Lyra McKee

cremeegg said:

Removing religion from education is seen by Catholics and the broader Green community (I disagree with describing them as nationalist) as an attempt at diluting or removing their identity. And perhaps not without reason.

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Jeez, if ever there was a people who could use some post Catholic agnosticism it is the people of the North - I cringe when Mickey Harte comes out with some traditional values stuff (& I generally like him) and you get the jokes about the match being delayed because Tyrone were saying the rosary.... Dunno are we still all the same people, but sure different experiences have different effects I suppose.

Folsom said:

I do think all parties across the political spectrum need to re-engage. The GFA has achieved many positive things, but I do think it is overly subscribed as far as it being the bedrock upon which all problems will be resolved.
It clearly isnt.
The political stalemate and the emergence of a 'new' IRA should waken everyone up. It is futile and politically irresponsible to expect SF/DUP to suddenly agree on matters.
The North/South Ministerial Council and the British-Irish Council need to centre stage in the absence of a functioning executive. If only to map out a political process where the current impass can be by-passed without any party losing face.

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The NSMC can't operate because there are no Northern Ministers, the BIC is still working away but any themes led by NI can't have Ministerials because no Ministers. Their role in any event is very limited and certainly couldn't be used to map out any political process.

Good points.

I would have hoped that all-party talks would facilitate possible amendments to the British-Irish agreement, whereby more input, in the absence of a working assembly, would be afforded to the British Irish council.
Direct rule is a non-starter in nationalist eyes, but an over-arching council between the British and Irish parliaments might propel a more accommodation between nationalist and unionists.

Its a sad fact, that on my Twitter feed, that some of those Unionists whom I considered to be honourable and decent have reverted to calling on the electorate to vote solely on unionist and nationalist lines.
No talk of education, health, job creation policies. Still the same old flag-waving mantra. In one instance, a seasoned and highly respected Unionist politician tried to label a young SF female candidate, standing for the first time, as a cheerleader for the murdering IRA! Not because she is in the IRa, but because she has the gall to possibly the first SF representative in a unionist dominated council.
The same politician, who sits in the H of Lords also implied that the 140 people who came forward to assist with PSNI inquiries into the murder of Lyra McKee was insufficient. That a lot more people in Creggan should come forward.
With this inherent bigotry is there any hope?
I do think the NI has failed. In one hundred years it has produced a civil war, an economic war between Ireland and Britain, the IRA border campaign of 50's/'60's, it tried to crush civil rights movement and was stuck in reverse for the period of 'The Troubles'.
And despite relative peace, unionism is still stuck in a paranoid mindset from 400yrs ago.

The DUP are showing their truly bigoted colours, attacking a candidate for their own party who happens to be gay.

52yr old, Paul McIntyre, charged with murder of Lyra McKee.

There's a good chance he'll get off. He's accused of picking up the casings of the bullets fired, not of firing the gun.

Disgusting to see how many "supporters" he had outside the court and his reaction them, absolutely disgusting.

Ceist Beag said:

Disgusting to see how many "supporters" he had outside the court and his reaction them, absolutely disgusting.

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I'm sure most of the crowd who were there that night happened to be in the jacks at the moment the shooting happened.