"Silent majorities do not make history."
Christopher Hitchens, 'King Billy’s Scattered Legions', New Statesman, 1972
Perhaps it's time for the silent majority, the normal half of Northern Ireland (see here and here) and the Great Unengaged to make history by standing up and speaking against the politicians and street thugs who are so grievously damaging the Northern Ireland economy and its standing in the world? This is urgent. You can't afford to be silent. You can't afford to be indifferent. You can't afford to be neutral. As Abraham Lincoln said:
“Either way, if we surrender, it is the end of us... They will repeat the experiment upon us ad libitum.”
A silent majority is a security blanket for Northern Ireland politicians. A silent majority is that which allows bad government. It is the prop that holds together the congress of sectarian clowns. But, as Tom Hayden said, "A silent majority and government by the people is incompatible." So here's the challenge: show to the world that a majority, long silent, can make history.
No comments:
Post a Comment