good from bad

Good often comes from bad – or so they say anyway. Sometimes, however, you have to look really carefully to spot a tiny blossom of positivity in the face of overwhelming devastation. At times like these I find it’s probably best not to mention the positive side of things for fear of attracting incredulous stares of disgust at your gross insensitivity.

For instance – and this is probably a good example of stretching things a little – Northern Ireland can boost some of the best surgeons in the world. We are especially known for our experts in the field of reconstructive surgery – they are in demand throughout the world. It’s something of which we can be justifiably proud.

The price for this success? Thirty years of punishment beatings, kneecappings, bombs, arson attacks, abductions, hijackings, executions and general acts of terrorism. Our surgeons spent so long patching people up after explosions and fires that they became pretty good at it. Something a little bit good came out of something very very bad.

So I’m hoping that something positive can come out of the violence we experienced this weekend – but I want more than just some well practised surgeons in return for the lives of the police and soldiers shot this weekend.

The class I was covering a few minutes ago don’t remember ‘the troubles.’ The last time a policeman was murdered by terrorists here they were crawling around – some of them weren’t even on solid food. They don’t know what it was like back then. But even they know that nothing can be achieved through this kind of violence.
This view is shared by the thousands of people meeting around the country for vigils right now. Politicians, church leaders, all kinds of people sharing a time of silence that will hopefully say more than a thousand speeches.

I’m hoping that somehow the way all sides of the community - unionists, nationalists, protestants, catholics, old, young, rich, poor, blonde, brunette – have united in revulsion and condemnation of these murders… well I’m hoping that it sends out the message that we have no appetite for a return to the violent old days. I’m hoping that support for the ‘real IRA’ and the ‘continuity IRA’ melts away when they see how it flies in face of public opinion.

Wouldn’t it be a beautiful irony if these attacks actually strengthened the peace process they were designed to disrupt? Wouldn’t it be glorious if sectarian violence led to us stamping bigotry out of this troubled little country? If that happened then it would be one positive from a negative of which we could be truly proud.