When I wrote yesterday about the long-term fall out from the UK Census in the Six Counties, I wasn’t aware that RTE was going to cover the subject of re-unification last night.
They did this through their current affairs flagship Claire Byrne Live.
The show is available on RTE Player.
The eponymous host is a competent broadcasting professional, and she seems well suited to the format.
For the avoidance of doubt, although I know many people at RTE through my NUJ activity, I have never met or worked with Ms Byrne..
However, last night on a show about the possibility of a Border Poll and a re-united Ireland, she did something on air that had me rummaging in the Fenian Files.
Seven years ago, I wrote this piece for An Phoblacht.
Claire Byrne opened the discussion with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, outlining their positive positions.
They were in the Dublin Studio; the third contribution came from DUP MP Gregory Campbell.
His view on the subject of a re-unified island was not surprising.
There was a deliciously revealing moment when he stumbled over the term “final solution” to describe the Six Counties being totally integrated with Britain as a “Unionist nirvana”.
Yes, “final solution”.
In fairness, he realised what he was saying almost before it was out of his mouth.
Where would we be without Freud?
Andrew Trimble, the Irish rugby player, was in the studio, as was Diarmaid Ferriter, the historian.
Both of them made interesting and relevant contributions.
However, the rubber hit the road when GAA commentator and ex-Gaelic player Joe Brolly was asked to participate.
He started with the observations that, in his view, the North was a “dysfunctional entity” and that the English Tories had “zero kinship with Northern Unionists”.
He continued, “…the Tory Government LOATHE Ulster Protestants”.
However, it was when he stated that the DUP was guilty of “homophobia and racism” that Ms Byrne stepped in.
Ms Byrne then stated to the folks running the operation, “can we just leave Joe out for a second…”
He wasn’t heard from again for the duration of the programme.
As I was watching this live, my reaction on Twitter reminded me of that An Phoblacht piece from 2014.
The man himself was quick to use Twitter to point out that he had only stated the truth about the DUP and their smorgasbord of hate.
For the avoidance of doubt, what Joe Brolly said about the DUP as an organisation is hard to refute.
Moreover, as a qualified barrister, I think that Mr Brolly is capable of keeping it legal on a live broadcast.
Despite this car crash by Ms Byrne, the conversation about a re-united Ireland is now firmly underway.
The interesting thing at the start of the programme was how much agreement there was between the leader of Sinn Féin and the Tánaiste on the subject.
We are almost certainly now in the end game of Partition.
It has been a century-long disaster for this island imposed by the threat of “terrible and immediate war”.
In December 1921, when the Treaty was signed, Britain was then at the centre of the first trans-global imperium.
Moreover, it was the biggest military power on the planet.
Today?
Well, the Empire is gone, and the British polity itself looks to be about kaput.
Ms Byrne didn’t think to ask Gregory Campbell how his Britishness would survive Scottish independence.
As ever, Waterford Whispers were on hand last night with some much-needed supplies of humour.
What Gregory Campbell is afraid of is the future.
Of course, when the 2021 UK Census is published, we will be able to look closely at the Data.
Make it so…
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As I’ve said before…I have no Irish connections…and know little about the Republic’s affairs.
These, however, are genuine questions…
If I was a Nationalist, living in the North, would voting for a United Ireland impact adversely on my standard of living ?
Or to put it another way…Would I be worse off financially ??
Or should I vote for the status quo…and wait until the numbers are sufficient for Nationalist control in the North ?
Genuine questions…
There is one problem with unification!
Money! Money! Money!
I was talking to an nationalist Irish lass about a unified Ireland (she comes from from just outside Derry (she has an Irish Passport courtesy of the Good Friday Agreement)) just after the 2019 election. I asked her what she thought and she just snorted! The ROI can’t afford the North! It’s a drain on the British Government resources which has a far larger budget the Republic does.
I’ll leave out the security aspect as I don’t want to think about it.
Both she and her brother are engineers and have stated that they will never work or live again in NI. The Republic possibly. I’ve advised against her moving to Scotland as catholic she’d have tough time! Two of my cousins are catholic have been victims of sectarian violence according to the then Strathclyde police. They now live and work in England safer!
