As I read, watched and listened to the commentary about the late John Hume I was reminded of the phrase, “we are where we are”. John Hume advocated a ‘path to peace’ which had many flaws. Many of us will query whether or not we had to take that particular path as there were others available that were potentially less difficult, with fewer negative consequences.
He was clear, though, that paramilitary violence was wrong. In particular, he emphasised that the IRA was wrong, unjustified and achieved nothing except misery for the people of Northern Ireland and beyond. At the time, such a clear rejection of republican violence involved accepting a degree of personal risk.
He also eventually recognised that the only acceptable way to pursue a constitutional preference was by making Northern Ireland work socially and economically while seeking greater cooperation with the Republic and good relations between these islands and beyond.
We can all endorse his preference for putting the unity of the people as a prerequisite for any form of constitutional unity, whether we want to see a Northern Ireland for all, within the UK, or a 32-county Irish state for all.
As a unionist, I believe as he did, that we should put building relationships to the forefront of our political efforts.
If John Hume had had a better understanding of the British-Irish he would have come to realise they are a diverse bunch. Rich in culture, straight talking, pragmatic, industrious and generally warm and friendly. We love this part of Ireland we call Northern Ireland and most of us want good relationships with our neighbours. That sometimes got lost in his talk of the ‘laager mentality’ and ‘petty people’.
Yes, there are things we wish we had done differently or not at all. But we paid too heavy a price for those real or perceived wrongs. So do not attempt to burden current or future generations with that guilt.
We should question more whether some who represent us act for the people or for themselves and a flawed ideology.
John Hume, with the backing of the Irish government insisted that there could be no peace deal with unionists or the British government without involving the IRA. An unintended consequence was that it compromised how we would be able to deal with the crimes of that period.
The debate we have had around ‘legacy’ in essence has been an attempt to avoid dealing with it. More honesty on this with the victims would be preferable to continuing obfuscation. We should at least consider an alternative that would try and avoid burdening future generations with the hatreds of our past and so we should have that discussion.
John Hume liked to talk about an ‘agreed Ireland’ and he interpreted the vote in 1998 as an endorsement of his vision. Whether we see our shared home in an all-Ireland or a UK context, let us promote those goals by valuing each other’s children as if they were our own and grasping the opportunity to make sure the future is different from the past.
Appreciating that we do have more in common than divides us will enable us to become better friends.
TREVOR RINGLAND
Holywood, Co Down
Surprised to hear Covid-19 being described as a ‘not particularly lethal cold’
I was disappointed to read the letter from Daragh Finneran (August 12) regarding the wearing of face coverings for the following reasons. Firstly, I heard a doctor on radio advise that these do not deprive people of oxygen, otherwise surgeons and other medics who wear them for hours upon end would be fainting on a regular basis.
Secondly, it is dangerous to describe Covid-19 as a ‘not particularly lethal cold virus’. This is a pernicious virus about which medics are learning something new every day. It has caused permanent lung and kidney damage, heart attacks and strokes in some of those infected. It is believed that some people losing their senses of smell and taste is an indication that it can affect the nervous system. As it is a new virus, we are still learning about what its long-term affects might be, even for those who have had a mild illness. It was also surprising to hear the virus being dismissed by someone who suffers from ME, as I can previously remember this illness being described as nothing more than a ‘yuppie flu’.
Thailand has a population of almost 70 million. The number of people infected there with Covid-19 is currently 3,351 with only 58 people dying from the disease. A UK citizen living in Thailand was asked on LBC radio why he thought the infection and death rates were so low. He said that he thought it was because everyone wore face coverings without exception
DANNY BOYD
Newtownabbey, Co Antrim
Nature of slavery
It appears to be difficult for some of us to realise just what slavery is. The nature of Irish society for instance, under the O’Neills, was serfdom similar to that of much of the world. Tyrone in the 1600s would appear to have had a population of merely 20,000. Living standards were minimal – agriculture was limited and land given over to cattle. The first settlement by O’Neills was of their highland mercenaries west of Lough Neagh (1591). Young men badly armed, were sold to become involved in various European conflicts. Thus O’Neills were made very welcome in Spain (Flight of the Earls 1607 – no broken hearts at change of landlords) because their mercenaries helped to defeat the Muslims
MALACHY McANESPIE
Dunmurry, Co Antrim
BBC’s easy soft option
In his excellent column Denis Bradley (August 7) encapsulates all that is wrong with Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle. It is the BBC’s easy option to have 30 or more hours of discussion, debates and arguments directed at a small audience. Anyone looking for instructive or constructive debate in these programmes is going to be disappointed as the BBC ensures that they are not manned by people of a radical temper. What they do provide is a platform for the too-regular guests to spout an agenda symptomatic of what the Belfast Agreement has turned out to be – a communal hatred that divides the north of Ireland. As for the critical debates looming in the near future, I fear that with the BBC’s liberal left-wing bias it is beyond their capabilities to present balanced programmes without causing further dissension.
WILSON BURGESS
Derry City
