Given the unsteady social and political climate initiated by the rise of dissident activity in Northern Ireland, it came as no surprise that their recent role in the region came under close scrutiny this weekend. The primary objective of the most significant interventions came in the form of condemnation and a worrying signifier of the potential threat they pose.
Irish President Mary McAleese took a now somewhat familiar tone. In her address (and media committments) to the Rimini Meeting for Friendship Amongst Peoples, a lay Catholic organisation, the president issued a strong condemnation of recent events. However, somewhat interestingly, she also pushed for a dialogue route to be opened with dissidents. Her intervention in the debate represents a further enhancement of the official rhetoric discussed here over the past weeks. It is symbollic however that such a representative figure aligned herself with this school of thought. It becomes more interesting given the fact her appraisal quickly followed a worrying warning from MP Patrick Mercer in Westminster.
Earlier in the weekend, it was claimed that dissidents are planning an audacious attack on the upcoming Tory party conference. The re-routing of the battlefield to British soil has a chequered past in Northern Ireland history, as does attacks on Tory Party Conference’s (one of the most symbollic attacks during the ‘Troubles’ was that on the Tory conference in Brighton 1984 with Margaret Thatcher as the target). The importance of this is two fold. Initially, one must be concerned with the obvious skill levels residing in the dissident camp if such an attack is deemed a viable pursuit. Secondly, and more relative to McAleese and others viewpoint, it seems their agenda/gameplan will indeed have a sell-by date. Even more complexing is that if McGuinness’ earlier claim that dissidents are indeed enaged already through dialogue, this projection from Westminster highlights one compelling fact. The current dialgoue is not working.
In truth, the “dialogue” school acknowledge it will not yield instant results. Significantly, it may not need to. It merely needs to reduce, defer and hinder the curve. It needs to create dissent in the dissident movement. Therein lies that challenge.
You can watch segments of President McAleese’s address here
Recent Comments