The AP piece linked above shows the world our dirty underwear. It shows how much of our civil, shared society is a sham. Whether it’s a housing development that is divided by towering walls or a UK City of Culture so divided they cannot agree on a name for the city.
And it is our current political leaders who have brought us down this road. As more and more people become disengaged from the process of politics, elections and voting, the only people left engaged are the extremists from both sides whose unreasoning hate of the other propels bigots and demagogues into political power. The elected representatives know how they were elected and, unsurprisingly, they work to foment division and segregation; resisting the removal of peace walls, inciting resentment over flags, demonstrating their bombastic defiance against the other side. And, of course, it’s all a facade. They’re playing to an audience who are blinded by poverty, desperation, fear, uncertainty and doubt.
While we see the theatre of a shared future played out under the threat of an economic pact that would reduce our investment from the UK government, we also see the use of an undemocratic blocker, the Petition of Concern, used to attack minorities, alternative communities and the collective and individual rights of women.
I’m not a politico. I just realised in 2012 that I had left the country in the hands of short-sighted fools and the divided, fragile society we have is a reflection of that. I want a better future and there is no sign we will get it under the existing regime.
Everything we do is forced down a discussion of whether it is green or orange. We are individually defined by this. It’s why a polo shirt bought in Spain can be turned away from a bar in Belfast because it has the pattern of an Irish football team. Or the news headlines because a political party the media have defined as “unionist” dares to tweet in Irish. We are letting others dictate our future and these people have proven for over a decade that their interests are not in our interest.
We deserve better. Our children aspire to better. They are not burdened with the hate of people on the other side of a wall until we teach them to fear.
