Shoe swaps feet

It’s hard to listen to Martin McGuinness this morning and not think of that Japanese proverb. You know, the one that says ' If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by'. For years Cardinal Cathal Daly was the scourge of republicanism, denouncing their violence (although, notably, never state violence) and calling on them to examine their conscience and commit themselves to peaceful means, the only moral path for Catholics. As a prominent IRA man and later Sinn Fein leader, McGuinness would frequently have been the cardinal’s target. Today, Martin McGuinness is the one doing the pronouncing on the activities – or non-activities – of a cardinal, Cardinal Sean Brady. The Deputy First Minister has urged the cardinal to examine his conscience and think hard about his position, and that the only moral path for a Catholic leader is to commit to openness and honesty.

A leading Sinn Fein man calling on a cardinal to examine his conscience and act accordingly: who'd have thunk it?