Hump Day open thread: Joe Biden arrives in Ireland

Just two sons of Ireland

Joe Biden arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland yesterday to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Accords, which ended The Troubles, the civil war between Ulster's Catholic and Protestant communities. The atrocities committed by the Irish Republican Army and their adversaries in the loyalist paramilitaries cost the region three thousand lives.

Since the signing of the peace deal, Belfast and Northern Ireland have seen a rebirth. All that has been thrown into doubt due to Brexit and the special measures needed for the border between the north and the Republic of Ireland continuing to be frictionless and seamless. Hopefully President Biden's trip will loosen the loggerheads at which Sinn Fein and the main unionist party, the Democratic Unionists, find themselves in. The most recent elections saw Sinn Fein garner the most seats for the first time in the Stormont assembly; but, as part of the power-sharing agreement, the province has no government because the DUP has been boycotting the assembly until its concerns over Brexit are settled.

However, the DUP is playing a losing hand. Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union, by a vote of 55% to 45%. A goodly proportion of those remain votes came from the Protestant community. By being so obstreperous, the loyalist camp is making reunification with the south more likely. Sinn Fein's leader foresees a referendum on unification within ten years. I would think such a poll would win assent both north and south.

So, have a pint and enjoy.

This is your open thread.

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