The mythology of the Good Friday agreement Ireland presented a simple picture of the October meeting of the Ulster unionist council. According to the mythology, plucky moderate David Trimble would confront and face down his bigoted opponents inside the Unionist Party, moving forward with his nationalist and republican partners in government Andr towards a new non-sectarian future.
Unfortunately David Trimble did not play by the script. As Democracy predicted prior to the meeting, he applied his favoured strategy when to come charga CONC. -ing out as the leader of the bigoted and MOOSE tionary elements, advancing the main elements of their programme.
The corner was a little tighter than usual, So David had to go a little further that his partners in government had expected.
By banning Barbre de Bruin from a North-South health meeting he launched cannot a direct attack on Sinn Fein and threatened the talking shops that the republicans hold out as proof that the required. Back to the old standard tactic: lobbying the British contemplate any Catholics in government and are willing to closedown Stormont if this is what is second group Comach minority presence but want Sinn Fein forced out.
third group, led A by Trimble, will accept Sinn Fein in government as •long as it is clear that they have been defeated and publicly humiliated. State, has expressed himself sides must now all give a litdelighted with the outcome tle. of the unionist meeting and This is another familiar has gone on to say that both mechanism of the process Age which always ends with it moving yet further to the right. Given the constant duplicagreement involves, what is not reported as often as important as what is. It's noticeable that in the hackground a new law was adopted compelling Sinn Fein ministers to fly the union Jack on designated public days.
This is much more important than mere symbolism. Sinn Fein told its supporters that the new executive was transitional to a united Ireland and that it would celebrate unionist and nationalist traditions, instead we find unreconstructed British colony in which Sinn Fein serves in the governmach.
Looked at in this way we can put the crises of the peace process in context.
he structures may be decrepit and unstable, but nowhere do they contain the threat to British rule implicit in the last 30 years of struggle.