Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said Queen Elizabeth proved to be a “powerful ally” in the journey of reconciliation between Ireland and the UK as the relationship changed and continues to change.
“No doubt in her lengthy and full life, a life full of historical moments, the queen saw and was part of very big changes,” she said.
Speaking on the same programme, Ms McDonald said there is now a “much improved and warmer and healthier relationship between our two countries”.
“I acknowledge also her loss is a very difficult moment for the people of Britain, in particularly for unionists in Ireland, it is a very big loss,” she said.
Ms McDonald said it is important for everyone across political traditions to recognise that.
Buckingham Palace yesterday announced the death of the 96-year-old monarch, who died “peacefully” at Balmoral.
Ms McDonald said she has met the now King Charles on several occasions, adding that they have been “very positive and warm encounters”.
It is important that dialogue and relationship building continues, she said, referring to the political journey and “maturing relationship” between the UK and Ireland.
Jonathan Irwin and the Dublin International Sports Council as well some high powered movers and shakers like Eamon Dunphy, Charlie Chawke, Dermot Desmond, JP McManus and John Magnier are doubtless working furiously behind the scenes to make this happen in the same way they did when they brought Wimbledon to Dublin and renamed them the Dublin Dons.
Japanese television reported this fake story but erroneously said “crowds” due to pronunciation issues, but in doing so accidentally turned the fake story into a true story.
Well whatever Irishness is, I’m pretty sure honking horns gloating at the Queen’s death isn’t a representation of it any normal person would want.
These people are the exact flip side of the bigots who put “KAT” and images of Martin McGunness on bonfires.
The people who do that subscribe to a fake, caricatured version of Britishness which people in Britain want nothing to do with.
Similarly any reasonable Irish person wants nothing to do with the attitudes of these bigots who exercise bigotry in the name of so called “Irishness”.
If your “identity” is such a mean, miserable, begrudging, negative, toxic thing that it leads you onto the streets to celebrate the Queen’s death, it’s demonstrably an identity that isn’t worth having.
Needy is the least of it. Any objections by any of these gobshites to Loyalist bonfires displaying “KAT” signs or images of Martin McGuinness or John Hume are entirely bogus. This is the exact type of society they want. A society of perpetual hatred and wanton dehumanisation. They’ve just proved it.
