IRSP Belfast Activist Joe Matthews with the latest addition to the blog.
Over the past 40 years the dramatic change in the demographics of the North of Ireland has left us in a position where a successful unity referendum is becoming a very real possibility. As predicted by the IRSP the Good Friday Agreement has failed, Stormont is unworkable and while the circus continues it is the working class who have had to suffer.
Partition continues to silently dominate Irish politics but many political parties and representatives attempt to sit on the fence on such a huge issue. Sitting on the fence is allowing the neo-liberal powers, to continue their political & economic exploitation through their manipulation of Ireland’s right to democracy. The recent direct-rule Tory budget that has been enforced on the people of the 6 counties is a clear cut example.
While many believe such anti-partition politics are simply sectarian they must be reminded that the partition of our country was in itself created to support institutionalised sectarianism. The Good Friday Agreement that many still aspire to ‘work’ propped up these institutions by legalizing constitutional sectarian politics at the very top political level; Sectarianism with a smile and a suit.
We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the GFA, another anniversary of predicted failure, and while I could sit here with another joke of, ‘’we told you so’’, now is not the time for jokes. Economic terror is being rained down by the Tory government against the working class people of Ireland. We have now some of the highest rates of unemployment, suicide and child poverty in Western Europe.
The people of the North should consign Stormont to the history books, and instead focus our full attention on achieving a successful unity referendum. Those political organisations and representatives that continue to sit on the fence need to rise and support true democracy, to crush this failed, sectarian & undemocratic political system that holds our people to ransom.
