Labour Irish Society – celebrating progress and hope

Gerry Conlon’s recent passing is a sobering reminder of a time when relations between Britain and Ireland were very different to those we enjoy today. It is a chance for us to reflect on how much has improved in the history of these two islands since the height of ‘The Troubles’.

For the far too many victims of terrorism, the miscarriages of justice such as the Guilford Four, the prejudice and discrimination between the Irish and British that the conflict generated, that can only be good news – even if there are some scars time never heals.

Today the pictures we see now are shocking not because of the devastation and destruction they show but because of the progress and hope we see that would have been unimaginable 20 years ago. Whether it is Sinn Fein and the DUP sitting down together in government, this year’s first state visit to Britain by an Irish president or the Queen’s preceding visit to Dublin, these moments matter.

So much has been done by so many to make the change that the 1998 Good Friday Agreement accelerated possible. The peace process that was facilitated by Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair, the parties and the people, has delivered real results.

It is an achievement that the former prime minister said recently “remains one of the most significant and remarkable moments of peacemaking in recent times. Even today, for all the challenges, it provides a source of hope and inspiration for peacemakers everywhere.”

And as we saw during those negotiations (and, something we still see today) whatever the bumps in the road it is vital that the parties continue to sit round the table and talk.

During his visit the Irish President, Michael D Higgins, said that agreement “was founded on the cornerstones of equality, justice and democratic partnership” and “was a key milestone on the road to today’s warm, deep and enduring Irish-British friendship.”

It was particularly pleasing that Higgins, the Labour nominee for the post of president, was the one who made this historic step. Labour in Ireland, like Labour in Britain, has been out of power too often but when in power, the party helps the nation take great strides forward – as Higgins himself did as minister in the 1990s.

The Irish relationship is also a reminder that rows about immigrants coming over to take our jobs are nothing new, despite them in reality having been actively recruited as cheap labour, for example, in the construction of the railways.

After his meeting with Higgins, Ed Miliband rightly spoke of the “enormous contribution made by Irish people in Britain across art and culture, business, politics and indeed every area of British society.”

My story is one that will be very familiar to many. My Dad’s family came over from Ireland and settled in Liverpool to look for work. They brought with them those values of community, equality and social justice that lead me to the Labour Party.

Today the Labour Party Irish Society exists to ensure our shared heritage is a source of strength as we build on the ties that bind us.

The party has a special place for the Irish in Britain – it is no accident that so many leading trade unionists and Labour parliamentary leaders, from Denis Healey to Tony Blair, have Irish roots.

We work to ensure those links remain strong and that support is mobilised at election time as we campaign for the Irish in Britain who have made that positive contribution to our country but now struggle to feel the benefits themselves.

Today the economic relationship can be seen in the simple fact that Britain exports more to Ireland that it does to India, Brazil and China.

For the Labour Party Irish Society we want to ensure that relationship between Britain and Ireland is marked by mutual respect and friendship rather than the prejudice, discrimination and violence of the past.

As President Higgins said in his address to both Houses of Parliament there is much we have in common and much we can do together in the years ahead.

Matthew Doyle is Chair of the Labour Party Irish Society, you can follow them on twitter @doylematthew and @labourish