A Solution for The British/Irish Problem It is the contention of this article that the age old British/Problem is resolvable in the 21st century in Federalism. Federalism is as old as the hills and came to the fore in the 19th century as a solution to the Irish Problem. Federalism has as its Christian philosophy the togetherness the co-operation and the friendship of people, communities, states and nations. It stands in opposition to Nationalism which has as its pernicious philosophy the apartheid separation of people, communities, states and nations being apart and alien. Nationalism in Europe resulted in two World Wars with bloodshed and destruction throughout the Continent. In Ireland apartheid nationalism in a pernicious Republicanism brought about the violent attempt to separate Ireland from England first by Wolfe Tone and then by Padraig Pearse causing unjustified bloodshed heightened communal division and murder on the Island. The EU is now underpinned by the constructive philosophy of the federalist togetherness of the countries of the EU. In federal Australia togetherness underlines the togetherness of the Australian states and in Canada there is the federal togetherness of the provinces but with the maverick province of Quebec pursuing at times the apartheid of nationalistic separatism to make Quebec apart and alien in Canada but this has been thwarted by federalists within and outside of Quebec. IN Ireland the pernicious apartheid philosophy of separation is still strongly adhered to. There is Sinn Fein who in decades of violence tried to separate N. Ireland from the Kingdom and into an all Ireland secular socialist Republic. That failed and now Sinn Fein is trying to achieve the separation by the subterfuge and stealth of politics. There are pernicious apartheid loyalists and the DUP who insist on keeping the Protestant people of Ulster separate behind a border on the Island and apart behind peace walls in Derry and Belfast in a bogus British Nationalism. Apartheid DAIL Eritrean treats N Ireland as a separate alien place apart by dealing with the state through the foreign office. If there is to be a Christian federalist philosophy of togetherness co-operation and friend ship the philosophy will have to include all of Ireland; the philosophy will have to promote a Federal Kingdom of all Ireland with a reformed Crown as head of state. To bring that about democratically in Ireland it will require a new all Ireland Irish Constitutional Federalist Party. I have suggested to the SDLP that they consider becoming such a party and I have made specific proposals to the party as to how they would have to reshape themselves to become that. These suggestions are now with senior members of the party. Central to this is a new all Ireland flag for a new Federal Kingdom of Ireland. Such a flag can be defined in The National Government of Ireland Act as The Royal Flag of Ireland. C The Royal Flag of Ireland This flag is an Irish flag derived from the past flags of Irish Constitution. It represents the togetherness of the two traditions in Ireland namely the green white and orange of the Catholic tradition and the red white and blue of the Protestant tradition. The red saltire, the Cross of St Patrick, is given prominent display. The saltire represents the togetherness of Ireland and Great Britain or more especially the togetherness of England and Ireland. As the red saltire is a Christian emblem that makes the Royal Flag of Ireland, Christian . The Royal Standard of Ireland in St Patrick’s blue is central to the flag. This flag was devised by Henry VIII in 1542 and is still displayed in the Queen’s Royal Standard and it represents the togetherness of the Irish people with the Crown. The historic nations of England Ireland Scotland and Wales are represented emblematically as together in the flag. This Christian flag is a replacement flag for the Catholic Republican tricolour and the Protestant Union Jack. This account of Federalism is cursory and for those who may wish to enquire further into Federalism an in-depth account can be found in my book---The Theoretical Solution to the British/Irish Problem--- available on line from Authorhouse or Amazon or by order from any book store. For those who may wish to look further into the background of the Royal Flag of Ireland the back ground is dealt with in---- Notes on an Outline of Irish Constitution from 1177 to the Present--- These notes are available o n request from Donal Lyons Chief policy officer at SDLP Head Office in Belfast. Michael Gillespie B Ed B Sc(Econ) Dip Ed D.A.S.E. M.A. (Ed) Teacher Author Blogger Member of the SDLP