Fears growing of ‘casual political vandalism’ in Northern Ireland

The old fears and hatreds are clearly diminishing in Northern Ireland among the generation born since 1998, but many believe that it’s too soon to gamble on a peaceful transition to a post-sectarian all-Ireland republic.

Following last weekend's election where Sinn Féin won the largest number of seats in Northern Ireland's history, the party's leader in the North, Michelle O’Neill, avoided triumphalist talk of a referendum on unification with the Republic, and focused instead on bread-and-butter issues, writes Gwynne DyerPhotograph courtesy of Sinn Féin/Flickr

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

May 9, 2022

LONDON, U.K.—Four months ago, Jonathan Powell, chief British negotiator of the Good Friday agreement, warned the 1998 deal that ended 30 years of killing in Northern Ireland was at risk. “What worries me is the casual political vandalism. They really don’t seem to care (about) the damage they ...

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