Hume: 'Talk less about a United Ireland and more about an ‘Agreed Ireland’

After decades of division, violence and sectarian murder commonly known as ‘the troubles’ a new beginning heralded as the Irish and British governments signed the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland, on 10th April, 1998, bringing peace talks to an end. 

Now in 2020 it is inconceivable at just how far Ireland as an island has come since the ending of the troubles and the GFA.  But let us not forget that it was one man’s lifetime sacrifice of political determination, long arduous search and persistent quest for a peaceful, political solution in Northern Ireland based on agreement and partnership between the two traditions of unionism and nationalism to achieve this, namely Nobel Peace Laureate and Statesman John Hume.

John Hume is regarded as the principal architect of the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, the agreement that has transformed constitutional and institutional arrangements for governing Northern Ireland, and has also restructured relationships with the rest of Ireland, as well as relationships between the whole of Ireland and Britain.

Constant in his view that Irish unification could only be achieved with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland, the stress Hume placed on the aspiration for a united Ireland gave way to recognition of the ‘need to unite people before territory.’   John Hume had a clear modus operandi and political vision regarding bringing a lasting peace, resolving the constitutional issue, and uniting the people of Ireland through only peaceful and democratic means.

John Hume possessed a European foresight and outlook from an early stage; following his election to the European Parliament in 1979 John Hume came to believe that Europe offered a much broader horizon and a political platform on which shared interests could cross the traditional divide between unionism and nationalism. Especially after becoming an MEP in 1979, John Hume looked towards the example of European unity for inspiration and ways to resolve the problems of Northern Ireland.

In Europe there was in fact a degree of cooperation across the political divide with regard to the Common Agricultural Policy and EU cohesion funds where all Irish MEPs, from North and South, nationalist and unionist, tended to be broadly singing of the same hymn sheet.  John Hume clearly had saw European engagement as a means by which Northern Ireland could set aside historical animosities and focus on the promotion of economic development, social justice, human rights and equality of opportunity.

In February 1970, John Hume, then an Independent MP for Foyle said in Belfast that ‘sectarianism was the real border that existed in the North and any proposal he would offer to change the present constitutional framework would be designed to neutralising the effect of sectarianism practiced by any politician or political group.’  John Hume was speaking at a conference held in Belfast organised by the Nationalist Democratic Party to which representatives of various Opposition groups were invited with a view to possible unification. 

John Hume said that every election in the North was fought on the attitudes of people towards the constitution and sectarianism was used as a weapon.  The Government of Ireland Act [1920] made political tolerance almost impossible in that it made people consider the Constitution as a vital issue.  It was therefore John Hume’s firm political belief that it would have to be taken out of the arena.

The aspirations and the ideals of John Hume to an "agreed Ireland" as opposed to a United Ireland command a lot of respect.   The Irish constitution is clear In terms of a United Ireland as the Irish constitution aspires to there being a United Ireland but only on the basis that it is achieved by consent, and when it does come about it needs to also command a degree of cross-community support. 

John Hume talked less about a United Ireland and more about an ‘agreed Ireland’ with a clear set of relationships that people and communities could be comfortable and live with together in a spirit of peace, reconciliation, tolerance and understanding for each community’s background, diversity and identity.

It is well to recall how a peacemaker and statesman of John Hume's immense political calibre integrated a constructive European vision into his political credo with beneficial effects on the search for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

In the words of John Hume “Ireland is not a romantic dream; it is not a flag; it is 4.5 million people divided into two powerful traditions. The solution will be found not on the basis of victory for either, but on the basis of agreement and a partnership between both. The real division of Ireland is not a line drawn on the map but in the minds and hearts of its people.”

There the fundamental key point is that all questions regarding a border poll and Irish Unity must be properly answered in advance of a plebiscite.

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