Fair Deal (Belfast, Slugger O’Toole): The three Unionist parties in Scotland with the support of the central government have established a 15 member Commission to examine the future political structures for Scotland. Unionism in Northern Ireland has an alternative proposal, a Royal Commission on the Union. The “totality of relationships” may be a phrase borrowed from the peace process but a broader process would have greater scope to answer the many questions left hanging by Labour’s unfinished constitutional project.
This idea was proposed privately to the DUP a number of years ago but they chose not to formally adopt it. The UUP, however, included it within their 2007 manifesto and brought forward a motion at the Northern Ireland Assembly (where it failed to be pass after bad time-tabling led to a poor Unionist attendance).
The proposal is probably inspired by the Royal Commission on the Constitution established by Harold Wilson in 1969. This report argued for directly elected devolved assemblies and rejected federalism. Arguably, Blair’s reforms were the much delayed implementation of this report’s recommendations.
Neither Unionist party offers a clear direction beyond the Commission. Outgoing DUP leader Ian Paisley described the present system as federal but the imbalances make this mistaken. Paisley’s sympathetic reference does make some sense. Federalism would provide an equality of citizenship across the UK. It appeals to the contractarian view of governance common among Ulster’s Unionists. Additionally, the Protestant community in Northern Ireland, the historic bedrock of Unionism, have generally decentralised/federal structures e.g. Presbyterian Church and Orange Order. Internationally the two countries that the Ulster diaspora contributed the most too, Canada and United States of America, have strong federal systems.
However, whether the UK embarks upon its own 21st Century Federalist papers remains unknown but the Scottish Commission remains a fact as does its examination of the financial arrangements of the United Kingdom. Its recommendations on that are sure to get the attention of Northern Ireland’s parties.
