Letter from Harry Hutchinson, Labour Party Northern Ireland
Both former and present Labour Party leaders have plunged themselves into the divided issue of Irish Unity or Union with the UK, Corbyn advocating Unity, Starmer the Union. Both fail to understand the purpose of why the constitutional question in Ireland is deliberately maintained, nor have they any approach to resolve it realistically.
Since Partition the constitutional question has dominated the political agenda both in the North and South. In the South Fianna Fail and Fianna Gael have used the constitutional position of what they refer to as the ‘6 counties’, in order to dominate the political scene in Ireland. This is at the expense of class based politics.
The use of the constitution is continued by Sinn Fein, who may form the next government in the South, on the aspiration of Irish Unity. Every election in the North has dominated and divided the electorate, favouring the dominance of the Nationalist and Unionist parties.
All these parties are pro-capitalist and are essential to protecting and promoting private enterprise in the interests of the corporations. The essence for these parties, and not without success, is to maintain the constitutional issue over the social and economic crises facing people, North and South.
Irrespective of any attempts to resolve the constitutional question under capitalism, be it towards Irish Unity or continued Union with the UK, the issue will remain unresolved. It is in the interests of these capitalist Nationalist and Unionist Parties for it to remain so, and in addition, the same interests of the UK and Irish Governments. The purpose is to maintain division and continue to control people in the North and South.
The Labour Party should not be ‘neutral’ on the constitutional question, nor so-called solutions to resolve it, like border polls. The Party should explain to people that such a poll will not lead to a solution to the constitutional question; indeed it could ignite civil conflict, by reactionary Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries.
It is the corrupt system of capitalism that people North and South need to unite and challenge. Any approach to resolving the constitutional question must be based on the people with a socialist agenda, where wealth is publicly owned and democratically controlled by the people.
