Thatcher: “I need that money for my people”…
Garrett FitzGerald is telling tales from school (subs needed). This one points up a profound challenge facing unionism in the years to come, ie how make the Union work in real human terms. It is well worth repeating:
So, after signing the agreement with me on November 15th, 1985, when we went upstairs in Hillsborough Castle to celebrate our achievement with a glass of champagne, Thatcher reacted negatively to a reference I made to an arrangement by which our two permanent representatives to the EU were to propose to their colleagues that their states each make a substantial national contribution to a Northern Ireland peace fund, outside the framework of the EU budget.I had personally secured the agreement of almost all other heads of government to this proposal. The instant reaction demonstrated how little unionist sentiment she shared: “What! More money for these people? Look at their roads! Look at their schools! I need that money for my people!”
The approach in Brussels was instantly cancelled, and Northern Ireland lost what might have been several hundred million pounds in aid.
On a really pedantic note – I think the population of the Republic is more like 4.75 million now (up from 4.3 the previous time – we recorded a 10% increase since 2001) according to the results of the latest census, and still growing rapidly.
I remeber watching a kids show or game show in england when i lived overthere. There were a number of kids from around the uk on the show and they were all being asked where they were from what their names were etc, all very normal stuff, then the micophone was passed to this young girl. The host said “ah and you are irish from county down”. She suddenly exlaimed IM NOT IRISH IM BRITISH! i remeber the silence that fell on the crowd and audience on this “live” tv show and the sheer shocked expression of the TV host who was lost for words hearing this from a 10 year old. People in britain don’t consider any part of ireland british and have no interest in NI. I had one english man even saying that britain regrets its past ocupation of ireland and was to blame for the troubles, this surprised me. In my opinion this clearly shows up unionism for what it really is!
“Fitzer is no doubt a brilliant academic…” – Greenflag
Really? Does he have a Nobel Prize for Economics? No. Has he even made one single notable contribution to economics? No. There is no evidence to support the claim that Fitzgerald is anything other than an unremarkable economist, despite a pro-British media hyping him as such.
As leader of the Fine Gael / Labour coalition government from 1982 to 1987, his economic mismanagement of the Irish economy quite literally bankrupted the state. Unemployment increased from 10% to 18%. It was much higher in real terms because emigration also increased dramatically under Fitzgerald, running at 20% of those seeking employment, forcing those that Fitzgerald’s incompetence had forced out of employment out of the country instead of onto the unemployment register. The Fine Gael government of Fitzgerald (with John Bruton as Finance Minister) had the effect of more than doubling the national debt. Borrowing was out of control, running at 12.6% of GNP. The budget was running massive deficits.
In fact, Fine Gael’s term of government was so disastrous for the Irish economy that it necessitated the formulation of an all-party Programme for National Recovery (PNR) in an effort to salvage the state after his 5-years criminal incompetence had the effect of bankrupting it.
It wasn’t until the Irish electorate threw them out of government and installed a Fianna Fail government that a serious effort was made to get the state’s finances under control. Where Fitzgerald had, for example, borrowed 1,771m in one year, Fianna Fail cut borrowing back to 193m immediately into their term. Prudent FF economic management has continued to keep the budget under the control which it brought it under to where we now have whopping great budget surpluses, very low unemployment, and are a net importer of people rather than a net exporter of them.
Fine Gael government brought nothing but ruin upon Ireland. Based on their appalling record of economic failure and mismanagement, I wouldn’t trust those morons to run a paper shop never mind a country.
I’m sure a FF/Labour coalition of the time would have been just as disastrous. I’m inclined to blame Labour’s delusional brand of socialism as much as Fitzgerald’s feeble hand at the helm.
Are you saying that Fitzgerald, as head of government, implemented policies that he knew would bankrupt the economy?
I don’t think he acted with malice of foresight, but if he did, then he should be in Mountjoy.
