Loss of unionist senator backward step for the hope of a ‘shared island’
WHEN Ian Marshall was making his maiden speech in the Seanad two years ago, where he held a seat as the voice of moderate unionism, he turned to an unexpected source of inspiration – his neighbour Seamus Mallon.
He heard the former SDLP leader speak at a 20th anniversary event for the Good Friday Agreement and was struck by his eloquence and passion.
Keen to use a line from his speech, Marshall called in person to ask permission at Mallon’s home in Markethill, Co Armagh, just 4km from his own.
“It doesn’t matter what we call this land as long as we can call it home,” is the sentence which fired his imagination. It’s a plea for tolerance, accommodation, neighbourliness.
“He was the classic retired politician in an armchair with the TV news on, newspaper at his elbow, dog at his feet,” recalls Marshall. “He said to me, ‘It’s brilliant you’re elected’.
“I said that’s powerful language you used about home. Did you steal it from Heaney? He sat up straight and said ‘What? No!’ I said it really resonated with Northern Irish people.”
Some time later, Marshall asked Mallon to sign his book, ‘A Shared Home Place’, and Mallon modestly told him he hadn’t signed many books in his life, to which Marshall replied: “You’ve signed a lot of important documents.”
Mallon, an architect of the Good Friday Agreement, died earlier this year. “He put a comment in his book which I used as a mantra to cling to in Dublin,” said Marshall. “He said you’re doing sterling work – keep opening doors and minds, north and south. I was genuinely moved. It summed up what had to be done. There is more that unites us than divides us.”
The dairy farmer, business development manager in the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University and former farmers’ leader, spent two years in the Seanad. He hoped to spend more years there – a lot done, more to do – but failed to make the list of Taoiseach’s nominations recently.
There was widespread surprise at his omission. He believed he was an agreed candidate, but it seems the Northern unionist voice was squeezed out.
This is an error of judgment, probably the result of an oversight rather than malice. Three party leaders were sharing out seats, each with various groups whose voice they wanted to amplify, plus some places were earmarked for those depressingly familiar examples of political patronage.
To the victor belongs the spoils, but it means there is no Northern unionist voice in the Oireachtas at a time when Brexit and the pandemic make it imperative that existing connections are maintained north of the Border, and new ones forged.
It takes time to establish trust and no time at all to lose it. Barriers can be dismantled faster than put up. Marshall has an impressive CV, in addition to a willingness to engage with the Dublin political establishment. Not many unionists fit his profile, particularly as regards a readiness to participate in and with Leinster House. After all, when he voted, he did it as Gaeilge. In the world where he grew up, the Irish language appeared to pose a threat.
He has farming, food safety and business credentials, and understands the agri-food sector. His unionist perspective, as someone who values the union with Britain, increases diversity.
He made a contribution towards outreach, despite attempts in some unionist circles to dismiss his presence in the Seanad as a lone voice. Those critics have been heartened by what could be interpreted as him being shucked off by the three coalition leaders. Their silence on the matter is hard to fathom. Whatever it is, it’s not leadership.
Losing him from the Seanad is a mistake but not irretrievable. Surely if the Taoiseach is sincere about this “shared island” he’d help Marshall to continue making a contribution through the mechanism in his own department.
It’s not as if we’re knee-deep in people with a foothold north and south of the Border who are ready, willing and able to fashion links.
Timing is everything in life. And the timing for unfastening a useful tie, through a unionist voice in the Seanad, is about as unfortunate as possible.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ulster Unionist Party or the Democratic Unionist Party hadn’t already put out feelers to Marshall because he’s a capable politician and an excellent communicator. A role needs to be found for him in the Republic, where understanding of the unionist perspective is not as strong as it should be.
During his period in the Seanad, he set up meetings between bodies from both sides of the Border to consider areas of common interest. He was involved in initiatives for the North West (Donegal, Derry, Sligo) aimed at driving job creation by developing the tourism, business, education and environment sectors. He helped bring together academic institutions working on all-island food safety.
That “shared island” aspiration in the Programme for Government is something Marshall has thought about already.
A shared island, he says, creates a safe space to talk about business development, health, education, foreign direct investment, tourism and other areas of common interest.
Island-wide initiatives that benefit everyone present no difficulties for either unionists or nationalists. They show what can be achieved. Any aspiration to unite our two peoples took a backward step when Marshall’s name was excluded from the senators’ list. To shrug it off is a mistake. More unionist voices, not fewer, are needed in the Oireachtas.