The Daily Signal - She Survived Terrorist Attacks to Become Voice for Democracy in UK

Episode Date: March 22, 2024

The threat of terrorism first touched Arlene Foster’s life when she was just a child. Her father was serving as a police officer in the United Kingdom when he was shot in his own home by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1979. The Provisional Irish Republican Army group was seeking to end British rule in Northern Ireland. The U.K. designated it a terrorist organization. Law enforcement, according to Foster, was seen as opposition to the efforts of the paramilitary group.  Foster’s father survived, but less than a decade later, when Foster was 17, the Provisional Irish Republican Army bombed a school bus she was on. Thankfully, Foster and everyone else on the bus survived the attack. Today, bearing the title of baroness and serving in the House of Lords, Foster says she chose to get involved in politics “to be a democratic voice for the union, for the United Kingdom.”  “There’s always an alternative to terrorism,” she says. “There’s always an alternative to violence.”  Fosters joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to not only share her story, but also how the U.K. weathered terrorism in Northern Ireland years ago and the need to stand against Hamas and other terrorist activity today. She also weighs in on the strategic relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. and why a free-trade agreement would strengthen those ties and benefit both nations.  Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Get the yes you've been waiting for at Capital One.ca.ca. slash yes. Terms and conditions apply. Once you forget and move on to something else, it is wrong. You have to acknowledge what happened on October 7th, which was just the worst attack, I think, that we've seen anywhere in the world for some considerable time. This is the Daily Signal podcast for Friday, March 22nd. I'm Virginia Allen. And that was Baroness Arlene Foster.

The threat of terrorism first touched Arlene. Foster's life when she was only a child. Her father was shot by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, but survived that incident. Less than a decade later, Foster survived a bombing carried out by the same Provisional Irish Republican Army. The group was seeking to end British rule in Northern Ireland, when the UK designated them as a terrorist organization. The incidents of Fosher's childhood and youth are ones that she has carried with her into her now role as a Baroness and a member of the House of Lords. Baroness Foster joins the show today to not only share her story,

but also how the UK is combating sympathy towards Hamas and, of course, the aftermath of the October 7th attack. She also explains the strategic relationship between the U.S. and the UK and why a free trade agreement would strengthen that relationship. Stay tuned for our conversation after this. We get it with Big Meets. media bias, it's hard to find accurate honest news. That's why we've put together the Morning Bell newsletter, a compilation of the top stories and conservative commentary. To subscribe,

just head todailySignal.com slash morning bell subscription or visitdailySignal.com and click on the connect button at the top of the page. Well, it is my distinct pleasure today to have with us in studio, the former First Minister of Northern Ireland and the current member of the House. of Lords, the Honourable Baroness, Arlene Foster. Baroness Foster, thank you so much for being with us today. I really appreciate it. No, thank you for the invitation to be here. It's wonderful to chat to you.

Well, I'm really excited to begin just by hearing some of your story. You have a pretty unique story of how, in many ways, you were thrust into politics or political conversations at the age of 17. Share a little bit about what happened, if you would. Okay, so I come from what's probably known as the edge of the union. So far as I lived on the border with the Republic of Ireland, my father was a police officer. We also lived on a small farm holding. And when I was just eight years old in January 1979, the IRA came to murder my father at our home

because he was a, in quote, legitimate target as he was serving as a police officer. And they did shoot him, but thankfully he survived. And after that, the authorities, his own authorities advised that he advised that he. he should move away from the border area to, in quotes, a safer part of Northern Ireland. So we did move and we moved just about 12 miles to a town called Lissonski. And that, of course, was a huge time in our lives because having to move from what was quite a rural area into a town situation, it was just a complete change of life for me, for my father and mother and from my grandmother who came with us. So it was a very difficult time for us all.

So we moved. My father continued to work as a police officer and I then went to grammar school in Northern Ireland. First of my family to do so, actually. And so that was a great honour for me. And whilst I was travelling to school when I was 17, our bus was also targeted by the IRA because the bus driver was a member of the security forces. He was a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment. And presumably they had hoped that when he'd opened the bus up on the morning time that the ball, that the bomb would have went off, but it didn't. And there were about 10 of us on the bus when the bomb went off. The girls sitting beside me was very seriously injured, as was the bus driver.

