notes on a united ireland
Now that I can finally say I own a computer, I am finally getting around to writing a post about my participation in and my thoughts about the recent United Ireland forums hosted by Sinn Féin in New York and San Francisco. That’s a picture of me at the mic taken by my friend and fellow activist, Jackie.
It should go without saying that I took the opportunity to present my ideas and to represent the IAUC in front of 800+ people (not to mention Gerry Adams, Rita O’Hare and Richard McAuley and co.) *very* seriously. So you can imagine my surprise when I arrived at the venue in New York and found out that, though I had prepared for a 3 minute presentation, I would have only 2. Now, one minute is quite a lot to cut out of a 3 minute speech. I had poured my heart and soul into preparing for this, and to cut out a huge section would mean that I couldn’t get all my points across, and I felt like I had so much to contribute to the discussion. So what did I do, then? I speed-read. Yup. And then when Rita called time, I think I said something along the lines of: “Nnnnoooooo!” Hahaha (I vaguely remember the crowd laughing at the urgency of my plea). “May I please just finish up quickly?” “Ok, 20 more seconds.” Don’t worry, it was all caught on tape.
In the end, though I did not get to touch on our concrete efforts and initiatives (save targeted investment), George had a chance to present these last weekend in San Francisco. And I was able to get out all of the important stuff–and I hope I got through to the handful of people that could actually understand what I was saying. My intent on finishing also had the result of completely distracting me from the fact that I was standing in front of 800+ people (wearing lycra?!).
I suppose you’d really have to know what Sinn Féin’s goal was in holding these events to judge whether or not they were successful–they certainly drew a lot of people, and got a lot of people thinking. A friend of mine told me he believes the purpose had more to do with re-asserting the party’s position in the ongoing struggle for a united Ireland, with a mind towards undermining any potential support on behalf of Irish Americans for dissident republican groups. Another guessed that it would turn out to be, in essence, a Sinn Féin pep rally, and I think to a large extent that it was. Regardless of the perspective of others, I took it as an opportunity to share my views with the hope of beginning a discussion that would lead to a mobilization directed at producing real change.
As expected, there were many media reports that wrote off the forums from the start, pointing to the fact that the Good Friday Agreement calls for the consent of the majority of people in the north of Ireland as a prerequisite to a united Ireland. There is no role for Americans, they say–”Irish America has absolutely no say in the matter.” Is it willful ignorance, I wonder? Or a purposeful narrow-mindedness, in which one knows more about what they are against than what they stand for?
Here’s the gist of my contribution to the forum: any meaningful discussion of how we will get to a united Ireland must necessarily begin with a vision of what a united Ireland will and should look like, and that vision must always be guided by an analysis which centers human rights. You want to know how Americans can play a role in the struggle. Just think about it.
The struggle for a united Ireland is not an empty promise or a romantic ideal; it is an ongoing struggle for a fundamental democratic principle, the self-determination of the Irish people. Self-determination is not symbolic. The struggle for a united Ireland has always been about true freedom—about political enfranchisement, equality of opportunity, and substantive justice. The obstacles we face on the road to unity are not Irish issues, or Irish American issues, but human rights issues. Therefore, our ideology of resistance to those that would stand in our way must always be focused on transformation—on working towards a future that is inclusive and just, and directly confronts the roots of deprivation, alienation, disadvantage and marginalization that continue to plague so many in the north.
Still wondering how Americans can have a say in the matter? If you think of the road to a united Ireland as a process of deliberate, democratic renewal, then any and all efforts that we can make towards promoting the equality agenda will bring us that much closer to our goal. Think promoting targeted American investment, the rights of Irish speakers/the Irish Language Act; truth, reconciliation, and dealing with the legacy of the past; supporting cross-community efforts and organizations that provide opportunities for young people to get off the streets. The ways that we can contribute are limited only by our imaginations.
This is why–and I tried to get this particular point across in the nicest way possible–resolutions for a united Ireland or statements of support at any level (be it city, state, Congressional, or hell–even the UN) are only as good as the campaigns that we organize to back them up. Though we need these to build momentum and keep the issue of Irish unity on the agenda, we must recognize that they have no substance without the coordinated efforts that support them–after all, what exactly are we asking people to sign up to support if we do not articulate our vision of a united Ireland? We must back up our statements with a long-term vision that encourages creative and sustained action, for simply identifying the causes of injustice does not in itself bring justice. We need to be moving on to the next tactic to achieve our goal while we celebrate the success of our victories along the way.
This was the gist of my presentation, my contribution to the discussion, and though the Irish Echo mentioned in passing that I “chose” human rights as my focus, I’d say it goes quite a bit deeper than that, doesn’t it.
Posted: July 1st, 2009 under American politics, Gerry Adams, IAUC, Irish America, Irish Echo, Irish language, Irish peace process, Legacy Commission, Sinn Féin, adventure, awesome, cross-community, economic justice, gerry, human rights, ireland, justice, republican, truth, truth and reconciliation, united Ireland.
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Found this lovely image of the Visteon protest in north London with a