McGuinness’s admiration for the queen was striking and unexpected
British monarch’s contribution to peace process has been undermined by Brexit
Queen Elizabeth shakes hands with then Northern Ireland deputy first minister Martin McGuinness watched by then first minister Peter Robinson (centre) at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Photograph: Pacemaker Press/ PA
The warm and open-hearted message from Queen Elizabeth to all Irish people on the centenary of the establishment of Northern Ireland was a timely antidote to the tribal politics of division and conflict currently being pursued by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin.
In contrast to the DUP’s doomed campaign to undermine the protocol on trade agreed between the UK government and the European Union, and Sinn Féin’s pursuit of a united Ireland agenda, designed to infuriate unionists of all shades, the queen’s positive message was an encouragement to harmony and co-operation.