Ireland of Equals Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Gildernew speaks at SF All Ireland conference

Published: 24 October, 2006

Dislocation and Deprivation: The Need for Cross-Border Integration

The discrimination that has underpinned regional development in Ireland is compounded and stimulated by the existence of the border.

Social, economic and spatial deprivation brought about by the dislocating resonance of the border impacts detrimentally on the life chances of the people who live adjacent to it.

The concentration of wealth, economic opportunity, administrative control and social development within the Dublin and Belfast metropolitan areas is clearly influenced by spatial regionalism

And that represents a denial of human rights.

In this regard - it is of paramount importance that the strategies we put in place seek to tackle and eliminate these historical imbalances.

The communities who live within the Border Corridor Area share a debilitating interdependence - in that they suffer from similar types of social, economic, and spatial deprivation brought about by living in close proximity to the border.

Indeed the operational plan for INTERREG IIIA had this to say about the border in Ireland:

"In general, borders can constrain economic activity by limiting market areas, preventing optimal allocation of resources and preventing competition. The N.Ireland/Ireland Border has certainly thus affected economic relationships in the past. [the border] remains a social and psychological barrier which is an impediment to the exchange of ideas and information and a barrier to effective co-operation and the development of effective local policies/strategies.[…]

The economic weaknesses of the Border area are characteristic of rural areas outside the dynamic growth centres on the island…Moreover, the existence of the border is an obstacle to the remediation of economic problems."

A barrier - an obstacle to the remediation of economic problems.

These are damning words - there meaning could not be more clear or serious - but they point us in a definite direction

It is now increasingly recognised that insular regional development or back to back will not work.

While Republicans have always insisted that Partition and by extension the existence of the Border has distorted the political, social and economic life of the people of who live on the island of Ireland.

The dysfunctional reality of the Border is that it does not discriminate

And impacts detrimentally on the quality of life of those communities and businesses sited adjacent to it - regardless of political opinion, nationality, ethnicity or social status.

If the Border in Ireland dislocates - then the remedial response must be to integrate and pool resources on an area basis.

In Sinn Féin we maintain

that only co-ordinated integration that creates -

Common systems and

Mechanisms of delivery for services and programmes work will deliver the balanced regional development needed for the people that live within the Border Corridor.

Our Policy Direction: Influencing cross-border environment

Before I go into Sinn Féin's position on the future of cross-border activity

It is perhaps pertinent to reflect on where we came from in order to go forward

There has been much talk in the media about the current St. Andrews proposals as replacing the Good Friday Agreement - this view in the sharp reality of implementation - could not be further from the truth.

In fact the St. Andrews proposals emerge from the GFA

And indeed are strategically referenced and enabled by the GFA - all of the institutions and relationships still stand.

So regardless of how the various consultations go in the time ahead

Without the GFA the St. Andrews proposals would not have any institutional and political anchorage - they would be meaningless.

With regards to this event however,

there is one such relationship that we must take cognisance of

That is the primacy of the linkage between the Assembly in the 6 Counties and the All-Ireland Ministerial Council,

Paragraph 13. Strand 2 of the GFA clearly states that the AIMC and the Assembly are:

"…mutually inter-dependent, and that one cannot successfully function with out the other".

In this regard Strand 1 and 2 the share a "mutually interdependent" connection between the two institutions (AIMC/Assembly) which are constitutionally and operationally two sides of the same coin.

This inter-relationship permeates the notion of the absolute territorial integrity - and allows us to pool sovereignty on issues of common concern, such as building the island economy etc…

The words 'Mutually' and 'inter-dependent' enshrined in strand 2 links the concept of stable Governance on this island as predicated upon the absolute need for all-Ireland structures

eliminating the notion that there can be an 'internal solution' to the conflict, governance and the democratic process.

But the GFA and supplementary proposals are not an end itself - republicans have always understood this important caveat.

For Republicans they are merely frameworks within which forward momentum towards national democracy and equality in Ireland could be harnessed, facilitated and augmented.

