Tributes for Hume, the ‘titan’ of peace
ULSTER peace broker John Hume has died aged 83, after a long battle with dementia.
Former prime minister Tony Blair and ex-US President Bill Clinton led yesterday’s tributes to the political fixer who won the Nobel peace prize for helping to reconcile Northern Ireland’s divisions.
Hume, who founded and led the Social Democratic and Labour Party for 22 years, eased the path towards the Good Friday agreement.
Visionary
He was widely praised for pulling off risky negotiations with Gerry Adams, the controversial Sinn Fein figure suspected of IRA links.
Mr Blair, prime minister when the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998, hailed Mr Hume’s “epic” contribution. He added: “John Hume was a political titan; a visionary who refused to believe the future had to be the same as the past.
“His contribution to peace in Northern Ireland was epic and he will rightly be remembered for it.” Bill
Clinton paid tribute in a joint statement with wife Hillary, saying: “Hillary and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend John Hume, who fought his long war for peace in Northern Ireland.
“His chosen weapon: an unshakeable commitment to nonviolence, persistence, kindness and love. With his enduring sense of honour he kept marching on against all odds towards a brighter future for all the children of Northern Ireland.”
Hume was born to a Catholic family in Derry, scene of some of the Troubles’ worst conflicts. Arlene Foster, First Minister of Northern Ireland, underlined the impact he had on both nationalists and unionists.
She said: “John was a giant figure in Irish nationalism but also in the wider life of Northern Ireland.”
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said: “He looked beyond violence to seek a pathway to peace. Without his leadership and courage, Northern Ireland would not be where it is today.”