How to Hurt Northern Ireland

Cloaked in the garb of mandating fairer employment in violence-racked Northern Ireland is the so-called “MacBride” bill in Sacramento. In truth it is not much more than a grandstanding attempt by U.S. politicians to play to Irish constituencies here who may or may not understand who is really behind the MacBride campaign.

Northern Ireland now has in place what is arguably the toughest anti-discrimination law in the United Kingdom; it puts new requirements on employers to avoid discrimination against Catholics, who are Northern Ireland’s minority. Both London and Dublin have pledged to make the new law work.

At the same time, the economic development of Northern Ireland appears to be proceeding apace. The British government has committed new resources to employment and development; strong U.S. investment continues. What’s more, the compliance of U.S. companies in Northern Ireland with the new British Fair Employment Act is said to be exemplary. A report by the respected and nonpartisan state Office of the Auditor General found American firms fully involved in the effort to increase the diversity of their work forces. That’s important in a society where unemployment runs higher than 14%--and where in some areas Catholic males are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as Protestant males.

But Sacramento would add to the burden on U.S. firms by piling on new requirements. One would be to install policies resembling quotas that in fact would violate British anti-discrimination law; another would be to require firms to ensure employees’ safety as they go to work and return--a task that, alas, has escaped even the capacity of the British security forces there. The effect of MacBride would be to discourage U.S. investment and increase unemployment and tensions.

That of course is precisely the goal of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army and the only political party in Northern Ireland to support MacBride. By contrast, the majority Catholic party there opposes it. So should Gov. Pete Wilson. When the measure comes to his desk, passed by politicians playing to the bleachers, he should veto it.