The institutionalisation of the All-Ireland Agenda emerging from the GFA has legitimised and opened the flood gate on All-Ireland Activity

As has been said before the Gené is well and truly out of the bottle and its not going back in

Therefore as we move forward

The energy and ability to understand the momentum of change on this island and thus plan for pragmatic reintegration on the island of Ireland - is perhaps the most important realisation that we can make in terms of the future prosperity of the people who live here

All of this puts into sharp relief - the incredulity of Partition.

The processes to remove the negative consequences of Partition are two fold

The first is All-Ireland: or the integrated activity that to eliminate the dislocating effects of Partition and impacts on the island of Ireland

And

Cross-Border: the integrated activity which seeks to eliminate the dislocating effects of Partition were it is most acutely felt - here in the Border Corridor Area

And it was with this process in mind that in October 2003 in Armagh, Sinn Féin launched its policy document - Reunification through Planned Reintegration.

This document was primarily aimed at the Border Corridor Area.

And called for development of Integrated Area Planning

Integrated Spatial Planning
Integrated Economic Planning
Utilising the Common Chapter and the Strategic use of EU Funds
Developing a Multi Agency approach to Cross Border Integration
The need for training in the Public Sector on Cross Border Development
The enhanced development of the Cross-Border Corridor groups
The Integration of Social Partner Networks to develop a "Community" of stakeholders to promote cross-border integration

That was just over three years ago -

We then spent the next three years working, consulting and debating with others to action these points while developing additional ideas and initiatives.

In this regard we have had a fair degree of success both directly and indirectly - but there is significant room for improvement

Regional and Local Government, implementation bodies, cross-border corridor groups, development agencies, the community sector and business sectors are now forging ahead with those areas I have just mentioned and there own initiatives.

Sinn Féin has a contribution to make but we do not have all answers - we never pretended that we did have.

And so - six years after their original commitment to develop the Letterkenny-Derry Gateway within the National Development Plan and the Regional Development Strategy

The Dublin and British Governments have recently launched their North West Gateway Initiative with a view to developing an Integrated Spatial Development Plan for the North West of the island.

Of course at the moment this Integrated Spatial Development Plan is non-statutory - in short government agencies are under no direct obligation to implement it.

So despite an extensive consultation at the end of the process it might not be worth the paper it's written on.

Six years on - the people of North West deserve better

The so called 100 billion to be spent in all-Ireland infrastructure, by both governments over the next 10 years should have a significant portion of that invested in the Border Corridor Area -

So lets define and cost our complete infrastructural needs for the entire Border Corridor region and hand it over to the two Governments so they know where to spend Our money - lets see if they fit the bill.

Building and Integrated Regional Future - Groups, Institutions and the Role of the EU

Moving on to more dynamic stakeholders the three Cross-Border Corridor Groups, working in conjunction with the SEUPB, have built up considerable experience in the handling and distribution of public monies through the INTERREG IIIA funds

As cross-border development agencies they have funded hundreds of cross-border projects that are truly innovative and integrated.

They have also defined and spearheaded regional development priorities in the North West, Central and Eastern areas of the border corridor.

And recently Sinn Féin, along with other Parties, was happy to support the excellent "Roads to Opportunity" Document

Which costed and highlighted the needs of the Greater North West Region in terms of roads infrastructure.

Given the space the cross-border corridor groups can show that they have significant potential as regional development agencies.

However, it is Sinn Féin's position that the opportunity of becoming INTERREG IIIA implementation bodies has had its pro's and cons'.

In one instance INTERREG IIIA has given the Cross Border Corridor groups teeth to directly fund projects that have the potential of creating real integrated change.

But managing these funds are labour intensive - tying up a significant amount of Staff time and narrowing the space for the groups to fully exercise their mandate as regional development agencies.

Sinn Féin believes that the Cross-Border Corridor Groups are strategically positioned to play a pivotal role in the process of building and integrated future -

especially with the favourable space created by the Review of Public Administration and the established County Development Boards.

Their remit and relationships with the social partners, government departments, local council and all-Ireland bodies - can 'potentially' transform the scope of integrated development, delivery and decision making for the benefit of all the communities living adjacent to the border.

The Cross-Border Corridor Groups should be given the proper financial backing by council, government and the SEUPB

to build on the co-operative inter-sectoral relationships they have developed over the last number of years

Fostering sectoral and spatial integration, facilitating balanced regionalism and economic enterprises that have progressive social impacts.

