Two old enemies sit side by side sharing a joke as the once unimaginable image of Ireland's bitterest foes becomes a reality.
Rev. Ian Paisley, the Democratic Unionist Party leader who spent decades denouncing republicans, and Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander, joined together to assume office as first and deputy first ministers at the head of a new power-sharing government.
Sinn Fein and DUP ministers shook hands as finally the troubles that have besieged Ireland for generations are buried.
Hopefully, a few other warring parties around the globe can see the results of just sitting down and talking instead of reacting with violence.
It was only a decade ago that Canary Wharf was targeted by an IRA truck bomb but those days are consigned to history as peace was given a chance and against all the odds, it blossomed. Rest of the World take note, talking to each other works.
5 comments:
From your lips to God's ear Lucy. I have my fingers crossed.
Amen. Once again, we see that diplomacy can accomplish what years and years of killing cannot.
Funny how some folks are able to understand that the endless finger-pointing at who did what to whom as a means of justifying further violence, or empty rhetoric designed to demonize the "other" while simultaneously frightening "their own" is a dead end.
If only that sort of understanding could spread.
Ook ook
It is shameful that it took all these years to just talk to each other and sort out the problems.
I only hope others take note and they don't have to fight each other to a standstill first.
It's about bloody time. I thought the Good Friday agreement was supposed to take care of it. I don't know what accounts for the good reverend's turnaround on NI peace, but I'll take it.
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