Celebrate peace by letting Ireland join the Commonwealth

Ireland should join the Commonwealth following the Queen’s dinner with Martin McGuinness, says Michael Fabricant

By Matthew Holehouse, Political Correspondent

Ireland should join the Commonwealth in the wake of Martin McGuinness? dinner with the Queen as a signal to the world of peaceful reconciliation, a senior Conservative has said.

Michael Fabricant, the MP for Lichfield and a former vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, said the visits of the Queen to Dublin in 2011 and President Higgins? reciprocal state visit last week had ?put an end to over ninety years of discord.?

The presence of Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander who is now Northern Ireland?s deputy first minister, at the state banquet showed that ?times have indeed moved on?.

The next step in the relationship should be inviting Ireland to join the Commonwealth, the club of 53 former British dominions and overseas territories.

Such a move would likely be met with hostility by Republicans who are implacably opposed to anything resembling a return to British rule over the island.

But, Mr Fabricant writes for Telegraph.co.uk, the proposal ?is not so mad as it might at first seem?, because the Commonwealth today is founded on co-operation between English-speaking states with shared histories and legal systems.

?If a country like the Republic of Ireland joined the Commonwealth, what greater message could be sent to countries facing political upheaval and disputes on the other side of the world than an ancient country who had drawn a line under parts of its past, whilst promoting its future on the best parts of its heritage?? Mr Fabricant writes.

?The very fact that a monarch who had for so long had been the embodiment of one side of the troubles was able to visit Ireland and to engender a feeling of such good will is a clear demonstration of a new chapter.

?The past will never be forgotten nor would it be right for that to be the case.

?But when you witness people like Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander whose comrades were responsible for the death of Lord Louis Mountbatten, attend a State banquet hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle, there aren?t many better signals than that to show that times have indeed moved on.?

Ireland was excluded from the Commonwealth when it became a republic in 1949.

However, when India became a republic a year later it was allowed to remain in the club and recognised the Queen as its head.

Today sixteen Commonwealth realms have the Queen as head of state, while 33 are republics and five have monarchs from other families.

Could republican Ireland join the club for former colonies? It’s not as mad as it sounds, writes Michael Fabricant

Last week?s state visit of the Irish President, Michael D. Higgins, put to an end to over 90 years of discord between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It of course followed the hugely historic visit of the Queen to the Republic in 2011, herself the daughter of the last King of Ireland and a witness to the lugubrious relationship throughout a large chunk of the 20th century.

Both visits neither fix the discord, nor bring to an end the difficulties that still exist to this day. What the visits do represent however is the next stage. The very fact that a monarch who had for so long had been the embodiment of one side of the troubles was able to visit Ireland and to engender a feeling of such good will is a clear demonstration of a new chapter.

The past will never be forgotten nor would it be right for that to be the case.

But when you witness people like Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander whose comrades were responsible for the death of Lord Louis Mountbatten, attend a State banquet hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle, there aren?t many better signals than that to show that times have indeed moved on.

The commitment from the Irish and British governments to put aside differences and look towards unity and joint working on equal terms is demonstrable. The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, said following the Queen?s visit of 2011 that no neighbour is closer, and no two countries have such joint interests in trade and bilateral interests in Europe. British and Irish citizens hold reciprocal rights to residency and employment in both countries. It is even estimated that 10% of the British population have a grandparent or parent of Irish decent. And Britain?s biggest export destination in all the EU is Ireland.

With such close links of geography, trade, culture and of course family ties, what does the next stage of this relationship look like?

How about Ireland joining the Commonwealth? This is not so mad as it might at first seem.

The association of the Commonwealth is about unity through diversity. 54 countries around the world, not all linked to Britain, is an important organisation because of its power of cooperation and shared ideals. The fact that many of the countries share the common law, the English language and a degree of common heritage of course enforces an anchoring of the past, but it looks to the future too.

If a country like the Republic of Ireland joined the Commonwealth, what greater message could be sent to countries facing political upheaval and disputes on the other side of the world than an ancient country who had drawn a line under parts of its past, whilst promoting its future on the best parts of its heritage?

As for Ireland, when the Irish Free State was formed in the 1920s, its Head of State was left ambiguous. The Irish constitution of 1936 left both the King of Ireland and the President of the Republic in place. It was not until 1949 that the President was formally recognised as the only Head of State. George VI, The Queen?s father, was the last King of Ireland.

As a result, republics were not allowed entry into the Commonwealth, leaving Ireland on the outside. At the same time, India was undergoing similar changes to its constitution. With its size and importance as part of the Commonwealth, the rules were changed and India remained inside the tent of the Commonwealth.

History could have been so very different.

Some will ask whether the Commonwealth still has any importance, or whether it is simply a delusion of British influence on the world?s stage. But what would be missed, if that were the case, would be the importance of its influence in the rest of the world.

Of course it would be for the Irish Government to decide whether it wanted to join. It might feel that it would be a step too far; but as a British parliamentarian with no particular connection to Ireland, I would like to see it.

British-Irish relations are ones of missed opportunities and sadness. Let?s end that for good, and be the very best of neighbours.