Opinion

When will they ever learn?

They say that if you fail to learn from history it tends to repeat itself and comes back to haunt you. Nowhere can this be more clearly seen than in these six counties of the north-east of Ireland. Unionism has clearly failed to learn any lessons from their past failures and continue to repeat their same failed actions of the past. If doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, then unionist reactions to events happening here could well be described as being insane.

Let’s go back to the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985 and examine the unionist reaction to that historical event. The unionists were opposed to this agreement so they took to the streets and protested. This campaign went on for some time before fading into obscurity and finally disappearing altogether. Absolutely nothing was achieved by these protests as both the British and Irish governments ignored their protestations and carried on regardless. Unionists should have learned from this that street protests failed to achieve their aims and different tactics would be needed in the future.

We can move on some years to the Orange Order being refused to be allowed to march down the Garvaghy Road. The unionist response was, once again, to take to the streets in protest and this led to extensive violence and innocent deaths. Decades later all the protests have failed and the street protests are now a thing of the past – confined to the annals of history. Unionism had obviously not learned from history.

So, let’s move to the present day and see the unionist reaction to the NI Protocol which has simply added a number of goods, to the already existing list, which are checked coming from Britain to the north-east of Ireland. Spurious claims that this protocol has placed a barrier in the Irish Sea between Britain and the north has resulted in the same street protests which have failed the unionists in the past. These protests have been ongoing for some time but have had no impact on the protocol and are being dismissed by the British government. Unionism is clearly stoking up fears among its electorate in the run up to the elections to maximise their vote.

Unionism has clearly learned no lessons from the past and their current actions, like those before, will fail to achieve any of their demands. The protocol is here to stay, it is part of an international agreement and the protests today will also diminish into obscurity and finally disappear. Neither Stormont nor local political parties will have any impact on the protocol. Any changes will be made at Westminster by dialogue with the European Union. History has clearly taught those of us who want to learn from the past that this is fact. Those of us who don’t want to learn are doomed to keep repeating the same responses and we will get the same results – failure after failure.

SEAN SEELEY


Craigavon, Co Armagh

Ulster’s deeper Wells

Jim Wells is a right-wing unionist. He is a man of principle – principles fewer and fewer people in the north of Ireland identify with. He is a man who argues hard and well for his cause, but he is also a man willing to listen – willing to reach out and help those who disagree with him.

In 2014, when the Newry and Mourne District Council’s Famine Commemoration Committee was experiencing difficulty in trying to take the 2015 Commemoration to Newry, Jim Wells, who had initially opposed the proposal, wrote to Carál Ní Chuilín, the Sinn Féin Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure, in support of the National Famine Commemoration crossing the border. More recently in an Irish Heritage Trust podcast Jim suggested that the National Famine Commemoration might return “bigger and better”.

Jim Wells is a consistent supporter of the Thomas D’Arcy McGee Summer School in Carlingford. He has spoken at the summer school, attended social events. At the summer school Jim has attended the Trial of P. H. Pearse before the Court of History and the Trial of James Craig before the Court of History. He has travelled to Pearse’s birthplace to participate as a member of the ‘jury’. He travels at his own expense.

Jim Wells organises trips to the islands off the Irish and Scottish coasts. The teetotal Jim has facilitated whiskey tasters visiting Islay. Those on board, from many political persuasions, are treated with humour and kindness.

I would not vote for Jim Wells but I wish my deep, right-wing, unionist friend a happy retirement. 


ANTHONY RUSSELL


Former chairperson of the 2015 Newry and Mourne District Council’s Famine Commemoration Committee

Emotional aggression

There is a lot of talk lately of the effects emotion has on players on the football field. In my own club we have lost a number of games when the emotional aggression towards the referee has gifted the opposition a score by way of the referee moving the ball forward to make the free a certain score. Now never in the history of football has arguing with the referee ever changed his decision, but the aggressive emotion of the boys means this lesson is never learned. Already this year this scenario has been played out with the predicted result. Then we have the mass brawl when the emotion of the boys can cause all of the team to become involved in pushing, shoving and punching in an unseemly incident, which never results in a positive outcome. I sometimes wonder do those who rush forward to get involved really think that they are going to make this situation better.

The recent four red cards in the Tyrone/Armagh game should have taught all concerned the folly of not being in charge of your emotions, but within a few weeks the brawl was repeated. Of course in the wider world boys unable to control their emotional aggression has much more tragic consequences than losing the odd game on the football field. 

PACKIE McDONALD


Newry, Co Down

No war is black or white

U kraine is certainly winning the propaganda war as all Russian news outlets are blocked but recently, and surprisingly, the New York Times and the Washington Post have asked questions about the reports of the far-right extreme Ukrainian militias and the torture and murder of Russians. All wars are wrong and no war is black and white. We will never know the truth until proper independent investigations are allowed to be carried out. A few unwelcome truths may emerge but hopefully the conflict will end and the innocent allowed too return home.

JOHN-PATRICK BELL


Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim