For a moment, I was speechless but very soon this turned into anger. How as a society more than 20 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, are we letting our young people being polluted with the hatred which cost the lives of over 3000 people during the conflict? Young people who were barely old enough to speak when the peace agreement was signed, were now the poster boys and girls for this new wave of violence.  

Both unionist parties are currently in the midst of a leadership contest. And leadership, particularly within unionism, has been in short supply recently. From the failure to develop a consistent and constructive position on the Northern Ireland Protocol to the misguided calls for the Chief Constable to resign, rhetoric helped to raise the temperature at a time when tensions on the ground were reaching boiling point. 

While the new leaders of the two main unionist parties will be selected by a relatively small number of people – only 36 MLAs and MPs in the case of the DUP – their success or failure to offer leadership will have consequences for everyone in Northern Ireland. Both leaders will take office with a lot on their plates, and their most fundamental task lies in helping to preserve peace. 

Making peace sustainable

So how exactly can we make peace more sustainable? The images that emerged from Lanark Way last month were utterly depressing, but they were far from unfamiliar. It is almost testament to the dark humour that we have in Northern Ireland that a recreational riot is considered a summer sport. I have friends in the United States, the Middle East and in Europe, all keen to hear what was going on over here. The recent trouble had achieved the lofty heights of making their national news bulletins, as has happened too many times since 1998.

No matter how many times we see violence on the streets of Northern Ireland, there is something that continues to stand out. For all the perceived differences in either communities, if they look across at each other, they will realise that they have far more in common than they would care to realise. One of the fundamental causes of the recent rioting was due to socioeconomic deprivation, a factor which also helped explain geographical concentrations of violence during the Troubles.

Many of the young ones who graced our screens during this disorder, are faced with the bleak reality that going out to riot is a highlight of their week, giving them a sense of purpose. For many of these kids, they have fallen through the cracks, leaving school with very little qualifications – if they’ve even left yet. Then there’s the job market, which is already a challenging Pandora’s box. When you have very little to your name qualification wise, it makes the ability to find a job almost impossible. 

Although there has been relative peace for 23 years, this peace dividend has not fully dripped down to the Shankill Road or the Falls Road. Too many working-class communities have had little or no meaningful investment since 1998. So what are we left with? Communities that feel frustrated and hopeless, sentiments which can be easily exploited.

Ending paramilitary influence

As Edwin Poots and Jeffrey Donaldson laid out their pitches for the DUP leadership, a familiar tale emerged to seep through from the shadows: allegations that loyalist paramilitaries had helped orchestrate a campaign to oust Arlene Foster as party leader. Although of course the DUP would deny this, as would the loyalist paramilitaries, it raises a much bigger question. Why do these organizations still have any influence at all? Many of these groupings have been able to keep a tight grasp on their communities by receiving grants and other incentives to help make sure they remain embedded to the peace process. But enough is enough. 

The concerns of loyalist communities – and every other section of society – must instead be represented exclusively through the democratic process. If they are to be properly heard, it is crucial that the democratic process provides the space for a more inclusive debate. As a society we are never going to fully move forward if we simply shut out the voices that we do not want to hear. 

There has been a sneering on social media as to why some individuals are given platforms, such as on the Nolan Show. Perhaps designated by certain quarters as extreme, they nonetheless represent a section of our society. It is important to hear their concerns and for them to be taken up as necessary by political leaders. New voices should be heard too, helped by fresh initiatives like Her Loyal Voice. Encouraging free expression and dialogue, in turn, will help to starve paramilitaries from as much oxygen as possible.

So, if we are to build a truly sustainable peace and if we are to stamp out paramilitarism once and for all, we need to deal with the fundamental issues. Political leaders must listen and respond, and it’s up to everyone to demand that they do. Our future depends on it.

More on Northern Slant: