Very odd thread on Slugger O’Toole, where Deputy Editor Doctor Who (David McCann) muses on Irish unity from the centre -right republicanism of Fianna Fáil. He wonders how the economic case for unity can be made (to northern unionists). Sinn Féin and SDLP are nationalist/republican but obviously on the left of northern politics.
Doctor McCann is close to the thinking of Fianna Fáil, the discredited southen party, which calls itself the “Republican Party”. Yes thats the Party who installed the Catholic Church as the de-facto monarchy of Ireland. And gave Irish sovreignty to European bankers in 2008.
Fianna Fáil is hardly republican or nationalist.
Yet this is not that odd. While Ireland is nominally a republic, it is or was a monarchy. Meanwhile Greater England (aka the United Kingdom) is nominally a monarchy but is effectively a republic. The Whig Settlement of 1688 ensures that.
Doctor McCann attended the SDLP Annual Conference just two months ago. It would be surprising if he missed the motion which called on the Party to set up a “Think Tank” to formulate a policy on Irish Unity…the working title being a road map to Irish Unity.
I would be surprised if Doctor McCann …a political analyst …is unaware that the first steps of this internal debate are already under way.
And yet Doctor McCann’s understanding of SDLP is somewhat askew. On the eve of the South Belfast Convention (autumn 2013) to nominate a successor to Conall McDevitt MLA, Doctor McCann told us that Claire Hanna would likely win but there might be a surge of support for Fearghal McKinney.
As it turned out…and to absolutely no surprise to any SDLP member…Fearghal won comfortably.
Which makes me curious as to the timing of the Slugger thread.
Is David McCann ahead of the curve or behind the curve?
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
His output is so poorly researched at times with a very high “opinion” to “reasoned argument” ratio.
He does tend to value his opinion more than anyone else does.
FF are to blame for the Church’s former hegemony? I think the Cosgraves, Costellos and Corishes from FG and Labour were all equally enthusiastic cheerleaders. I don’t think Labour (or the SDLP for that matter) have clean hands in that regard.
Nobody has stood up to the Catholic Church and all those who call themselves “republican” have been complicit in establishing the Church in the position it had.
Any government in the Republic or nationalist parties in the North could and should have exposed the abuse of women and children and the bruttaloty of the schools system. But while the Church was footing the bill for hospitals, schools and orphanages, it was a trade off.
Likewise …the Church must have known about the personal moraloty of politicians.
Its only in the last two decades ….with the Church in the position ot is….that political parties have been “brave”.