The Great Northern Struggle

In light of the IRA Statement and the removal of some of the army watch towers in the north. It looks like the final progress will be made. But for every peace of progress in the North there is something that drags it back down in to the quagmire. Take today reading the BBC website I noticed two articles. The second was that plans have been unveiled about the development of Belfast city centre. It proposes the creation of more shopping areas in the north of Royal Avenue to boost the economy and the lord mayor said

The plan was a welcome boost for the city. "It is clear that after more than 30 years of difficult times in this city, Belfast is getting back on its feet but it needs public and private sector support in order to get there," Mr Brown said. "I want to see creative and imaginative improvements in our shopping streets that will give people a new buzz about Belfast."

This is of course a welcome step. IF Belfast could become the shopping capital of Ireland it would be nice. Personally I think that Belfast is a much nicer city to walk in then Dublin and Royal avenue would be nicer to spend a day in then grafton street. This is new project is a sign that Belfast is coming out of its dark past and into the light. But with anything in the North of Ireland the good news is always shadowed by bad. So the first article I saw was. Officers injured in disturbances Six vehicles were set on fire during the trouble Eight police officers have been injured and plastic bullets fired during rioting on Belfast's Crumlin Road. This was accompanied by a picture of a bus on fire. So the question is who will win the people who want to create progress in Northern Ireland or the people who want to petrol bomb buses and cars. The obvious answer is that it is the people who want to progress that must be in the majority. But if that is so why do people still vote along sectarian lines. How come during a debate on question time last year prior to the election were the topics of health education etc not debated. The people I know from Northern Ireland are primarily non-sectarian wishing to debate the issues that actually matter. But they are also by in large non-voting as well. So In Northern Ireland is it just a case that the extremes come out and vote and the non-extremes stay in complaining about the rest. If this is the case who is to blame. Well being a Southern hence in most peoples in Northern Ireland a nationalist I have to blame the brats. The reason I blame the brats is because the labor party and Liberals Democrats don't run in the North and the From Wikipedia

For many years, labor had a policy of Irish unity by consent, and did not allow residents of Northern Ireland to apply for membership, instead supporting the nationalist Social Democratic and labor Party (SDLP). The 2003 labor Party Conference accepted legal advice that the party could not continue to prohibit residents of the province joining, but the National Executive has decided not to organize or contest elections there.

The Liberals are aligned with the alliance party

The Liberal Democrats, like the Conservatives, organize in Northern Ireland. However, unlike the Conservatives, the Lib Dems have chosen not to contest elections in the province. Instead, they have opted to work with the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, with the de facto agreement that the Liberal Democrats will support the Alliance Party in elections. Indeed, many individuals, including several notable parliamentarians, hold membership of both parties. Alliance members of the House of Lords take the Liberal Democrat whip on non-Northern Ireland issues, and the Alliance Party always maintains a stall set out at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference.

andTories don't really try. This gives the people a lack of options in voting they can't vote on issues saved the one issue that has always been there sectarism. Even a vote for the Alliance party is mostly based on sectarism it is a vote against it. People need to be able to ignore it be able to not have to consider sectarism in making there election choices. Even if as some people wish that Fianna Fail Fine Gael The Irish labor party The Pds the greens etc organized up north. This two would leave to sectarism with Unionists voting British labor and Nationalist voting Irish labor even though both parties not meant to be sectarian they would be turned into a sectarian devoid. In my opinion what needs to be done to save Northern Ireland and to make the articles about Urban Renewal outshine the articles about rioting is for the creation either by joint Irish British Alliances or not Liberal Conservative right and left wing parties in the North to let the majority of people vote like really free people can. On Issues