The idea of a first minister who supports closer ties to the Republic of Ireland — let alone one from Sinn Fein, a party with historic ties to the Irish Republican Army — was once unthinkable. On Saturday, it became reality.
The Troubles weren’t 40 years ago. They only “officially” ended with the Good Friday agreement in 1998, which wasn’t the end of the violence, not by a long shot. This isn’t ancient history, most of the people living here lived through it. And it comes up repeatedly over the years. Flag protests, parade routes, bonfires.
Those old soldiers and victims are being brought up. I lost track of the amount of times I heard “soldier f” in the news. And there’re countless other legacy issues still ongoing.
It’s also not just a religious issue. You can generalise it as protestant and catholics, but it is a lot deeper. It is about a cultural national identity, not economic or because the Crown is “weak”.
That is a very superficial outsiders view.
The Troubles weren’t 40 years ago. They only “officially” ended with the Good Friday agreement in 1998, which wasn’t the end of the violence, not by a long shot. This isn’t ancient history, most of the people living here lived through it. And it comes up repeatedly over the years. Flag protests, parade routes, bonfires.
Those old soldiers and victims are being brought up. I lost track of the amount of times I heard “soldier f” in the news. And there’re countless other legacy issues still ongoing.
It’s also not just a religious issue. You can generalise it as protestant and catholics, but it is a lot deeper. It is about a cultural national identity, not economic or because the Crown is “weak”.