Sir Vincent Browne (January 3rd) says "The British were signalling their willingness to reach a comprehensive settlement which would acknowledge the right of the Irish people to national self determination this was done formally in the Downing Street Declaration of 1993."
This is not true. The reference to "self determination" in the Downing Street Declaration (paragraph 4) is quite different from what Mr Browne represents it to be. The relevant sentence runs "The British Government, agree that it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively, to exercise their right of self determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish."
The difference between the two versions of "self determination" is a basic political difference, and not a narrowly semantic one. The words actually included in the Declaration carefully safeguard the principle of consent, a principle which Sinn Fein IRA is in the habit of referring to as "the Unionist veto". The version offered by Mr. Browne, and wrongly claimed as being part of the Declaration, is a formula that has been repeatedly used by Sinn Fein IRA itself, and is designed to overrule the majority in Northern Ireland (aka "the unionist veto").
By wrongly claiming that the Downing Street Declaration includes Sinn Fein IRA's own formula, Mr. Browne gives his readers the impression that the British have gone back on a promise given to Sinn Fein IRA. This is not true. No such promise was ever made. On the contrary all who read the Downing Street, Declaration including the leaders of Sinn Fein IRA were put under notice that the British had no intention of departing from the principle of consent (aka "the unionist veto").
Sinn Fein IRA is of course in the habit of claiming that the Downing Street Declaration contains things that it does not contain (such as an unconditional promise to admit Sinn Fein to all party talks). But it is rather disappointing to find Vincent Browne following this deplorable example. Yours, etc. Howth Summit, Co. Dublin.