Inclusive participation to promote the integrated development of the region is the best way forward - in this regard the expertise of the cross-border corridor groups is non-parallel.

This is also true of the thematic cross-border group CAWT that is pioneering, innovative and cost effective cross-border approaches to health service delivery within the border corridor area and beyond.

We also are of the view that local government as an absolutely vital role to play in promoting and developing an integrated regional future

Because of the inter-jurisdictional complexity of deprivation and spatial dislocation along the border,

Local government councils and departments cannot work in isolation from each other or the social partners.

And so the strategic response in developing and implementing Integrated Area Planning needs to be cross-border, inter-departmental and multi-agency.

In this regard the Cross-Border Multi-Agency approach will require a 'pooling of sovereignty' on issues of departmental remit locally and regionally in order to comprehensively address the need for social, economic and spatial integration.

Linking the new council model outlined under the Review of Public Administration to the County Development Board configuration provides a clear opportunity to enhance cross-border integration.

The RPA provides us with an opportunity to reconceptualise administration and democracy in the 6 Counties and on a cross border basis.

In this regard the cross-border INTERREG IIIA partnerships, independently concluded, but correctly in our opinion that:

"The RPA will have a number of implications, which are substantially favourable to the prospects of effective cross border territorial co-operation. These include a redefinition of council boundaries into the proposed 7 super councils. While some adjustments of boundaries will be needed, the proposed map of new councils broadly fits the current INTERREG IIIA partnerships […] This should greatly facilitate the partnerships taking a strategic approach"[1]

In short the new council configuration contiguous to the border provides an area for policy, regional development and institutional co-terminosity -

that will strategically enhance and make more effective the distribution and use of the new EU Territorial Cooperation funds

Beyond favourable geographic remits the process and structure of local governance under the RPA provides the space for participative democratic structures - as Republicans we are committed to the interdependent principles of "decentralisation" and "common ownership" of the decision-making processes.

We are supportive of the notion of participative democracy.

Participative democratic structures in terms of planning at a regional level are very common.

During the review Sinn Féin put forward its proposals for Area Based Committee's or ABC's there are other variations of this currently being implemented in Ireland such as the County Development Boards[2] and the Community Planning Partnership's in Scotland.

Reinforcing this point the INTERREG IIIA partnerships also correctly observed that:

"The Impact of the RPA is to bring the scale and the processes of local government much more into line between Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland"[3]

The RPA presents the opportunity for Local Governmental realignment that will disproportionately enhance cross-border regional development.

However while the new council model working in close conjunction with the County Development Boards will provide the greater institutional parity

It is also important that we do not only confine ourselves to utilising just the financial assistance provided by EU through cross-border measures of Peace III and new Territorial Cohesion Funds.

We must also make best use of new EU legal instruments working in conjunction within the areas of co-operation outlined in the GFA and the Common Chapter.

On such legal instrument that facilitates the development of what it calls a European grouping of territorial co-operation - an EGTC
These EGTC's can utilise territorial co-operation funds with the aim of strengthening economic and social cohesion.

In practise what this means is that Councils or clusters of councils could organise and form an ECTC for a particular region within the Border Corridor

and use territorial co-operation funds to develop integrated services and programme of work on a range of regional priorities.

This opportunity taken in tandem with the potential realignment and coalescence of local government under the new structures proposed in the RPA and current CDB's - presents and unparalleled opportunity remove the social, economic and spatial dislocation that is caused by the border

For the mutual benefit of all our people

The great Nelson Mandela once said:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness, that most frightens us".

We must not fear the opportunities to transform this region - we must have the courage to reach out and grasp them.

We must bring Ireland to the point were the only borders that exist on this island are limitations of our own human ingenuity




[1] The EU Programme for Cross Border Territorial Co-operation in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland 2007-2013, Proposal Paper from the Interreg IIIA Partnerships, pp.10,11.
[2] From our experience the County Development Boards in the 26 counties have had a series under representation of the community and voluntary sectors - and in some cases county management process can lead to gate-keeping

[3] Interreg Partnership submission, p.12