I
read Michael's article
with interest initially, but when it came to the
advocacy of Christian Ecumenism as the official
religion of an united Ireland he lost me. Ireland
is not entirely a Christian country any longer,
and as such should be a secular state that favours
no religious denomination, but allows them all
to practise within the law and in the interests
of harmony.
In
addition, while accepting his thoughts as a genuine
attempt to come to a reasoned solution to the
constitutional problem, what of the majority of
us on the island who hold no loyalty to British
monarchs? Are we wrong or somehow defective in
our thinking? Surely not. Wouldn't some other
arrangement which respects the rights and aspirations
of both northern nationalists and northern unionists
be more likely to work?
What
I would propose is bi-nationalism for the six
counties. A referendum should be held where each
citizen should be required to designate as Irish
or British, with the immigrant community choosing
which they prefer, presuming they are entitled
to citizenship under legislation. The north would
then form an autonomous part of BOTH the Irish
republic and the UK, and the head of state for
each group would be their chosen one, viz the
monarch or the Irish President, both of whom could
visit unhindered.
Dual
national symbolism on official buildings and in
society would be the norm, so that both traditions
would be equally respected.
Territorial
sovereignty would be taken from London, denied
to Dublin and vested in Belfast. The British and
Irish governments would only be involved in preventing
discrimination or domination, with the north otherwise
being self-governing, free from English and Dublin
interference, subject to the requirement for co-operation
with the east and the south to the benefit of
the north's people. London would hold cultural
sovereignty over those designated British, and
Dublin over those designated Irish, each government
appointing a minister for the north to liaise
with it and foster co-operation. The border would
then be a broken line between two Irish jurisdictions,
not two nations, which it has never been.
A
northern euro should be the currency, which would
allow us to trade on a more equal footing with
the south, and would hugely increase trade with
Britain, to the benefit of the northern economy,
which should align more with the southern economy
to strengthen both.
The
Irish language's special status should be incorporated
in law under a Bill of Rights and a northern constitution
should guarantee the Britishness and Irishness,
as desired, of all it's citizens in perpetuity,
along with the language rights of all minority
languages.
Both
Irish and British exchequers could fund the north
until it is more able to support itself from home
grown economic activity. Policing and military
requirements could be jointly managed and would
be civic in nature, rather than partisan as they
have been.
This
has the benefit of preserving unionist freedom
from Dublin rule, while at the same time granting
nationalist/republican freedom from British rule.
As
Scotland continues it's march toward independence,
the constitution of the UK is likely to change
out of all current recognition. This would easily
facilitate the compromise necessary to grant freedom
to BOTH traditions in the north. It has the advantage
that no-one loses, everyone's bottom line is guaranteed
and upheld, and it would create the space necessary
for centuries of division to begin to heal at
last. Something to think about, perhaps?
