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13 November 1997 Edition

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Time to get real, Mary

By Meadbh Gallagher

Mary McAleese does not walk on water. Throughout her election campaign she trod on ice. Thin ice, but ice.

Two things froze her path: the fear and hostility towards `the Northerner' that is still encouraged south of the border, and the resentment that a Fianna Fáil and Catholic church apologist could replace Mary Robinson as the symbol of where-we-are-at-now-and-where-we-want-to-go.

Where Mary McAleese has not melted that ice, she has cut through it with sure precision and exposed the surface beneath.

Once again, through a Presidential election, the nation is in unsafe waters, whether it likes it or not.

McAleese has so far shown she wants to represent an Ireland which ignores the border in order to diminish its standing and which is comfortable with religious allegiance to whatever creed.

The fact that Ireland doesn't yet exist hasn't stopped her march. There she was at her inauguration, insisting everyone join her `at the edge'.

But there may be reasons other than her supreme self-confidence for why she thinks she can take us all there.

For while she carries us all to the brink, McAleese is clearly at the same time conveying all the core values of the Irish state constitution which no Fianna Fáil nor Catholic Church supporter would want to walk away from.

No risks there, Mary.

It's early days yet, for sure. But already this writer is tiring of Mary's talk of the tiger and of the packaging of her inauguration as the ``genuine coming of age of this Republic'', to quote RTE's Brian Farrell.

A bit more realism shouldn't be too much to ask for from a state putrid with economic, political and social scandals while yet in its infancy.

Ah, but don't knock it.

But if this nation's great leap forward is to just the other side of the ECU coin, what's the point in going?

Cynicism will get me nowhere, I know. But forgive me if I'm cynical that as the President includes refugee Somalian woman Fatima Mahamad Aadan amongst her specially invited guests at her inauguration, the majority of the 26 Counties look set to happily sign up next year to a Euro superstate founded on blatant racism and exclusion.

And while the President praises Irish emigrants and seeks to celebrate with them their Irishness, immigrants coming here have their right to be here questioned, while Black Irish people are stopped at ports and along the border by Irish state officials and police.

If we're to go over the edge let's have a look at where the edge is, where it will take us, who's going there with us and where they're at now.

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland