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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Northern Ireland nationalists fear focus on reconciliation stalling push for unity referendum
In Northern Ireland, it used to be the one goal that everyone could agree on: reconciliation. Whether the region stayed in the UK or united with Ireland, all sides acknowledged the need to heal wounds from the Troubles and to bridge differences between Catholics and Protestants. Even those who riled the other side invoked reconciliation. How could they not? It was self-evidently a good thing. Not any more. Increasing numbers of nationalists say the R-word has been hijacked and twisted to block their campaign for a referendum on unification. 'The goal of reconciliation is very worthy but it is being manipulated and bastardised,' said Kevin Rooney, the founder of Irish Border Poll, a group that lobbies for a referendum. 'It has become an undisguised unionist veto.' Rooney and others fear that an elusive, ill-defined rapprochement between Northern Ireland's two biggest blocs is morphing into a precondition that gives unionists and the Irish and British governments a pretext to dodge a referendum. For Rooney, such a precondition would entrench the status quo in an entity designed a century ago for unionist dominance – and paradoxically undermine reconciliation. 'It creates a perverse incentive for hardline loyalists to resist everything and threaten violence.' Under this scenario, tensions associated with the traditional summer marching season, or the Irish-language rap trio Kneecap's outspoken statements on British rule, or any number of controversies, can be harnessed as purported evidence that Northern Ireland is not ready for a vote on its constitutional future. Stalled momentum for unification compounds nationalist anxiety: in Northern Ireland, Catholic birthrates are dwindling, the Brexit shock has faded, and Sinn Féin faltered in Ireland's election last November, paving the way for a renewed Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael coalition government that is in no rush for a referendum. Simon Harris, the tánaiste, has said he does not expect a vote this decade and that it is not a priority. The taoiseach, Micheal Mártin, has emphasised not unification but the government's Shared Island Initiative, which promotes reconciliation and cross-border cooperation and infrastructure. Dublin, in other words, is not putting pressure on Keir Starmer's government for a referendum, which under the Good Friday agreement must be called if it appears that most people in Northern Ireland would vote to leave the UK. The combined vote share for Sinn Féin and the moderate nationalist Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP) has hovered at about 40% since 1998, a stagnation that has persisted despite the number of Catholics overtaking Protestants, but dwindling support for unionist parties has tilted recent elections to pro-unification candidates. For nationalists who think the conditions for a referendum will soon be met, the focus on reconciliation has set off alarm bells. Colum Eastwood, an MP and former SDLP leader, criticised what he called a 'creeping normalisation' to make it a prerequisite. 'Reconciliation is a moral imperative for our whole society – the southern establishment can't use it to justify telling citizens in the north that we can't have a decent economy, jobs and public services,' he tweeted. Elaborating via email, Eastwood said creating a new, united Ireland could advance reconciliation. 'Will there be tension? Yes. Can we confront that in a way that promotes understanding and actually contributes to reconciliation? Absolutely. We shouldn't run away from that – we should be rushing into that space,' he said. Leo Varadkar, the former taoiseach, has urged the current Irish government to push for a referendum, saying the Irish state would not have been founded in 1922, nor would there have been a Good Friday agreement, if full reconciliation had been a precondition. A '50 plus one' vote in favour of unification would suffice, he told the Féile an Phobail festival in Belfast last week. 'A majority is a majority' but it would be better to have 'maximum consent', he said. Michelle O'Neill, Sinn Féin's Northern Ireland first minister, told a republican commemoration last weekend that the party remained 'laser focused' on unity and urged the Irish government to put the matter before a citizens' assembly. A report by Ireland's Future, a non-profit that advocates unification, notes that the Good Friday agreement does not insist on reconciliation before a referendum. 'Our view is that any such objective will only follow the transition to a new constitutional arrangement on our shared island. Reunification is a reconciliation project,' it says. However, others – unionists as well as some nationalists – say it would be reckless to call a vote for existential change unless and until Northern Ireland's sectarian tensions ease. 'Demands for a referendum will only add to communal polarisation and be entirely counter-productive,' said Liam Kennedy, a history professor at Queen's University Belfast. He cited the so-called peace walls that divide Catholic and Protestant areas and the region's 'unstable equilibrium' as warnings. 