Irish Examiner view: Positive start made by ministers in the North

Gesture politics are important in a place where imagery and symbols have long had a divisive power, and the gestures are a welcome start in diluting that divisiveness

Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly at St Paul's GAA Club in Belfast. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

The new ministers in the Northern Ireland Assembly have been out and about in the community, and the early signs are encouraging.

Last week, First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin attended a Northern Ireland women’s football game with Montenegro, which ended in a 1-1 draw. That game was played in Windsor Park, a venue which has not always been welcoming to nationalists in the North, but O’Neill not only took her seat for the game, she stood for ‘God Save The King’.