Hope Springeth Eternal

9 May 2007



Stormont Assembly Takes Over (Again) in Northern Ireland

The Reverend Ian Paisley took the oath of office yesterday as First Minister of Northern Ireland and Martin McGuinness made a similar oath as his Deputy First Minister. Reverend Paisley, of course, is the octogenarian hard-core Protestant leader who has been a huge obstacle to anything resembling peace in the province for longer than most Ulstermen have been alive. Mr. McGuinness is the ex-chief-of-staff of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and consequently, a terrorist and murderer. Yet somehow, these two men are the heralds of a new future for Northern Ireland. A quick check of the thermometer won’t prove that Hell has frozen over, but rumor has it that Lucifer has begun bidding up natural gas prices and installed central heat.

What is different this time about politics in Ulster is who finally backed the deal. Reverend Paisley was once dubbed “Dr. No” for his refusal to even speak to the republican side. Now, he’s the top guy, responsible for getting the economy going (with a huge check from British Chancellor Gordon Brown). The participation of Mr. McGuinness, whose youth was dedicated to killing as many people as necessary to make all of Ireland one country politically, means there is no rejectionist faction of any size in the green camp. The extremists are now in power, and therefore, can be held accountable. Peter Hain, the British Northern Ireland Secretary who signed the order restoring devolved government on Monday, said: “What is really inspiring now is that the politicians are leading the people out of that history of sectarianism and bigotry, instead of encouraging them in it.”

Can oil and water mix? Or perhaps the comparison with fire and gunpowder is better. For his part, Reverend Paisley made all the right noises, “I believe we are starting on a road that will bring us back to peace and prosperity. I challenge the people of Northern Ireland to rise to the challenge today, and to make this a country where all men and women are equal under the law and equally subject to the law.” Equal rights for Catholics was the demand in 1969 that started the Troubles. For him to back that is a quantum change.

Mr. McGuinness was equally diplomatic and correct. He began by sending his condolences to the family and colleagues of George Dawson, a member of Mr. Paisley’s Democratic Unionist party who died Monday afternoon, following a short illness. In the bad old days, he would have said nothing, or said nothing helpful. Then, he added, “Today we will not witness hype, but history. I am increasingly confident that this is all going to work.”

Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein and an ex-terrorist, said, “I think what today proves is that dialogue and perseverance and tenacity and persistence can bring about results. This is a good day for Ireland, a good day for all the people of this island... It is a day to be hopeful, to be sure that a new start is being made . . . . I’m satisfied we are not going to get into the same difficulties. The political landscape is different, the chemistry is different. We are going to succeed.”

History teaches one to be cautious when it comes to a settlement of the Ulster problem. Old hatreds can sabotage the best of intentions. Yet, the intentions appear to be the best, at least for today, and the old hatreds are, if not gone, held in abeyance. Should Messrs. Paisley and McGuinness succeed in building a more prosperous and tolerant Ulster, one would be prepared to forgive them their pasts -- almost..

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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