Continuing the complete absence of theme on this blog, I turn to politics.
At the weekend, DUP leader Arlene Foster repeated her belief that she would leave Ireland if it was united, saying she just wouldn’t feel comfortable.
As someone with Ulster-Scots heritage, it’s hard not to be fascinated by this. Where does it come from? Does Mrs Foster believe that this is the only answer a true unionist could give? Is it something to do with her personality or personal experience, or because she’s from the border?
But none of that really matters. What matters is that unionism is done for if this is the outlook of the people in charge.
The ‘leave the island’ view means that holder of it thinks that:
- They have more in common with people in Britain than the people over the road or down the lane. (This is hard to believe and arguably offensive to almost half of Northern Ireland.)
- They will forever be best served by politics at Westminster rather than laws or policies that might be designed in the land they are standing on. (This is surprising given the British government’s epic under-bus-throwing over Brexit, and the obvious disinterest of many English and Scottish people in the UK.)
- They can’t find enough of value in their homeland of at least 400 years that would keep them here if the political situation changes. (This is astounding.)
Now, consider the political implications of all this.
Number 1 suggests unionists really don’t belong, and haven’t embraced the equality and reconciliation at the heart of the Agreement.
Number 2 further worries nationalists, because escaping a toxic unionist-Tory alliance is partly why they want Irish unity, and always have.
Number 3 plays into the old republican tenet that unionists have an artificial identity propped up by London. It also differentiates unionists from Northern nationalists who have been rooted enough to put up with unloved (British) sovereignty. Apparently, unionists are more fickle.
In sum, the ‘leave the island’ view announces that unionists aren’t interested in building an inclusive Northern Ireland i.e. the only kind that will survive.
On Claire Byrne Live last week, Naomi Long said that whatever happens to sovereignty, she will still be from East Belfast, and will still love it. That’s a statement worth long and deep reflection. Under whatever form of Irish unity, will Protestants abandon their homes, churches, townlands, Orange Halls, cafes, bars, golf clubs, and football stands? I doubt it. They’ll stay because this is where they are from. They are not from anywhere else.
Unionists don’t need to help shape a united Ireland, yet anyway; they are unionists. (For what it’s worth, I think the unity debate has been overhyped.) But unionists at every level do need the kind of local rootedness and affection, and interconnectedness with others, that’s required to make this or any society work. They need to love Northern Ireland because it is northern Ireland, not because it is British. Otherwise, the future will always be a source of fear.
David Mitchell 