Top Issue 1-2024

2 November 2006 Edition

Resize: A A A Print

Letter to the Taoiseach

Dermot Ahern, Brian Cowen and Mary Hanafin like to swan into Northern constituencies where the local SDLP is a bit beleaguered, arriving with news of North-South co-operation and flanked by the likes of Dominic Bradley or Margaret Ritchie who could do with a profile lift. Still, we should not be too cynical.

I was glad to hear Dermot saying that "no one today can be economically partitionist" when he launched a report, last week, detailing future North South co-operation on Infrastructure, the Economy and Tourism.

Your Ministers have been very good at promising much in the area of North South co-operation, perhaps not least because Sinn Féin keeps pushing you in the direction of all Ireland integration in public service delivery. You will all be familiar with the contents of our Expansion Document setting out the rationale for developing those 'areas of co-operation' under the Good Friday Agreement and similarly the six Implementation Bodies.

Forgive me, however, for some confusion on my part when trying to analyse the bold Dermot's comments the following day about Labour mobility within the European Union. The Minister for Foreign Affairs reckons that "Ireland is a country of 4.2 million people and has done its bit for labour mobility within the European Union." It is hard to credit that the allegation of slavishly following the British on the decision to restrict labour access to Romania and Bulgaria came out of the mouth of a Fine Gael spokesman.

The bit that really throws me is the partitionist reference to Ireland being 'a country of 4.2 million people.' Forgive me for concluding that there is nothing wrong with Dermot Ahern that a calculator and an atlas wouldn't cure. Remember Dermot no one today can be partitionist.

In writing to yourself, Taoiseach, I am asking you to give out atlases and calculators to your Ministers. I wouldn't bother with Mary Harney at all if I was you. The 1.7 million in the Six Counties will probably never feature in terms of her national outlook. So it would be a waste of a good calculator and atlas.

But Dermot is from Louth, we are often reminded, and was brought up just a few miles from the border itself. A calculator and an atlas might serve some purpose in his hands.

Really what I am saying Taoiseach is that nobody can afford to be partitionist these days. That is why I am hoping that you will continue to put flesh on the bones of your plans for all Ireland Integration in the future. There is a lot more to be done to overcome the partitionist mentality within Dublin's political establishment.

In the North, meanwhile, the flip side of the same coin means that the battle continues to rage for the 'Right to be Irish' and I am meeting the Head of the Civil Service at Stormont this week to further explore this topic. I will keep you posted on the outcome of this meeting.

Thanks for your continued interest.

P.S. Ask Dermot to drop the 'Foreign Affairs' bit when next in Hillsborough or Belfast. He is from Louth after all, so he will probably understand.

BY 
BARRY McELDUFF

NB - Bertie Ahern can be contacted on (00353) 1 6194020 or email [email protected]. Address: Office of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Dublin 2


An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland