Irish Examiner view: Harness the power of compromise

Fine Gael TD Neal Richmond with his plan for United Ireland. He believes a border poll could be called within 10 years, and says Belfast and Dublin must be ready. Picture:  Niall Carson/PA Wire

The events marking the centenary of Northern Ireland's redesignation offers lessons not all confined to the Wee North.

 That most people south of the border, and a growing number north of it, chafe at the idea of calling those events celebrations underlines many things, many divisions. It also highlights an uncomfortable truth: Imposed solutions are finite while compromise facilitates opportunity and stability that last until the foundation compromise is withdrawn. And so it is with the North. It was established as a contrived entity to satisfy a singular objective. It remains so, but it would be dishonest, ungracious and unwise, not to embrace the progress represented by a mellowing of that objective.