Unifying Ulster’s two cultures?

In response to this post, and the discussion it gave rise to, which questioned the need for Unionism to seek some of form of unified cultural expression, political analyst Simon Partridge emailed us with the following response, which opens out the subject in a number of interesting ways.

By Simon Partridge

Roy makes the essential point that unionism is not an antithetical political category to nationalism (except as mistranslated in Ireland); indeed, the Union is something deeper and wider than an ideological “ism”. It is more like an historically evolved body politic linking, a la Burke, past, present and future generations on our islands (and I think our kinspeople across the Atlantic and in the Commonwealth). Of course, it has not always done this perfectly – and Ireland came late to the (political) Union.

Bob Wilson’s point, 1 September, is extremely telling: the influence of British-based media is growing rapidly in the Republic. It cannot be denied that we all now occupy a popular anglophone culture. Common sporting passions – football, rugby, darts, horse racing – have always been there, not to mention an intertwined literary culture.

The hard fact is that romantic nationalism of the 19th century mono-ethno-religious type cannot work in our mixed, mingled and adjacent islands. No amount of futile force has or can undo this given reality (ironically, “independence”, in actuality has speeded integration through massive migration to UK/US and the demise of Irish, which, like Welsh, might have been better looked after within the Union).

The smart move is now for PIRA to “stand down” with as much honour as they can muster. Our islands can then evolve under the umbrella of the quasi-federal Council of the Isles, in a devolution-all-round political set up (with I believe close links to the USA, possibly within a revived Commonwealth).

The less smart move is the retention of futile force and therefore no Assembly. A similar evolution will nonetheless take place, but more slowly, less easily, under some continuing Westminster protectorate, with Dublin input.

The linkage culture (language)-identity-state (Yeats’s romantic Ireland) is dead or dying. But that was never the underlying basis of the multi-national Union, instigated by the hugely ambitious French-speaking Norsemen (Normans). The World now stands in their (American) pragmatic shadow.

Mick Fealty

Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty