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Depressing

I’ve never actually been to Northern Ireland, though people I know who’ve visited or lived there say it’s a fine place as long as you keep out of the areas where the terrorists (of either hue) are in control. It’s easy to believe that the whole place is in a mess because of what we see on the news, but it’s not really that bad.

Events in the last few years have been moderately encouraging, with the British government seemingly determined to sort things out. Obviously Britain has an obligation to do this, having been largely responsible for the problems that exist there, but unfortunately the nationalists don’t trust Britain and the Unionists are deeply suspicious of the Republic, so it has not been easy (sorry – I got this the wrong way round when I first posted this, and I’ve corrected it).

Five years ago, the so-called ‘Good Friday agreement’ proposed the devolution of power from Britain to a a Northern Ireland assembly, and terrorist groups giving up their weapons and participating in the democratic process. The agreement was endorsed by the electorate in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and most terrorist activity was halted.

The hope has always been that ordinary people really want peace, and that they would express that feeling through the ballot box and put pressure on their representatives. Unfortunately, this week’s elections have not done much to encourage optimism. The SDLP lost ground to Sinn Fein (the political wing of the IRA), and on the nationalist side, Ian Paisley’s DUP (which is against the Good Friday agreement) gained seats from the Ulster Unionists (who are in favour).

Perhaps this is just a minor setback and the parties will carry on talking. The British government still seems very committed to the peace process, and there doesn’t seem to be any enthusiasm for a return to how things were prior to 1998, but it’s easy to see how things could take a turn for the worse.

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5 responses to “Depressing”

  1. dave avatar
    dave

    “but unfortunately the Unionists don’t trust Britain and the Nationalists are deeply suspicious of the Republic, so it has not been easy.”

    Shouldn’t that be the other way around?

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  2. Chris avatar
    Chris

    Oops – thanks for pointing it out. Irish politics is confusing, but I ought to get the basics right. Unionists support the United Kingdom and want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK; Republicans don’t want to be part of the UK but do wanted a united Ireland.

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  3. Adrian Cheung avatar
    Adrian Cheung

    Though the Northern Ireland problem is kind of depressing for its lack of progress, I do keep a weird interest in it. I think only a problem like that of the Northen Ireland can illustrate the (ssomewhat cliche) notion of politics being the art of the impossbible. Blair’s Iraq policy is justifiably questionable but his seemingly tireless efforts to push for a solution in Northern Ireland is commendable. People may have forgotten John Major now but I still remember him standing in front of the huge Christmas tree at the doorstep of Downing 10 with his Irish counerpart Albert Reynolds when they announced the Good Friday Agreement. Another Christmas is round the corner and Northern Ireland doesn’t seem to change much. But no. Come to think of it: At least David Trimble had tried to work with Gerry Adams, and IRA had once offered to give up some arms, only that Trimble thinks that’s not enough. But I’m not Irish, it’s not for me to say whether all these did mean anything.

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  4. Chris avatar
    Chris

    In some ways the lack of progress in Northern Ireland (and, I suppose, Sri Lanka) is fine because the longer the current situation persists the less likely it is that the terrorists will take up arms again. Even if it takes several years before further progress can be made (because of the obstinacy of all parties), at least that is better than how things were before the peace process started.
    David Trimble seems to be constantly under threat from members of his party who question his enthusiasm for the agreement and his willingness to talk with the IRA, but so far he has survived, and his party didn’t do as badly as they feared, so he will probably continue to do so.

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  5. www.OrdinaryGweilo.com - Everyday Life in Hong Kong avatar
    www.OrdinaryGweilo.com – Everyday Life in Hong Kong

    Childish politicians

    After my rather pessimistic piece about the prospects for peace in Northern Ireland after the electorate expressed a preference for Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists, a rather more positive view from The Guardian. It seems that although Ian Paisley’s

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