I first worked in NI as a SpAd to the then NI Secretary. I fell instantly in love with it; the people, its landscapes and above all the overwhelming desire to move away from the past. There was always a minority threatening the peace, but a delicate balance existed. It worked.
And the awful truth is that balance has been disturbed by people in this government who didn’t - and don’t - give NI the slightest concern. Their Brexit project didn’t have time for such distractions and technicalities as the NI Peace Process.
Peace in NI is not inevitable, *but nor is it irretrievable even with where we are now*. But it will take enormous effort and expenditure of huge amounts of political energy. Nothing about Johnson, or his cabinet of sycophants, gives me any confidence at all they’re up to the job
I hope I’m wrong, because those who buried what would have been completely understandable hatred to those who robbed them of their loved ones in the name of peace deserve nothing less than the full efforts of the British and Irish states to keep peace going.
Johnson should, for once in his life, forget abt himself and whatever nonsense his backbenchers are pushing for - forget abt looking good in front of 1922 Cttee - and move heaven and earth to recommit to a settlement where all NI communities feel they have a stake in the future.
You can follow @SebDance.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: