Celebrating St Patrick's Day in The London Irish Centre, Camden Square today was very important to me. Remembering my Irish dancing skills, listening to the bodhran and watching pints of Guinness being pulled. People are surprised when they hear I’m Irish and Conservative. My father’s family were originally English and Protestant, and my mother’s family was Irish and Catholic. I grew up in Southern Ireland during the troubles. Narrowly missing an explosion and injury on the way back from a holiday in Newry was a memorable but normal part of life at the time.
I don’t like to be stereotyped. The Irish identity has historically been defined by anti-establishment and anti-British sentiment. However, I live in the here and now and recognise the complex relationship between the individual and the state that sat at the heart of many of Ireland's issues in the past.
My Conservatism is rooted in my Irish identity and my upbringing. It is where my independent spirit and willingness to challenge comes from. I am firmly committed to personal liberty and avoiding undue interference from the state. This desire for freedom is what led me to London in the first place.
My mother's family had been farmers. However, when I was growing up all that was left was a butcher's shop and petrol station. From these small businesses, I learned the power of hard work and free enterprise to drive prosperity and expand opportunities. They allowed my family to give me the best upbringing they could and inspired me to move on and start to shape my future.
I love the diversity of my adopted city of London, but I firmly believe in the preservation of its cultural heritage and national identity. I value all perspectives and differences, but we need to set a baseline by which our culture is defined and then work hard for the harmonious integration of other perspectives within it. Change should be incremental, rather than radical. Progress is best achieved through organic evolution rather than abrupt upheaval. We need stability and continuity to protect our institutions and traditions from the unforeseen consequences of hasty reforms.
If you value something you have to be prepared to defend it, so I am a strong believer in national security and an assertive foreign policy to protect our country's interests. The war in Ukraine and the conflict between Gaza and Israel have shown how fragile peace is and how sometimes people must take action to protect it. Again, this is part of the story of Ireland that shaped me. On a domestic level, this translates into a deep belief in law and order to protect our communities and the businesses that trade and the people that live in them.
Happy St Patrick's Day!
