Much has been made - especially from supporters of Humphreys’ rival Sinn Fein-backed candidate - of the former Fine Gael TD’s Presbyterian and Orange Order family connections.
Ironically, both camps hope the outcome of Friday’s Presidential poll will be a boost for the debates on Irish Unity, a border poll, a new Ireland, or a shared island - put whatever label you want on it.
As a radical Right-wing Unionist, I want to see the 26 counties of Southern Ireland back in a new Union of the British Isles. Now that the United Kingdom is mostly all out of the hated European Union, there will be no British bail-out cash should the famous Celtic Tiger economy crash again.
Indeed, now that Southern Ireland is geographically isolated from the rest of the EU, perhaps the best way forward for the Southern economy with more Donald Trump economic tariffs on the way is for Eire to join the UK in quitting the EU - make Irexit a reality!
By this stage in my article, critics will already be branding talk of a new Union of the British Isles and Irexit as fantasy politics. But these same critics forget that Irish politics - north or south - is the land of the impossible becoming possible.
What have we witnessed in the past generation politically? In 1986, Provisional Sinn Fein voted to drop its abstentionist policy towards the Dail and now in 2025 its TDs lead the official opposition in Leinster House.
Sinn Fein’s boycott of the partitionist parliament at Stormont has also been binned and the movement now runs a power-sharing Executive with its political buddies in the DUP.
As for the DUP, what happened to all the 1985 Paisleyite ‘Smash Sinn Fein’ slogans? The party now sits almost snugly at Stormont in an era heralded in by the so-called Chuckle Brothers - the late Rev Ian Paisley (who once donned the red beret of the paramilitary group Ulster Resistance) and former Londonderry IRA commander the late Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein.
As a life-long Euro skeptic, I never thought I’d live to see the UK vote to leave the EU, let alone do it. Brexit has had some dire consequences for Northern Ireland, but that is because the Remain camp simply cannot accept the democratic wish of the UK electorate and want to drag their heels politically at every given opportunity.
Those within Unionism who adopt a ‘so what’ attitude towards Heather Humphreys, cling to the view that because she is the Fine Gael candidate, she must be a raving republican who would use any Presidential victory as a platform for Irish Unity.
Yes, her Presbyterian, border county and Orange Order family background will give her a greater grasp of the Unionist mindset. But a Humphreys victory could be used by Unionism as a political lever to persuade Southern Ireland to rejoin the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
It should not be forgotten historically that when the CPA was first formed in 1911 as the Empire Parliamentary Association, Ireland - which was then entirely under British rule - was a founder member. In 2025, the CPA now represents some 50 plus regional and national parliaments across the globe, and not all of them a part of the old British Empire.
The CPA represents a radical economic alternative to the EU. Eire will never join a political grouping dominated by the British, I hear the critics moan!
But the impossible has already happened in Southern Irish politics. Bitter rivals from the post Irish civil war era, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, have already formed a partnership in the Dail to keep Sinn Fein out of government.
If a FF/GF coalition government can work in Leinster House, a Heather Humphreys Presidency could also be used as a political springboard to propel Eire back into the new-look CPA. And why not take a further step and encourage Southern Ireland to scrap its military neutrality policy and become a full member of NATO?
Given Putin’s desire to rebuild the Russian territorial empire, Southern Ireland will want - nay, need - to be part of an effective military alliance. Indeed, during the original Cold War the old communist Soviet Union regarded Southern Ireland as the UK’s Cuba.
Unionism should be more pro-active and see a Humphreys victory on Friday as an opportunity to build new Anglo-Irish relations, especially on legacy issues when Southern Ireland was used during the Troubles as both a launching pad and safe haven for republican terrorists using the 26 counties to initiate their campaigns of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Northern pro-Union border population.
Put bluntly, there should be no hiding place on the island of Ireland for either criminals or terrorists.
The Southern Irish security forces have already gained a very credible reputation as part of United Nations peace keeping operations. Those various branches of the Eire security forces would benefit substantially from NATO membership, especially in terms of recruitment, jobs, training and resources.
However, the ultimate cherry on the political cake for a Humphreys victory would be for Unionism to persuade Eire to become part of a new Union of the British Isles with the monarch as head of state.
Unionism always seems to be on the defensive. As well as selling the benefits of being an integral part of the United Kingdom, Unionism should be in the persuasion business of encouraging Eire to sign a new Anglo-Irish Treaty with Westminster in which Southern Ireland would join a new Union of the British Isles.
This new Union would include the parliaments at the Dail, Stormont, the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, London Assembly with Westminster having the final say.
It’s all fantasy aspirations, I still hear the critics cry! Before you dismiss images of the CPA, NATO, and a new Union of the British Isles, just remember the iconic image of Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness laughing together. It’s not a case of be careful what you wish for, but a case of be careful what you dismiss!
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| Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulter John is a Director for Belfast’s Christian radio station, Sunshine 1049 FM. |
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