Sunday, February 24, 2008
Ex-UUP councillor and army officer signs up to republican party…
THE Irish News reports it “likely” that businessman Harvey Bicker is the first ever unionist to join a republican party, after the former Ulster Unionist councillor from Down District confirmed to RTE that he had joined Fianna Fail. (Of course, serial defector Lord Ballyedmond has already been associated with both parties, before joining the UK’s Conservatives - perhaps businessmen’s first loyalty is to who is seen to be best for business.) A former military man, RTE reported that Bicker ‘said he felt the climate was now right to join Fianna Fáil as he was now spending a lot of time in the Republic influencing and networking on issues of reconciliation and military heritage. He said it was time for him to move into that environment and hopefully to represent the views of his community to people in that party.’ As FF begins to organise on an all-Ireland basis, the republican party seems to have found an ex-British Army soldier it can do business with. Will the move attract others? ElBlogador wonders if unionists are starting to recognise the benefits of a united Ireland.
Belfast Gonzo @ 03:39 PM
It can only happen to the UUP how can a Unionist join a United ireland Party its embarasing for the UUP
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 04:27 PMEh the Irish News is talking nonsense (as usual). Whatever historical examples we could pull up, the most immediate example from today is Billy Leonard (not by the way that I consider either FF or the Provos as republican but there you go).
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 04:34 PM“It can only happen to the UUP”
Having someone who knows and understands them being politically engaged in another jurisdiction?
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 05:03 PMAnother tiny bit of weight to what Walter Ellis has previouly said in a RTE radio interview. That there is an appreciable number of middle-class prods that see beenfits in a UI. How many more will emerge as the mutual hatred disappears and pragmatism takes over??
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 05:24 PMAs someone I spoke to yesterday said, “he’s not representing my views”.
His statement is strange. It almost sounds like he is a Unionist who wants to represent Unionist views from inside FF. Which is surely impossible - one would have thought that to join FF he would have had to sign up to their aims and objectives which I’m willing to bet are contradictory of Unionism.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 05:25 PMMaybe he just feels himself to be an Irishman; and he also just happens to be pro-British as well. There are a fair number about, but it suits some Republicans to characterise all Protestants as being anti-Irish.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 05:45 PMMaybe he wants to pursue an all-island unionist agenda, and reclaim the lost 26…
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 06:14 PMMayoman,
“That there is an appreciable number of middle-class prods that see beenfits in a UI. How many more will emerge as the mutual hatred disappears and pragmatism takes over??”Yes they might exist. However, I, as a middle class unionist with mainly middle class unionist friends have never heard this suggested. Clearly you and Walter Ellis and others know so many more unionists than I do; hence, I must just be wrong.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 06:23 PMDM, that made me laugh out loud.
As it happens I met HB a number of times at Military History do’s around the country in the 1980s. An interesting and gregarious character…
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 06:24 PMI think it´s a good development. There may be few Protestants in the North in favour of a United Ireland at present, unfortunately, but I would hope that this will make more of them look favourably at the prospect.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 06:44 PMMichael Shilliday should be aware that FF’s stated aims and objects are very far removed from their overriding mission, to stay in power and to use power to feather their own nests. In that sense unionists of all hues and FF would be most comfortable bedfellows.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 06:49 PM‘A former military man, RTE reported that Bicker ‘said he felt the climate was now right to join Fianna Fáil as he was now spending a lot of time in the Republic influencing and networking on issues of reconciliation and military heritage. He said it was time for him to move into that environment and hopefully to represent the views of his community to people in that party.’
Sounds like a pragmatic chap so where else for him except into Ireland’s premier ‘pragmatic’ party .
‘and hopefully to represent the views of his community to people in that party.’
Somebody needs to be looking out for the longer term interest of the unionist people of Northern Ireland . It’s clear to me that both Unionist parties can only deliver short term solutions which don’t really do much more than stick a band aid on a deep wound .
Congrats to the brave Mr Bicker anyway :) BTW- he won’t be the first ex British Army man to have joined FF .
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 07:19 PMhe won’t be the first ex British Army man to have joined FF
I wondered where Ingram went.
Ding ding.Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 07:34 PM‘ ElBlogador wonders if unionists are starting to recognise the benefits of a united Ireland. ‘
No need to worry . They will recognise the benefits but only when it’s too late !
dong dong
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 07:49 PMJoe,
There was an article in the Village a few months ago about how MI5 and British Intelligence had supposedly stood down their anti-SF black-ops as a result of the StAA. Around the same time Ingram stopped posting on all websites and deleted his blog - go figure.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 08:02 PMI always did believe that he was black-ops, Mark.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 08:05 PMJoe, I doubt one of the multitude of journalists using him as source material has felt the need to re-examine their relationships with him and to try and find if they too were possibly being used by the British as unwitting tools in the conflict.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 08:13 PMOne less quisling inside Unionism - a good result. I wonder should Paisley not follow him?
