Northern Ireland is not at a crossroads it's stuck on a roundabout
Northern Ireland has begun another mopping up exercise following the return of communal violence linked to the thorny issue of flags and the contest over expressions of Britishness and Irishness. The Northern Ireland assembly responded on Monday with a special session characterised by more reconciliatory tones but also finger-pointing. This includes blaming loyalist paramilitaries who deny orchestration. Also the Traditional Unionist Voice leader, Jim Allister, claiming that the issue of symbols is a "new theatre of war" for Sinn Fein. Many of us sit nervously as the street protest and violence gathers steam.
Even before Belfast city council voted to only fly the union flag on specific days after a century of it being permanently on show, tensions were mounting.… Seguir leyendo »