'We need a much higher degree of reconciliation to lay the foundations of a united Ireland that would work. It would be madness for the republic to take on the political and financial burdens of unification unless it was clear most people in Northern Ireland were either satisfied with or at least accepting of Irish unity.' David Adams, who helped to broker the loyalist paramilitary ceasefire in 1994, said segregated housing and education had 'corralled' Catholics and Protestants and embedded tribalism. 'There is no violence but we remain divided. Without some sign of reconciliation advancing I don't think the republic would touch this place with a barge pole.' Peter Shirlow, the director of the University of Liverpool's Institute of Irish Studies, said reconciliation had in fact progressed – he cited power-sharing at Stormont, integrated workplaces, mixed marriages – but that falling Catholic birthrates and static nationalist support had weakened the referendum push. 'There ain't going to be a border poll,' he said. Trevor Ringland, a former international rugby player and unionist politician who served on the Northern Ireland Policing Board, said some referendum advocates undermined reconciliation by legitimising IRA violence during the Troubles. 'They've been selling the message to young people that we had to kill our neighbours to achieve constitutional change.' Ringland said songs such as Get Your Brits Out by Kneecap – 'Brits out' was an IRA-era slogan – elided the British identity of many people in Northern Ireland. 'The kids think they're being edgy but edgy was being in the police, which meant you could get a bullet through you.' Northern Ireland needed more reconciliation before voting on constitutional change, Ringland said. 'Let's keep a focus on building relationships and future generations can decide where to take it.' Unity advocates, in contrast, believe constitutional change – to be achieved by winning elections in Northern Ireland and prodding the Irish government into action – is a task for the current generation. Rooney said: 'The Dublin establishment has been lukewarm about unity for quite a while – some basically want an easy life and don't want to think about the north at all. It's our job to win them over.'
National Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Flames sign forward Justin Kirkland to one-year contract extension
For several weeks last fall, Justin Kirkland was arguably the NHL's best-feel good story. Article content Article content Kirkland, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent, has inked a one-year, one-way contract extension with the Flames. Article content The deal, announced Monday morning, carries a cap-hit of US$900,000 and offers some clarity on who will start next season as Calgary's fourth-line centre. Article content Kirkland, who has spent most of his pro career in the minors, appeared in 21 games with the Flames in 2024-25. 'Costco' had contributed eight points, sniped on three of his four shootout attempts and was emerging as a fan favourite when his breakout campaign was cut short due to an ACL injury. He is now six-plus months into his recovery from knee surgery and should be fully healthy for training camp. Article content While this speedy forward will be challenged to prove he can pick up where he left off before the injury, this feels like a low-risk signing for the Flames. Article content Kirkland is the frontrunner to replace fourth-line centre Kevin Rooney, who will sign elsewhere as a free agent. If he doesn't win that job, he has the versatility to work either wing. Article content If Kirkland struggles to rediscover his game or needs some time to knock off the rust in the minors, he'd be a valuable mentor for the up-and-comers on the Wranglers. They can learn a lot from his resilience — a guy who refused to give up on his NHL dreams, even after a serious car accident in 2023. His inspiring backstory was spotlighted when he buried his first big-league goal last October, and again when he was named the Flames' nominee for the Masterton Trophy. Article content With Friday's news that Dryden Hunt has inked a two-year, two-way deal, Flames general manager Craig Conroy has now re-upped a pair of pending unrestricted free agents. Article content
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why do coaches coach? Commander of USS Abraham Lincoln gives reason