Dubliner,
Ok I exaggerated Fitzer’s qualities . Perhaps I should have said that he was a fast talking low/non achiever (as Taoiseach anyway). I would not single out Fitzer alone for the late 70′s 1980′s economic policy debacle in the Republic . This was a ‘communal effort among politicians of all parties and originated as far back as 1973 when the then Coalition Government (FG & Labour) failed to make needed policy changes in wake of the oil crisis . Then followed a few elections in which each party tried to outbid the others in a ‘freebies for all’ downward public sector spending spiral ( Northern Ireland’s present mode) which eventually came to an end in 1987. Ray ‘ Mac(the knife) Sharry finally started pruning back the overall public sector cost .
Fitzer was preferred by Unionist politicians and British Governments on account of his ability to bend over backwards so as not to offend . Normally a politic thing to do – however at a time when the UK was under Maggie and NI Unionism was in political rigor mortis under Molyneux , Fitzer’s timing of rear ending flashing was out of kilter by a decade. Thus poor fitzer was made to endure public humiliation from Thatcher ( OUT OUT OUT speech) and the phone line to or from Molyneux was reminiscent of the sound of silence .
Fitzer forgot was that he was elected by an Irish electorate who are more than a little sensitive to politicians /leaders who forget to whom they owe their position.
It’s been more than a decade since the last FG/Lab Coalition so memories are fading. I believe the electorate will return FF/PD in 2007 The last minute ‘cobbling together’ of this daft Assembly will be good for Ahern in the hustings . People will reflect that it’s probably a good idea to have at least one government on this island that will last it’s term and that it is not run bya mix of 17th century fundamentalist ‘creationists’ and just recently ‘evolved’ constitutional politicians.
Some thoughts for the day :
‘What are the Darwinian pressures that drive many human beings towards irrational belief systems ?’
‘What evolutionary benefits might there be in following irrational leaders?’
(DUP voters will know the answer to this one)
and
‘Why do humans among other animals instinctively and habitually divide the world into US and THEM ?’
If you or anyone else know the answers to the above then don’t waste any more time on Slugger !
Obscure Ref
‘I’m inclined to blame Labour’s delusional brand of socialism ‘
And the Rabbitte is now hopping around in the electoral meadow this eastertide waxing lyrical about the benefits of reducing taxes .
Somethings never change . Anyway accusing the Irish Labour Party of being ‘Socialist’ is about as accurate as accusing George Bush’s Republicans of being compassionate conservatives . Correct in theory but in practice about as credible as Father Dougal’s belief in a Deity or as Paisley’s belief in the non Anti Christ nature of the Pope.
Well, the current wisdom is that the upturn in the Irish economy was not caused by the actions of its politicians, but by its birthrate.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/11/13/8393173/index.htm?postversion=2006110710
In the same way M Thatcher could claim that her economic policies had been successful, when possibly it was North Sea Oil that kept the British economy afloat.
Thatcher of course, is the subject of this thread. Her attitude is interesting.
The basic corruption which underpins the province of NI is the fact that it returned a large majority for the Conservative and Unionist party. On occasions this majority could be very important for the party, so the tendency was to overlook the excesses of the Unionists in return for this vote.
Eventually Edward Heath realised that this was untenable and the relationship was severed. Nevertheless Unionists still form a block of 10 votes, which could be useful for propping up minority governments. This however is countered by 3 SDLP votes, which would be well advised to vote counter to the Unionists, bringing the number of useful votes that Unionism has to sell down to 7. Sinn Féin potentially has a further 5 votes, but chooses not to use them.
An interesting speculation is: could they be induced to drop the boycott of Westminster? I am not sure that any useful purpose could be served in doing so, but if it came to an important vote on NI which they had the power to deflect, it might be worth considering.
After all, they seem to have dropped all their other republican principles, and the electorate has only rewarded them for doing so.
paddyreilly,
‘but if it came to an important vote on NI which they had the power to deflect, it might be worth considering. ‘
They would’nt stop to consider it’s worth- They’d do it and in the opinion of most apart from a few blinkered ideologues and IMO they’d be right to do it .
NI may be just on the edge of leaving the era of political ‘principle ‘ for the era of financial principal which when all is said and done should provide a better return on their mutual investment than the past 40 years of ‘principled and unprincipled barking’!