David McNarry wrote in the Newsletter today about unionist outreach to the nationalist community. Any outreach & attempts to bridge the divide are enormously welcomed but doing so would require political unionism to first accept Irish citizens, as Irish & to fully endorse the GFA

I debated with McNarry in October after the Upper Tribunal ruled that the people of Northern Ireland were British citizens, even if they identify as Irish. He supported this decision and proclaimed "let's all be one, let's be British"

I pointed to the Article 1 (vi) of the GFA to which he stated that the GFA does not trump the British Nationality Act, "which is my act & which means I can identify as British and I am British" but that Irish citizens are only entitled "to identify as Irish but are British"

I added that under current UK law, and as a result of Ireland taking the appropriate legislative steps to amend its citizenship law, his birthright to be accepted as British was respected, but that my birthright to be accepted as Irish was denied.

For years I've debated & engaged with all stripes of political unionism, a minority supported us, understanding that the birthright provisions cut both ways & that respect for identity is a central component of the Good Friday Agreement. We all win from legislative protections.

But another section of unionism, including political unionism has persistently attacked me for exercising my birthright to be accepted as an Irish citizen & for demanding that the British government accept the birthright provisions of the GFA.

I've had Jim Wells telling me to go to Donegal if I want to be Irish, Jim Allister telling me I'm British whether I like it or not. Gavin Robinson saying we can only be Irish in addition to being British. This is not respect for identity.

If unionism is serious about outreach it begins here, it begins by accepting that there are those in this society that do not want to be British, or that see themselves as British and Irish. This is okay! It does not undermine your Britishness to accept another individuals choice

There are those that continue to try and create a distinction between identity and citizenship under the GFA. Such an argument is based on a fallacy: it relies on the idea that a section of an international treaty concerns itself with bestowing a right to “feel” a certain way.

One must actively perform a series of mental gymnastics to imagine such a concept, and to do so must actively ignore the express wording of the provision itself. There is no default citizenship in the GFA & no mention of citizenship being dependent on NIs place in the UK.

This argument creates a special place for a British identity in NI, one that rests above that of an Irish identity. But – if citizenship is to be entirely dependent on jurisdiction & not the GFA then everyone in NI would become default Irish in the event of reunification.

It seems to me that those currently supporting default British citizenship on all the people of Northern Ireland, even if they identify as Irish, do so from a place of privilege and with little foresight.

That an Irish citizen exerting their right to be Irish has been seen as offensive, that the indigenous language of this island has been a point of contention. That Irish citizens being able to vote for their President is a problem at all shows how far we are from equality.

And that this is how unionist politicians who step out in support of the right to be Irish or British or both under the GFA are treated is another damning indictment. Mike Nesbitt just got it. https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/ulster-unionists-distance-themselves-mike-nesbitts-support-de-souza-irish-citizenship-case-bid-932494

Finally, whilst many within political unionism were lambasting our campaign & ignoring those within their own community who were negatively affected by the Home Office policy we kept on & secured unparalleled rights for NI-born British citizens. We all won https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/14/northern-ireland-born-british-and-irish-win-eu-citizenship-rights