Monday, February 05, 2007

Big-Endians and Little-Endians



Every day Gerry Adams argues for steps towards a united Ireland, and every day Ian Paisley argues for the maintenance of Northern Ireland as part of the UK. Those are the clear dominant themes of their lives and one day they will die and turn to dust and that will be that.

Do they never get up of a morning and wonder, “But what’s it all for?” You know, like Fungus the Bogeyman.



The Irish question that dare not speak its name is: how on earth can anyone be bothered?

4 comments:

martpol said...

At least Adams has calmed down a little in recent years. Paisley seems to operate like a hi-tech toy that only has use of a limited range of expressions.

They never actually talk to each other, of course, so Paisley interviews often go something like this (with emphasis for reasons that are obvious if you've ever heard him speak).

Reporter: Sinn Fein claims that it is now co-operating with the police authority...
Paisley: Sinn Fein has no right to claim that anything it does is in the spirit of co-operation!
Reporter: But they say now -
Paisley: What Sinn Fein says and what they do are two very different things!
Reporter: Mr Paisley -
Paisley: The Unionists have worked long and hard for peace in Northern Ireland, and for anyone to stand here and say that I'm a liar is frankly outrageous.
Reporter: But -
Paisley: The word but is a nationalist word! I'll not have any truck with reporters who say but.

Brit said...

It's the same with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The question that always strikes me is, "How can anyone generate that much anger - over such a long period of time and over such relative trivia?"

monix said...

"Those are the clear dominant themes of their lives and one day they will die and turn to dust and that will be that."

That applies to so many ranters who spend all their intellectual energy in trying to prove the unprovable or to convert the unconvertable instead of enjoying the sunshine.

Brit said...

...Ahem...well...yes.

Time to go for a walk, perhaps.