Trevor Ringland

To What End Are We Prepared To Handle The Legacy Of NI’s Past? A Proposal.

Trevor Ringland on May 14, 2021, 8:16 am | Readers 2268

Introduction It is the lesson from that recent period of conflict which we call the “Troubles”, in which 3523 people were killed, 47,000 people were injured, relationships were torn asunder, parts of Northern Ireland ‘Balkanised’ and economic prosperity reduced in both parts of Ireland that violence inevitably leaves a legacy of lasting bitterness. Approximately 60% of the deaths were due to the actions of the Republican Movement, 30% to Loyalist Paramilitaries and 10% members of the Security Forces. In this …

Unionism, which has too often relied upon fear of the future, needs a future positive strategy

Trevor Ringland on April 14, 2021, 3:08 pm | Readers 9798

Editor’s note: Slugger has had a upturn in readers for coverage that’s more reflective than the ‘look petrol bombs!’ material so popular elsewhere. We try to maintain a long term perspective in preference to thrills that sell copy/views. Here’s good piece from occasional Slugger contributor Trevor Ringland that missed the mainstream cut elsewhere. The violent scenes that have played out on our streets over the past days have been affected by a considerable number of issues. There is the protection of criminal empires, …

After Commemorations: In the future we should ensure that our weapon of choice is friendship!

Trevor Ringland on October 27, 2014, 1:24 pm | Readers 451

On the 9th December 2014 the Four Corners Festival is hosting a night at Strand Arts Centre to screen “Joyeux Noel”, a film about the Christmas Truce that took place on the Western Front on Christmas Day, 1914. It is being held to celebrate the courage of those who stepped into “No Man’s Land”, during times of conflict, to show a different way. The French film from 2005 relates the events of that day, seen through the eyes of French, …

Strength is only part of fixing our busted relationships. We need good leadership too.

Trevor Ringland on August 21, 2014, 2:30 pm | Readers 781

James Thurber once observed “there are two kinds of light — the glow that illumines, and the glare that obscures.” In Northern Ireland, we have become accustomed to obscuring glare more than illuminating glow. Despite the historic achievement of the Belfast Agreement our politicians still like to amplify a folk version of history to the idea that we remain two separate people whose interests are permanently at odds with one another. The current set of commemorations tend to reinforce that …

Time for an urgent review of all Northern Ireland’s oversight bodies

Trevor Ringland on July 2, 2014, 7:21 am | Readers 162

When the Police Ombudsman in Northern Ireland (PONI) recently accused the PSNI of refusing to provide his office with information relating to certain investigations, he acted on his interpretation of a set of facts. The police had their own, alternative interpretation, insisting that they have a legal responsibility for the care and management of all the information they hold, some of which is extremely sensitive. Although they gave careful consideration to every separate request from the Ombudsman, they were constrained …

“why should we as a people even consider absolving you of murder in such circumstances?”

Trevor Ringland on March 18, 2014, 1:54 pm | Readers 61

I wrote the following piece last February and it was carried in several papers. But in light of the events of the last few weeks, I’ve asked Mick to post it here in full on Slugger. Someone said recently that Ian Paisley was either right in the ideological principles he was promoting in the 1960’s through to the late 2000’s and the methods he was using and wrong now or wrong then and right now. The same could be said …

A proposal to help us deal with the past: an effective form of storytelling inside a legal structure

Trevor Ringland on April 13, 2012, 3:21 pm | Readers 56

The context In dealing with the consequences of the conflict, we must maintain a focus on the challenge to build a peaceful, stable and shared society in Northern Ireland, on this island and between these islands. Embedding a sense of interdependence among the people—a vital foundation upon which to build a successful society—should not just be an aspiration but an imperative. Success in this regard would surely be the greatest tribute we could pay to those who died or suffered loss and injury. Let me begin by painting some context. First of all, …