Republican News · Thursday 23 January 2003

The most practical strand of the plan for a united Ireland

Over the last few weeks, JOANNE CORCORAN has been looking at the work of the All Ireland Implementation Bodies. This week Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Féin's representative for Dublin West, Ard Comhairle member, and the woman who coordinates the work of the party's elected representatives, explains the overall significance of the bodies and where they fit into Sinn Féin's goal of a united Ireland.

"The bodies are definitely the most practical strand of the plan for a united Ireland," Mary Lou says. "We pushed hard for them to be included in the Good Friday Agreement. They are all individually successful but it is in their collective strength that we will see progress made towards a 32-county Republic."

The Implementation Bodies are InterTrade Ireland, Foras na Gaeilge, the Food Safety Promotion Board and the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission. The current suspension of the Assembly has had an adverse effect on the bodies, but they have continued to operate despite the difficulties, and have recently renominated members. They have been able to continue their work thanks to the dedication of all their board members and staff.

"My role in the party does to an extent involve the Implementation Bodies," Mary Lou says. "The respective institutions to which Sinn Féin members are elected have an important part to play in terms of reunification and developing our political strength. I'm charged with making sure our elected representatives engage in organisations like the Implementation Bodies, so we don't have a situation where they become so busy that they can't see beyond the walls of their own institution."

Putting it into perspective

Mary Lou says that people often overlook the importance of the Implementation Bodies.

"Some people aren't aware of their significance," Mary Lou says. "It can be hard to see how some organisation that tells us how to store uncooked meat or what species of fish exist in a certain Lough can contribute to building a united Ireland. But they are providing us with institutional channels to further all-Ireland development.

"There is an opinion across the political spectrum that all-island bodies are the most progressive step on the way to unity. If they are successful, and in the main these four have been, it creates confidence in the ordinary people on the street that a united Ireland can work."

Mary Lou believes that everybody, even those who originally opposed the bodies, are already coming to terms with the fact that it is just common sense for there to be one economic body, one language body, one food safety authority and so on. "They've seen how practical it is for everybody on the island, and it is a relatively small island, to be working together on areas of common interest and the next natural step is a united Ireland."

Bodies can do more

The feedback from the individual bodies has been very successful to date, but Mary Lou points out that their remit has been quite modest.

"We have had discussions about how we would like the bodies to develop. Ultimately we want to see a united Ireland and we want the bodies to be working in that direction. We have set new objectives for achievement and explored a number of intermediate steps to frame our work within and outside of the bodies."

Mary Lou says a number of areas have already been identified for improvement.

"We've discovered that a management body needs to be appointed to ensure that our Implementation Body representatives are delivering on Sinn Féin's all-Ireland strategy.

"We have also discussed the need for strategies in regard to the work programme of the areas of cooperation in which health and education resides and we want to see further progress made by the two Implementation bodies that do not have boards - Waterways Ireland and the Special European Programmes Body.

"In addition to this, we are pursuing the enabling legislation required for the Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission (FCILC) to fully operate. That's being delayed by the Attorney General's Office in Dublin.

"We have been discussing whether the FCILC should be retained in its present form or perhaps relocated, if possible, into the work programme of the Implementation Body, Waterways Ireland.

Sinn Féin is also pushing for an all-Ireland Human Rights body. "There is support for cooperation in this area between the Six and 26 Counties, especially in the Six Counties, where to date the human rights agenda hasn't been honoured, but for one reason or another nothing has got off the ground yet."

Mary Lou says that on the whole, the British and 26 County governments have failed the Implementation bodies.

"The two governments have chosen not to see through the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, and in other ways have been lax in their support of the All-Ireland Bodies, such as not initiating legislation or being slow to come up with funds. We have had to continuously lobby the governments to put time and effort into the bodies."

Wider agenda

"There are even more areas of co-operation which should be developed," she says. "In areas like transport, agriculture and education it's only logical that we operate on an all-Ireland basis."

"As a party our ultimate goal is to unite Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement is gearing towards a united Ireland and that is why we want to see it implemented in full. All of the work we do, including the work on the Implementation Bodies, is part of thiswider agenda."