The Written Word: Rafe Mair April 7th
By Rafe Mair
I picked up my copy of the Guardian Weekly (a paper I highly recommend, incidentally) two see the smiling face of Gerry Adams and the Buddha like visage of Ian Paisley and I felt like urping. These two men, especially Adams, have gallons of innocent blood and incalculable maiming and suffering on their hands. They are pictured together having agreed that they will govern the province of Northern Ireland together and cooperatively. Right – haven’t I heard this song before?
Of course everyone hopes it will work this time but it won’t.
It won’t because an unseverable Gordian knot is the issue. Ian Paisley and his followers will never agree on a united Ireland and to Adams that is inevitable. Adams is right and Paisley is playing for time knowing that at this precise moment, most non Catholic Northern Irelanders just want to get on about their business. But, like poison ivy, the issue will re-appear with all its fury.
Why has this latest deal been made now?
It has a lot more to do with British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s leave-taking than anything else.
Blair, due to depart this summer, leaves with a reputation badly tarnished by Iraq and his general chumminess with George Bush. He can’t leave with that legacy and Northern Ireland is a splendid opportunity to look like the international man of peace. The timing is such that if all goes well, Stormont (the Northern Irish seat of government) will re-open with bags of British money just as Blair waves goodbye to Downing Street.
The end of the troubles in Northern Ireland may be nearer … but not much if you abandon the political utterances and look at the history.
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Posted by: Chadermando on April 9 2007 3:35 AM
Eire, for instance, has had significant immigration from Eastern Europe since those countries (particularly Poland according to some Irish friends) joined the European Union. Both the UK and Eire are members of that Union, and as it slowly proceeds towards political integration as well as economic integration I expect to see these problems from the past diminish in importance.
In other words, the writing is on the wall, and the hate mongers have read it.