Most of my parents families are Protestant and have no time for the LOL!! In fact several are Celtic supporters
And as for the DUP claiming to be British would be a laugh if weren’t so unfunny! The Republic has laws protecting the LBGT community that are nearly the same as in the GB (left out the NI)!
“Who are they to decide what we should hear?
Who are they to decide what we should see?
What do they think we can’t comprehend here?
What do they fear that our reaction might be, might be?”
Section 31.
Vardakar, spoke the most sense on the program. My long held view is that the aspiring Catholic vote in the north will be the stumbling block to unification. I hope an independent Scotland comes first, as the last thing we need here is more” loyal British” migrants”planting” themselves here as their imperial take on democracy is taken from them.
The “Ulster Scots” could be a factor in IndyRef2.
As for “the aspiring Catholic vote in the north” Brexit is a gamechanger for that demographic.
We are now in an altered dispensation.
As they were in Indy ref 1, unfortunately in Scotland Phil we also have that strange phenomena of republican unionists, muddying the political landscape
I agree Brexit is and always was the game changer in Northern Ireland as there are Loyalists more loyal to Europe than Westminster.
Then there is that pesky demographic that is swinging in favour of the Nationalists Catholic communities year in year out.
Final nail in the coffin?
The annual £10Bn the Treasury currently haemorrhages holding onto its last bastion of Empire.
One thing Tories hate doing is losing money to lost causes.
The average Tory would sell their Granny if there was a decent profit to be made.
If someone wants to go from Derry to Donegal to pay 50-100 Euro to visit a GP, no one should stop them.
Post-pandemic the rollout of SláinteCare will be one of the long-term unforeseen consequences of the war against the virus.
Consequently, your observation will be out of date rather soon.
Moreover, this is happening just as the Brits are preparing to sell off the profitable parts of the NHS to US healthcare companies.
Yes, make it so and soon please. I am 72 and 84 seems to be the cut off age in the McHugh clan so I am in a bit of a hurry. BTW, I do intend to buck the trend God willing. As I have often commented, I grew up during the 50s hearing tales of flying columns, border raid and listening to songs about Sean South. Through the following decades the aspiration was for re unification in my lifetime. Now, thanks to the con job included in the Good Friday Agreement, the aspiration is for a border poll in my lifetime. Funny how the English always have a wee surprise in all their agreements. Like terrible and immediate war against the Irish people. Not what it seemed. If it was as stated LLoyd George would have addressed his letters to his military commanders in Ireland. Instead he addressed them to the leader of the UVF. Collins finally got the implication. All out war against the Catholics of Belfast and Derry. We nationalists of the north are the tax paid for the freedom of the south. So once again please make it so
Terry, when I wrote that piece in An Phoblacht in 2014 I had no inkling of the insurgency of English nationalism that would deliver Brexit.
It’s a gamechanger.
That, along with the changing demographics puts the Six County statelet on borrowed time IMO.
Phil, the fact that you had no inkling of the English Nationalist insurgency in 2016 is a major surprise to me. Nationalism and xenophobia in general had been on a rapid upward curve for at least a decade preceding the vote, and had been stoked to a frenzy in the months leading up to it. Possibly the fact that you live in Ireland means that you are not as exposed to it as those of us in the midst of it. This is merely an observation and is in no way intended as any form of criticism.
I was a late comer to the Peaky Blinders TV series, and over the last few weeks I’ve binge watched the whole series again. The last series before the lockdown was set in the late twenties – early thirties as fascism was raising it’s head and the parallels with today are quite chilling.
As someone once said, “Those who do not learn the lessons of history are destined to repeat it.” Those may not be the exact words but the sentiment is the same. As I look around the world I like less and less of what I see.
The Brexit vote was a surprise to me.
I thought that the Cameron government would prevail as they did in Scotland in 2014.
Why invite Joe Brolly on the programme if he’s not allowed to give his opinion. Maybe the truth hurts.