Hilary Benn joins long list of useless British overlords

By Tom Collins (for the Irish News)

Let’s not beat around the bush. It’s pretty clear now that the British government has little or no interest in Northern Ireland; never has, never will. Quite why Hilary Benn didn’t go full hog last Friday and admit that outright is anyone’s guess.

Casement, the rejection of an inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown, and then the shambles over the north’s City Deals, signalled where this government’s priorities lie – and they are not here.

The decision pleased some. But those who opposed the redevelopment of Casement and who celebrated Friday’s reversal are wallowing in yet another act of self-harm. This wanton decision is a classic Pyrrhic victory for them.

King Pyrrhus pulled off a stunning victory over the Romans in 279BC, but his losses were so great the victory wasn’t worth it. Sounds familiar? There’s nothing unionist politicians like more than Pyrrhic victories. Indeed, the formation of this runt of a state was one of them.

Mr Benn has cultivated an image of avuncular affability. But little has really changed. As Labour has demonstrated in the few short months since it was returned to power, Keir Starmer likes nothing more than kicking people when they’re down.

Starmer was not exaggerating when he told an audience of those who elected him to office that things would get worse before they got better. This is not even a ‘jam tomorrow’ administration.

We could reasonably be expected to thole it if we had been able to vote for a government. But nobody in the north had that opportunity. We con ourselves if we believe we live in a democracy, like his predecessors, Starmer governs here without any democratic mandate.

Indeed, the contempt Britain has for politicians here can be seen in the way it handled Casement, Brown, and the City Deals ‘pause’.

This past weekend Benn gave us a demonstration in how to delegitimise local politicians and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The phrase ‘worse than Heaton-Harris’ springs to mind, and that’s quite something.

For all the talk about resetting Irish policy, Labour has demonstrated it’s the ‘same old, same old’. Perfidious Albion has a brand to maintain. Cameron, May, Johnson, the lettuce, Sunak, now Starmer are all cut from the same cloth. Unionism’s Casement critics are their enablers.

Let’s cut to the chase. We know unionism would rather see Northern Ireland fail than show ‘dignity and respect’ for other traditions. After more than a quarter century of the peace process, the ghost of ‘wouldn’t have a Catholic about the place’ still haunts these six counties.

This past weekend Hilary Benn gave us a demonstration in how to delegitimise local politicians and the Northern Ireland Assembly. The phrase ‘worse than Heaton-Harris’ springs to mind, and that’s quite something

You can see it flitting about the swanky new Grand Central Station in its rejection of our native language; you can hear its howl of derision greeting the public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane; and you can feel its deathly presence when it comes to anything which signals respect for Irish culture and traditions.

Irish Language protesters at the new Grand Central station about signage.

We now know that the British government is pretty happy to see the place fail too. The Casement decision has snuffed out hope that sport could be a catalyst for healing and renewal; the city deals fiasco has undermined confidence; meanwhile Labour’s pursuit of austerity means the poor will get poorer, the sick will get sicker, and ambitions to create growth and prosperity will be dashed.

If only there were an alternative?

Not even the most dyed-in-the-wool nationalist sees Dublin as the answer to all our problems. But there can be no doubt that reunification offers the best future for all communities here. Much better to be the masters of our own destiny than to leave it in the hands of a man who is answerable only to voters in Leeds South.

Partition has done nothing for Northern Ireland – look at the state of the place. The five worst local authorities in the UK for deprivation are here. The past century is littered with lost opportunities and broken dreams. Our people – of all traditions and none – have been left traumatised by hatred, division and physical and emotional violence.

With reunification, and full membership once more of the European Union, our potential is limited only by our own imaginations.

If Benn did anything worthwhile last week, it is that he reminded us that there is no future if we remain tied to this failing United Kingdom. It is time to cut ties once and for all with a government that has demonstrated by its actions that it has no interest in us – selfish, strategic or otherwise.

Urgent Appeal