Pressing Onward for Ulster

As 2003 taught so painfully, it’s not enough to stop the fighting, to prevail in a battle or a war. It’s also vital to win the peace and to let people govern themselves.

That’s why British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, deserve credit for pushing steadily into the new year not just to preserve the calm in Northern Ireland but also to press ahead with plans for maximum governance from Belfast, not London.

Undeterred by gains by the two radical parties in Northern Ireland’s November election, Blair and Ahern, in talks at Downing Street this month, called on the political parties to submit plans to revive the peace process and restore the province’s assembly and executive, suspended for 14 months.

November’s election brought about the worst-case scenario for the two governments. Voters who wanted to preserve the union with Britain favored the radical Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionist Party over the moderate Ulster Unionist Party of David Trimble; those yearning for a united Ireland voted for Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, displacing the moderate Social Democratic and Labor Party, led by Mark Durkan.

Blair and Ahern reacted to these developments by insisting that all parties join in a “short, sharp” review of the Good Friday peace accord. Their submitted proposals will test how far the two radical parties will go to respect their people’s will. They should recall that more than seven in 10 voters backed parties endorsing the peace process.

But there are stumbling blocks to peace, first and foremost the intransigence of Paisley, aptly described by a high British official as “an oafish bully and a wild rabble-rouser.”

Paisley has said neither he nor his party will sit in a government with Sinn Fein. Fortunately, he is no longer the only voice of his party, and the ideologues of the past are giving way to political pragmatists. For the benefit of his own people, time and progress should send Paisley -- none too soon -- to the dustbin of history.

But nothing could speed Northern Ireland’s progress more than for the IRA to disarm -- and accept that change comes via ballots, not bullets. Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams, as never before, can justly assert that politics produce better results than blowing up buildings and killing innocent civilians with terrorist acts.

The republican movement is stronger than ever -- without a single shot fired. This miracle occurred with the right mix of reasonable words and moderate political deeds. It’s not enough, though, and for the sake of the people and the future of Northern Ireland, those of goodwill must speak up and press ahead to put to rest decades of tumult and bloodshed.

A victory in peace lies in their grasp, as does greater opportunity to govern their own lives.