tones
Tones deaf
As Professor Lord Bew said in last week's talk from Queen's University, neither side expected it to last, yet here we are, 100 years later, still here and still as unloved by everyone. The Nationalist/Republican side aren't celebrating, as, in their eyes, there's nothing to celebrate. Yet, like it or not, in the circumstances of the time, Partition of some sort was inevitable. The only questions were (a) how? and (b) how long?
And the next 100 years? A survey carried out by the Belfast Telegraph in association with a number of the Irish papers shows that reunification is far from a done deal. While most people think that Brexit has brought it nearer, economic considerations are what are prevailing.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...ues-in-irish-unification-debate-40375681.html
The North doesn't want to lose the NHS (interestingly, the establishment of an all-Ireland NHS is part of Sinn Féin's platform).
And, to the horror of both DUP and Sinn Féin, there is developing a middle ground that identifies with neither of them. One can only hope that this will grow and that we'll eventually get away from the shibboleths of the past.
Whatever it is, it has to allow for the fact that a substantial proportion of my country(wo)men identify as British, and will continue to do so. Incorporating this reality into an all-Ireland solution will require far more wisdom from all sides than has previously been shown. The Irish flag symbolises the two great traditions of Ireland, the Orange and the Green, separated by a white stripe symbolising the hope of peace between the two. I can't see it coming to pass in my lifetime, but I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised.
And the next 100 years? A survey carried out by the Belfast Telegraph in association with a number of the Irish papers shows that reunification is far from a done deal. While most people think that Brexit has brought it nearer, economic considerations are what are prevailing.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/...ues-in-irish-unification-debate-40375681.html
The North doesn't want to lose the NHS (interestingly, the establishment of an all-Ireland NHS is part of Sinn Féin's platform).
And, to the horror of both DUP and Sinn Féin, there is developing a middle ground that identifies with neither of them. One can only hope that this will grow and that we'll eventually get away from the shibboleths of the past.
Whatever it is, it has to allow for the fact that a substantial proportion of my country(wo)men identify as British, and will continue to do so. Incorporating this reality into an all-Ireland solution will require far more wisdom from all sides than has previously been shown. The Irish flag symbolises the two great traditions of Ireland, the Orange and the Green, separated by a white stripe symbolising the hope of peace between the two. I can't see it coming to pass in my lifetime, but I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised.