It is apt that I am writing this today on the centenary of the creation of the state of Northern Ireland. Today we as a people received a letter of congratulations from Her Majesty the Queen, who many would see as the ultimate embodiment of Britishness and I want to quote a few lines from her address to all of us. “In Northern Ireland today, there is, perhaps, more than ever, a rich mix of identities, backgrounds and aspirations, and an outward-looking and optimistic mindset. The political progress in Northern Ireland and the peace process is rightly credited to a generation of leaders who had the vision and courage to put reconciliation before division. But above all, the continued peace is a credit to its people, upon whose shoulders the future rests.”
Personally, I think those words sum up perfectly the reality of the situation in Northern Ireland and one which is both pragmatic and in compliment with the modern day UK. England, Scotland and Wales in the 21st century have become a melting pot of cultures, beliefs and ideas. Acceptance of one’s neighbours is a recognised prerequisite of progress in the global world. For many, Unionism and Britishness in Northern Ireland has become the antithesis of these ideals and a political climate whereby all deviation from a rigid set of beliefs is met with a mixture of fear and anger. But that’s not what being British is about. If you look to Scotland and Wales you can see a native tongue and a rich culture which is celebrated rather than maligned. Where osmosis is the strength that a lasting foundation is built upon. There is give and there is take. Ultimately the UK is an economic union which avails of the best offerings from its regions but many in Northern Ireland feel that those that advocate Britishness the most are blinded by an insularism that is harmful to growth.
Similarly, those of a Nationalist persuasion fail to recognise the reality of 21st century Ireland and are blinded by an aversion to all things British to the extent that they cannot accept any input from being a member of the United Kingdom as being of benefit. Post Celtic Tiger Ireland is barely recognisable from the days of yore that many Nationalists hold in such nostalgic esteem. Traditional music, the simple rural life, pints of Guinness and trading fairs have been replaced with global pop culture, fast-paced consumerism, international cocktails and e-commerce. Fantastic institutions such as the NHS, which we all hold dear, are pushed to the back of the Nationalists’ minds when denigrating UK membership.
The reality is, very little separates the culture and outward thinking of Britain and Ireland in the contemporary world. Imperial Britain is in the past. Stereotypical Ireland is in the past. The Troubles are in the past and unless the incidents of the past have affected you as an individual, these things have no right to hold court in your opinion of what the present should be. Thankfully, more and more people here in Northern Ireland can recognise this and see through those who continually dredge up history as individuals who are politically dependent on division. But division costs us £833m a year according to the Ulster University in in their 2016 study. This is money that could go towards making real changes to the betterment of our society. Money that could go towards social care, infrastructure, education, policing, jobs, tourism, wealth creation and opportunities for our young. Division drives investors away and, shamefully, it drives our own young people to leave. Much lauded single-identity funding schemes are not the cure for what ails us, they are the cause.
On the day of the Northern Irish Centenary it is worth recognising the piebald nature of our forefathers. Edward Carson, the arch unionist, was an Irish speaking, hurling playing Dubliner. It was the Presbytery that first sought to preserve the Irish Language on this island. Many catholics fought for the British army in the world wars and many Protestants took part in uprisings against British rule.
It is the manufactured division of Northern Ireland by its political champions in recent generations that has harmed us the most. The religion that you were born into is a quirk, a footnote, not an embodiment of the self. And yet religion has served as the greatest recruitment tool for partisans who have the interests of political power at heart rather than the intricacies of theology.
As we move forward with the inevitability of progress it is my hope that we as a people can weigh up the pros and cons of union or unity with a rational approach to what it means to you in practical terms. Not some utopian panacea wrapped in one flag or another. Tony Blair’s Britain is a world apart from Boris Johnston’s. Micheál Martin’s Ireland is a far cry from DeValera’s. Nation’s change eternally and let’s face it, neither London nor Dublin will ever have Northern Ireland at the heart of their agenda. That is why it is on us to make our distinct, motley region work for all of our own people. We can only do that by assimilation and accepting that the land of Ulster frys, Van Morrison, George Best, crisp sandwiches, gravy rings and Julian Simmons will never be at home in either Finchley or Castleknock.
Many who promote working relationships here in Northern Ireland like to project that they feel equally at home in London as they do in Dublin. Fair enough but for me, while I feel somewhat of an Irish and British mix, I am ultimately Northern Irish, which is neither of the two. When I travel to the Irish Republic or to Great Britain I know I am not at home. Northern Ireland, with all its nuances and foibles is my home. No matter who I pay my taxes to, that will never change.
Our combined uniqueness is what makes Northern Ireland great. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s promote that. And let’s do it together.
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