‘Chaos strategy’ charge set to stick

IRRESPECTIVE of which side of the fence you find yourself on, it is hard to imagine that those who made such effort and took such great personal risks to establish a democratic government in Stormont are not deeply frustrated at the contrived deadlock that may see direct rule from London reimposed in the North. 

Anyone weary of the ancient, unrelenting tribalism, essentially the majority of people on this island, can only look on with resignation and despair.

No matter how you dress up the play-acting, opportunity is being squandered, positions hardened and age-old enmity perpetuated in a way that offends the principles of democracy.

It is never easy to have to choose between extremists — the crocodiles or the zoo keepers — but the great weight Sinn Féin have chosen to invest in Irish seems at best contrived and at worst a weaponisation of the language that contributes to its marginalistion in this Republic.

The suggestion that 10% of NI public sector jobs be reserved for Irish-speakers would hardly fly south of the border, and demanding that recognition is deliberately provocative.

Sinn Féin’s rejection of the charge that the party is pursuing a “chaos strategy” is at best tongue-in-cheek. After all, if Stormont succeeds, the air will be sucked out of their over-riding ambition and they will in time become irrelevant.

Tragically, it won’t be too long before the DUP is equally off kilter on some issue or other. On and on it goes.