The following article by Lynda Walker was first published in Unity, the weekly paper of the Irish Communist Party.
OF course, it was to be expected that President Donald Trump would have something outlandish to say- heading in opposite directions he said "Let me tell you. You're some of the most vicious bastards I've ever done business with."- "But when you want to be nice, there's nobody nicer. And I just want to thank you. It's an honour to be here," On the day itself he was in vogue with the use of the word "bastard," as it was on the lips of thousands of protesters, referring to him.
But it was his remarks about a united Ireland that created more attention. At a joint press conference with the taoiseach he told reporters "I don't want to cause any problems, but I will tell you, I'd love to see it unified I think it would be a great feather in everybody's cap if that happened. You know what? The way I look at it, it's going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now. The unification of Northern Ireland with the republic of Ireland would be 'fantastic.' The UK will have something to say about it, obviously. But I think it would be a great thing. I mean, how can it be bad?" Was he trying to shroud his involvement in the genocide in Palestine and war in Iran. Was he trying to impress the Irish American voters back home. His remarks are an insult to progressive and peace-loving people who are committed to working for a united Independent Ireland.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP said it was "clearly a joke", adding: "I think a good thing about this is that it shows that he knows about Northern Ireland. He knows about the context of that. He feels comfortable enough to be making that type of joke." Something for Emma and the DUP to talk about on St Patricks Day 2027. His visit here was only ever going to be a circus for the media to latch onto. Except the wars that continue to replenish profits for the military industrial complex and continues to kill thousands of people, is no joke.
In comparison President Catherine Connolly was to be respected carry out her duties in a principled manner. She said in a statement afterwards that she "conveyed the strong view of the Irish people that the normalisation of war and genocide can never be accepted." A post on social media put it adeptly that Ireland's head of state, "Catherine Connolly welcomed Donald Trump but she did not allow diplomatic ceremony to erase moral disagreement. That distinction matters: the words came from Connolly's official account of their private discussion, rather than from a public confrontation captured on camera. Even so, the message was unmistakable. Connolly has long criticized militarization and expressed support for Palestine, while Trump's foreign policy has been closely aligned with Israel and increasingly defined by military conflict."
People will use Trumps remarks for their own political ends, and it is certain that the forthcoming Ireland's Future conference in September will make full use of it. Unity have published several articles relating to Ireland's Future it is one of the organisations that is trying to build a movement for a united Ireland.
However, a critical analysis of the background of those involved show they have the money and the political influence. Their proposals indicate that the united Ireland that they want will be one built on capitalist values and ideology and one that will take us back into the EU.
Will they want Irish neutrality? Will they join NATO, will they increase military spending ? Will they want to end the Triple Lock.
This will not be an Independent Ireland for the working class. It requires the trade unions, women's, community and some professional organisations to build a movement for working class unity in Ireland.