The State of the United Kingdom

This week Prime Minister Theresa May visited Northern Ireland in an attempt to reassure the population that they had not been forgotten about at any stage in the Brexit negotiation process (this only the Prime Minister’s third trip to Northern Ireland since the 2017 general election).

Theresa May’s visit included talks with parties across the political divide, a speech that reaffirmed her government’s commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, and an obligatory visit to that pesky border that seems to have caused to many issues for her. In addition to reaching out to pro-Remain politicians in Northern Ireland, Mrs May addressed an audience of business leaders in Belfast on Tuesday, expressing how she was “grateful” to firms and farming groups who supported the backstop in the withdrawal agreement. Earlier the same day DUP leader Arlene Foster said that the “toxic backstop” remained the problem with Brexit, while Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald stated that the Prime Minister offered “the same old rhetoric” and had “no credibility and frankly no honour”. Very reassuring.

On Friday, the Prime Minister also met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin to discuss Brexit and the political deadlock in Northern Ireland. The meeting may have been a bit awkward following Varadkar, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Junker’s rejection of any change to the backstop in meetings in Brussels earlier this week. Tusk’s comments that there is a “special place in hell” for those who pushed for Brexit “without even a sketch of a plan” set of angry reactions around the UK, with Arlene Foster condemning Tusk for being “deliberately provocative [and] very disrespectful”, and DUP MP Sammy Wilson describing the EU leader as a “devilish Euro-maniac”.

The State of a new political partnership

On Saturday the SDLP voted in favour of a partnership with Fianna Fáil. SDLP delegates gathered in Newry and with 121 delegates voting in favour of the partnership (70%). The remaining 53 delegates voted in favour of an alternative proposal of a partnership with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour.

This partnership has been opposed by South Belfast MLA Claire Hanna and Councillor Mairia Cahill, as well as the SDLP’s youth and LGBT wings. Although the SDLP currently having no representation at Westminster, the party has stated that this partnership with Fianna Fáil has emerged from and is based on shared policies on issues on Brexit and Irish unity. In a statement released by SDLP leadership following the vote, the party acknowledged that the vote did not pass unanimously, stating:

“We understand that the political environment across these islands is changing rapidly. Parties, too, must be prepared to embrace change and respond to the challenges we all face. Business as usual is no longer an option.”

Read more of Northern Slant’s coverage of the SDLP- Fianna Fáil partnership here:

Brexit must challenge nationalism too – by Connor Daly

Writing the story of Ireland’s future together – byDominic O’Reilly

The SDLP must change radically to win again, but not like this – by Northern Slant Guest

 

The State of the Union (as in the speech)

On Tuesday this week President Donald Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address, albeit a week later than originally planned due to the partial government shutdown. The speech focused on bipartisan unity stating that the United States should govern “not as two parties, but as one nation”, asking lawmakers to choose “greatness”. This was all stated while also placing emphasis on the distinctly partisan issues of immigration and his call for a border wall along America’s southern border.

Trump also covered topics from AIDS to the current state of the US economy, to criminal justice reform to the new replacement for NAFTA, USMCA.

In one of the most surprising moments of the night, Democratic women gave President Tump a standing ovation after he celebrated the historic achievements of American women. Nearly all of the Democratic women present were wearing white in a nod to suffragists. Another unexpected outcome of the speech was the #PelosiClap meme, which emerged after the new House Speaker was pictured applauding after President Trump called for a compromise in politics.

Less popular statements by the President throughout the speech included his comments what he described as “ridiculous partisan investigations”, when “an economic miracle is taking place in the United States”. This comment appeared to be in reference to special counsel Robert S Mueller III’s Russia probe, although also could be in reference to his inaugural committee. Or his foundation.

In reaction to the President’s statement on these investigations Pelosi gave a sigh and rolled her eyes, a sentiemtn which was echoed in Stacey Abrams’ rebuttal. Abrams – the first black woman to deliver a SOTU rebuttal – used her statement to say that although she doesn’t always agree with Trump, she doesn’t want him to fail. This appears to be a sentiment shared by many others when it came to Trump’s announcement that he will hold a second nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month. Eyebrows were raised, however, when Trump claimed that if he hadn’t been elected “we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea.”

 

The State of French-Italian relations

Although commentators often speak of politics going backwards or looking too much into the past, few expected relations between two European neighbours to go back to the terms of the 1940s. However, a war of words broke out between Italy and France this week when Paris recalled its ambassador to Rome on Thursday.

The decision came after Italian Deputy PM Luigi Di Maio met with French ‘yellow-vest’ protest leaders who are thinking of running in the European elections near Paris on Tuesday. In addition to this, Italian government members have criticised French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic and migration policies, calling him a “terrible President”.

France’s Europe affairs minister, Nathalie Loiseau, said the decision to recall France’s ambassador – the first since Italy declared war on France in June 1940 – is a temporary measure that “isn’t about being dramatic. It’s about saying ‘playtime is over'”.

Relations between Italy and France – both founding members of the EU and close allies – have been tense since Italy’s anti-establishment populist Five Star Movement and right-wing League party formed a coalition government in June 2018. French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux has said that it the “most basic courtesy would have been for [Di Maio] to notify the government” about meeting with the yellow-vest protestors. Mr Griveaux also made it clear that the French government did not spark the spat between the two countries as they “don’t make snide remarks”. This was stated right before he equated nationalism with leprosy. With both Brexit and European elections on the horizon, politicians and political commentators will be questioning what this diplomatic dispute will mean for the future of the European Union.

 

The State of the Catholic Church

In case you missed it, one of the most significant interreligious events in modern memory happened this week when Pope Francis touched down in the United Arab Emirates. Despite spending less than 48 hours in the UAE and only making two public addresses, the Pope’s trip to the UAE was bookended by significant statements on the situation in Yemen and the admission of the sexual abuse of nuns by bishops in the Catholic Church.

This trip was part of Pope Francis’  to engage increased engagement in interfaith talks, as well as UAE’s ‘Year of Tolerance’, which aims to establish the country’s image as a peace-building nation, especially between Christian and Muslim communities. This was the first time a Pope had made an official visit to the Arabian Penninsula, the birthplace of Islam, where he held a papal Mass attended by an estimated 135,000 people. However, the UAE’s leading military role in the nearly four-year war against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen could potentially sour this image. Hours before arriving in the UAE Pope Francis made a public plea to the international community to respect the Yemen ceasefire accord, urging the international community to “work for the good of the population”.  The war in Yemen has triggered a huge humanitarian crisis, with millions of people currently at the risk of starvation.

The other noteworthy statement to come out of the Pope’s visit to the UAE took place during a news conference the papal plane on the way back to Rome, when he publicly acknowledged the issue of sexual abuse of nuns by priests and even bishops within the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican later clarified the comments, stating that the Pope was referring to a case of “sexual slavery” within a French congregation of nuns. However, reports are beginning to emerge about the persistence of the problem in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Italy, which church authorities have failed to address publically. In the wake of the #MeToo Movement, a #NunsToo Movement has emerged, shedding light on stories of sexual abuse among Roman Catholic clergy, including reports of nuns having abortions or giving birth to children fathered by priests or bishops.