Charles Nevin: Circus at Stormont
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.This space tends to dwell on matters of less vital consequence. Today, though, our Editor has asked me to break with tradition and address the matter of the resumed Northern Ireland Assembly.
I never argue with any Editor (note the capital), and particularly not one who is an Icon and Irish as well. Besides, his point is that, faced with the tirelessly proportion-oblivious and elephantine-memoried arrangements of Northern Irish politics, the only sensible reaction is to laugh, as the crying has been going on too long.
So what was there to laugh at yesterday? Well, the usual, including the determined showing of the gospel-singing member subject to tabloid allegations of a massage nature. I liked the theory that Peter Hain is running things deliberately badly to encourage them to do it instead. And I really enjoyed this: "Assembly members are expected to cut short business to enable unionists to attend a garden party at Hillsborough Castle involving the Prince of Wales."
Marvellous. Might I suggest, relying on one-sixteenth of Irishness, that the solution is to counter the island's curse-blessing of beguilingly awesome articulacy and have silent sessions during which members ponder these wise words of The Editor: "Nobody else here, baby. No one here to blame. No one to point the finger. It's just you and me and the rain."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments