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for cultural, economic and social relations
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Speech by Brid Rodgers to the Irish Association,
Mansion House, Dublin, "Is the 'New Ireland' now a real possibility?" The question I have been asked today is whether I believe the New Ireland is now a real possibility. My answer is yes. The Good Friday Agreement provided us with the context within which confidence and trust can be built between all our people both in the North and the through Ireland as a whole. Working together, concentrating on the many areas of common interest allows us to recognise the futility of the wasted years spent focussing on our differences and pushing those differences to the point of violent and bloody conflict. As John Hume pointed out so many times, the new Ireland will evolve through the building of trust. Four years on, the euphoria of the referendum result has faded. Implementing the Agreement has been a tortuous, difficult and frustrating process. Senator Mitchell, who understood better than most, warned us that the road ahead would indeed be rocky. How right he was! And yet we have survived and in my view have become stronger as together we cleared each hurdle. There has been and there remains a determination not to let this opportunity go. In 1973 the SDLP published a document entitled "Towards a New Ireland", which laid out the party's vision for the future. At the core of our thinking was the principle of consent and our total opposition to violence or coercion. And therein lies the crux of the matter, the SDLP always envisaged a new Ireland, an Ireland unlike anything that had gone before, an Ireland unencumbered by the hardship of the past or the violence of its history. We're still in the business of delivering a new Ireland, one united by the ability of its people to recognise common cause, and to agree a common path to the future. One thing we in the North know a lot about is fear. One of the biggest obstacles to the development of politics for decades was the fear of change and the fear of each other. Nationalists feared that the goal of unity would never be achieved. Unionists feared being driven into a united Ireland against their will. Fear paralysed us, stunted our growth, kept us in our separate bunkers, prevented us from recognising our common interests. The SDLP ploughed a lonely furrow for decades, convinced that only through persuasion could real change take place. And persuade we did. The threat of domination by unionism or nationalism has been removed. Now the political landscape is unrecognisable from that of even five years ago, and the future holds still further opportunities. The main political entities, North and South have agreed that the future path will be laid through persuasion and consent, not bludgeoned through force and intimidation. Clearly, the Good Friday Agreement has highlighted the success of the use of persuasion, and the development of shared ideas. We have had our difficulties but we are getting there. Its structures are up and running, the SDLP is representing the nationalist perspective on the Policing Boards, business is picking up, and people are beginning to grumble about the politicians up in Stormont. All good healthy politics. The question is, where do we go from here? How does this new Ireland evolve? There were those who for thirty years ridiculed the SDLP method of persuasion through non violence and instead tried to force their way to a united Ireland. Now those same people are saying that they would now not accept one without the explicit consent and assent of the unionist people. On the one hand the fact that the republican movement has accepted the need for consent is to be welcomed, but on the other, the remarks made in the US by Gerry Adams are very confusing. When we negotiated the Good Friday Agreement, enshrined in it was the principle that there could be no change to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, without the consent of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland. That's worth hearing again. "The consent of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland, not the majority of Unionists." I would say that in his recent assertion regarding Unionist assent and consent, Mr Adams comments amount to a unilateral rewriting of the good Friday Agreement, indeed it could be argued that he is, in effect, conceding a unionist veto on unity. That is something the SDLP has never done. Mark Durkan pointed out to members of the North Down Unionist Association in November exactly why the Agreement offers security for the future. The same structures to accommodate different identities and safeguards and protection which these structures offer to nationalist now in Northern Ireland, would be afforded to and underpinned by that same Agreement, to unionists in any future United Ireland. That is the basis of the persuasion process, that is the strength of our position, and the position of unionism. The Agreement and the referendum which followed it have allowed us to underwrite each other's legitimacy, institutions and aspirations. The Agreement is the democratic common denominator between Unionist and nationalist, loyalist and republican. It is not something to be tossed aside for reasons of expediency, or news making. On this key and delicate issue, there must be trust, and there must be honesty. We cannot make statements on the future of Ireland to impress world leaders or grab headlines. Lets not forget that just last year a Sinn Fein slogan for the Westminster election was 'Greening the West'. Hardly the language of consent or assent. We know that the way to achieve real progress is to remain consistent in what we say, to mean what we say and , through our actions, our statements and the behaviour of our members to prove that we are for real. If we are to build trust, if we are to persuade, if we are to achieve our aims, then we must have credibility, we must have a proven track record or honesty, consistency and success. The SDLP means what is says when it reaches out to Unionist, Mark Durkan meant what he said in North Down. We in the SDLP will continue on the path of persuasion. We want to persuade the people of Northern Ireland that our vision of an Agreed Ireland, rooted in the principles of social justice is worth following. We want to persuade a majority of the people of Northern Ireland that the coming together of the people to this island to govern themselves is in the best interest of all of us. A recent personal experience of mine made my nationalism, my belief in the efficacy of unity more profound than ever, because it highlighted exactly why unity through agreement is a worthwhile and sensible course of action. I have been privilege to serve as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland. Agriculture was always going to be an area where co-operation would be easy. Foot and Mouth highlighted the existence of a single sheep market on this island and the mobility of animals that comes with it. The farming community is agreeing more and more that closer co-operation can only be beneficial to the entire island. North and South, we have similar farms, we have similar problems. That experience, the political and practical reality of the common threat of Foot and Mouth put flesh on the bones of aspiration. As a Nationalist, I want to see a United Ireland. The Foot and mouth crisis showed clearly why this is not just a reasonable political aspiration, but why it is also practical, workable and desirable. The vista of possibility laid open through the foot and mouth crisis, and expanded every day as North South co-operation takes shape, as the Assembly beds down, and as our people get used to the idea of being in control of their own destiny, must be clearly explored, expanded upon and explained. As I said earlier, the SDLP is determined to build a new Ireland. Social justice is the foundation stone of our vision. Our non-violent message should never be mistaken for political moderation. We have a comprehensive social vision for the transformation of this island. People should wake up to this fact. We have a radical social agenda, which we intend to realise. Our new Ireland means more than the removal of lines on maps. Our politics will always embrace people over territory. From those whose national aspiration differ, to the new arrivals on our shores. Our new politics aspires to change for the whole island. But when we say people, we mean all people. We have to develop common health, environmental, educational, taxation, policing and criminal justice strategies and policies. Our politics does not grind to a halt at the border, it never has, it never will. There is much work to be done within the North-South Ministerial Council. There is also an agenda for future work: for example the creation of an all-Ireland parliamentary forum and an all-Ireland consultative council. On human rights, we now have two Commissions in the island. There is a joint committee of the two, which acts as a forum for consideration of all-Ireland human rights protection. We urge the two Commissions to push forward their work on an all-Ireland Charter of Rights, and we encourage them to co-operate to make human rights a reality for all in Ireland, North and South. Our new Ireland is one where human rights and equality are a reality. We want to shape an Ireland which will embrace all its people regardless of their class, creed, race, national allegiance, sexual orientation or gender. True unity for us means social justice, human rights, equality and prosperity. What use is our new Ireland, if people cannot participate effectively in it? If we value people over territory then we must do precisely that, in all its social and economic senses. Unity and the move towards unity will demand change for everyone on the island, from Portadown to Portarlington, from Kinsale to Kilkeel. We, in the SDLP are tolerant and patient people, we have to be. But we will not tolerate a new Ireland of poverty and inequality. We will not tolerate corruption in public life, or the ill-treatment of the marginalised, or immigrants and asylum seekers. No one gets left behind in our new Ireland. SDLP Rm 273 Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast BT4 3XX |