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 08:27 PMWhere else is there to go for a sensible unionist? Retreating into Nevair! Nevair! Nevair! isn’t really on. Turgon’s posting has been a real treat for us all but selfpity and abusing your opponents doesn’t make a political strategy. The Brits are leaving and taking the memories of 40,000 armed troops unleashed against the civilian population with them.
The Palestinians and the Jews are making up, the French and the Germans did it half a century ago, the GFA has to come, both sides have to forgive each other, and it is equally hard for us all to forgive and forget. Time for a ‘group-hug’ anyone? Good Night!
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 08:43 PMDavid Vance
Quisling was my initial reaction, but on reflection “tube” seems more fitting.
He wants to “influence and network”? Surely by nailing his colours to the FF mast his ability to influence and network with others outside his Republican Party is diminished?
He wants to represent the views of his community? That would be a community of one. Because as pointed out above he cannot be a Unionist and be a member of FF. Perhaps someone could ask Mr Bicker which way he would vote in a referendum to test his newfound fondness for the party of de Valera, Haughey, Reynolds et al.
As I said, tube.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 08:53 PMlib 2016,
This may shock and distress you but I agree on one point and am unconcerned on another.I agree that the TUV need to develop policies. However, they are only starting. We need to tear down this agreement before we can set up another; as such starting by opposing the current arrangements makes good sense. New policies will I trust be revealed in the forthcoming months. If I remember your friends in SF started opposing things at first.
On the second point. One of your oft repeated theses is that a united Ireland is inevitable (indeed your nom de plume sort of implies that) and that unless unionists make a compromise in the north they will not have their own regional parliament in a united Ireland. Now if you are correct and there will be a majority in Northern Ireland for ending partition then presumably there would be a nationalist majority. In that scenario you presume the largest party would be SF. Now if all these events pan out as you want rest assured I would rather be in a united Ireland ruled by Dublin that in a united Ireland with SF ruling me from Belfast. As such even if I believed your dire warnings I am not going to heed them as the last thing I want is terrorists ruling me and my family’s future.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 09:07 PM“Eh the Irish News is talking nonsense (as usual). Whatever historical examples we could pull up, the most immediate example from today is Billy Leonard (not by the way that I consider either FF or the Provos as republican but there you go).”
Eh no, Nilly Leonard was in the RUC not the UUP or even DUP.
He was a member of the sdlp briefly before moving to sinn fein.
Try again...has any unionist ever joined a republican party?
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 09:21 PMWell we can safely assume that a member of the RUC and especially of the loyal orders (which I believe Billy Leonard was too) is a unionist. I missed the part where this said unionist = member of a unionist political party. And depending on whether we accept the SDLP’s claim to be republican (and why not if we accept FF and PSF) then there is at least one example from the Young Unionists who ended up in the SDLP. Namely Ivan Cooper.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 09:30 PMI don’t know what the fuss about Bicker’s move is all about. He is now living in the Republic and has a few projects he wants to see furthered.
Fianna Fáil is the party he thinks that will best serve his interests. He also says he wants to represent the views of the community from which he comes, not the community itself.
He is in a different jurisdiction where there are no unionist parties as such but where work can be done on the issues of reconciliation and military heritage that are of interests to some unionists.
Turgon,
“Now if all these events pan out as you want rest assured I would rather be in a united Ireland ruled by Dublin that in a united Ireland with SF ruling me from Belfast.”Fianna Fáil and the rest of middle Ireland are banking on it because they are as horrified at the prospect of a united Ireland with an unreconstructed Sinn Féin at its core as you are.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 09:43 PMBonarLaw,
“..he cannot be a unionist and be a member of FF...”
The whole point of the Unionist Party and certain gentlemen named Carson, Craig etc is that they had to settle for what they could get - they all opposed Partition for a start!
Turgon,
There’s absolutely no certainty about how much support Sinn Fein will gather. It’s a simple observation that they have the people whereas the SDLP are left with the chancers. That could change anytime.
The Agreement is solid and those who oppose are becoming a part of history. They don’t have the time left to find a new political narrative but thank-you for listening. It is appreciated but you won’t find it so easy to get three different soverign governments to listen to you. The deal’s already done.
Posted by on Feb 24, 2008 @ 09:44 PM
