John Lowry address to Forum for Peace and Reconciliation

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday November 28, 2002 14:26 by Press Office - The Workers' Party wpi at indigo dot ie 23 Hill Street, Dublin 1. (01) 8740716

Opening Session 27th Nov 2002

Address by John Lowry, General Secretary of The Workers' Party to the opening session of the reconvened Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, Dublin Castle, Wednesday 27th November 2002.

Mr. Chairman I am sure given your knowledge and experience of life in Northern Ireland and your distinguished record of public service North and South over many years you will have no difficulty in dealing with the issues which come before us. Indeed your chairmanship of the Forum on Europe means that you are already familiar with many of the political representatives here today.

May I also take this opportunity on behalf of the Árd Chomhairle of the
Workers’ Party to extend our thanks and appreciation of all the work done by Judge Catherine McGuinness who at all times demonstrated through her chairmanship of this forum her impartiality, fairness and knowledge of the matters before us.

An Taoiseach, follow members of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, it is a matter of deep regret that we meet under the circumstances that we do. We do so because of a suspension of the institutions of government established under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. This is the fourth time that this has happened. What a far cry from the time of our first meeting. A time of great optimism, of hope for the future, of a new beginning, of a time when all of our people could at last sit down together and set out the ways in which we could live our lives together.

It is indeed ironic that we, despite having played such an embryonic role in what emerged as the Good Friday Agreement, are meeting as a body which itself is under suspension because of the refusal of several parties to that agreement to adhere to the underlying principles of that accord. There is no doubt that since the time of the referenda there has been a loss of confidence in the hope that a new beginning was possible. There have been many reasons why this was so.

This Forum, we should remind people, was a precursor to the Good Friday Agreement itself. It built upon and reinforced many principles, which Irish Republicans and Nationalists had previously come to accept. It is a matter of deep regret that once again the people of Northern Ireland are subjected to continuing dogmatism, sectarianism, adherence to outdated ideas and practices which are the curse of the unacceptable lives which they are forced to lead.

Why is it that so many years after an agreement so overwhelming endorsed by the vast majority of people north and south, in Britain, and internationally, we appear to be no further on? For make no mistake, in spite of the improving relations between the two governments, and the undoubted reduction in paramilitary activity, there is no one who cannot wholeheartedly proclaim that the situation is better.

Let me not be mistaken. The Workers’ Party remains totally committed to the Good Friday Agreement. We fully accept that it remains the best opportunity for
the peaceful development of Northern Ireland society, on the basis of equality of opportunity for all, for civil rights for all, on the premise that a new beginning is possible.

We fully accept that all the main players to this agreement are committed to it and want it to work. I know that some of you will say "and so what from The Workers Party?” But I cannot allow this occasion to pass without making the point that from the days of the civil rights movement in which the then Republican Movement played a prominent role, and indeed for many years prior to that, our sole desire was to see our people united and at one with one another. That remains the goal of the Workers’ Party today. And that is why, in spite of many reservation, we supported the Good Friday Agreement, and why we are meeting here today to collectively wonder why we are not progressing to that goal.

There are two questions before us today, Why are we in suspension and what is to be the role of this Forum? Both are related. If I may answer the latter first, I firmly believe that, both in its procedure and the matters with which it dealt, this forum played a significant role in progressing politics in Northern Ireland and in bringing about the Good Friday Agreement. It brought home some realities to the nationalist parties. But more importantly, and something which it has not had since basically the Canary Wharf bombing, it gave the citizens of this state a say in what they thought should be the future direction of this country.

That is something which is often left out of the equation, people forgetting that the citizens of this state also voted in the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement. And of course the Forum has a role to play in demonstrating to the people of Northern Ireland that this state has no aggressive intent towards it. Indeed much of the work started by the Forum, such as the Committee on Obstacles in the South, which remains uncompleted because of the Canary Wharf bombing, would act as a major confidence building measure in the search for agreement in the North.

But as for the North itself, the Good Friday Agreement was an historic achievement. It won the support of a majority of political parties including those that were traditional enemies. It also won the support of a substantial majority of citizens, North and South. The Agreement promised the dawn of a new political era. Among other things it appeared to resolve long standing constitutional disputes between unionism and nationalism. It initiated far-reaching institutional and structural changes within Northern Ireland, between North and South, and between Ireland and Britain.

Implementing the Agreement has not, however, been a straightforward task. Conflicting interpretations of its meaning are apparent among its supporters, and a significant number of unionists along with a small number of so-called dissident republicans oppose it. No doubt formal relations between traditional foes are now more civil than they have been for thirty years. But formal civility does not disguise the considerable mistrust that continues to exist between unionists and nationalists.

This mistrust has political and cultural roots. It is linked to the ongoing reality to sectarian attitudes that have persisted in post agreement Northern Ireland. These attitudes are most obviously reflected in disputes over marches, symbols and police reform. But they also appear in a variety of everyday practices that sustain cultural, religious, and political divisions. For many citizens who entertained high hopes of the Agreement leading to a recasting of sectarian mindsets, the disappointment has been that at the level of attitudes so much remains unchanged. Unaltered sectarian practices, beliefs, and dispositions pose a formidable challenge to realisation of the kind of new society that the agreement anticipates.

Sectarianism remains the biggest threat to the Agreement; unless it is challenged it will thwart the new society we all want. The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation has a role to play in the future. It could address the following issues:

1. It is shortsighted not to challenge sectarianism directly.
2. It is important to understand why sectarianism is a menace.
3. Citizenship is the political category that provides the best antidote to sectarianism. 4. There are practical steps that can be immediately undertaken to oppose sectarianism in the name of citizenship,

The Workers’ Party remains committed in playing our part along with others in the creation of a new peaceful and democratic society.

>ENDS.

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