Government must act
Dear Madam The proposition put to the British public in the 23rd June EU referendum must have been the most simplistic, ill thought out text put before the population of any country since Caligula’s time. One of the many consequences of this referendum is the threat it poses to the Good Friday Agreement ( GFA) At the latter stages of the GFA negotiations it was mooted that if Article Two and Three of the Irish Constitution were removed, overall acceptance of the agreement would, probably, be assured. The people of the Republic of Ireland voted, after much soul- searching, and heated debate, to remove the said articles. These articles gave expression to the view of the vast majority of the citizens of the Irish Republic’s belief, that the territory of the Island of Ireland is one entity, and in time become one nation. These article, to most Irish people, I suggest, were the most sacred of the many articles enshrined in the Irish Constitution. Nevertheless the people voted for their removal if it brought peace to the Island of Ireland and allowed for the reunification of Ireland through consent North and South. Britain’s vote to exit the EU puts the GFA in jeopardy and may well spell the end of this agreement. If this be the case what happens to the Irish Constitutional claim on the six counties of the North of Ireland. Will there be a clamour to reinstate these articles? If one of the signatories of the agreement ( Britain) unilaterally decides to scrap the GFA, as the result of the outcome of the EU referendum, the above reinstatement only seems logical and proper. It is not difficult to imagine the uproar and outrage this development will trigger. I live quite near the invisible border between the North and South of Ireland, any attempt to reintroduce a hard border will, IMO, have the effect of unpicking all the good work and progress the above agreement has established since 2nd December 1999. How sad it is that such an ill- conceived referendum could undo the hard won peace we have enjoyed in this part of the World since those momentous days. Of course, I am sure! the Irish Government have already pointed out to Theresa May British PM the more negative aspects of this EU referendum result in relation to Irish/ British agreements and the possibility it has of destabilising the understanding and goodwill built up between the two sovereign jurisdictions. I believe it imperative that our government point out to the UK authorities, in no uncertain terms, and in a timely fashion, ( before Article 50 is triggered) the many dangers and pitfalls, both economically and politically that await if the said article is triggered. I only hope the British Government and public think again. Brian Mc Hugh Snr. Calry, Sligo.