Irish Unity is a courageous effort to return to the original identity of Ireland’s past. Brexit and contradictions facing unionists and nationalists provide a unique opportunity for consensus and discourse unification in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The necessity of Irish Unity
Actually, according to the new agreement, the people of Ireland agreed to shape a separate government with a promising future.
The previous generation didn’t have any right to form a suitable future, but the new generation voted to separate themselves from the UK.
Indeed, according to this agreement, Ireland will achieve a democratic and peaceful mechanism. Of course, the previous generation didn’t think to form such an independent government.
Meanwhile, there are many reasons for the need for Unity in Ireland. Many reasons increase this matter, such as the Brexit Unity, electoral, social, and demographic changes in the North.
The Ireland government is responsible for creating Unity, and it must prepare itself for Unity and the Referendum on Unity.
Irish Government responsibility for creating Unity
- To ensure the complete performance of Good Friday
- To create a joint committee about Irish Unity
- To prepare a suitable committee or a community of the citizens to plan for an Irish unity
- The publication of a white paper about the Irish Unity
- To hold a safe and accurate referendum, North and south, on Irish Unity as set out in the Good Friday agreement
Irish Referendum is easy to achieve; the Referendum gives people the opportunity of declaring their idea.
Nationalism and unionism in Ireland
Nationalism; the desire by a group of people of the same race, origin, language, etc., to form an independent country
Nationalist ideology is a product of the modern industrializing world. Therefore, it is the subject of the nineteenth and twentieth-century phenomena.
Nationalism is more likely to emerge in the context of rapid economic and democratic change.
Unionism; the principles of those people in Northern Ireland, mainly Protestants, who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK.
The unionism formation is related to the nineteenth century.
After the Irish famine, the landlords enjoyed significant social and political influence.
Their power started to weaken over time. As a result of this event, there were many social, political, religious, and economic changes in Ireland.
There was a significant need for unionism and nationalism in Ireland.
In the last quarter-century, the development of unionism and nationalism was a great promotion.
Indeed, Unionists were protestants who believed the Unity between Great Britain and Ireland was the best framework for ensuring the peace and prosperity of both regions.
Alvin Jackson suggests that unionism was the ‘normative condition’ of Irish politics for much of the nineteenth century.
After unionism, there were many significant changes in Ireland, such as economic development, population expansion, employment increment.
The employment situation increased so that people from different parts of the world travelled to this country to find a suitable job.
The difference between unionism and nationalism
There are lots of differences between nationalists and unionists. Most nationalists are catholic; indeed, they don’t want Ireland to be a part of Britain.
They believe that Britain is an occupier army. So they don’t want to accept the British in Ireland. Meanwhile, they think that British attendance in Ireland is injustice.
British entered Ireland in the 1600s and stayed there. They are angry with the British for the sake of torturing Catholics.
They are still fighting for their rights, which involve housing and jobs.
Nationalists want to have a united country. However, there isn’t an equal belief idea among all nationalists.
But Unionists are generally Protestants. They want to remain a part of Britain. Indeed, they believe that they belong to Britain. However, their ancestors have been in Ireland since the 1600s.
Nationalists believe that being a central part of Britain has many advantages; for example, staying in Britain has many economic profits.
They do even share their religion with the British; on the other hand, unionists are significantly against with British because of their bad treatment of their catholic ancestors in the past.
These two groups have something in common, while they have some significant differences.
Nationalists have two significant parties. SDLP (Social Democratic Labor Party), led by John Hume, and Sinn Fein, led by Gerry Adams.
The SDLP has always been committed to peaceful and democratic methods.
They wanted to have a united Ireland. Sinn Fein is managing peaceful methods to achieve a united Ireland.
Irish Unity concerning discourse fundamental
There is a great necessity of conceptual modification to get an effective result in institutional and constitutional reforms implemented in Ireland after the Good Friday agreement of 1998.
The UK threatens to abandon post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland
In a conservative conference, David Frost said: Brexit agreement signed with Britain and EU will create instability and disorder in Ireland.
He said that if there isn’t a significant change in this agreement, Britain will attribute it to article 16.
This article lets each side suspend the agreement. Britain had declared this treatment previously.
All the explosive crises in the relationship between the EU and UK are because of the commercial relationship with Ireland.
According to the agreement of Britain’s separation from Ireland, there is an exact need to check the goods moving between Northern Ireland and Britain.
Britain accuses the EU of holding this agreement and obliges some fundamental changes.
Northern Ireland is the only place in the UK with an EU land border, a heavily reduced border with the Republic.
After Brexit, this country has significantly faced significant challenges. These challenges involve economic problems that have terrible effects.
Brexit threatens the fundamental points and relationships of the Good Friday agreement.
There are many problems in the future because of Brexit, and Northern Ireland will have a great swing.
Brexit effects on Irish Unity
According to a referendum on June 23rd 2016th in Britain, Britain voters decided to leave the EU.
In March 2017, Europe’s commitment announced its secession from the EU.
Now Britain has lost its previous rights and advantages in the EU.
Brexit has had many effects on the citizens’ lives, jobs, official offices, and stakeholders.
The withdrawal agreement includes a Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland designed to prevent a hard border on the island. This Protocol came into force on first January 2021.
The Protocol was a major priority during Withdrawal agreement negotiations, and it required a creative, workable solution to protect the all-island economy and the Good Friday agreement.
Brexit has made frictionless trade between the EU and the UK impossible. Still, the Protocol is a complex system that allows Northern Ireland to remain in the UK customs territory and, at the same time, benefit from access to the single market.
It contains provisions that protect unique circumstances on the island of Ireland, such as the continuation of the common travel area between Ireland and the UK.
It allows for circular North-South cooperation in agriculture, transport, education, tourism and ensures the Single Electricity Market is preserved.
The PEACE funding programs that support peace and recognition and promote economic and social progress in Northern Ireland and the Border Regions of Ireland are also continuing.
The Protocol includes a consent mechanism that gives the elected representatives of Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly the right to decide whether to continue applying the system or not.
