Towards a new Ireland – a new phase of the peace process
This Autumn will see a major conference in London take place on the issue of Ireland, reports Jayne Fisher. The conference on 19 October is hosted by Sinn Fein in order to provoke some serious discussion around the issue, ‘Towards a New Ireland’, looking at the future relationship between Britain and Ireland. It is something the left in Britain should participate in and take seriously.
At a time when the British government is about to embark of yet another disastrous and costly military intervention, the issue of Britain’s oldest colonial intervention, in Ireland, remains very important. There are crucial lessons for the way we approach conflicts today, and important alliances to be made on anti-imperialism and also on the common fight against austerity and cuts and developing a positive left alternative.
This year is the 15th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, part of a peace process praised as one of the most successful conflict resolution processes in the world. Yet as Ireland north and south faces the same economic challenges and crises as the rest of the world, there is a strong case to keep the issue of Ireland. The Agreement is not simply the end of the process.
The current government has seen attempted to roll back some important aspects of the Agreement, and failed to implement its outstanding issues. We need a new focus on the next phase of the peace process, which highlights the important issues such as a Bill or Rights and a serious process of reconciliation and dealing with the past. Fundamentally, the issue of Britain’s future relationship with Ireland – and the issue of Ireland’s constitutional future has to be resolved.
The political, social and economic changes across Ireland show why a serious debate on Irish unity must continue. Sinn Fein have been advocating this for some years and the conference on 19 October will focus this discussion. Drawing in very broad range of speakers – with divergent views — the event look at the new phase in the peace process and vital questions such as what is the economic way forward instead of cuts and austerity and how do we develop our progressive alternative for the future — based on democracy and equality. These are issues with a strong resonance in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams recently said: ‘the great tasks facing this generation of Irish citizens is to fix our broken economy, rebuild our society and unite our people and our country’. He argues that this can’t be led `by the politics and the politicians who created and contributed to the economic crisis’ and has outlined Sinn Fein’s alternative for a united Ireland based on a different, progressive economic policy, with state led investment at its core and social equality and rights.
Sinn Fein has been calling for a Border poll, which is part of the Good Friday Agreement, ‘as a key part of the process of building a modern and dynamic New Republic on this island – an agreed Ireland achieved by peaceful and democratic means’.
The conference on 19 October will prove a good opportunity to re-engage with the issue of Ireland bring a renewed focus here, upon the current government and a future government. It will be a chance for the left to also re-engage on what is a most important issue
Gerry Adams will join a host of people including leaders of the new NI21 party, Irish Labour MEP Nessa Childers and British MPs including Diane Abbott and former Downing Street Chief of Staff and key player in the peace process, Jonathan Powell. An important session on ‘Reconcilling the past – looking to the Future’ will see Sinn Fein MP Pat Doherty discuss with Colin Parry, from the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation and former British soldier and current Conservative MP Kris Hopkins. Former NI Minister Baroness Angela Smith and Deputy NI Equality Commissioner Jane Morris will also join the platform alongside commentator and journalist Roy Greenslade. CWU Ireland Secretary Cormac O Dalaigh, NI Ethnic Minorities head Patrick Yu and Sinn Fein’s youngest senator Kathryn Reilly will discuss the future ‘island of equals’ and other contributors on the key role of the Irish diaspora in Britain will include Jeremy Corbyn MP, academics Mary Hickman from the Votes for Irish Citizens campaign, Marianne Elliot from Liverpool University and chief exec of the Irish in Britain organisation, Jennie McShannon. Economist Michael Burke, Labour Irish activist Christine Quigley and Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy will discuss Ireland’s economic future.
The weekend promises to be a serious discussion on the next steps.
* Towards a new Ireland – a new phase of the peace process. Saturday 19 October 10am-5pm. London Irish Centre, 5052 Camden Square, NW1 9XB. Registration £14 waged; £5 unwaged (including lunch) from www.londonirishunity.com
12 comments
12 responses to “Towards a new Ireland – a new phase of the peace process”
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Great to see posts on Left Unity promoting initiatives from our comrades in Sinn Fein which is part of the European Left.
With British Imperialism on the back foot over the botched attempt to intervene militarily in Syria and the constitutional break up of the UK on the horizon via Scottish Independence the Left Unity should support the Sinn Fein demand for a Border Poll as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement.
Given the huge number of second and third generation Irish immigrants within the working class in England then Left Unity via promoting ‘Towards a new Ireland’ Conference can reach out those whose cultural identity is Irish and who support Irish National Self Determination.
Let’s hope that Left Unity has higher political aspirations than those of Sinn Fein, who as part of the govt in the North have implemented neoliberal cuts and privatisations – albeit with a shrug of ‘we have no choice’ (and sometimes not even that).
They may be your ‘comrades’ Mark, but they ain’t mine.
