Stepping into a new era of co-operation
From NEWS LETTER December 18th, 1999
A SUCCESSFUL form of cross-border co-operation that threatens no-one and
benefits everyone. Not our words, but those used yesterday by First Minister
David Trimble to describe this week's first meetings of the cross-border
and British-Irish councils. Mr Trimble was speaking in London where he described
yesterday's meeting of senior ministers from across the UK and Ireland as
a revolutionary political development which ushered in a new era of co-operation
and understanding. That is not how everyone sees it. Agreement opponents
are paranoid over the setting up of the North-South links, and their fears
were underscored by the bullish behaviour of southern ministers in Armagh
on Monday. At the same time dissidents see the British-Irish Council as
a sop to unionism, a pointless talking shop with a shambolic role - the
sort of language they have employed at almost every significant point of
the political process. At worst, Mr Trimble, with the use of words like
"revolutionary" may be guilty of over-egging the pudding. Had relationships
not been marred by a historical feud and more than 30 years of indiscriminate
republican violence, the construction of north-south and east-west bodies
would have taken place in an evolutionary fashion, alongside the development
of the European dimension and in response to the onset of the global economy.
But there is no doubt that this week's developments mark a significant step
forward in Anglo-Irish relations. If everyone involved demonstrates goodwill
and resolves to conduct their business in a diplomatic way, good things
can come from it. There is a need to focus on improved transport links between
Northern Ireland and the Republic, but also between the island of Ireland
and the mainland. This cannot be done effectively unless there is structured
co-operation between all the component parts. It is also true that Northern
Ireland's farmers and fishermen, for instance, have most in common with
their southern counterparts and can only benefit by improved relations with
the south. Tourism is an obvious area where a cross-border approach will
work to Ulster's benefit, and the synchronisation of health services in
border areas is another issue which needs to be intelligently explored to
establish what benefits could arise from greater co-ordination and co-operation.
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