McCann on those who wish to retain 'ugly scaffolding'

Whilst Eamon McCann’s brand of computer-disc-purloining politics is hardly my cup of tea, I do admire his commitment to fairness and the absence of the least shred of communal or sectarian bigotry which he exhibits.

Given these qualities, it is scarcely surprising to read McCann’s defence of Mark Durkan’s suggestion that ideally the Northern Ireland Assembly’s system of designation will ‘biodegrade’, nor is it surprising that he has identified the tribalism which has driven the strongest criticism to which the SDLP leader has been subjected. Referring to Durkan’s suggestion, McCann notes,

“Some, obviously, think this “nonsense,” and that anyone daring to envision a political system no longer structured in accordance with sectarian designation must have some petty, ignoble reason for so doing. That tells us rather more about them than about Durkan. “