Ireland ministerial statements at the end of last week - on the apparent funding from the Republic of Ireland government for a study into a bridge at Narrow Water, County Down, following a North South Ministerial Council meeting.  First with the news, on 7th Feb, was the NI Education minister - although the statement was issued as a Sinn Féin South Down MLA - and County Louth resident, Caitríona Ruane, “This flagship project [the bridge] has wonderful potential and would, I believe, provide a major boost for the local economy.” Next up, 8th Feb, was the Social Development minster, and SDLP South Down MLA, Margaret Ritchie, “The new bridge joining Narrow Water in the North and Cooley in the South will be an exciting gateway to County Down.” Which prompted a terse statement from the Regional Development minister, and SF Newry and Armagh MP, MLA, Conor Murphy, “I am well aware of the Dublin Government’s proposal to construct a bridge at Narrow Water which would link County Louth and County Down.” All of which is neatly brought into focus by Mark Devenport

So the implication appeared to be that not much new had happened at Dundalk, and the minister did not sound particularly happy about his DSD colleague treading on his patch. Also whilst the south might fund a study of the County Down bridge, the Newry and Armagh MP’’s Department is funding a study of a Newry Road, something which Newry politicians are, in general, keener on than the bridge.

Meanwhile, more potential ministerial trespassing today, this time by the SF “Newry and Armagh MP”, Conor Murphy, who “has welcomed the Sinn Fein campaign to highlight the inadequate Ambulance Cover in south Armagh and demand that the issue be addressed and called on people to sign a petition to the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.”

I often find it interesting when I read the pages of such quality newspapers as the 'Daily Mail' or listen to pontificating politicans only to hear repeated outrage at how cheap booze is. Invariably, such complaints are accompanied by condemnation of the supermarket chains responsible for offering deals on alcohol, backed-up with various unsavoury accounts of drink-fuelled thuggery.

However, while drink doubtlessly plays a major role in street violence and other criminality, it's a red herring to suggest that bumping up the price of booze will solve the problem. It's also interesting that those commentators usually found making such calls wouldn't find it a problem forking out quite a few quid on a quality wine- presumably it's only the well-to-do who should have the right to get hammered.

The fact is that demand for alcohol, like that for most other addictive pleasures such as tobacco, is inelastic- in other words, the effect of price changes on demand is less than proportional. If people want to get drunk, they'll get drunk.

There is a strong drinking culture on these islands, but it isn't caused by 25p cans of bland, watery beer from Sainsbury's. Pushing up the price won't stop those who want to binge-drink from doing so- it will serve, however, to eat further into the limited cash reserves of many of those people who find themselves in a poverty-drinking-depression cycle, which will make the situation worse. Let's face facts- it's low-income drinkers about whom the aforementioned commentators are talking when they condemn the sale of cheap booze- that's why such 'moral guardians' focus in on the issue of price, because they think that by increasing the cost of low-grade alcohol in the supermarkets, it can be priced out of the range of such people, making everything fine and dandy.

However, if this issue is to be dealt with responsibly and effectively, then education needs to take place. People need to learn of the dangers of alcohol from a young age. Efforts also need to be made to reduce the glamourous appeal of drinking- the fact that it's seen as something that only adults can do is the very thing that stimulates many teenagers into getting into the binge-drinking swing of things in the first place. Meanwhile, in continental Europe there is a lot less of a problem with regard to alcohol abuse, arguably due to the presence of wine around the dinner table as a matter of course. I'm not advocating feeding vodka to toddlers, but it's the forbidden fruit element of drinking that draws youngsters towards its charms in the first place.

Alcohol is also a lot cheaper to buy abroad, which contradicts the idea that there is a strong link between price and over-consumption.

It's all too easy to complain about low-price grog in the supermarkets, but aside from the fact that such rants are discriminatory against those who can't afford to dish out cash on fine beverages, it ignores the real problem of overdrinking that affects all sections of our society.

Instead of making scapegoats of the supermarkets (who, after all, are only meeting the demand of adult consumers) or assuming that anti-social behaviour is caused by allowing 'poor' people to access alcohol by making it cheap, it is the responsibility of society as a whole to look at ways of encouraging responsibile drinking. Drink-driving has become taboo in recent years, so there's always room to change opinions and behaviour in relation to the more general issue of alcohol consumption.

This helpful Euler diagram comes with the warning above:

The UK’s full name is “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. People from the UK are called “British”. One British person is called a Briton. People from England are called English. People from Scotland are called Scottish. People from Wales are called Welsh. People from Northern Ireland are called Northern Irish. English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish people are all British (whether they like it or not).

The ROI’s full name is “The Republic of Ireland” (if you are speaking English) or “Éire” (if you are speaking Irish). People from the ROI are called “Irish”. Irish people are not British. British people are not Irish. Irish people are not Northern Irish and Northern Irish people are not Irish. God help you if you forget this when you encounter an Irishman.

The ROI is not British. However, the “British Isles” include both the UK and ROI. Irish people hate this, but there is no consensus on what to call it instead. (May I humbly suggest “The British and Irish Isles”?)

And a hat tip to the mischievous Cormac!

RTÉ reports confirmation that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, will use the opportunity in Manchester next week to hold talks on a number of issues.  Among the items listed in the report

They will discuss the devolution of justice and policing powers from Westminster to the North. It is now accepted this is unlikely to happen by the target date of May 2008.

Although, it’s also worth noting that not everyone will publicly acknowledge that acceptance.. despite the evidence. Perhaps something for the next Londonderry meeting to discuss?

Of course, if there’s time, they might also want to continue that non-public conversation on the future for the Common Travel Area and how the new e-border controls fit in..