Tory Scorched Earth Policy is Making United Irelanders of Citizens Every Day

Tory Scorched Earth Policy is Making United Irelanders of Citizens Every Day - Tóibín

Reacting to the selection of Chris Heaton Harris and Steve Baker as North of Ireland Secretary and Minister of State for the North of Ireland, Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín stated;

“The Selection of Chris Heaton Harris and Steve Baker for the positions of Secretary of State and Minister of state, is a sign of the new British administration’s determination to continue with their aggressive scorched earth policy on the north of Ireland. The relationship between London and Dublin has not been as low as this in generations. The relationship is well and truly broken. The unilateralism of the British government has worked like a grenade to trash the painstaking work of the previous 25 years”.

“It must be remembered that the North of Ireland is not on the agenda for Truss. It hardly featured at all as an objective on her first day as PM. Where it does feature, is simply in the political positioning of the leadership within the internal machinations of the Conservative party. The only currency the north has within the Tory party is in the alignment of Truss with the ERG. Instead of changing from the course of the British Government, Truss seems to be doubling down on the previous disastrous policy. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel here. These selections are the ingredients for intransigence, logjam and further deterioration of relations”.

“The British Government has shown extreme bad faith. They negotiate deals only to deconstruct them before the ink has dried. The speak of the need for cross community consent on the Protocol yet they ignore the total opposition to their Legacy Bill. Their unilateralism on legacy issues has united every political party in Ireland north and south against them. Their commitment to the rule of law and justice is tenuous as they seek to introduce a law in the British parliament that will allow British soldiers get away with murder. The fact that the Assembly is allowed to fall in to abeyance for so long in such a deep cost of living crisis is deeply anti-democratic. In public they call for talks while not engaging in real talks with the EU for a year”.

“All of these act as catalysts for Irish Unity. I attended a meeting in Dungiven, Co Derry last night and I will be in Castlewellan in Co Down tonight. Its clear from talking to people that they are becoming increasingly frustrated with the British policy. The British Government policy is making United Irelanders of more regular nationalists and unionists every day”.

CRÍOCH

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.