Good news. Peter Robinson is to attend a big dinner at Queen’s University tonight. It’s organised by Co-operation Ireland and it’s to give public recognition to the GAA’s efforts to forge better community relations.(The EU beat them to the punch, so to speak, when they yesterday recognised the exemplary role of the GAA in Irish society). Last Friday Martin McGuinness and Robinson sat together at Ravenhill to watch Ulster defeat Leicester in rugby. So you could say tonight is a tit for tat.
But is there any point to these tittings and tattings, these shoulder-to-shoulders? Not in practical terms. They don’t change the fact that Peter Robinson weaseled out of his agreement regarding a peace centre at the Maze/Long Kesh. It doesn’t change that Gregory Campbell is using the cover of the House of Commons to make all sorts of unsubstantiated charges about sexual abuse and what was it, a hundred republicans? It doesn’t provide jobs for those who are jobless or help those struggling to find the money to pay the mortgage.
But it’s better than a sneer and a turned back. That’s what the DUP used to offer, when it refused to sit in the same studio as Sinn Féin, let alone meet with them or converse. So to that extent tonight is highly desirable.
Unfortunately, for a people who pride themselves on being practical and hard-headed, we seem to attach more importance to meetings and symbols and gestures than we do to building on those in practical ways to effect real change. Just one personal example: I took part in a debate last summer with some Young Unionists from the UUP. It was good for them and me to see that we actually were human beings rather than some sort of two-horned, cloven-hoofed anti-Christ. But the unhappy truth is that neither party left the discussion with any shift in their thinking - and yes, Virginia, I do include myself in that. Let’s not dismiss the importance of the symbolic but for God’s sake let’s not kid ourselves that it’s worthwhile in the absence of substance. As a wise unionist once said: “It’s deeds, not words, that count”.
I traveled back from Scotland at the back end of the sixties in the company of a member of Londonderry Young Unionists. He once stood as an unsuccessful candidate somewhere and will now be probably around our age. We knew a little about each other from the Press but there was never a meeting of minds. It has taken 50 years nearly to get to today's position and Calipers would be required to measure any attitudinal change.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's like whoever it was that was asked about his opinion on the significance of the French Revolution: "It's too early to tell".
DeleteOf course one of the strengths of the G A A is that it is a broad church encompassing many divergent views.Peter would do well to remember that Martin is not representing the Association no matter how much he would like to be seen as doing so.Politicians both north and south are often prone to use the G A A when it suits them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for thoughts, Anon. Unfortunately this posting was written prior to Joe Brolly's remark today (Fri). I may blog on it at the weekend but for now I'll just say I found it refreshingly frank and forthright
DeleteOut of interest, what exactly has the GAA done to improve community relations?
ReplyDelete