Dan Keeler, the new captain of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, called up his football coaches from his days at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High earlier this week, along with his English teacher, to give them a salute for the impact they made on a teenager now in charge of one of the Navy's most powerful ships. The speech by Keeler on Wednesday in Coronado at a changing of the command ceremony offered the real reason coaches coach and teachers teach — to make a difference in a student's life. Advertisement "I learned more about hard work, grit, determination and how to handle pain, honestly, from this group," he said. He recalled when Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney gave him a recommendation letter for the Naval Academy: "Coach Rooney, when you handed me the letter, you said, 'I think you're going to be good at this,' and you were right." Keeler added, "There were plenty of championships, but I don't think that's how these people measure success. I was a very mediocre backup quarterback and defensive back. If I was playing in a football game, we were winning by a lot. "Those metrics of winning and losing weren't the only things that mattered. They were important. These educators took all the time to get the best out of their students and I was one of them. They saw something in me and chose to make a positive impact, and I am forever grateful." Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why do coaches coach? Commander of USS Abraham Lincoln gives reason
Dan Keeler, the new captain of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, called up his football coaches from his days at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High earlier this week, along with his English teacher, to give them a salute for the impact they made on a teenager now in charge of one of the Navy's most powerful ships. The speech by Keeler on Wednesday in Coronado at a changing of the command ceremony offered the real reason coaches coach and teachers teach — to make a difference in a student's life. Advertisement "I learned more about hard work, grit, determination and how to handle pain, honestly, from this group," he said. He recalled when Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney gave him a recommendation letter for the Naval Academy: "Coach Rooney, when you handed me the letter, you said, 'I think you're going to be good at this,' and you were right." Keeler added, "There were plenty of championships, but I don't think that's how these people measure success. I was a very mediocre backup quarterback and defensive back. If I was playing in a football game, we were winning by a lot. "Those metrics of winning and losing weren't the only things that mattered. They were important. These educators took all the time to get the best out of their students and I was one of them. They saw something in me and chose to make a positive impact, and I am forever grateful." Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dan Keeler went from Notre Dame High to commander of USS Abraham Lincoln
For all the push-ups completed, for all the running drills endured and for all the yelling received during his days playing high school football at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High in the 1990s, Dan Keeler is getting the last laugh later this month when he takes command of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Coronado. "Now I'm going to have to salute him," former Notre Dame coach Kevin Rooney quipped. Keeler, who graduated from high school in 1994 and went on to the Naval Academy, is taking command of one of the Navy's most prominent ships. "It is incredible that he has earned this responsibility," Rooney said. Keeler was a defensive back and track athlete for the Knights and is one of five siblings who attended Notre Dame. Track coach Joe McNab, who just won his 11th Southern Section championship, was his defensive backs coach. "Good kid," McNab said. "He's a guy who fit all the boxes in terms of being a great kid and doing things right," Rooney said. Rooney, McNab and former football assistant Jeff Kraemer will make the trip to the San Diego area for the change-of-command ceremony. For some reason, Keeler invited his former high school coaches after all those days of sweat and tears in Sherman Oaks. "If I had known he was going to be so powerful, I wouldn't have made him run so much," Kraemer said. Keeler isn't the first Notre Dame graduate to rise in the Navy ranks. Retired Adm. Mike Mullen was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011 and graduated from Notre Dame in 1964. Mullen once came back to his alma mater to address the student body. Rooney, who retired in 2019 after 40 years as football coach, said his goal was always to "help kids become great people and do things right." Coaches know that the best day of all is when a graduate comes back to campus and tells them how they are doing and explains how lessons learned as teenagers really made a difference in their life. As summer begins and graduates move on with their lives and the class of 2029 arrives, it's a good reminder to everyone that it's not wins and losses that matter most in high school. It's teaching life lessons and preparing students to become adults, good people and good community members. To see a former Los Angeles-area high school football player take charge of an aircraft carrier is proof that all that running to gain stamina, all that preaching to work together as a team, all those lectures that practice makes perfect … it's true. You only need to listen, learn and dedicate yourself to reaching a goal. A salute to all the coaches and teachers who understand their real job is to create opportunities for their students to succeed through wisdom and inspiration. Capt. Keeler, Bravo Zulu and Anchors Aweigh. Be safe. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
