Sir, - Violence is not the only distinction between Michael Collins and today's Fine Gael. Of equal significance is that Collins was an early-20th-century Irish nationalist, and Fine Gael is an early-21st-century civic pluralist party, with an internal parity of esteem that has been central in attracting non-nationalist members.
Michael Noonan was mistaken when he said: "Fine Gael is an Irish nationalist party. We are Irish nationalists and we are proud of it." Even allowing for the BΘal na mBlβth venue, this statement is like saying: "Ulster is British and we are proud of it." In reality, we have members who are proud of our many varied, equally valid, identities and traditions: Irish, British, Irish and British, European...
Michael Noonan was correct when he said of Fine Gael that "we wish to see the unity of all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions." But this a pluralist aspiration, not a nationalist one. Nationalism is a political principle which maintains that similarity of culture is the basic social bond and the source of legitimate state power.
Nationalism is not a natural law, but a recent historical development. And much has changed since Michael Collins was on the run. Ireland is now a 21st-century, multicultural, multinational civic republic. Much more will change as humankind evolves. Future generations will see nationality, as we now do religion, as a proud part of our cultural, but not political, identities. The next stage of true civic democracy, after separation of church and state, will be separation of nation and state.
There are many ways in which we, the people on this island, could eventually be united in our diversity - within a single state, within two EU states, within any number of regions, or even within a future Irish-UK-American context. Fine Gael understands the complexities involved, precisely because we are not a party of Irish nationalists, reaching out to people with other identities. We understand this because we are a civic pluralist party, composed internally of a combination of many identities and traditions. - Yours, etc.,
Michael Nugent, (Fine Gael member, Dublin Central), Dargle Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9