'Irish unification could help boost Welsh economy'
SINN Fein leader Gerry Adams was in Swansea yesterday to address the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.
Mr Adams, the first party leader to address the Assembly spoke at the Marriott Hotel about his vision of a shared, integrated Ireland.
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Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams during the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly meeting held at the Marriott Hotel. AH201009-C-001
He discussed with members his hopes that Ireland would have equal ownership and be culturally diverse with political, social and economic equality.
He also spoke about the recession and plans to build towards economic recovery across Britain and Ireland.
He said: "There is no desire on the part of Irish Republicans to conquer or humiliate Unionists.
"There can be no place for revenge in the thinking or vocabulary of Irish Republicanism."
Mr Adams said the recession should not be a reason to postpone reunification. He said: "There are some who suggest that because we live in a period of severe economic difficulty that Irish reunification should be put off for the foreseeable future. In fact, it is the opposite.
"There is a need, more than ever, for the island economy to be brought into being in the fullest sense, and for the political and administrative structures to be instituted with that in mind.
"Many in the business community, north and south, already recognise this fact. The needs of Ireland can be best met by treating it as an island rather than as two entities."
In a question and answer session, South Wales West AM, Bethan Jenkins asked Mr Adams how he saw the role of the devolved governments working with the Northern Irish administration and his party in achieving that aim.
Her question came in response to Mr Adams saying that Welsh interests would be served by helping Ireland with reunification.
Mr Adams said the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly was the ideal place for people of all nations to work together to assist with the reunification of Ireland.
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He said Wales was currently seeking a new Welsh Language Act, and Sinn Fein wanted an Irish Language Act but was facing difficulties in pressing ahead due to opposition by Unionists.
Mr Adams added that unifying Ireland was not just a matter for one party, Sinn Fein, but that parties in the Republic are committed too. He also told members of the Assembly that there would be no return to violence in the North, and that any attempts to hijack a struggle was reprehensible.
He stated that the party needed to unite Ireland now more than ever and wanted Unionists to find their place in Ireland.
He said Sinn Fein did not want revenge on Unionists, or to deny them their rights. "We have to listen to the Unions, not just talk to them.
"That will be very challenging but also very rewarding."
AM Joyce Watson concluded the meeting by thanking staff, the hotel and the National Waterfront Museum for their hospitality.
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by Daffyd, Abergynolwyn
Friday, February 26 2010, 7:34PM
“Sadly when one reads the sort of ludicrous, uneducated and bigoted comments made by "Irishman" one realises why that poor Ireland has seen so many years of bloodshed hardship and hatred.
Northern Ireland like Scotland and Wales is part of the United Kingdom and the MAJORITY of the people there want that (despite attempts by a small minority to bomb and murder to achieve a different outcome). After independence from the rest of the UK the Irish Republic entered a dark time of great economic hardship and self imposed cultural isolation which would certainly not have been so severe had it remained part of the UK, indeed Ireland would probably by now have been far more comfortable with it's Irish Identity and less polarised. It would also probably be far more multi cultural, and I suspect that were Armagh not one of the most mono cultural places in Western Europe and instead populated by large numbers of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs then different denominations of the Christian religion would forget their differences and get on!
I am Welsh, speak Welsh as my first language and rarely visit England but I do not consider my country to be 'occupied' by a ¿Colonial¿ British power as we are part of the UK and benefit enormously from this. This does not make me any the less Welsh, indeed were it not for UK funding we would not have had Welsh Radio and TV many, many years before the Irish had their own language stations. The great thing about the UK is it¿s diversity, you can be who you like, it is without doubt one of the most tolerant and free places in the world and so it makes me so sad to read the sort of utter rubbish spouted by the aforementioned poster and their ilk. These are the sort of people who were they English would join the BNP!
If Scotland does one day elect to ¿go it alone¿ in the future good luck to them, and what a wonderful testament to democracy it would be that they would achieve this without needlessly killing thousands in the process!”
by Daffyd, DOLGELLAU
Friday, February 26 2010, 7:29PM
“Sadly when one reads the sort of ludicrous, uneducated and bigoted comments made by "Irishman" one realises why that poor Ireland has seen so many years of bloodshed hardship and hatred.
Northern Ireland like Scotland and Wales is part of the United Kingdom and the MAJORITY of the people there want that. After independence from the rest of the UK the Irish Republic entered a dark time of great economic hardship and self imposed cultural isolation which would certainly not have been so severe had it remained part of the UK, indeed Ireland would probably now have been far more comfortable with it's Irish identity and less polarised now. It would also probably be far more multi cultural, and I suspect that were Armagh not one of the most mono cultural places in Western Europe and instead populated by large numbers of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs then different denominations of the Christian religion would forget their differences and get on!
I am Welsh, speak Welsh as my first language and now rarely visit England but I do not consider my country to be 'occupied' by a ¿Colonial¿ British power as we are part of the UK and benefit enormously from this. This does not make me any the less Welsh, indeed were it not for UK funding we would not have had Welsh Radio and TV many, many years before the Irish had their own language stations and Welsh be very much more widly spoken than Irish. The great thing about the UK is it¿s diversity, you can be who you like, it is without doubt one of the most tolerant and free places in the world and so it makes me so sad to read the sort of utter rubbish spouted by the aforementioned poster and their ilk. These are the sort of people who were they English would be members of he BNP.
If Scotland does one day elect to ¿go it alone¿ in the future good luck to them, and what a wonderful testament to democracy it would be that they would achieve this without killing thousands in the process!!”
by irishman, armagh
Thursday, October 22 2009, 6:56PM
“ireland has lived as a divided state to long,british rule is what caused all bloodshed on this island,reunification is the only way that total peace can develop.History tells us that any nation that the british have colonised for there own good and stripped it of there natural resources all have problems to this day,ireland,scotland,wales,iraq,africa,hong kong,but to name a few,it was once said that the sun would not set on the british empire,well the sun is setting fast and ireland very soon will have no english rays shining on them,but i can see an irish sun rising with no opressive rays,every national constitution have held their right to their indepdence,but by denying this means england is no democracy but a dictator nation that is slowly but surley losing ARMAGH ABU”
by Iago, Cymru
Thursday, October 22 2009, 5:26PM
“If Protestants and Catholics in the Republic of Ireland can live together why can't the Protestants and unionists live in a united Ireland? I pray for the day that Ireland is one again and I know it will happen. I also can not wait for Scotland to vote for independence and for the Welsh to realise that we should also go the way of our Celtic brothers and sisters.”
by Alan Day, Ulster
Thursday, October 22 2009, 2:24PM
“Mr Adams, your terrorist campaign did not achieve your aims and the constitutional position of Northern Ireland is for the people of NI to decide democratically. It was Sinn Fein who refused David Trimble`s (leader of the Ulster Unionists, now a Tory peer) offer of a border poll, precisiely because SF knew they would lose it! The way forward is an expansion of BIPA and the `Council of the Isles`, in a very loose federal arrangement involving the various administrations throughout these Isles.”