No easy response to death of McGuinness

To describe Martin McGuinness as a divisive figure would be something of an understatement. Once a prominent IRA leader, in later life he became one of the pivotal players in Northern Ireland’s tortuous peace process.

In a quite remarkable turn of events, he and former adversary Ian Paisley forged such a close working relationship that they became known as the “Chuckle Brothers”. But not everybody is laughing. Former Tory Cabinet minister Norman Tebbit, whose wife Margaret was paralysed when the IRA bombed a Brighton hotel, said he hopes Martin McGuinness is “parked in a particularly hot and unpleasant corner of hell for the rest of eternity”. Such strong words were rare, but not entirely absent as tributes were paid yesterday.

While many spoke of his commitment to the peace process, others struggled to forget his previous life. Second in command of the IRA in Derry at the time of Bloody Sunday, Mr McGuinness often stressed that he would never try to hide from his past.

Prime Minister Theresa May plotted a careful path in paying tribute, saying that while she could not overlook some of his actions, she also respected the role he had taken in bringing peace to Northern Ireland.

It was a sensible, measured response. Unlike in the wake of so many other high profile deaths, yesterday there were no easy words.