Disastrous Leadership

Dixie Elliot ✊Michelle O'Neill told reporters that her party colleague Michelle Gildernew's views on Troubles murders "are her own and certainly not mine."

The first minister said:

They do not reflect my view, and they certainly do not reflect the view of our party. I work every day to build this place up. I work every day to give people hope, to create opportunity, to build a brighter and better future for all.

"That's what I am very focused on," O'Neill added...

Is that right?

Going from Smash Stormont to building the place up is as low as the Sinn Féiners can go in terms of a disastrous leadership which wasted the lives of brave young Irish men and women.

Let's not forget that they've gone from, demanding 'Brits Out!' to welcoming the British King Charles Windsor and his repugnant family to 'this place' as 'friends of their peace process.'

'This place' which he claims sovereignty over.

So don't give me any of that bullshit about himself and the rest of the Windsors being visiting dignitaries.

When the Colonial First Minister talks about 'building this place up,' she has clearly decided on continuing with the old Unionist tradition of ignoring Derry and Strabane in her building plans.

Derry which still has that 'London' prefix imposed on us and as a result we still have to endure the taunting of Unionist bigots like Gregory Campbell.

The people of Derry, if given the chance would overwhelmingly win a poll on removing this insult by no less than 72.4% of those in favour.

Ah, but they can't upset Gregory and company by pushing for such a poll in case of a violent backlash, or worse still, they even go as far as pulling Stormont down again.

So we'll have wait and listen to Michelle O'Neill and her party telling us that a border poll is only five or ten years away, every so often.

Then trust the British to let us have one, which hopefully we'll win without them changing the rules, like saying that a Unionist backlash is too great a risk to take so 50% plus one won't be enough for a United Ireland.

So then we'll have to wait to get 60% or more and we still won't be allowed to vote to remove that 'London' prefix from the name of our city and the fence-sitters will still be using the ridiculous terms, 'Stroke City', 'The Maiden City', or 'The Walled City'.

In the meantime we can only wonder when they'll say that the war against British Rule should never have happened and apologise for it.

Thomas Dixie Elliot is a Derry artist and a former H Block Blanketman.

Follow Dixie Elliot on Twitter @IsMise_Dixie