Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Bordering on absurd
THE word “border” is taking on a rather sinister context this year. It’s a word we were very familiar with, especially in the Troubles, as going to the Republic was usually referred to as “going over the border”.
Now with the prospect of Brexit, we’re talking about a border in a hard or soft alternative.
It will prove tricky if it’s a hard one, as it will go through quite a few peoples land, they will be leaving the house in one country and having to cross a border to even get to their garage or barn.
Pretty silly if it happens. Borders are used to keep things apart and every border between countries keeps people apart. I think we’ve had our fill of that.
Northern Ireland shamefully has significantly high figures of racial attacks, given how small we are.
There is, among some (hopefully a minority), a mistrust of anyone who isn’t born here or worship the same Invisible Sky Wizard, and some of those people display their mistrust in aggressive ways.
This week we’ve seen families intimidated out of their homes as they were of a nationality or faith. Paramilitaries are said to be behind it but so far are denying it.
I’m not sure we can put much faith in their word, but either way, it’s a fairly moot point by this stage.
They have taken the arrogant position of believing they are allowed to dictate who lives in their particular neighbourhood. Or more accurately, who doesn’t live there. The idea of them being allowed to drive out anyone they wish is disgusting.
No one should be allowed to get away with this and no one should have to fear making a home in any neighbourhood.
The rot of this lies i n that misplaced sense of threat. A fear of some culture being eroded or diluted by the presence of people who aren’t the same as us. What nonsense.
And it is no excuse whatsoever. It needs to be called out and called what it is – gangsterism. And we shouldn’t stand for it any more.
Furthermore we have to call to task the political parties who court the support of these terror groups to secure votes.
And it does happen, we know th i s . Th e co si n e ss b e tw ee n politicians and paramilitaries is sickening. It needs to stop now. y getting support back from Stormont, it is giving them license to do what they please with total impunity. He nc e some in power are turning a blind eye to all this. It suits them, th e y wi l l never live in any of the areas that are being
Bleaned on by terror gangs, they will never be burnt out of their homes, they will never have to face a family left without a home because of the colour of their skin or their belief system.
It is NIMBYISM, Not In My Back Yard. If it doesn’t directly affect them, then it’s fine to ignore it.
I expect little else from the sort of politician who needs to rely on tribalism and fear to get in power.
The example they set is a major part of the problem. But unfortunately it isn’t just happening here.
It was revealed this week that while in Myanmar in January, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was caught on camera reciting a Rudyard Kipling poem to himself as he walked around a buddhist temple with foreign dignitaries.
Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred buddhist temple in Myanmar’s capital Yangon. It is a special experience to visit it, inspirational. What it inspired Boris to do was recite the words of The Road To Mandalay, a poem Kipling wrote from the perspective of a retired soldier recalling his days as a colonial serviceman and a girl he kissed in Burma. Myanmar
was colonised by Britain from 1824 to 1948 and it was a violent time, three wars were fought there throughout the 19th century. he lines “The temple bells they say, come you back you English soldier” are bad enough considering the circumstances.
Had he not been silenced by UK ambassador to Myanmar Andrew Patrick, he would have continued with “Bloomin’ idol made of mud, what they called the Great Gawd Budd” (a reference to the Buddha).
Now, this is th e Fo re ig n Secretary the UK’S pre-eminent diplomat someone who should know better.
Boris is often depicted as a loveable roguish buffoon, but he’s far from it.
He is a highly-educated white male of privilege and probably thinks of the poem as a bit of a jolly old jape,
But it speaks of a deeper problem that exists in some corners of British culture, namely they still believe the sun never sets on the British empire. that they still own half the world.
Those days are over and they need to remember that. They need to realise we are all citizens of the world and we have a right to live where we please, work where we want to and worship whatever god we want to. The worst border we can build in one in our minds, it will lead to no good.
We are better than that.
T