But they both survived, I'm thankful to say, and they're both still here today, so that's good. So that was, you know what, when I look back at my childhood and people say, oh, my goodness, she must have had it. I had a pretty happy childhood, actually, but with impactful events happening. And I say I had a happy childhood because my parents made it a happy childhood despite the fact that Northern Ireland was going through a terrorist campaign at that point in time. And I was a child of a police officer. So it was always going to be probably difficult. But I have to say they spend a lot of time making it as happy a childhood for me as I could.

Well, obviously, very unique to before you reached the age of adulthood at 18 to have had terrorism touch your life, your family's life twice in really. personal ways. Do you remember after the bus explosion what you were processing, the thoughts you were thinking about what do I want to do with my life now? What does this mean? How does this impact me? What were you feeling as a young girl at that time? Well, people have said to me is the reason you're involved in politics, the fact that you came through trauma in your childhood and in your teenage years. And I can't answer that because I haven't lived the sliding door moment when I When I didn't have those incidents happened to me.

But I suppose when I was at high school, at grammar school, that I was interested in what was going on in the world. I was a history student. I loved learning about what happened in our past. And then when I went to university to study law in Belfast, that interest in politics, I think, really developed when I was at university. And I joined a political party when I was there. And that's when my whole political journey really started when I went to university.

Okay. And then from that time of being university and starting your political career, walk us through just a little bit of your process of kind of discovering what you wanted to focus on in your political career and how your own passion and drive developed for issues of combating terrorism and issues related to even fighting for the economy in your nation. How did those desires really take root within you? So I think once you have the political bug within your system, it's very difficult to shake off. And I got involved in student politics when I was at Queens. Then I got involved in mainstream party politics in Northern Ireland. And at that time, the IRA terrorist campaign was still going on. So there was a desire to push back against this whole United Ireland is inevitable. And we're going to get it by force.

And then, of course, that changed into we're going to push it through with the ballot box in one hand and the Armalight. another and they moved towards moving away from violence, which of course is good, but it should never have happened in the first place. It's almost like, are you thankful that you stop hitting your wife? You know what I mean? So terrorism should never have occurred in Northern Ireland. And when I hear the now, First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, say there was no alternative to violence. I just can't accept that. There is always an alternative to terrorism. There's always an alternative to violence. And I got involved to be a democratic voice for the union, for the union, for the United Kingdom. I felt very passionately about that, as I say, coming from the edge of the UK.

And I also took an interest which then developed into my ministerial portfolio of trade and investment and economic development. And when you had economic growth, then people could get an interest in education. They could get a good job. They could provide for their families. And I thought that economic development in Northern Ireland was key to building on what we had done. So I was very honored to become a Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment to take up that portfolio to serve for over seven years. And it was one of the most productive times, I think, for me, in politics. Because it was about being positive. It was about selling Northern Ireland as a place to do business.

It was about looking for investment, selling our exports. And it was really something that I cherished and to look back on with former memories. Given the moment in history we find ourselves in right now. and that we have been dealing with terrorism for a very long time across the globe. But right now from what we're seeing from Hezbollah, of course the October 7th attack in Israel. How is the UK addressing this? It's been surprising, I think, for many people in the United States to see the response from college students on college campuses. There's a very pro-Palestine response.

I think some Americans have been fascinated to say the least, some frustraised. to see the White House response. How is this being addressed in the UK? So I think directly after October 7th and the horrific violence, terrorism, criminality, rape of women and children that occurred on that day, there was revulsion across the world, but it didn't last very long.

And I think once you forget and move on to something else, it is wrong. You have to acknowledge what happens. happened on October 7th, which was just the worst attack, I think, that we've seen anywhere in the world for some considerable time. And the fact that there are still hostages held by Hamas, I mean, we hear very little conversation about hostages. And one of the things I struggle to deal with is the fact that so many women's groups who normally are advocating and shouting about the treatment of women, wanting to see better treatment for women,

were silent on the fact that women and children were treated in the way that they were treated on October 7th. I find it abhorrent. I find it very disappointing that it took the United Nations so long to come out and confirm what had happened in Israel on that date. And I think people need to understand that unless Hamas is dealt with completely in Gaza, that they will retain the ability to commit another October 7th. And I'm glad to say that our Foreign Secretary has said that in terms in the House of Lords in Parliament. I hope that is the position that is kept, that if we are to pursue a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine,

then there cannot be a role for Hamas, given what happened on October 7th. I also welcome the fact that Fatah has said that Hamas had caused, much of the pain given what had happened on October 7th. Of course, they had also words for Israel as well, but I think it's quite significant that they said what they said in relation to Hamas. So I do despair sometimes when I see some young students out and they're asked about what does from the river to the sea actually mean. They haven't the first idea.

