Gusty Spence seems to me to be the first person who actually got that there is no such thing as the ‘essential Ireland’ as Heaney alludes to in his poem “The Stations of the West” when he says “I had come west to inhale the absolute weather”. There is nothing that is inherently there and only to be found by a certain group of people, in this case either Protestants or Catholics. Spence is then also the first one, who as David Ervine says, will try and organize a peace treaty.
It can therefore be said that he is the first one that realizes that there are not ‘essential’ differences between Protestants and Catholics that cannot be overcome and make them inherent enemies of each other. It reminded me a lot of the two men in Heaney’s poem “Trial Runs” who are able to joke about each other religion. “’Did they make a Papish of you over there?’ ‘Oh damn the fear! I stole them for you, Paddy, off the Pope’s dresser when his back was turned.’”
This whole view of Spence being seen as one of the rare members of the UVF and IRA who finally was able to focus on the things they had in common instead of the difference, can be supported by the fact that this poem is included in Stations, which was released in 1975, only two years after Spence had convinced the leaders of the UVF to temporarily cease fire, ending the violence for at least a little while.
This is of course a highly debatable view, and I would like to know what you think and if you think this is even a slightly justifiable argument.