Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has gone to Iraq to be part of a meeting attempting reconciliation and peace making between the local Sunni and Shia populations. The DFM had this to say:“It is quite important to drop pebbles into a pool in the hope that the waves will reach all shores and that’s what we’re doing,” he said. “That’s what we did in Helsinki 1, and Helsinki 2.
“I suppose now we’re dropping a bigger pebble in the pool by actually going ourselves physically to Baghdad to declare the politicians and others as people of courage – people who are showing leadership in a very difficult time for their country.”
Meanwhile in another conflict in which the republican movement may have had a less peaceful role in, the Colombian army has freed a number of hostages held by the FARC. The same FARC (the cocaine baron ones) as members of the republican movement may have met during one of their South American bird watching expeditions and the same FARC who subsequently quite spontaneously developed the ability to make mortars remarkably similar to IRA ones.
Despite Mr. McGuinness’s rather bizarre remarks about making waves, most people here will remember him rather better for leadership of an organisation more given to creating bomb shock waves. Still I am sure he will manage to look past the nauseating hypocrisy of himself in the role of peacemaker. After all Mr. McGuinness thinks he is “well rounded, compassionate and understanding.” What better attributes could one want in a peacemaker (I am sure he is modest as well).
This author has not written a biography and will not be writing one.
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