Ulster says No. So went the Unionist slogan against the Anglo-Irish Agreement which paved the way to ending the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Signed by London and Dublin, the 1985 treaty gave the Republic of Ireland a role in Northern Ireland’s governance for the first time, while confirming the six counties’ constitutional position within the UK — a vital step towards the Good Friday Agreement 13 years later.
‘Mrs Thatcher tells us the Republic must have some say in our Province,’ boomed the Revd Ian Paisley outside Belfast City Hall, railing against this original power-sharing breakthrough. ‘We say never, never, never.’ Yet Paisley’s implacable opposition proved futile. He eventually played a leading role in securing the peace which followed.
History is repeating itself, with the Democratic Unionists, the party Paisley founded, holding out in the Commons against Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill. The DUP supported last Saturday’s Letwin amendment, seriously complicating the Brexit bill’s already perilous route through Parliament. The bill passed Commons second reading, of course, despite DUP opposition. Yet Arlene Foster’s party still threatens ‘guerrilla warfare’ against the Prime Minister’s deal.
Today’s DUP needs to take stock and demonstrate its reputation not so much for intransigence as tactical acumen. Making too many enemies in the Conservative party, and across Britain as a whole, could end up hastening the outcome it fears the most.
Unionists have reason to feel aggrieved at a deal they feel weakens the Union by potentially putting a border down the Irish Sea. But before they derail Brexit, or water it down, the party should consider the benefits of Johnson’s agreement — and the consequences should the ten DUP MPs refuse to fall into line.
The PM’s proposals leave Northern Ireland essentially inside the single market, while joining the rest of the UK outside the EU.
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