Post by earl on Aug 28, 2009 9:38:32 GMT
Before anyone get's riled up. I want to first state that I do not agree with this article. Now is not the time for a UI, nor in the immediate future. My reason for posting this here is to inform of what's happening behind the scenes in the current ruling party in the U.S.
He mentions about how partition came about and whilst historically correct, is now completely irrelevant after everyone north and south voted yes for the GFA.
www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2009/08/27/the-time-has-come-for-a-united-ireland/
He mentions about how partition came about and whilst historically correct, is now completely irrelevant after everyone north and south voted yes for the GFA.
The struggle for a united Ireland has gone on for far too long but now the Irish in America once again have a chance to use our influence to support a peaceful solution to this long-running issue.
Our task now is to lobby our elected officials and government so that they, in turn, can influence governments across the world to support a united Ireland.
This is an issue that concerns all people, regardless of background. We now have an opportunity to seize the high moral ground and respect the wishes of the Irish people. It is time for a new approach to be adopted.
The Irish unification resolution, initiated by the Irish American Democratic Club in San Francisco and recently passed by the California Democratic Party is only the beginning.
United States’ positive influence in Ireland
This is not the first time that the United States is influencing Ireland in a positive way. The United States has played a supportive role in Ireland for more than 200 years. For example, Wolfe Tone’s call for “the abolition of bigotry in religion and politics, and the equal distribution of the rights of men through all sects and denominations of Irishmen” was clearly influenced by Thomas Paine’s “The Rights of Man” and also by the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
More recently, the 1960s civil rights movement in the north of Ireland was modeled on the American civil rights movement. It relied on marches, pickets and sit-ins to achieve Catholic parity of esteem with Protestants. The California Democratic Party supported the adoption of the MacBride Principles to encourage the parity of esteem goal from the 1980s.
People like state Senator Tom Hayden worked hard on the MacBride Principles. But Gov. George Deukmejian in 1989 and Gov. Pete Wilson in 1994 vetoed his measures. Nevertheless, our tenacity paid off in 1999 when Democratic Gov. Gray Davis signed into law a bill supporting the MacBride Principles. This required the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS) to annually investigate the extent to which U.S. corporations operating in the north of Ireland adhered to the MacBride Principles.
There are differences between MacBride and this campaign, of course. With MacBride, the state of California could refuse to invest money in companies which did not adhere to fair employment principles in their operations in the north of Ireland. The current Unite Ireland campaign is about using our political and moral influence to do all we can to persuade the Unionist community (those who want to remain part of Britain) in Ireland that a united Ireland benefits everyone.
Reasons for a united Ireland
The tangible benefits of a united Ireland are self-evident, a couple of which I will touch on here. We should first remind ourselves of the fact that that the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1921 was signed under the threat of “terrible and immediate war” that the British Prime Minister promised the Irish negotiators. The subsequent experiment by Britain to prop up a sectarian state in the northeast of Ireland has utterly failed.
The integration of Ireland would establish a strong foundation for peace and long-term prosperity. Partition hinders the economic development of both parts of the island of Ireland.
And Britain has stated that it has no selfish or strategic interest in the north of Ireland. Because Britain has indicated that it does want the north of Ireland as part of Britain, we can extend the hand of friendship to our brothers and sisters in the Unionist community and demonstrate the benefits of joining up with a community that would value their input within a united Ireland.
We know that the Good Friday Agreement has helped to reduce the social border between the north and the south of Ireland, with a great deal more movement and interaction across the border. Now it’s time to discuss the end of the legal border between both.
Religious minorities will be protected in a united Ireland
Since the foundation of the Irish state, there has been little evidence that Protestants would be at risk in a united Ireland. We need to stop this fear, which is promoted by those who seek to maintain their power by creating unnecessary division among the Irish people.
The proportional representation model of democracy currently practiced in the south of Ireland will ensure significant representation for unionists in a united Irish parliament.
Proportional representation was first introduced in Sligo Town in the west of Ireland in January 1919 to ensure that the 25 percent of the population who identified as Unionists would be represented on the town council. This system has resulted in people of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic faiths all being elected to the national parliament.
