:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YG5FBSOIQB7LRMEZB6JGSBLWVQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/406e899c-95df-4d89-b461-3544d9f99cca.png)
As Brexit enters the end game there is no escaping the fact that the whole process has fuelled a renewed outbreak of Brit-bashing in this country.
In the long term this could have more damaging consequences for the people of this island than Brexit itself by fuelling a nationalist narrative that runs counter to everything our membership of the EU represents.
The conjunction of Brexit and the 100th anniversary of the events that led to the creation of an independent Irish State have created a potentially toxic mix that is having a direct impact on the politics of today.
The people of the UK were entitled to exercise their sovereign right to leave the EU – even if that has damaging consequences for them and us
That is why the recent address by President Higgins urging an inclusive approach to commemoration was a vitally important contribution to public life. The President showed real leadership by making the case for a tolerant and open appreciation of the past without in any way diminishing the pride Irish people are entitled to take in the achievement of independence.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NXOKUVJD67NQAT263F5HRII5FQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/M43DODEYGOT6NQEULMGZLWV5L4.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VKCX56DGRDVNY44FDNCATPSTKI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/STQOYCBG76PHGZBMVDUFYYZJV4.jpg)
“In this decade of significant commemoration, we continue to be challenged to engage with our shared past in a way that is honest, authentic and pluralistic,” he said in the course of a comprehensive treatment of the issue.
“The complex events we recall and commemorate during this decade are integral to the story that has shaped our nation in all its diversity at home and abroad. They are, however, events to be remembered and that will be retold from many different standpoints, and it is through respecting these differing perspectives in all their complexity that we can facilitate a more authentic construction, not only of our shared history, but of our post-sectarian possibilities for the future.”
The wise words of our head of State will hopefully bring the narrative of commemoration back on to an inclusive path and away from the narrow road it has taken over the past 12 months or so.
The future of this island will be shaped by the choice nationalist Ireland makes between two competing visions of the future
More importantly, his speech has the capacity to influence current political debate in a positive fashion. The effort to understand “the other” applies with equal force to the present as well as the past.
This has become more important following the decision of the British electorate to leave the EU. As well as raising practical issues about trade and the Border the decision also represented a slap in the face for all those in both countries who had worked so hard to build better relations in recent decades. The careless rejection of that process was probably even more damaging than the practical ramifications.
That said, the people of the UK were entitled to exercise their sovereign right to leave the EU – even if that has damaging consequences for them and us. What this State has to do is find a way of minimising the practical disruption whilst working hard to put relations with our nearest neighbour on the best possible footing when the dust has settled.
Common interest
Good relations between Ireland and the UK are important for both countries. Our interests may diverge on many points in the years ahead but there is one fundamental issue on which both sides have a common interest and that is the maintenance of peace on the island of Ireland.
The bedrock of the peace process was the strong commitment of senior members of the Irish and British governments, and their leading officials, to building a framework in which differences of national identity in Northern Ireland could be accommodated and a new relationship between the two islands developed. That process took up an enormous amount of energy and commitment on both sides and cannot be allowed to wither because of changed circumstances.
There is no escaping the fact that Brexit has raised serious doubts about the future of the United Kingdom. The English nationalist impulse that led to the departure from the EU could well spell the end of the UK as Scottish independence becomes a genuine possibility. If that happens, serious questions about Northern Ireland’s future will inevitably arise.
The future of this island will be shaped by the choice nationalist Ireland makes between two competing visions of the future. On the one hand is the open and flexible approach to a shared island being pursued by the Government while on the other is the renewed drive for the realisation of the nationalist dream of a united Ireland, regardless of the human or economic cost, being driven by Sinn Féin.
The toxic tweets from Sinn Féin TDs linking the violent events of a century ago with the Provisional IRA’s murderous campaign of more recent decades have starkly illustrated the contrast between the two approaches.
A common refrain in political circles in recent years is that young people have no memory of the Provisional campaign so is it pointless to try and draw their attention to Sinn Féin’s role in it.
This is to miss the point that not only is Sinn Féin committed to legitimising the IRA campaign, it is still a movement run by those responsible for the campaign, many of whom are not elected politicians and operate in the background. In the battle for the hearts and minds of the younger generation these truths cannot be repeated often enough.