And it's almost a fashionable cause that they've taken up. And I look at queers for Palestine. And I say to myself, if you were a queer in Palestine, I wouldn't fancy your chances. People need to educate themselves as to what is going on in the world instead of just becoming a fashionable cause that they think that they should get involved in. There are women and children in Gaza that are suffering. I want to say that loud and clear. But they're suffering because Hamas decided to murder and rape on October the 7th. and the consequential war that everybody foreseen as a result of that is why those women and children are suffering in Gaza.

Do you think that the problem is education when it comes to young people today, whether in the U.S. or in the UK, that in some ways the onus is on our universities to be bringing young people the information of this is the reality of the situation? Well, I think that in society today, people get a lot of their information from their phones and from the internet and they tend to go to information sites that they think will give them what they want to hear instead of actually looking at what is the impartial point of view as to what's happening in the world today. Young people do need to educate themselves or they're just going to make themselves look incredibly foolish when they realize what is going on in the Middle East today. And I worry not just for Israel and Palestine, but the whole reason. needs to find a way to rid itself of Hamas and Hezbollah. Because if they don't do that, then the whole region is going to be destabilized. And that's not good for the region, but it's not good for the world either. And for you here in the US, obviously the world's superpower and ourselves in the special

relationship with you guys, it is so important that people are educated as to what is actually happening in these regions and why we have the situation that we have today. Yeah. Given our current situation, if you would explain just a little bit about where America's relationship with the UK stands right now, whether it be on the front of addressing the issue of terrorism, and then also in a moment I would love to chat more about our economic relationship and partnership. Well, I think the relationship in terms of defense and security is a strong one. It goes far beyond some of the things we see on TV with people talking across each other. an interference or attempted interference when President Obama said that if the UK voted for Brexit, that they would be at the back of the queue in respect of trade deals. I mean, that probably drove more people to vote for Brexit actually than to stop them voting for Brexit. So I think we always have to respect each other's independence and autonomy.

So it's not for me as a UK citizen to come over here and tell you guys what you should do at the next presidential election. as if I would have any influence in any event. But likewise, I think the UK needs to be respected as to what they decided to do in 2016 around the European Union referendum and Brexit. So in terms of defence, in terms of security, in terms of the Five Eyes system that it goes on, Ocus in terms of what we did with Australia, I think there's a lot of very deep, good relationships that are there and no doubt will continue to work to the benefit of not just the two countries, but for the world, actually, in terms of stability, especially when we're living through a period of a lot of uncertainty, whether it's in Ukraine or in the Middle East. So I think that's really important. That relationship continues to be strong. And one way, of course, a recommendation for how to make that stronger is a U.S.-UK. Free trade agreements specifically. I know that's something that you strongly support. Why is that?

I do support it because I think Yitzhakarabin, that great Israeli peacemaker, former Israeli Premier, said that you don't make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies. And likewise, in terms of trade, it's the opposite. You make trade with your friends. And I think that we are firm friends. Of course, there are some challenges when it comes to trade agreements. And I don't think they're insurmountable. If there's an issue around chlorinated chicken or whatever, surely it's not beyond. the bounds that we find a way to deal with those issues, but in general terms, and I do want to commend the Heritage Foundation on the work they've done on this area, in general terms, I think we can find a route to a U.S.-UK. trade agreement. I think the Stumbling Block has, frankly, been the Biden administration thus far, and I'm hopeful that we can find a way through, hopefully, after the next presidential election. How do you view that as benefiting both economies if we had a U.S. and U.S. Well, I think it benefits both economies because there's no tariff barriers and then the consumers,

people who go to their shops, will find that as a benefit for them in their everyday lives and the cost of living issues that they're facing will diminish. And I think that is really important for people. But it just wouldn't benefit the UK and the US. I think it would benefit the world because of the size of both economies, because we're the sixth largest economy. You guys are the largest economy. So getting a free trade agreement between the two of us, I think, would be of great benefit to the world.

