A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
This week, the Ancient Order of Hibernians placed an ad in the Irish Echo newspaper, urging President Trump to turn his common-sense words on Irish Unity into policy.
This was a timely and welcome intervention. Irish Unity makes sense; partition never did. It’s that simple. History has demonstrated the partition has failed. It undermined the North’s economy, impoverished the people, and led to decades of conflict. The pro-British unionist majority, the political cover for partition, is gone.
Those opposed to Unity now hide behind “now is not the time”, or that it will be too costly or complicated to undo a century of partition. We are in the Orwellian world in which preparing for Unity is called “divisive”. There is no pro-partition campaign because there is no basis for one beyond “let’s keep things as they are, and this is as good as it gets.”
I do not doubt that President Trump’s words on Unity are one part common sense, one part listening to Irish America, and one part not being beholden to the British.
Over the past number of years, the bipartisan Friends of Ireland Caucus on Capitol Hill has sought to protect and fully implement the Good Friday Agreement. All administrations from President Clinton onward have held the same position, with varying degrees of engagement.
Irish America has driven these changes. President Trump’s words offer a new opportunity to ensure the full implementation of the Agreement with the right to national self-determination at its core. The incoming Congress and the White House should join Irish America in seizing this historic opportunity to allow the people of Ireland to determine their future.
That is why the AOH’s intervention is so welcome. Irish America can shape the positions of Congress and the White House. Your voice matters.
To move from words to action, the key will be for the US to continue its role as guarantor of the Agreement, including insisting that the right to self-determination be exercised. There is no legal impediment to the government’s planning, preparing and setting a timetable for referendums.
The US also has a role in ensuring that the British Government honours its obligation to be “rigorously impartial.”
Previous Administrations have appointed Special Economic envoys; this time, given the President’s remarks, it may be more appropriate to appoint an envoy with a mandate to ensure full implementation of the Agreement, including referendums.
In the early days of the peace process, US agencies hosted economic discussions on the investment potential of peace. They could do the same to examine the economic potential of a united Ireland.
All of these initiatives and others are possible and needed. Yet again, Irish Americans can deliver. Your voice has been heard on Capitol Hill, in the White House, and across State Assemblies.
We are now in the final quarter, and the ball is in your court. Let’s get Unity over the line. This weeks newsletter offers many opportunities to stay engaged, get informed, and get active. Together we can build a new and united Ireland.
Have a great weekend and thank you for all of your support.
Is mise,
