The Current Crisis 2003: Part II

Published: 11 March, 2003

Part II: Political Sources of the Crisis: The Securocrats and The Unionist Veto

1. The Securocrats

David Trimble and Unionism/Loyalism is supported by a huge security industry in the north of Ireland and in the UK who thrive on the need to be militarily engaged and “on alert” to ensure their jobs and interests. This is the reason why it suits the securocrat industry [including its heavily armed, military-style “police” force] to make the most of the IRA’s potential or imagined threat to the peace process, a process they themselves do not support. This persists despite the fact the IRA has upheld an unbroken, six year ceasefire and have made concession after concession to keep it alive.

Even though there are strong elements in the British establishment which want a just settlement, there are securocrats within this establishment who can effectively gum up the works with timed arrests, unsupported leaks, and bizarre propaganda leading to outlandish smears and unsupported allegations in the media.

Police Service Northern Ireland [PSNI] Chief Hugh Orde publicly complained in a controversial 8 January ‘03 speech in New York City that there were actually elements within his own force actively working against political progress. Unionist politicians use this culture of state militarism to make unrealistic demands on Irish Republicans and receive placating concessions in return.

On the 2nd of March ‘03, David Trimble stormed out of a critical meeting with British PM Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, moaning about silent IRA arms. But he got what he wanted the next day: postponed Assembly elections that he thinks he can’t win and talk of possible sanctions against Sinn Fein tied into what the IRA does or is alleged to do. This is, of course, irrespective of SF’s several hundred thousand constituents who voted for them in a democratic election and deserve to be democratically represented.

The failure of the peace process suits Unionism and British securocrats’ needs. But who put these people in charge of the peace process?

2. The Unionist Veto: A Stranglehold On The GFA

Why is the British government behaving like this even though it probably doesn’t want to? What principle do they apply or what dementia in the political mind causes them to allow Unionism to control the process instead of themselves? Or preferably everyone equally?

This British policy or mind set is referred to by Nationalists as the “Unionist Veto.” It implies that Unionism has the traditional right to pull down any agreement or block human/civil rights progress any time it wants to, or thinks it needs to, to stay in political power. As if it were an inalienable right.

Every time Unionism gets nervous or has political difficulty, no matter how minor or arcane, since the forced partition of Ireland and the establishment of the 6-County statelet 80 years ago, they have been bailed out politically or militarily by the British government.

While the source of the Unionist Veto may be socio-historical, it endures to this day to everyone’s detriment. It has never delivered peace or justice or prosperity for the people of the north of Ireland. Perhaps it doesn’t work because it is undemocratic.

Regardless, it doesn’t work for British people or Irish people. It doesn’t even help Unionist people.

The “Veto” & the Present Unionist Crisis

The British government’s constant suspensions of the devolved political institutions because of this perverse, implicit Unionist Veto -- four times since the signing of the GFA -- is a violation of the Agreement and universal democratic principles.

The British have no right to suspend by government directive an international agreement between themselves and the Irish government, and achieved with the very active intervention of the US, negotiated and signed by the participating political parties in the north of Ireland, and voted into existence by the people of the north and south of Ireland.

Certainly they shouldn’t do it because David Trimble wants them to.

Now, the British government has postponed the scheduled Assembly elections, without a peep of protest from Dublin or Washington, although both governments previously stated this would be a violation of universal “democratic principles.”

The British are also dangerously supporting a Unionist inspired concept, totally outside the Agreement, to create an oversight body independent of the GFA that would have power to apply sanctions against any legitimate political party based primarily on “securocrat” or military/police intelligence. Only Sinn Fein would likely be affected.

Saving Trimble From Himself Because the British government’s sole strategy seems preserving a weak Trimble in power -- in fact, David Trimble has made an art of weakness -- and because they see a coalition of the Ulster Unionist Party [UUP] and the nationalist Social Democratic and Labor Party [SDLP] as indispensable to their short sighted, undemocratic vision, they continue to allow political stagnation.

They thwart democratic elections and political responsibility by their interference, supported by Dublin and Washington. The SDLP is the now the 2nd nationalist party behind Sinn Fein and Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party [DUP] is threatening to overtake the UUP or already has.

It is not the British government’s job to determine whom Irish people should vote for or lead them. Either there is democracy or there isn’t. Either there is a GFA or there isn’t.

The Result

The result of the continuance of the “Unionist Veto” is Unionist leadership that has not learned how to lead but to bluster; has not learned consensus building and compromise, but trouble making and childishness; and instead of tolerance and the ability to change with changing times, they are prejudiced and intractable.

Next -- Part II [con’t.] The Political Sources of the Crisis 2003: The Two Governments and Implementation of the GFA