Absolutely. Is there widespread support in the UK for such an agreement? I think that people would like to see an agreement happening. I do commend Kemi Bedinak from the UK government who has been working through trade agreements at a very high rate, actually. And because of some of the blockages here in the US, she has been able to sign memorandums of understanding with some of the states here, some of the larger states. So just last week she signed one with the state of Texas. And Governor Abbott was in London, actually, to sign that off. So that was wonderful to meet with him. And there's already one with Florida as well. So she's going to keep working to try and get market access sorted out for us.

And I think that until we have a full-scale holistic agreement, we'll continue to work with individual states to try and work through that. I'd like to take just a few minutes to talk about some of the cultural issues. And what we've seen in America is often we follow. Europe and you all will. Well, we all think that we're following you sometimes. I suppose it depends on the issue. But on many cultural issues, it's been Europe forges the trail and then America follows. I think probably northern Europe and the Scandinavian countries probably first. Certainly. So when it comes to issues that in America, especially the politically conservative have termed kind of the

woke issues. What are you all facing right now? Now, what are the greatest challenges that you see, whether it's within the House of Lords, things that you all are tackling, or even within universities' issues that you are seeing crop up that in America we need to be aware of what's happening in Europe because eventually we will be dealing with it here as well. So one of the biggest issues, which I never thought I would be discussing in the House of Lord or anywhere else, is what is a woman? Yeah. What is a woman? and the difference between sex and gender. And one of the very difficult issues that we've had to grapple with, and I'm pleased to say it has now been banned,

is the use of puberty blockers for children. And so young people who maybe were confused about their sexuality allowed to take puberty blockers and to transition to become a different gender, then to realize once they'd passed 18, that actually we've made a mistake and we shouldn't have done that and the celebrated case of

a young woman called Kira Bell where she transitioned she didn't have any support. When she said she thought she wanted to become a man she was fast-tracked almost into a situation where she had a double mastectomy

she had puberty blockers, her voice was lowered and then she realized that actually she was a lesbian and that she wasn't a man. And she is now telling her story in a very effective way. So much so that the government has now said that we cannot have puberty blockers used for children in this way because there needs to be more safeguarding around this. And instead of just confirming what children believe at that time, we need to do more to safeguard them. And if they decide when they're older that they want to

take a particular route, well, that's a matter for them. We have to, I firmly believe, protect our young people. We have to protect our young people. And it's a very scary place for young people. There's so much information bombarded at young people today that I worry about the wisdom that goes with it. Has public opinion moved with those decisions? As you've seen puberty blockers be outlawed for young people, has the public recognized, oh gosh, what? What were we doing that we ever allowed that? Or is public opinion on a slow to change? I think a lot of people didn't realize that it was going on, to be honest with you.

And there was one particular institution that was allowing it to happen. We're at the forefront of all of this. And I don't think a lot of the general public knew what was going on. Now that they do know what's going on, they're quite shocked that it was happening. Because I suppose unless it's happening to your family, you're not really aware of what's going on. So I think people are very firmly behind the government when they're. decided to block puberty blockers for young people. And I think that is absolutely the right decision.

Baroness Foster, as we close, want to give you an opportunity, final thoughts about where we stand right now as two partners in the U.S. and the UK. And as Americans, what do we need to be watching as that relationship continues to develop? Well, I think I do want to end on a very positive note because America has always been a great friend to Northern Ireland, and that is in particular in relation to economic development. The investment, the encouragement, the business interest in Northern Ireland as a bridgehead into the wider UK has always been very strong. And I think that we still continue to get that support from the US.

And we're really thankful for that and hope that continues as well. I think in terms of the wider UK, I know people sometimes are cynical about the special relationship. But I think there is a relationship that's there culturally in our language, in everything that we live through. And I think the special relationship is much deeper than one president and one prime minister, if you know what I mean. It's not just about what happens between people at a particular point in time. It spans, if you like, generations. And I think that closeness is something that will always be there. And hopefully it will bring us a US UK.

trade agreement in the future. Absolutely. Baroness Foster, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Thank you. Well, with that, that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for being with us here on the Daily Signal podcast. If you haven't had the chance, make sure you check out our evening show where every weekday we bring you the top news of the day. Also, if you would take a minute to subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast, wherever you like to listen, we're across all podcast platforms, and take a minute to leave us a five-star rating and review. hearing all of your feedback. Have a great weekend, but make sure that you catch up on the news of the day with us around 5 p.m. And we'll see you back here for our morning episodes, of course,

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