It is also time to debunk the myth that Irish Protestants have universally supported a union with Britain. There are several examples of Protestant leaders who have espoused republican ideals. Among them, Sam Maguire, who recruited Michael Collins to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Bulmer Hobson from Belfast was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers. Before them, Charles Stewart Parnell led a heroic, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to win a form of self-government for Ireland.
The debate about a united Ireland has only started. Where California goes, so goes the nation. Please contact your elected representatives and ask them to support a united Ireland.
Our task now is to lobby our elected officials and government so that they, in turn, can influence governments across the world to support a united Ireland.
This is an issue that concerns all people, regardless of background. We now have an opportunity to seize the high moral ground and respect the wishes of the Irish people. It is time for a new approach to be adopted.
The Irish unification resolution, initiated by the Irish American Democratic Club in San Francisco and recently passed by the California Democratic Party is only the beginning.
United States’ positive influence in Ireland
This is not the first time that the United States is influencing Ireland in a positive way. The United States has played a supportive role in Ireland for more than 200 years. For example, Wolfe Tone’s call for “the abolition of bigotry in religion and politics, and the equal distribution of the rights of men through all sects and denominations of Irishmen” was clearly influenced by Thomas Paine’s “The Rights of Man” and also by the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
More recently, the 1960s civil rights movement in the north of Ireland was modeled on the American civil rights movement. It relied on marches, pickets and sit-ins to achieve Catholic parity of esteem with Protestants. The California Democratic Party supported the adoption of the MacBride Principles to encourage the parity of esteem goal from the 1980s.
People like state Senator Tom Hayden worked hard on the MacBride Principles. But Gov. George Deukmejian in 1989 and Gov. Pete Wilson in 1994 vetoed his measures. Nevertheless, our tenacity paid off in 1999 when Democratic Gov. Gray Davis signed into law a bill supporting the MacBride Principles. This required the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS) to annually investigate the extent to which U.S. corporations operating in the north of Ireland adhered to the MacBride Principles.
There are differences between MacBride and this campaign, of course. With MacBride, the state of California could refuse to invest money in companies which did not adhere to fair employment principles in their operations in the north of Ireland. The current Unite Ireland campaign is about using our political and moral influence to do all we can to persuade the Unionist community (those who want to remain part of Britain) in Ireland that a united Ireland benefits everyone.
Reasons for a united Ireland
The tangible benefits of a united Ireland are self-evident, a couple of which I will touch on here. We should first remind ourselves of the fact that that the Anglo-Irish agreement of 1921 was signed under the threat of “terrible and immediate war” that the British Prime Minister promised the Irish negotiators. The subsequent experiment by Britain to prop up a sectarian state in the northeast of Ireland has utterly failed.
The integration of Ireland would establish a strong foundation for peace and long-term prosperity. Partition hinders the economic development of both parts of the island of Ireland.
And Britain has stated that it has no selfish or strategic interest in the north of Ireland. Because Britain has indicated that it does want the north of Ireland as part of Britain, we can extend the hand of friendship to our brothers and sisters in the Unionist community and demonstrate the benefits of joining up with a community that would value their input within a united Ireland.
We know that the Good Friday Agreement has helped to reduce the social border between the north and the south of Ireland, with a great deal more movement and interaction across the border. Now it’s time to discuss the end of the legal border between both.
Religious minorities will be protected in a united Ireland
Since the foundation of the Irish state, there has been little evidence that Protestants would be at risk in a united Ireland. We need to stop this fear, which is promoted by those who seek to maintain their power by creating unnecessary division among the Irish people.
The proportional representation model of democracy currently practiced in the south of Ireland will ensure significant representation for unionists in a united Irish parliament.
Proportional representation was first introduced in Sligo Town in the west of Ireland in January 1919 to ensure that the 25 percent of the population who identified as Unionists would be represented on the town council. This system has resulted in people of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic faiths all being elected to the national parliament.
It is also time to debunk the myth that Irish Protestants have universally supported a union with Britain. There are several examples of Protestant leaders who have espoused republican ideals. Among them, Sam Maguire, who recruited Michael Collins to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Bulmer Hobson from Belfast was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers. Before them, Charles Stewart Parnell led a heroic, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to win a form of self-government for Ireland.
The debate about a united Ireland has only started. Where California goes, so goes the nation. Please contact your elected representatives and ask them to support a united Ireland.
www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/2009/08/27/the-time-has-come-for-a-united-ireland/
