A controversial issue upon which Mr Corbyn has made himself very clear, however, is his unwavering support for a United Ireland.
This support may have lost the Labour leader many a vote among the Northern Irish population as it seems to have stemmed from a friendly relationship with Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams and other ex-IRA members.
As a well-known and publicised terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army’s association with Corbyn is offensive to many who have been personally affected by the organisation.
In 1984, the IRA bombed the Conservative Party conference in Brighton, killing five people. A terrorist act by anybody’s consideration of the word. Yet merely two weeks later Corbyn had personally invited convicted bombers Gerard McLoughlin and Linda Quigley to the House of Commons showing very little – if any – respect for the families who were affected by the attack. The shock of this bombing brought the IRA forward from an Irish issue into a truly national threat to the United Kingdom.
Corbyn’s pro-Republican status increased further still in 1987 when he observed a minute of silence held for IRA members, killed by the SAS. Contrastingly, in recent weeks, Corbyn’s refusal to sing the British national anthem in memory of the Battle of Britain is claimed by many to be a sign of disloyalty to Britain.
It seems in everything Mr Corbyn says or does regarding the conflict, he comes off as being pro-Republican rather than pro-UK.
In short, he will no doubt alienate many voters throughout Northern Ireland as Corbyn has not given Unionists any reason to trust him; rather, he further estranges himself from them with every comment he makes on the Troubles. And hope he may to receive any number of votes from the Republicans who are unswervingly loyal to Sinn Féin – the fiercely-Republican party.
Strangely enough, Jeremy Corbyn hopes to represent Britain as Prime Minister at some point in the near future, yet he displays near to no respect for the Unionists who wish to remain a part of the UK. Corbyn is not, as he claims, in favour of a United Ireland. Rather, he supports the idea of a fully Republican Ireland.
However, other MPs within the Labour Party could sway the Unionists to their side, right? Not if the new Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell, is anything to go by. McDonnell is well-known for his remarks from his 2003 speech in which he claimed “It’s about time we started honouring those people in the armed struggle.” He praised the IRA for their “bombs and bullets and sacrifice” and for their “bravery” throughout the Troubles.
Praising terrorism, again? Corbyn’s front bench is developing a pattern. Both McDonnell and Corbyn claim to support peace on all sides, but neither has been heard giving genuine support to those who have been opposing the IRA for over 50 years. Instead, Corbyn believes the road to peace is paved with appeasing terrorism, much like Britain appeased Hitler in the run up to World War 2.
Virtually no family, whether Republican or Unionist, has been left untouched by the Troubles. Regarding terrorist actions by either side as ‘brave’ is simply a slap in the face to the families of countless innocent victims who are still scarred from the conflict. The peace process is welcome, but not like this.
As for Jeremy Corbyn? To quote Dragon’s Den, I’m out.
Original colour featured photo via Garry Knight on Flickr.
