Collins Centenary Setpiece

Also, when the treaty was signed the Free State included NI. There was a clause included in the Treaty that NI could opt-out of the Free State if it wished. This opt-out clause was duly exercised by the NI government the day after the Treaty was signed. Collins would have been aware that this choice would have been taken by NI but to state that Collins was a traitor who partitioned Ireland shows a complete lack of knowledge of the history of our country. Or perhaps willful ignorance towards it.

Ireland was partitioned long before the 1920s, that happened during the plantations of Ulster. Britain created this mess and ultimately they must play their part in solving it. What this boils down to is that successive Tory governments have used NI Unionist MPs as a bargaining tool in Westminster to gain power. Once power was gained they were tossed aside like a used prophylactic, time and time again. Britain wouldn't be long calling for a border poll if SF took their seats in Westminster and began supporting non-Tory governments. It would take real gall and leadership by SF to do so, to do as Collins did and put blind ideology aside about the Oath and get on with the business of dragging Ireland away from a repressive Empire. Even De Valera recognised the folly of blind ideology in the end. It's time for SF to do the same and for Ireland to prosper as a United island.

It's a good question but answers can only be speculative. My take is that Collins may have used the National Army to support continued IRA guerilla operations in NI in an attempt to destabilise the government there. Perhaps in an attempt to make the British establishment believe that NI was more trouble than it's worth as a member of the United Kingdom. The success of that approach of course would have been predicated on the political landscape in Britain, if the Liberals / Torys did not need the UUP for a Westminster majority then this tactic may have worked.

Collins too may have elected to take a more proactive approach to the Border Commission and may have tried to strengthen ties between the Free State and NI. He may have tried to provide more financial support to Nationalists and their businesses through this. May have been a Unification by stealth approach. Or perhaps a combination of both approaches. It's a question that'll never be answered.

However, those who state that Collins was a traitor for signing the treated do have to offer a credible alternative, I've yet to hear one.

Because the OP wrote an OP on Varadkar and FG and FF. Did you READ the OP at all?

Yes. Part of what he stood for was equality and parity of esteem.

That was codified into the GFA.

Maybe listen to the world leaders who spoke at his funeral. But I know you won’t and will doubtless pivot to something else.

yes. I wasnt aware his portrait is in stormont as MP for Armagh.

The fact that this is your impression of the history of the time is a condemnation of our education system. And I say that as a History teacher.

you’ve clearly never heard of Kevin shields

Wrong on both counts. Actually refers in part to a surname, Mulqueen.