9 October 1997 Edition
The union - root cause of conflict
The reaction which met Martin McGuinness's remarks this week about `smashing the union' indicates the level to which some politicians are deluding themselves in relation to the republican agenda. McGuinness did no more than reiterate what is, and always has been the core republican position in relation to any negotiations.
British occupation of the Six Counties and the partition of Ireland is the root cause of conflict in this country. The aim of Irish republicans has always been to change British policy from one of maintaining the union to one of working to end it. Such a change in British policy removes the blockage to a peaceful resolution of the conflict and opens the way to national reconciliation and the building of an agreed Ireland.
The British government has a particular responsibility towards the unionists. That is, to become persuaders for an agreed Ireland. As long as the British government underwrites the unionist position of vetoing any move away from an internal arrangement for the Six Counties, they postpone the achievement of a negotiated settlement. The unionists have no incentive to negotiate a future with their fellow Irish men and women while Britain upholds that veto.
The maintenance of such a veto also straightjackets the political options for nationalists in the Six Counties. Their identification with Ireland as opposed to Britain, their alienation from a state to which their consent was never sought nor given, is not addressed by maintenance of the status quo. Only fundamental constitutional change can level the playing field for nationalists. Anything less sows the seeds for continuing conflict.
Sinn Féin are not the only who see the injustice of partition and Britain's illegal claim to the Six Counties as the root cause of conflict. The Irish government has a constitutional imperative to work towards the ending of partition and for the re-unification of Ireland. All the nationalist parties in Ireland subscribe to the view that partition is wrong and that any solution must transcend the present partitionist arrangement. Furthermore, it has been recognised, even by the British government, that an internal settlement is not a solution to the conflict.
Partition, the union, British occupation. These are central to any meaningful talks on the future of Ireland. The removal of such obstacles are central to the achievement of a peaceful settlement. Republicans will not shirk from pointing out these truths. It is our duty and our responsibility to do so.
As Sinn Féin's Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness pointed out this Tuesday in his address to the Opening session of Strand One of the Substantive Negotiations at Stormont: ``It is our view that Britain's policy is the root cause of the conflict in our country and therefore is the key matter which must be addressed in these negotiations.''
British occupation of the Six Counties and the partition of Ireland is the root cause of conflict in this country. The aim of Irish republicans has always been to change British policy from one of maintaining the union to one of working to end it. Such a change in British policy removes the blockage to a peaceful resolution of the conflict and opens the way to national reconciliation and the building of an agreed Ireland.
The British government has a particular responsibility towards the unionists. That is, to become persuaders for an agreed Ireland. As long as the British government underwrites the unionist position of vetoing any move away from an internal arrangement for the Six Counties, they postpone the achievement of a negotiated settlement. The unionists have no incentive to negotiate a future with their fellow Irish men and women while Britain upholds that veto.
The maintenance of such a veto also straightjackets the political options for nationalists in the Six Counties. Their identification with Ireland as opposed to Britain, their alienation from a state to which their consent was never sought nor given, is not addressed by maintenance of the status quo. Only fundamental constitutional change can level the playing field for nationalists. Anything less sows the seeds for continuing conflict.
Sinn Féin are not the only who see the injustice of partition and Britain's illegal claim to the Six Counties as the root cause of conflict. The Irish government has a constitutional imperative to work towards the ending of partition and for the re-unification of Ireland. All the nationalist parties in Ireland subscribe to the view that partition is wrong and that any solution must transcend the present partitionist arrangement. Furthermore, it has been recognised, even by the British government, that an internal settlement is not a solution to the conflict.
Partition, the union, British occupation. These are central to any meaningful talks on the future of Ireland. The removal of such obstacles are central to the achievement of a peaceful settlement. Republicans will not shirk from pointing out these truths. It is our duty and our responsibility to do so.
As Sinn Féin's Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness pointed out this Tuesday in his address to the Opening session of Strand One of the Substantive Negotiations at Stormont: ``It is our view that Britain's policy is the root cause of the conflict in our country and therefore is the key matter which must be addressed in these negotiations.''