In a recent article in An Phoblacht, the political organ published by Sinn Féin, Declan Kearney, a senior Republican spoke of republicans going the ‘extra mile’ to understand unionism. He added:
” Republicanism needs to become more intuitive about unionist apprehensions and objections, and sensitised in our response. We need to be open to using new language and consider making new compromises.
“Regardless to the stance of others, we should recognise the healing influence of being able to say sorry for the human effects of all actions during the armed struggle. All sensible people would wish it had been otherwise; that these events had never happened; that other conditions had prevailed. The political reality is those actions cannot be undone, or disowned.”
This message from such a senior figure within republicanism was immediately recognised for what it was – a precursor to something else more than likely coming down that republican track. It was not lost on keen observers of how republicans historically behaved.
New positions are tried out for size in An Phoblacht, in party speeches, at special town hall meetings, and at special Ard Fheiseanna before being officially placed before the family for ratification.
Seasoned journalist Brian Rowan wrote a response (Peace – mirror image of war – deadlock) to Declan Kearney’s article for eamonnmallie.com …He took aboard what Ulster Unionist Mike Nesbitt had to say of the Kearney contribution.
The DUP‘s Jeffrey Donaldson in a very unthinking response to Kearney’s exposition, in an utterance more reminiscent of former Ulster Unionist Party leader Jim Molyneaux asked “will Gerry Adams admit he was in the IRA?”
Recently a former senior Ulster unionist employee said ” Unionists don’t think.” He added “they always fear the unthinkable.”
Jim Molyneaux was cited as saying of the IRA ceasefire in 1994 “a prolonged IRA ceasefire could be the most destabilising thing to happen to unionism since partition”.
Other voices in the Protestant unionist community saw Kearney’s words through another prism.
The Rev. Harold Good, Lord John Alderdice, Jackie McDonald, John Howcroft as well as Professor Kieran McEvoy (blogging for the first time) all joined this debate on the back of Brian Rowan’s article.
Literally hundreds of people have visited the website to inform themselves of the thinking behind this important conversation now in full swing. How soon will mainstream unionism climb aboard? At last the ‘ big conversation’ has commenced about dealing with our past and reconciling with our neighbours. You too are very welcome to join in this serious discussion.
To read Brian Rowan’s article in full please click the following link: https://eamonnmallie.com/2012/03/peace-mirror-image-of-war-deadlock/
