Austerity, militarism, legacy and the growth of the far-right – Britain’s political trajectory is an added argument for Irish unity

We need to invest in public services, protect those in need, and improve daily life for workers, families and communities

Last July saw the Tories emphatically ejected from government in Britain. The Labour Party was returned with a large majority promising a break from a decade and a half of Tory misrule. It didn’t take long for that façade to drop.

Almost immediately the Labour Party picked up where the Tories had left off, signalling that bleak financial times were to continue. Their decision to pause the City and Growth Deals was a portent foreshadowing austerity. 

Thankfully the collective campaigns waged by the community and political leaders in the north forced a reversal in that decision, but it was the among the first indications of the continued austerity to come.

In her Spring Statement the British Chancellor announced billions of spending on British militarisation while cuts to essential welfare and international aid were also announced.

It is astonishing at a time when public services are on their knees; when we have endured 14 years of austerity and cuts; when small business are hit with National Insurance increases; when winter fuel payments have been cut and when farmers are worried about increased taxes on family farms; money which could be invested in public services is instead being diverted into weapons of war.

This British government has made clear that it has no regard for ordinary workers and families or for public services here. It has made the wrong choices, focusing on a militarised budget and increasing weapons of war. 

We need to invest in public services, protect those in need, and improve daily life for workers, families and communities. 

Instead, this Labour Chancellor has adopted a turbocharged Tory approach. The British government is totally failing people, using distraction tactics and creating fear. The direction of travel for this British government, and wider political establishment, is extremely worrying.

It is obvious that British governments, whether Tory or Labour, have nothing to offer our people. Billions of pounds can be found for weapons of war and mass destruction, while the British government cuts welfare payments, international aid and fails to properly fund essential public services.

Westminster has shown a complete disregard for workers, families and communities here. The interests of our people are very obviously never served at Westminster.

The British Labour Party had the political strength to change course. They had the capacity to consign over a decade of Tory austerity to the past. They chose not to. It is a sad and all too familiar case of ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’. 

The ongoing saga in relation to Casement Park is a further example of British disregard for the north of Ireland. 

Casement has lain dormant for far too long. Successive British governments have hitherto failed to clarify what funding it will provide to enable us to move forward with this project, ending the once in a lifetime opportunity to host the 2028 Euros in the process.

The Labour Party also secured a majority with a manifesto committing to the repealing and replacing of the universally decried Legacy Act. 

This act has recently passed its first anniversary and opposition to it remains as stark as when it was first proposed.

The British government must honour their promise to repeal and replace this shameful legislation.. 

Too many families are still without answers, decades after the killings of their loved ones. It’s time to establish legacy mechanisms that command the confidence of families and can finally deliver truth, justice and accountability within the framework of the Stormont House Agreement.

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) does not command the confidence of the families of victims of our conflict. I told the British Secretary of State this at a recent meeting. The pursuit of truth and justice is a necessary and noble cause. Here, it is being perpetually frustrated by the actions of successive British governments. 

The British government’s decision to appeal the High Court’s ruling on a full public inquiry into the brutal murder of Sean Brown is disgraceful. It has drastically compounded the hurt and distress of the Brown family.

It is a source of emphatic regret that the Brown family are not alone in their struggle for truth and justice against the British establishment. So many members of our society have already waited far too long for truth, justice and accountability. The consistently callous approach by British governments is an insult and further proof, if it was needed, for their total disregard for people here. 

On 1 May, English voters went to the polls for the first time since last year’s general election. 

Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform party made hugely significant and substantial gains. They are consolidating their position as a third force in British politics. Their toxic brand of neo-liberalism, xenophobia and rancid populism is striking a chord with voters in Britan. 

Their race-to-the-bottom policies would see public services devastated, increased privatisation in the health service, environmental initiatives scrapped, increased militarisation and Britain leaving the European Convention on Human rights – a fundamental pillar of the Good Friday Agreement. 

Their election performance reflects recent opinion polls which show, at this juncture, the possibility of Farage and his cohort influencing future government composition is steadily increasing. 

All of this, the Tory past, Labour present and possible Reform future, is impacting Ireland because of partition. We are shackled to this reality for as long as Ireland remains tied to Westminster. The creation of a new, united Ireland remains the only way to cast off the increasingly toxic influence of London. 

People increasingly want decisions about their lives and their future taken here, at home. The debate on a new and united Ireland is gathering momentum day by day. People from a wide variety of backgrounds are now actively questioning what constitutional future is in their interests. 

In recent months, we’ve seen academic research showing declining support for the union with Britain and increased support for Irish unity.

Reports by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) have shown the gap in prosperity between the north of Ireland and the south is growing.

These reports are stark and unequivocal. By almost every metric available workers and families in the north are worse off than people in the south, and those gaps are widening. 

Key findings suggest that employment rates are higher in the south, as is disposable income, life expectancy and educational attainment. 

The simple fact is that partition, Brexit and the underfunding of the north by the British government have seen the north suffer, whilst the south performs better across a range of industries. 

The British Treasury has acknowledged that the north is underfunded. We know each Executive department is having to deal with insufficient and insulting budgets from London. These reports serve as further damning indictments of partition and British government policy in the north.

Whilst there are countless economic, social and cultural arguments for a new and united Ireland, the conduct and trajectory of politics in Britain is acting as a potent catalyst in this debate. 

Ireland was partitioned without the consent of the people, the north has been underfunded and misgoverned from London without the consent of the people, we were dragged out of the European Union without the consent of the people. We now face a renewed austerity onslaught, militarism, continued duplicity on legacy and the prospect of a lurch to the right-wing without our consent. 

An alternative exists. 

As outlined in the Good Friday Agreement, when the people of the island of Ireland say so, Ireland will be united. 

A united Ireland will allow us to unlock our economic, cultural and social potential as an island. It will allow us to chart our own future together. It is no longer viable for the Irish government to bury its head in the sand and ignore this reality. We need to start planning, diligently and collectively, for a new and better constitutional future. The first step is the convening of a Citizens’ Assembly to discuss our shared future. 

The time to plan and prepare for unity is now. It is the reasonable, common-sense thing to do. Partition has been, and continues to be, catastrophic for the island of Ireland. 

Being dragged down by London’s callous indifference and exposed to its growing toxicity is an unsustainable reality. Our workers, families and communities deserve better. 

Now is the time for Irish unity.