February 15, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Ray O’Hanlon
Lord only knows how many cherished children of the diaspora will be watching from afar this Friday as voters in the Republic, those who bother to vote, head for polling stations to decide, among other things, what the Irish nation actually is and what constitutes membership of it.
The first lines in the proposed new wording of Article Two of the Irish Constitution reads thus: “It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish nation.”
When the votes are counted, and presumably stack up more on the yes side than the no, the implications of this wording would seem to be that anyone born on the island is a member of the nation and has a right to vote. Right?
Not so fast. The proposed new wording of Article Three speaks of a united Ireland being brought about only by peaceful means, “with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions of the island.” That would seem to suggest that come the great day, the real Tiocfaidh _r l_ day, only those on the island, its islands or those bobbing about on the territorial seas, will have a vote. The jury is still out on this one
A knotty problem for natty dressers
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Much talk from visiting Sinn FTin bigs of “struggle” and the peace agreement only being another phase of it. Fair enough, but “IF” reckons that it is getting harder and harder for SF generals to go on about struggle when they dress likes Wall Streeters. The cut of the suit does not always match the politics that suits.
Martin Ferris certainly deserves a ranking alongside the totally naf Gerry Adams, whose sartorial transformation since the 1960s was so accurately traced by Fintan O’Toole recently in The New Yorker. Not that “IF” begrudges the SF leadership an Armani or two. Hey, if you’re dreaming big political dreams, it does well to impress the hoi polloi with a decent tie as well as a pithy line. But nattily clad leaders do sound a bit out of it talking about social trench warfare. “IF” does understand that the SF leadership faces a particularly uphill struggle in one respect. The dry cleaning bills must be an enormous ball and chain around the auld inside leg.
Shinners follow their dreams
Speaking of those Sinn FTin political dreams. Just where do they point to? It’s no secret that the party has its sights on the SDLP and is intent on overtaking Hume’s lot and becoming the largest Nationalist party in the North, sooner rather than later. This could happen before some of the predictions of a united Ireland only being a few years away are shown to be either historical inevitability or overblown hope.
Meanwhile, Joe Cahill gave something of a clue to Sinn FTin’s ambitions south of the border during a chat in the South Gate Hotel last week. The man with 99 lives sketched out a scenario that envisions SF having five and possibly even six more TDs in the D_il should there be an election, as they say, “in the morning.”
The newcomers would, in Cahill’s view, come from Louth, North Kerry and Donegal. A couple more would pop up in Dublin constituencies, while there was a distinct possibility of sole SF TD Caoimghfn O Caol_in pulling in a second party candidate in Cavan/Monaghan.
Cahill also pointed to the recent statement by Fianna F_il’s Brian Lenihan alluding to the possibility of a future coalition arrangement between Fianna F_il and SF. Dev, between all that spinning in the grave, must be fierce confused to boot.
Jobs for da lads
George Mitchell clearly has had enough of squabbling politicians given that he turned down an offer to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “IF” fully understands Mitchell’s need to chill out although after the wee North the U.N. would be like political daycare. Still on the job front, “IF” understands that the U.S. ambassadorship to Ireland is Education Secretary Richard Riley’s for the taking. The question is, does he want the job?
A blue-collar collar
John Timoney doesn’t have much time for standing on ceremony. The Dublin-born newly appointed police chief in Philadelphia was out jogging the other day and witnessed a purse snatcher going about his dubious business. Timoney dashed into action, collared the thief and held him until the local plod arrived. With guys like Timoney in town, who needs Batman?
Kojak says ‘no’
“IF” is acutely conscious of the enormous pressures on the mainstream U.S. press with all this Irish stuff to cover. Over at the New York Times, gazillions of editors have been assigned to the task of sifting through eight hundred years of mayhem while the paper had assigned three hacks to the auld sod at last count.
Could the old dame be sniffing a Paddy Pulitzer? If so, then the editorial legions will have to tighten up their act. There was a photo published last week with a caption stating that it contained anti-agreement leaders Ian Paisley, William Thompson, Roy Beggs and William Ross. Not the case, although one of the men in the shot did look like a Kojak version of Big Ian. Mishsteaks doo appen.
The Grasshopper goes global
The world came to the Grasshopper in Carlstadt, N.J., last week, what with RTE, Newsweek, USA Today and others jamming into the dining room. USA Today captured the flavor of the great debate with a report Monday headed “A great divide in N.Y. area over N. Ireland peace.” The report wasn’t referring to the Hudson River but the clear chasm in the Grasshopper between the yes and no brigades. Still, there was also a strong sense, not quite reflected in the USA Today piece, that the idea of open debate was something to be cherished and supported, no matter what the outcome in this Friday’s referenda. E Pluribus Unum? Well, not quite, but at least pluribus under one roof.