In the most hard hitting contribution so far to the News Letter's Union 2021 series, Christopher Montgomery has come out swinging. He argues:
"What Northern Ireland needs at some point between now and 2021 is an end to liberal assumptions...The most persistent liberal unionist delusion, whether admitted to or even consciously acknowledged, is that we have made nationalists unionists, or even merely less nationalist. We haven't: they're not...when you consider the full spectrum of unionism, which runs from self-regarding, status quo-entrenching Alliance members, all the way to piously non sectarian, reactionary Tory integrationists, the hope has been the same, and it was of nationalists. That one political act or another of ours, be it amelioration, cooperation or outright appeasement would result in the same thing: it would dim their nationalism. It hasn't."
For those yearning for a progressive unity he points out:
"When it came to any choice between Sinn Fein and unionists, the SDLP, under Hume, Durkan and Ritchie alike has always made the quintessentially sectarian choice of remaining within the nationalist laager."
He is equally harsh about the future and nationalism:
There isn’t going to be a 32 county Irish republic in 2021, and there is still going to be an Ulster in the Union. And it’s still going to have lots of nationalists in it who don’t want to be there...At some point, though, a chill inner voice is going to have to say, ‘fine: you don’t want pluralism, inclusivity, tolerance, compulsory-power sharing and equal rights for all?
‘You do want to continue, at all costs, myopic, communal ill-will politically projected as national revanche?
‘Okay, go ahead. Your problem: wallow away.’
A refreshingly different take from the predictable liberal assumptions that predominate but a predominance that shows little sign of decreasing.
UPDATE: Are the "liberal assumptions" the Unionist equivalent of nationalist/republican "false consciousness"?
A refreshingly different take from the predictable liberal assumptions that predominate but a predominance that shows little sign of decreasing.
UPDATE: Are the "liberal assumptions" the Unionist equivalent of nationalist/republican "false consciousness"?
4 comments:
"The most persistent liberal unionist delusion, whether admitted to or even consciously acknowledged, is that we have made nationalists unionists, or even merely less nationalist."
I wonder how Montgomery would define "nationalist"; merely someone who votes for SF or SDLP, or is someone "born" to be a "nationalist" (if you know what I mean, nudge, nudge) in his opinion?
My most persistent *liberal* (I'd say "pragmatic") unionist delusion is that there is no point trying to persuade the former group but Unionism should at least some kind of an effort with the second group.
Who is Christopher Montgomery?
He is former director of friends of the union. He was a member of the UUP (AFAIK he isn't anymore) and he was almost the successor to Rev Martin Smyth in South Belfast.
How different history in South Belfast would have been had the UUP chosen Christopher Montgomery over Dr. Death. Martin Smyth should be ashamed for allowing the McGimpsey-ites to take over SB UUP.
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