Alex, I feel your pain, but you’re wrong.

Note to A Level students:if you get the results then leave this place. Latest squabble over Maze indicates that nothing's going to change. — Alex.Kane (@AlexKane221b) August 15, 2013 If I agreed with Alex, I wouldn’t be in Northern Ireland. I’d have left years ago. I wouldn’t have stayed here. Married here. Had kids here. … Continue reading “Alex, I feel your pain, but you’re wrong.”

If I agreed with Alex, I wouldn’t be in Northern Ireland. I’d have left years ago. I wouldn’t have stayed here. Married here. Had kids here. Started a career here. Founded businesses here. Started clubs and conventions here. Helped people here.

The recent turmoil in Northern Ireland highlights one thing to me. The people in government do not represent you, me or “themmuns”. We have a coalition of five parties because no-one can be in government unless everyone is in government. The two main parties in government may lead the coalition in their jointly equal First Minister and Deputy First Minister roles, but they actually loathe each other. You only have to look at their Twitter accounts to see the constant sniping between them. They can turn up for a photo shoot and if they’re in private, they seem to get along fine, but in public, where it matters, they show their colours.

If you’re a voter in Northern Ireland, you’ve been taken for a fool for too long. You are smarter than that. You need to remind the government that it is you they work for. You need to remind them that if they ignore the majority wishes for peace, reconciliation and a shared future, then they deserve to be punished. And the way you punish a politician is by voting for someone else. Just because you’ve always voted for “theesuns” because they’re the opposite of “themmuns”, it doesn’t mean you always have to. Don’t make life decisions based on someone else’s war. You don’t have to choose between orange and green. There is a better way.

If you just got your A-Levels then you’re likely going to have the first chance you have ever had to vote. There are council elections, MEP elections and MLA elections. Be part of the shared future. You can be part of the change that Northern Ireland needs.

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3 thoughts on “Alex, I feel your pain, but you’re wrong.”

  1. … and I feel your pain, brother!

    I’d rather not be in Northern Ireland. In fact I’m kicking myself that I didn’t get out when a great bing wide-open goal of an opportunity presented itself to me about 5 years ago. But there you go. You live and you learn. I’m stuck here and have to make the best of it, I suppose. So where to start?

    I’m with you: we have got to get rid of the mafia of mediocrity that passes for the overwhelming majority of our political class. But here’s the problem: the people who live here keep voting them back in. I’ve seen alternatives come and go and none of them has made any serious electoral impact in the past and I see no prospect of it in the future.

    So, should we sack the electorate? Probably not practical, so we’ll have to work with the crooked timber God has dealt us. Any ideas? Because I’m struggling.

  3. @Stephen – I have enough idealism for all of us. I have enough optimism for everyone. I’ve never seen any alternatives so I want to create one. And yes, we will need lefty commies like you to help keep everyone honest.

    @John – I actually like it here. I just find the staff to be a little obnoxious.

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