Centenary party promises to fall flat for most of us

I WAS sitting at home on a dark Friday evening last month when I came across two items on social media about the centenary of the founding of the Northern state.

Two items, 180 degrees apart in terms of viewpoint. True as God, the thought occurred to me as I read them, who the hell needs the Nolan Show?

Here are the words of former First Minister, the DUP’S Peter Robinson: “It [the Northern State] is something really great to celebrate if you are a unionist; something to mark if you are not but want to be reasonable; or something to lament and grumble about if you are intolerant and blinded by bigotry.”

I am paraphrasing the next bit, but what he went on to say was that “our wee country” had been good to many people during those 100 years.

By way of direct contrast, Tony

Doherty, of Derry’s Bloody Sunday Trust, stated for nationalists there was “nothing to celebrate”. That’s it. End of story.

“The state was founded”, according to Doherty “on the basis of a temporary sectarian headcount.

Its supremacist founders making it clear nationalists and Catholics would not be welcome around the place.

Its laws were draconian; it maintained a status quo and a mentality going back centuries that Ireland simply belonged to Britain and would continue to be ruled through divine right.

This fusion of legality, a superior mentality, contrived majority status and God engendered a “couldn’t care less” attitude to those disenfranchised by partition and unwelcome in their own land.” It would seem, based on what I have written so far, we are like clothes in the spin cycle in a washing machine, destined to go around and around ad infinitum. Things are unchanged and unchanging.

The only wee bit of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel I came across was in an article recently by Professor Peter Shirlow where he suggests “interdependence” could be the antidote to this neverending spin cycle.

By this he means all parties here should support what he describes as “a policy of enhanced allisland relationships which would build economic, cultural and political opportunity”.

According to Shirlow, who is director at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Irish Studies, there would be something in it for both communities. For the pro-union folk, greater North-south co-operation could render the Border so invisible the desire for unification would abate.

For those who are pro-unity, greater interdependence could re-establish connections cast asunder by partition.

At the weekend I saw a video, again on social media, where on a split screen the PSNI were shown manhandling a group of folks on the Ormeau Road whilst maintaining a discreet hands-off distance to a group of masked loyalists marching in East Belfast.

The message here was not intended to be subtle so you can work it out for yourselves. I could be wrong but it all seems to be kicking off again.

Given where we seem to be heading maybe it’s time Arlene and Michelle had a serious talk with Professor Shirlow. At this stage anything is worth a try.

All parties should back enhanced all-island relationships