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Federalism, the Key to Irish Reunification
 One
would expect that anyone with a basic knowledge of government
structures if asked the question,
'What would be the best form of government for a reunited Ireland?',
their
answer would
be,
‘a unitary system’. More than likely their reasoning would be
based on its landmass, population size, and the homogeneity of its
inhabitants.
Under
normal circumstances that answer, ‘a unitary system’, would
be correct without equivocation. However, circumstances surrounding
the homogeneity of Ireland's people are not as normal or clear cut
as they might seem. Since Ireland was partitioned into two states
by the British over a hundred years ago, the dividing line drawn
between the two states has been a godsend for religious zealots and
political demagogues, more so in the Northern Ireland state. As
a result, the harm caused to peaceful coexistence has been profound
and reprehensible and has rendered homogeneity a myth in the
Northern state.
Religious identity rather than religious ethos was what mattered in
the Northern state. It was the criteria used to determine where you
lived, who your friends were, where you went to school, where you
worked --- it was your life’s determinant, it was the zealot’s
witchcraft. The sound of the Lambeg drum every July 12th for
centuries is the manifestation of that perversion. That state of
affairs prevailed through the 1970s. Due to a 30-year low-grade war
and the advent of the European Union’s influence on human rights,
labor law and investment within the state, as well as evolutionary
societal changes, the situation has improved somewhat, but less so
the mind-set.
In what
became the Free State in 1922, religious identity played a much
different role where Catholics accounted for ninety percent of the
population, and Protestants accounted for the other ten percent.
After 1922, as many as 40,000 Protestants left the Free State, some
out of fear for the unknown, others who felt they no longer belonged
and others still who supported the British occupation and genuinely
feared for their lives. By 2011, the Protestant population had
dwindled to less than five percent.
From the
inception of the Free State, its leaders forged an unholy alliance
with the Catholic Hierarchy to help keep the people in check after a
bitter civil war and to mollify them during periods of dour economic
downturns. For the subsequent six decades, that unholy alliance
shielded the existence of atrocious and deviant behavior within
state institutions operated and staffed by members of Catholic
religious orders. When the scandals came to light in the latter
quarter of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church’s influence
drastically declined to the point where it’s no longer a relevant
force in Irish life. The many good men and women who dedicated
their lives to the church were also victims of their
ecclesiastical superiors who were either
participants or silent facilitators to the goings-on.
The
existing unitary system of government in Ireland operates more like
the government of a city-state than the government of a state that
includes cities, towns, villages and significant rural areas. One
may argue that such an inference is off the mark, pointing to
Ireland as a modern society with a high standard of living
comparable to other European countries. Conceding that point, the
fact remains that the government’s focus and policies are Dublin
centric in that everything emanates outwards from there. Dublin and
its environs enjoy first dibs or the lion’s share of every major
project or investment controlled or touched by the government in
Dublin.
The
totality of the situation in both states in Ireland is complex,
entrenched and difficult to navigate. It’s not only the political
and geographical aspects of reunification that require solutions,
but other issues including rural development, access to government
services, the disparity in the distribution of wealth and the
systemic corruption at all government levels. A peaceful and
prosperous reunited Ireland depends on a more equitable society
where everyone is a valued citizen and treated fairly. That should
be the basis for a reunited Ireland.
Although
the top-down unitary system has many advantages, it has not
functioned as well as it should have in Ireland for the reasons
stated in this article. It would prove even less effective as a
framework for a reunited Ireland. It’s also a fact that the powers
that be in Northern Ireland would be reluctant to set aside their
own on again, off again dysfunctional government to be absorbed into
what they consider to be an inept and insular Dublin government.
To avoid such problems, the
Eire Athaonthaithe proposal envisions an all-Ireland
Federal Parliamentary Republic comprised of three distinct regions
namely, 1) the
Ulster Region
encompassing the nine counties of Ulster, 2) the Munster/Connacht
Region encompassing the eleven counties of Munster and Connacht, and
3) the Leinster Region encompassing the twelve counties of
Leinster.
The
union of Connacht and Munster into a single region would
lend economic equity and political balance to what would be
lacking in a standalone Connacht and to a lesser extent, in
a standalone Munster.
The proposed federation would be underpinned by a new constitution that
would provide for the allotment of governmental powers between a
national and regional governments
To that
end, government powers
reserved for the national government would be those that blanket the
nation as a whole to protect its people, security, independence and
territorial integrity as well as effectively represent the nation on
the world stage. By the same token, government powers reserved for regional governments would be those best exercised at
the regional level where the outcome would directly affect the
people of the region.
Shared
powers would be handled by inter-government regulatory agencies and
shared oversight responsibilities by inter-government commissions.
The new constitution would be the nation’s supreme authority that all
government entities and the people at large would bear true faith and allegiance to.
Holistically, Eire
Athaontaithe provides the framework for political and
cultural differences to coexist in harmony and exercised in
conformity with universally accepted democratic principles.
TMMTP
Date posted 8/6/2022
Updated
10/22/2023
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