Plans by Boris Johnson to send a card to every home in Northern Ireland to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of its foundation have met with an angry response from Nationalists and Republicans. It is thought Boris Johnson came up with the idea as a way to remind us of our importance to the Union. The front of the card features a portrait of the Queen with a massive Union Jack backdrop. The back of the card contains a personal message from Boris Johnston:
My heart swells with pride that plucky little Ulster has reached its 100th Birthday. From George Best to Rory McIlroy, from Dana to Seamus Heaney, you have contributed so much to the sporting and cultural life of our great nation. You have been, and will always be an integral part of the UK. As a man who believes strongly in being a faithful partner, you can trust me to always put your interests first. Here’s to another 100 years!
The estimated cost of the initiative is £3 million. Sinn Fein spokesperson Amadán Aibreáin issued this statement:
It is an offence to the people of the North of Ireland that the British Prime Minister would even consider such a crass stunt. This card is deliberately antagonistic towards the nationalist people of the six counties.
On the other side, the proposal is being warmly accepted by Unionists. Prof. Ali Lo of The Better Together Campaign said:
There could be no finer sight than the portrait of our glorious Queen gracing the mantelpiece of every home in Ulster.
When asked about the cost of the card an NIO spokesperson had this to say:
As the Royal Mail is the Queen’s own postal service there is no charge to deliver mail that comes directly from her, so this reduces the cost dramatically. The Prime Minister and her Majesty the Queen thought it was important to mark the occasion of the 100th Birthday of Northern Ireland. In light of the tradition of the Queen sending people a telegram on their hundredth birthday you could say it is her telegram to every citizen of Northern Ireland.
To further offset the cost of the card we are also considering partnering with a commercial company. For example one of the ideas under consideration is that every recipient of the card will be entitled to a free sausage roll from Gregg’s.
What do you think? Will this card be finding a place in your home or will it be returned to sender?
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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