"Good collective politics will work"

by David Ervine

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"The fools! The fools! Us Prods is gittin nahan!" That is pretty much the shout of the scumbags who murdered Daniel Mccolgan last Saturday morning. Since then, the degree of condemnation and rejection of the killers has been loud indeed. A pathetic attempt to justify such an awful action has been met among the public with the ridicule it deserves. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could possibly justify the brutal slaying of an innocent young man.

Alas, he is not the first young person in recent times to meet very premature death. Why is it that young men are killing young men? In 1994, the year that heralded so much hope, those who have lost their lives were still at primary school or had just moved on to secondary school. Whether the innocent victim or the willing 'cannon fodder', all of those lives have been sacrificed in a ritual dance to the alter of hatred and sheer bloody power.

The 'armchair generals' who will risk little of themselves have the death of our youth upon their hands. Apart from the misery caused there is nothing to show in the way of gain, respect or logic to the actions they ordered. So, why do they do what they do? For that, I am afraid; we would require the assistance of a clinical psychologist. But, perhaps this layman may be allowed a guess. They do it because they can! Sitting in a hothouse environment, talking only to people like themselves, purveyors of hate, the grand generalissimo can order no other action. Building themselves into lather frenzy constantly means they have to follow it through. Failure to follow it through would make some not so tough as they make out. Perhaps the macho thing, growling in every sentence and laughing, Devil-may-care, with talk of danger helps to create the environment of can do! That is it - they do it because they can! Serial style! High on Cocaine might also be a help!

I'm afraid we were always going to have to go through this nightmare. Dark days were always coming our way. They are not over yet! Clearly, on both sides there are those who cannot shake off the ways of the past. Luring the young disciples to their side gives comfort. Tapping the mood of a community fearful for the future, and packaging it for the new recruits is easy. Danger always lurks in the End Game! Basically, the last throws are happening now! These times will pass. They must! We as a people must make them pass. Only then will we know the true value of peace. Because we have a troubled land does not mean that it should always be troubled. There does not need to be inevitability about the way we live our lives, or indeed, the way we die. There are choices. One choice we can all make is to treat as intolerable the action of those who use violence and say they act on our behalf.

To kill someone because of the way they worship God is evil in the extreme. However, let's look at history throughout the world and the present day in the Balkans or the Middle East and realise that humans have been doing that evil thing for a long time. We don't have to accept a hamster-wheel existence of tit-for-tat.

It may at times seem silly to suggest that politics can work. But, politics can work if we make it work. The representatives, no matter how frightened they are can still make the process function, honing as they go. What we require is a system of implementation. For too long now we have been bumbling through the process of the GFA. The benefits must be shared among all of the people. In order to make a success of delivering the needs to the population we must choreograph the changes. It can be done. If we are to escape from the tyranny of sectarian evil, we have no choice but to make politics work.

Suicide rates are on the increase, our cancer wards are full, and the heart-attack capital of Europe is Northern Ireland. We kill with our motorcars large numbers of our fellow citizens. Add to all of that the wilful human destruction by fascists, growing lawlessness, our elderly cowering behind closed doors, many of our children in the home, in school and in the street are gripped by anti-authority attitudes taught by all the role models who have made a virtue out of challenging authority - myself included. The mountain we must climb looks awesome indeed. What do we do then? Give up? I think not! There is all to play for. Even as we mourn another needless passing, it is clear that we will go on.

The answer for the future, the hope for a decent existence and the vehicle for delivery is POLITICS! Good collective politics will work. Negative sectional politics will not!

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