After a largely successful decade of centenaries marking the prelude to the partition of Ireland, we were perhaps too quick to breathe a sigh of relief at how those ten years had been handled. We always knew that the centenary of Northern Ireland would bring twelve months of grappling with the complex identities and experiences in and of Northern Ireland. However, in the 24 hours following the launch of the UK Government’s branding to mark the occasion it became clear that we could no longer even agree that we disagree on narratives.
Of course, those who are pro-Union will mark this centenary. It was a watershed moment in the history of this island and the United Kingdom. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on our past and consider the type of Northern Ireland we wish to build for the next 100 years. But it is a mistake to assume or perpetuate that the centenary of Northern Ireland is something that people who identify as pro-Union will automatically want to celebrate without question. The partition of Ireland was something that devastated many unionists at the time and continues to trigger a range of emotions. Those who found themselves on the “wrong side” of the new border faced the future with trepidation. Families and communities were torn apart. Edward Carson, the Dublin born Ulster Unionist, met the new Treaty with sorrow and reflected “What a fool I was”.
However, the next twelve months could offer a space not only to explore our own complex identities, but also to understand one another better. If we spend this year shouting in each other’s faces, what have we learned of the last 100 years? Do wish to remain disparaging, scorning and derisive? Or do we wish to celebrate peace-building, esteem-building and the greater sense of security and equality that we all now share? Do we not want the lesson of grinding out of conflict into a new place to be part of a discussion regarding, not who we were, but what we have become? Positive or negative is an important choice. We all have choice in what we say and how we conduct ourselves and we should remember that. Change is possible but only if we grab it as a quality within all of us to affect upon both ourselves and others.
Whether they realise it or not, this year will be just as important to those who want a united Ireland. Not just, as they might hope, in seeking to capitalise on what they will outline as the ‘failures’ of the last 100 years, but because those who are pro-Union will be judging how they might be treated in another constitutional arrangement. Simply declaring Northern Ireland as a failed state that will never work does not really serve anyone. Not least because it is a total cop-out regarding political responsibilities to the people of this region and the question of their future.
What good is it for either side of the constitutional debate if all we win is scorched earth? What is won if one side of the debate secures a region that is deeply divided, demoralised and deprived?
As someone who believes that Northern Ireland is best served as a part of the United Kingdom, victory for me is a society at peace with itself, thriving economically and socially. For me, a united Ireland is the promise of what might be, being part of the United Kingdom is being able to build on what is already there.
Being able to build on the safety net provided to all citizens by the National Health Service and the Welfare State should be the present and foremost attention. Building on the opportunities to be grasped by remaining part of one of the world’s largest economies. Thinking opportunity as opposed to wearied negative conjecture. Being able to build on the benefits of being part of a union of nations that allows us to draw on each other’s strengths and share ideas, skills and resources. The multicultural nation, renowned for its soft power and cultural brilliance, writ large and how we build within and for it as inclusive and envisioning.I know that it is not enough to just tell people what the benefits are – they must be able to tangibly feel them in their everyday lives. I don’t want it to be a case of “what we have, we hold”. I want it to be an undeniable fact that Northern Ireland is best placed as part of the UK. That requires being open eyed to the fact that UK institutions many of us claim to cherish have been hollowed out and require urgent attention and investment.
The Northern Ireland of today is not the Northern Ireland of 1921. The Good Friday Agreement has allowed us the space to comfortably define our own identity, and to peacefully pursue our political objectives. It is still the best option and one that must be defended and protected for everyone, in all its parts, all the time, not just when it suits our own narrow aims. We all live here. Our future is tied together no matter any future constitutional re-arrangement. I want Northern Ireland to thrive and for the future to be defined by hope, not a race to the bottom driven by asperity and division.
The debate around our future can be thoughtful, thought-provoking and even inspiring. But the last few weeks have demonstrated that we have a way to go yet. The choice is this – it is time for a serious re-think of the potential within Northern Ireland versus wearied and tired conjecture.
Back to: Institute of Irish Studies