Want to find out more about the Northern Slant team? Every week we put 10 questions to our community of contributors – about them, their interests and hopes for Northern Ireland’s future. This week’s interviewee is Grace Rogerson. You can follow Grace on Twitter @GraceRogerson_.

 

1. Tell us about yourself and why you got involved with Northern Slant.

So here’s a little bit about me: I’m currently studying a master’s degree in Violence, Terrorism and Security at Queen’s University Belfast after having completed my undergraduate degree there. My time at QUB has been unforgettable and has given me so many opportunities – plus I can say I studied in a building that looks like Hogwarts.

I’ve always been interested in public service and try to keep up with what’s going on in the world (which is admittedly hard at times!). I travel as much as I can because the world is a big place, I love learning from other cultures and meeting new people and you make some unbelievable memories that make great stories – if I had more time I’d tell you about a midnight journey lost in a forest in Luxembourg or about ending up partying with Jimmy Fallon’s crew and some of the Saturday Night Live writers in New York, or about the time I met my favourite actor James Spader in New York.

I find current affairs and politics fascinating and had planned to pursue a career in that area but have had a slight change of career path following conversations with my father who is a Consultant and Executive Coach (if you’ve never been coached I highly encourage you to explore it as it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done – check out CR Coaching and you’ll see what I mean) and instead I’m going to do what I love and will be starting a job at Warner Brothers next month.

I got involved with Northern Slant because I love reading such fresh viewpoints and the discussions that the articles provoke. I truly believe that Northern Ireland is an amazing place but that is has the potential to be an even greater one and I want to play my small part in contributing to the conversations surrounding moving politics forward here – let’s face it, we haven’t had an Assembly in over a year so clearly we haven’t quite cracked politics yet.

 

2. Describe Northern Ireland in five words.

Beautiful, untapped potential, complexly hopeful.

 

 3. What makes you proud to be here?

I’m from England originally but have spent the last 10 years here and my mother is from Belfast so we’ve always spent some time here; I’ve felt very at home in Northern Ireland since we relocated and I couldn’t think of a better place to have spent my teenage years. It’s why I stayed here for both my undergraduate and master’s degrees. I’m very proud  to say that I am, at least half, from Northern Ireland because despite the history of conflict and division Northern Irish society is hopeful, friendly, inviting with an electric sense of humour.

I regularly have friends visit from across the globe and delight in showing them around our incredible island; the most common thing that these friends say is that they can’t believe how friendly everyone is and I think that is one of our strongest attributes.

4. Are you hopeful for the future?

This is a more complicated question than the six words would suggest. The answer is yes and no. At times I am filled with hope because of how far Northern Ireland has come since the 1970s and 1980s, proving that real change is possible. But at other times, such as the state of the currently collapsed Assembly, I am filled with concern that politics is still too entrenched and shackled by the past to truly progress into what one would call a hopeful future.

These concerns aside, I believe that Northern Ireland is fortunate to be filled with brilliant people who want the future to be better and that the people in positions of leadership need to demonstrate actual leadership that focuses not upon the unity of one community against the other but of unity for all. There needs to be conversation and dialogue that is more than just empty words to closed ears but instead is meaningful and inclusive that inspires others to listen.

 

5. If you could change one thing about Northern Ireland what would it be?

I would love to see the reliance upon sectarian entrenchment in politics to disappear for good. By this I mean the way that politicians constantly hark back to flags, language and division in order to justify decisions, or lack of decisions, to win votes and to in many ways keep the two community society intact.

While these issues have their place as they do make up part of identity, they should not be used as a political tool to influence actions to the level that they do. The fact that a deal for restoring the Assembly, that has been absent for over a year, has faced so many issues, and is yet to be agreed, due to in no small part to arguments over an Irish Language Act strikes me not as the behaviour of a hopeful society but of one terrified to give an inch in case ‘the other side’ takes a mile. I would change this about Northern Ireland and instead have decisions based on the bread and butter issues not the orange and green ones.

6. Favourite NI celebrity?

I adore Liam Neeson and think that he highlights the best of Northern Ireland in his attitude and humour. He is an amazing ambassador for the country regularly showcasing what Northern Ireland has to offer as well as ensuring that he gives back by investing in his local town, doing tourism adverts and speaking so highly of it in interviews.

 

7. Politician you most admire, from outside Northern Ireland?

There are a number of names that come to mind including Barack Obama, George Mitchell and Angela Merkel but after hearing Bill Clinton speak in Belfast on the 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement he has taken the number one spot.

Not only was Clinton central to the success of the GFA but he has continued to believe in and vocally put his faith in Northern Ireland. The fact that he visited Northern Ireland at the height of the conflict while he was in office shows level of faith he placed, and continues to place, in the Peace Process.

During his speech on the GFA anniversary, Clinton reminded not only the people in the room, the public and the media, but those that we call our leaders – although one could argue that they need to check what ‘leader’ means in the dictionary – that “compromise is not a dirty word”. I think that is crucial for moving forwards into a hopeful and vibrant place that young people do not seek to run away from but want to stay in.

 

8. Favourite place to bring a visitor?

I love showing visitors around this beautiful island. My favourite place to take people is either the Mourne Mountains – I’m slightly biased as I live right beside them – or the Giant’s Causeway. Where I live now is a stark contrast to where I lived in England and the fact that I see the beach and mountains every day never ceases to amaze so I love showing them off when people come to visit. The Giant’s Causeway is other worldly and I adore the stories surrounding it – all of my visitors have been entranced by it.

 

9. Potato bread or soda bread?

Definitely soda bread.

 

10. Snow Patrol or Van Morrison?

As much as I like Van Morrison, it has to be Snow Patrol – one of the best concerts I’ve been to!

Also published on Medium.