Poppies and parades

While the NI Executive grinds to a halt, our two biggest political parties are slugging it out on one of the issues they were too insecure to address in the first place. Our shared future exists in name only on an outdated strategy document in Castle Buildings while attention turns to this Sunday’s two parades: the homecoming parade for troops serving abroad and Sinn Fein’s counter-demonstration – both in Belfast city centre. I fear that the weekend’s events could be a curtain-raiser to this Administration’s disastrous final act, with fresh elections to follow.

The next weekend is Remembrance Sunday, and I’ve appreciated the thoughtful posts from Soap Box and Crookedshore on this matter last year. Like many others I’ve worn poppies for years probably without a second thought. We currently attend a well-established traditional church which makes a fairly big deal out of Remembrance Sunday and because of this I’ve been having a re-think.

Many services I’ve attended over the years, while respectfully and rightfully remembering the fallen, neglect to remember non-military victims while also refusing to question the justification of ongoing and future violent conflict. I’m uncomfortable with this. But having grown up within a Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist culture that has chosen to define its cultural and ethnic identity largely through the remembrance of two major historical battles- where do we go from here to try and reframe? I really don’t know. 

Maybe given the turmoil that could take place over the coming days it would be all the more important to try and explore a different path and just go for it. I’d like to summon up the courage to wear a white poppy next Sunday. I’ve only seen them sold online in packs of five. If anyone else nearby was interested I might buy a box.