Steve McGookinAs violence flares, politicians wrestle with a challenge that seems beyond them
On a weekend marking the 23rd anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, we have all been left to consider the consequences of a string of nights of street violence, mainly in loyalist areas in Belfast and across Northern Ireland, which police – who deployed water cannon for the first time here since 2015 – described as the worst rioting for years.
As usual, there is no single cause for the current unrest, nor is there a single, simple solution. The only thing that can be said for sure is that everyone here is adversely affected, whether they live in the flashpoint areas or not, and our immediate road ahead once again seems frustratingly uncertain. As Northern Slant’s Lisa Whitten writes, violence “should never be condoned, but it ought to be contextualised.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly resisting diplomatic approaches from the Irish government to hold crisis talks. “The view in Dublin is that the political leadership required to stabilise the situation is not going to come from within Northern Ireland right now,” a source told The Observer.
Here is just a selection of perspectives from the past few days that might help an understanding of where things stand and what might happen next:
* Katy Hayward in Politico: Who’s responsible for the violence in Northern Ireland?
* Jenny McCartney at UnHerd: Ulster’s lost boys turn violent
* Jon Tonge in the Belfast Telegraph: Responsible political leadership is the only answer to unrest
* Ailbhe Rea in the New Statesman: Stormont faces a near-impossible task in quelling tensions in Northern Ireland
* Sam Thompson at Slugger O’Toole: For the sake of future generations, we simply cannot go on like this…
“It sometimes feels that these cyclical crisis points are as inevitable as they are stubbornly hard to displace,” wrote Dr Laura McAtackney, concluding a concise, but important Twitter thread. “To put bluntly: it suits too many people and especially political parties for divisions to be maintained and this unhealthy situation to continue.”
The BBC reported that while some loyalist protests scheduled for Friday night were cancelled because of the death of Prince Philip, there were clashes in a number of areas, leaving 14 policemen injured, bringing the total hurt during the week to 88.
Meanwhile, as a result of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, political activity was suspended in England, Scotland and Wales – including ministerial Covid-19 briefings and campaigning for next month’s local elections. The Duke’s funeral will take place on Saturday at Windsor.
See Also:
Northern Ireland – What’s The Problem?
Reinforcing Northern Ireland’s in-betweenness
Community Voices: “How do we foster civil dialogue in uncivil times?”
‘We’ve Got To Create A Place Where There’s Hope’
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UK and US lead on vaccinations, but variant fears persist
With the UK set to ease a number of Covid restrictions from Monday, some scientists have warned of the risk of a “third wave” because of virus hotspots across the country.
Meanwhile, people under 30 were this week told they would be offered an alternative Covid vaccine to the Oxford-AstraZeneca brand, following questions over possible risks from blood clots.
There were also warnings from an Israeli study that suggested the South African variant B1351 may “evade protection” from the Pfizer vaccine.
The UK government announced it was beginning the rollout of the Moderna vaccine to patients in Wales, just as supply of AZ shots slowed. The new vaccine could be available in Northern Ireland in a few weeks.
Northern Ireland this week passed the mark of one million administered vaccines, while there was also good news when it came to Covid-related death numbers.
Elsewhere, Ireland and New Zealand both announced new travel restrictions, while the situation in India continues to worsen.
In the US, another record day for vaccination numbers signaled an encouraging overall trend, with President Biden targeting April 19 as the date for full vaccine eligibility, but uncertainty over vaccine resistance continues.
Iran was hit by a fresh spike in virus cases, shattering its daily record for new infections.
See Also:
Catching Your Breath: Lobbying For Lung Health In The Time Of Covid-19
Leaders Need To Lead: The Executive and Covid-19
Life Is Harder Right Now. We Should Be Kinder To Ourselves
The Covid-19 Vaccine Explained
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US and Iran see progress on nuclear deal
Through indirect talks in Vienna this week, the US and Iran agreed to set up working groups to move towards bringing both countries back to the 2015 nuclear deal, which President Trump upended in 2018.
The talks are set to reconvene this coming week.
Meanwhile in the US this week, President Biden took a number of steps by executive action to address gun violence, calling the recent string of shootings “an international embarrassment.”
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Israel leadership still uncertain
In a week marking holocaust remembrance, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin asked prime minister Benjamin Netanyau to try to form a governing coaltion, two weeks after the country’s fourth election in two years delivered another divided parliament.
Netanyahu, who was back in court this week as his corruption trial resumed, now has 28 days to try to assemble a workable coalition among Israel’s disparate factions, with a weary electorate possibly facing yet another election.
Meanwhile…
See Also:
Could Israel Bid Farewell To Bibi?
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Navalny supporters fear for his health
Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was this week said to be showing signs of respiratory illness and was moved to a prison infirmary. Navalny is a week into a hunger strike in protest at what his supporters say is insufficient medical care. The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, tweeted that “there is a real prospect that Russia is subjecting him to a slow death.”
Meanwhile…
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See Also Last Week’s Five Points:
Also published on Medium.
