7 August 1997 Edition
Another important step towards lasting peace
The paper presented by Sinn Féin to the British government at Stormont on Wednesday shows that republicans are entering talks with a clear and progressive analysis which sets out a confident way forward. Indeed, because that analysis goes to the heart of the conflict in Ireland - British jurisdiction in the Six Counties - it charts the only realistic agenda for change.
In contrast, the Unionists are still fixed against change. They too realise that British jurisdiction is at the heart of the conflict but they are desperately trying to hold back the tide of change. No wonder they approach the prospect of talks with republicans with such panic and confusion.
But the time is coming when the unionists must embrace a strategy for change. Already, many within the unionist community are coming to terms with the fact that the future can be nothing like the past. It is increasingly clear that the days of domination and inequality are slipping away. Nationalists have stood up and said loudly that there can never be a return to the type of relationships which the Six County statelet threw up. They are also saying loudly that there cannot be a reverse of unionist supremacy - nationalists do not seek to dominate. Instead, they are holding out the hand of equality to unionists. It is to be hoped that unionists will have the confidence to enter talks and to grasp that hand of equality.
The logic of the republican analysis and the continuing lesson of history is that that future of equality can only come with the end of British jurisdiction in the Six Counties. A statelet which was founded on unionist domination can only free its citizens by dismantling the structures which have given rise to sectarianism and bigotry. That should be the task of the forthcoming talks. There is a new future for the people of this island and it should be grasped with confidence.
In contrast, the Unionists are still fixed against change. They too realise that British jurisdiction is at the heart of the conflict but they are desperately trying to hold back the tide of change. No wonder they approach the prospect of talks with republicans with such panic and confusion.
But the time is coming when the unionists must embrace a strategy for change. Already, many within the unionist community are coming to terms with the fact that the future can be nothing like the past. It is increasingly clear that the days of domination and inequality are slipping away. Nationalists have stood up and said loudly that there can never be a return to the type of relationships which the Six County statelet threw up. They are also saying loudly that there cannot be a reverse of unionist supremacy - nationalists do not seek to dominate. Instead, they are holding out the hand of equality to unionists. It is to be hoped that unionists will have the confidence to enter talks and to grasp that hand of equality.
The logic of the republican analysis and the continuing lesson of history is that that future of equality can only come with the end of British jurisdiction in the Six Counties. A statelet which was founded on unionist domination can only free its citizens by dismantling the structures which have given rise to sectarianism and bigotry. That should be the task of the forthcoming talks. There is a new future for the people of this island and it should be grasped with confidence.