Thursday, December 08, 2005


Thursday Thoughts: Lines on maps

Since the British Secretary of State Peter Hain announced plans to reduce district councils in Ireland's north from 26 to seven, the subject of repartition has been mentioned quite a bit.

I wrote a Thursday Thoughts feature on repartition in November
here, and Paul from The N.Irish Magyar has written good posts on the subject lately both here and here.

For those of you who are not aware, the concept of repartition centres around the idea of redrawing the border that separates the north and south of Ireland. Apparently Margaret Thatcher confessed in her memoirs that she gave the idea serious consideration as an alternative to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Proponents of the idea claim that it will prevent future sectarian conflicts, whereas critics of the idea claim that it is in itself a sectarian proposal which amounts to little more than ethnic cleansing. Below, I will outline the positive and negative aspects associated with repartition for various groups...

Positives for nationalism

- For nationalists, the positives would involve gaining counties which will fall under the sovereignty of the Irish Republic. It would likely involve gaining the counties of Tyrone and Fermanagh, which arguably should never have been part of the NI entity in the first place, as well as Derry and Armagh. This would leave Down and Antrim in a Unionist-dominated polity.

- It could lead to a sitution which the Irish Free State had hoped for under the Boundary Commission in the 1920s - the Unionist-dominated state would prove too small to function on its own economically and would then have to join a United Ireland for its own sake.

- It would mean that a policy of integration could be pursued in the Republic towards the newly acquired northern counties. In the event of Unity by consent under the Good Friday Agreement, federal arrangements might be necessary for the northern counties. However through repartition, such changes would be unlikely and these Ulster counties would simply be ruled from Dublin like Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan are at present.

Negatives for nationalism

- It leaves the nationalists in the new NI entity a tiny minority. Nationalists in staunch republican areas of Belfast could be the victims of loyalist pogroms.

- It could be regarded as a betrayal of the nationalists in the Unionist-dominated counties in the same way certain nationalists in the North regarded the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 as a betrayal.

- It goes against the very ideals of Irish nationalism. Irish nationalists regard the people of the whole island of Ireland as being part of the nation. The island itself is looked on as the nation's boundaries. To accept some counties and to ignore others makes a mockery of Irish nationalism. Not only that, it makes a mockery of the idea that unionists are an important part of the Irish nation.

Positives for Unionism

- The Union with Britain would seem secure. At present there still exists the threat of a 50+1% majority in the North voting for unity however by virtue of repartition, such fears would evaporate.

- It could lead to the restoration of devolution. Any nationalists left in the Unionist-dominated entity may decide to simply up and leave for the newly acquired counties of the Republic. The nationalists who remain in the new NI would be too small to have much of an impact. Unionists would call all the shots.

Negatives for unionism

- It would mean for unionists the abandonment of their fellow compatriots to a Dublin government in the same way the unionists of Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan were abandoned and left to a Dublin government in the twenties. History would thus be repeated.

- It would make a mockery of the concept of unionism. This is a point Paul made in his posts when he said, "repartition would be the ultimate admission that Unionism could not move beyond the politics of ethicity and religion". It's hard to disagree with that assessment.

- It could lead to the establishment of a state that is too unstable to function properly. Unionists might be forced to swallow their pride and vote for a United Ireland or face economic ruin.

Positives for the British government

- They have a much better chance of getting the devolved institutions up and running and know that the Irish government have to deal with the headaches that come with four of the counties.

Negatives for the British government

- They might end up with an all new - and more expensive - headache if the new Northern state proves unworkable and unviable. There is also the threat posed by paramilitaries. Will Loyalists decide to deal with the troublesome nationalists left over in the new NI state? Will Republicans decide to stick up for them and to also make the new NI state unworkable in the hope of triggering a United Ireland? Both situations seem likely.

Positives for the Irish government

- Assuming the integration of the new counties occurs without any difficulties, the Irish people would likely be very jubilant to witness such a historic event. It would likely be portrayed as a great coup by whatever government is in power. It could also lead to the end of the Northern issue from a Dublin perspective.

Negatives for the Irish government

- The integration of the new counties could cause immense economic and social difficulties for the Irish government. A constitutional shake-up might be required. There is also the matter of those unionists left to the Republic of Ireland state. Will they voice their frustrations through arms thus presenting the Irish State, with its very poor army, with a terrorist problem it has never had to face before?

Taking all these views into account, my take on repartition is that it's a bad idea. I think there are positives and negatives in the idea for everybody but I also think that, for everybody, the negatives far outweight the positives.

If there is one thing nationalists and unionists here in Ireland should agree upon it's that the notion of repartition ought to be vehemently opposed.

In my opinion, the solution to the constitutional problem we face in Ireland is not to draw new lines on maps. In my opinion, the solution rather is to erase the current one!


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