![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() He argues that factors in the wider political context militate against progress here – especially the reliance of the present Tory government on DUP votes at Westminster. I have a long-standing friend who tells me that my optimism is misplaced if I think that local politics can fix the current mess. Sadly, there have also been lows, like the 158 people that have been murdered, the growing polarisation of politics and the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly. There have been undoubted highs, like the IRA decommissioning their weapons, Sinn Fein signing up to Policing and age old adversaries sharing power. Throughout the 25 years I have tried to remain optimistic. On the 25th anniversary of their deaths I can’t help but think back to the horror of that week and the lives that were lost but today I also want to think about the hope that emerged from the bloodlust and to ponder where it went and more importantly when will it be back. My wife Sharon and her dad Desmond were amongst the dead on that terrible day on the Shankill Road. The killing started with the Shankill Bomb on the Saturday and there were other killings during the week, before concluding with the Greysteel Massacre on the following Saturday. The week from the 23rd to the 30th October 1993 saw twenty four people lose their lives in one of the bloodiest weeks of the ‘Troubles’. ![]()
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