Just a few moments after seeing the destruction left on the Strand Road yesterday, I heard a British diplomat on BBC News defending the war in Afghanistan and saying that the Taliban posed a threat ‘to our way of life’. It got me thinking.
The individuals responsible for the attack on our City on Monday night pose as much a threat to our way of life as anything else. Walking home from work yesterday and seeing the large metal barrier across the road shielding the battered remains of the Strand, it reminded me of how Derry looked in times gone by, now, I’m not that old, but even I remember the mess the City was in when I was a wee boy.
People go out, they do their shopping, they see friends and they stop for a cuppa. That is our way of life now, to come and go as we please without hindrance from security forces or any other impediment. Are we going to defend it? I for one am becoming increasingly annoyed at the politicians, save our Mayor, who keep repeating the same thing over and over again – that ‘these people are wreckers, they have no support etc etc’. Now granted, they cant be seen to be panicking and losing their cool, but figures I read about terrorism-related arrests yesterday does not make me hopeful that those words are being translated into action – 122 people arrested and 31 charged in the last year, are the PSNI just arresting people for the fun of it? Just over 25% of those arrested (with good cause, I assume) were charged. The politicians need to ensure that more is done, that services are more effective in bringing those guilty parties to justice (not that all of them are guilty).
I am also very anxious, as many are, about how this will affect the City of Cultue programme – how can we possibly run an effective festival of culture if we cannot protect the people and the places who are holding them? This needs to be seriously looked at by the CSP and Derry City Council in particular. I certainly don’t want 2013 to be remembered for cancelled events, tears and tension.
Which brings me to another, almost related point. I also see that the City is a finalist in the RHS Britain in Bloom competition – well done to all involved. However, I have to ask, in the interest of fairness, how many UK or Britain-related events is the City involved in? I mean, personally speaking, if it brings in tourists and they spend their money here, great – but, one of the criticisms, founded or unfounded, of the City of Culture bid was the emphasis on ‘UK’ – surely we want to be presenting that we can be inclusive to all our citizens and not show any particular bias or favouritism towards a specific identity..? I say this in the interests of ensuring we all feel like this is our City, rather than taking any particular view.
London wants the Olympics to leave a legacy for the community to benefit from – lets ensure that the legacy of the City of Culture, RHS Britain in Bloom and whatever else we as a City might be involved in, leaves a legacy for everyone in the community – that is how we can preserve our progress and defend our way of life…