I am delighted to hear about this conference and hope it will indicate a way forward.
Anyone who is interested in the background to the history and latest events in Northern Ireland and in some new ideas for the future will like the posts on this new website. And its original use of pictures. Left Unity was even mentioned on one!!
eurofree3.wordpress.com
Enjoy!
“They may be your ‘comrades’ Mark, but they ain’t mine.”
Mike… the harsh reality of participation in a power sharing administration in Northern Ireland has involved Sinn Fein making compromises… I suspect that most people in Belfast and Derry would prefer Sinn Fein to continue to work as part of the administration and not take any path which led back to war.
Sinn Fein participates in the European United Left/Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group alongside Die Linke, Syriza and Left Party comrades from Germany Greece and France… If the party we are seeking to launch via the Left Unity initiative actually get representation in the European Parliament then I assume we will be calling the people from Die linke Syriza and the Parti de Gauche our ‘Comrades’…. and likewise we will be referring to Martina Anderson [ex IRA Volunteer/Prisoner and now MEP]as ‘Comrade’ also. On the website of the GUE/NGL Sinn Fein is described as
“Sinn Féin is an all-Ireland party striving to establish a united democratic socialist republic. We believe a successful economy redistributes wealth and guarantees the right to education and training.
We propose accountability and transparency in government, and oppose sectarianism and exclusion.
We want a Europe of Equals – a partnership of equal sovereign states, promoting peace, demilitarisation, nuclear disarmament and the just resolution of conflicts, co-operating in social and economic development in Europe and beyond”
Sounds like they are Comrades and should be respected as such by all involved in Left Unity.
If we are a party of the left then we must be against the imperialism of the ruling class.
In the case of Britain, that still means ending British control of Northern Ireland.
I have to agree with Mike. If Left Unity sees the likes of SF as some kind of sister party then I fear that for the purposes of progressive politics it is already lost. Personally I would like to see no more stuff from or about SF posted on this site until Conference has decided that they are kosher or non kosher.
In Ireland SF manage to be sectarian sabotaging a unified struggle against the austerity impositions of the Irish capitalist class by virtually ignoring it and concentrating on the question of a united Ireland even though there is at the moment no stomach for it in the South. In the North they are utterly opportunist participating in a government that is carrying out Coalition cuts via a UK government institution.
Baton Rouge… Sinn Fein IS accepted by the new parties of the European Left Die Linke, Syriza and Parti De Gauche as a legitimate party of the left that contributes its unique experience of conflict resolution to the development of mature socialist strategy at the European Level…
Just because a mixture of so called Marxist critique and the reactionary hostility that is a product of the long dirty war in the North exists in some sections of those involved in the Left Unity initiative – that does not legitimise an attempt to demonise or exclude from participation in our new party those who consider themselves part of the ‘irish republican’ tradition. There are 10,000’s of people from Irish backgrounds in England who are politically in solidarity with Sinn Fein and we should seek to encourage those people to participate in the Left Unity Project. That is not to exclude or prevent a debate about the relationship between Britain and Ireland or any other issue…. but all debate should be on the basis of equality of esteem!
Baton,
for once, I agree with you 100% – without caveats.
Northern Ireland is not a simple case of British Imperialism. There are a majority who are in favour of maintaining the union with Britain, and their views must also be considered. Sinn Fein should be kept at arms length. They may associate themselves with the left, but they are fundamentally a nationalist grouping. If i see much more of them on the LU site, I will withdraw.
“Personally I would like to see more stuff from or about SF posted on this site so that Conference can decide whether they are kosher or non kosher”.
There Baton Rouge. Fixed that for you.
I am confident that whatever Left Unity becomes, it surely won’t be about suppressing information
Disingenuous Ben Madigan. I am not interested in supressing information and am happy to be informed about everybody’s position on anything but I am not kean on the way SF stuff is being presented here as if it is a sister outfit of LU despite the disclaimers at the bottom.
Agreed…
It is not about suppressing information. I don’t mind reading about them in the papers, and I don’t mind third party analysis, but giving them a full platform multiple times in as many weeks is an entirely different story.
At long last-the Irish question,now seems to have been-at last-resolved.
Furthermore-the ultimate sucess of the Northern Ireland peace process-
as a whole-has-I hear-also been viewed-as a means-for eventually resolving
all the other problems throughout the world-as a whole-such as that of (1)
Isreal-Palestine-a problem,that has lasted over 6 decades-and has also
resukted in 6 wars between Jews and Palestine. Furthermore-there is also
Cyprus-whic has been artiically divided now for almost 40 years-since July
1974-since an abortive coup in July 1974,that tempoaraliy deposed the then
President of Cyprus, Archbishop.Archbishop Makarious(1911-77)-and has, ever
since,defied all attempts,at a solution, as has Korea,also divided,for 50 years.since the Korean War of 1950-53,etc.